Shortly after buying the guide books and delving into them we realized that it would be impossible to carry all these with us on the trip. Also it would be way to cumbersome to carry all the varieties of clothes we will need for the different climates. We have come up with 2 ideas so far.

Idea #1 - Build a series of boxes that are pre-addressed with specific items in them for specific locations. (e.g.. rain coat for Thailand, warm clothes for Nepal etc.) Have my parents send that box along with the corresponding guide book once we are in that country. Then when finished ship the box back.

Idea #2 - After making all our notes and highlighting and underlining the guide books, take the time to scan and make pdf's of the books and put those pdf's on the laptop we are bringing. For clothing pack light, buy what we need when we need it, then when we are done give it to locals or ship it home.

Any more ideas?