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I'm guessing some people might not just be wanting to trek around third-world countries in Asia? I've done that, but my current trip is Europe and really most of what that OP is about doesn't apply. Everyone does take cards, have one VISA and one Mastercard and you'll be fine. Bring your laptop, not a huge old one, but the modern Ultrabook standard is exactly right. You'll find free wifi many places, including McDonalds and you don't want to have to use some crusty public 486. Security too, I never really want to log into my bank on someone else's computer and certainly not a public one, who knows what poo poo is running in the background possibly logging your keystrokes. Buses can take you everywhere and trains everywhere else, but if you're older and have some money behind you now, your rental car will hold your bags. So the whole 'take a single bag thing' doesn't apply at all and you don't have to think and pack like an explorer. It goes on like this, really Europe is much like Australia (or the US). Go far enough off the beaten track and sure, it can get weird but that's also in our home countries. Unless you're intending to stay out there for ages, I usually have a hotel or a flat in the more normal places and then can take day trips or a few days where you can take a lot less and leave the rest in your room. But the OP is great if I was going to walk around Asia again in a shoestring - although resorts in Thailand are ridiculously cheap so I usually end up in a place that would cost a fortune in the first world for peanuts. I guess its an age thing too, this time I've got an apartment in the Italian Alps for the entire ski season in one of their most famous ski towns. It's really not that expensive, around 7 grand Australian (that's about the same in US) for the whole 4 months, a huge 3 room apartment with proper kitchen, bedrooms, lounge room etc. Remember Italy's economy kinda sucks at the moment and that means you can get your dollars to go a long way, this applies to many EU countries. Oh for international transfers I recently found a great online service. I don't use the bank anymore, coz they charge fees and give poo poo rates, through the service because they have locations in each global area everything ends up being a local transfer. Do that, sort it before you go.. and lots of banks have a 'travel card' or something now. So you recharge it and it's in the local currency, which means you don't get a fee everytime you withdraw. Recharge it with the online forex service and you can manage your own funds (Mum doesn't really want to have to deal with my bullshit anymore  ) and be doing it for the same costs as if you were home.Oh yeah.. if you're staying somewhere for an extended period, really living amongst them for a while.. LEARN THE LANGUAGE. Any effort here counts, but it is the difference between confusion and isolation and friendliness and welcome.
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Oct 13, 2013 09:41
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Staying somewhere for 4 months isn't really travel though, of course you can haul much more stuff along if you only have to deal with it for 2 days out of 4 months. Rental cars and luxury lodging are convenient but when you're traveling alone that's a good way to never meet people, ask me about the solitude of business travel. Resorts and hotels make an effort to become as boring as possible for the sake of privacy, for reasons that escape me luxury and socializing don't go together at all except for the occasional hotel bar drinking buddy. Having a single carry-on bag means never worrying about tracking it down and you don't instantly hate life when you have to walk for an hour. But the best part is the freedom it gives you to just go without your stuff holding you back. This goes for travel anywhere, not just third world shoestring travel. Europe is especially great for single bag travel because public transport is easy as long as you don't have huge bags with wheels. The only thing that you have to give up is things you don't need, and this thread does a great job of telling you how. Bringing more stuff has no advantage whatsoever. You can go anywhere, right now, that's the reason people obsess so much about having a single bag because that kind of freedom makes travel great. At least for me.
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Oct 13, 2013 15:38
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At the point where your travel becomes equivalent to moving between apartments you don't really need to consider special travel gear, so of course that isn't what people in this thread are discussing.
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Oct 13, 2013 16:46
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Also you should only take your laptop if you have to write a novel or something. You can bank with a smartphone or a tablet.
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Oct 13, 2013 17:22
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I travel plenty. I need my laptop as work requires me to be somewhat available for fires, etc. It enables the traveling. Also god forbid I want to accomplish something on a long flight that might not be possible or easy on a tablet. This is the travel gear thread, not the backpacking / edc thread. Both sides of the coin are relevant. There are a lot of ways to travel.
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Oct 13, 2013 18:26
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I have to admit that this thread does neglect a certain demographic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZNLT1Bj2I8
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Oct 13, 2013 19:06
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sellouts posted:I travel plenty. I need my laptop as work requires me to be somewhat available for fires, etc. It enables the traveling. Also god forbid I want to accomplish something on a long flight that might not be possible or easy on a tablet. Yeah, this is basically it. I just took it as the 'traveling gear thread', not 'backpacking' or I wouldn't have come in here at all. Just trying to give a perspective to some readers that might want to do it like I am. Pvt Dancer posted:Rental cars and luxury lodging are convenient but when you're traveling alone that's a good way to never meet people, ask me about the solitude of business travel. Resorts and hotels make an effort to become as boring as possible for the sake of privacy, for reasons that escape me luxury and socializing don't go together at all except for the occasional hotel bar drinking buddy. You know, this is really, really true. Doing it on the cheap means usually sacrificing privacy, which in turn means you either socialize and meet people or you be truly miserable and horrible. Most people will end up with the first, considering you're in a cool place and everyone is probably on holiday! I've made a real point of getting out there, being friendly as possible and I've already made some good friends that should lead to more.. but yours is a very valid point. Just having to share a place with someone for a while does wonders for breaking the ice.. I just guess you hope not to get that awful person you'd never go near back home! Also, I am traveling at the moment, I've driven down to Torino from the Alps and will spend the next few days here walking around and seeing stuff. Leaving all my stuff up the mountain and having a single bag, yes, that was super easy and awesome to sort out. I could jump on a train and go anywhere, quickly and easily. Combine both? If you're in comparatively cheap places to where you're from (much of Asia or parts of the EU that are having difficulty, not Switzerland for instance heh) then you might be able to have a 'home base' that's got all your nice stuff and you can take periods of single-pack adventures. Obviously you need a lot of time and maybe a bit more money, but if it's that European Odyssey you've been promising to yourself ever since your teens.. I can tell you now it's been the experience of my life 
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Oct 13, 2013 19:12
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Tony Montana posted:Combine both? If you're in comparatively cheap places to where you're from (much of Asia or parts of the EU that are having difficulty, not Switzerland for instance heh) then you might be able to have a 'home base' that's got all your nice stuff and you can take periods of single-pack adventures. Obviously you need a lot of time and maybe a bit more money, but if it's that European Odyssey you've been promising to yourself ever since your teens.. I can tell you now it's been the experience of my life Yeah it's cool when you can pull it off like that. My work is pretty mobile and I've thought about the sort-of-settling for a few months abroad when I'm not in business travel hell. Sheep-Goats posted:I have to admit that this thread does neglect a certain demographic. Archie doesn't need this thread, he has servants to carry around his watch boxes. Not sure why a man of his stature is socializing with Bangkok bar girls though  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF8sTOT2MFY)
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Oct 13, 2013 20:21
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Holy poo poo that Archie guy is an Aussie. Recognize that in a heartbeat. edit: haha, jesus I'm in stitches. Who the hell is this nutter? Tony Montana fucked around with this message at 21:17 on Oct 13, 2013 |
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Oct 13, 2013 21:11
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sellouts posted:I travel plenty. I need my laptop as work requires me to be somewhat available for fires, etc. It enables the traveling. Also god forbid I want to accomplish something on a long flight that might not be possible or easy on a tablet. If you are traveling for business then yes you probably need a laptop. But there's a tendency to overpack when it comes to technology just like there's a tendency to overpack in general.
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Oct 14, 2013 02:12
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Light travel is fun and convenient. I think it's also nice to be able to carry a bag and go where ever when you are young/healthy enough to do so. I also hate checking in a suit case and worry about bags being delivered. BUT With checked bags you can pack all sorts of souvenirs. Like wines, liquors, cigarettes, food delicate electronics (well USA amazon is fine for 99% the time). And porno mags. You can't really send food over mail  Sheep-Goats posted:I have to admit that this thread does neglect a certain demographic. Well this guy actually likes going to Thailand and maybe bring all those wooden suit cases for: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQUZud_mjmg 
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Oct 14, 2013 05:00
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 can anybody identify what kind of wierd travel backpacks this guy has? I couldn't find any info about them in the op edit: I was watching a movie and saw some really cool luggage.  where can I get this cool luggage? How do I wear them on my back-- I assume the straps are on the inside in that photo Varicelli fucked around with this message at 05:38 on Oct 14, 2013 |
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Oct 14, 2013 05:32
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Varicelli posted:
I don't see a backpack in that photo...
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Oct 14, 2013 20:16
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Omits-Bagels posted:I don't see a backpack in that photo...
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Oct 14, 2013 20:41
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Hashtag Banterzone posted:If you are traveling for business then yes you probably need a laptop. I'm not traveling for business. Working provides money and gets me miles which allows me to take vacations. I occasionally need my laptop to check on things while I am on vacation. I think it's a gross overgeneralization to write off laptops in place of tablets. They're smaller than ever and between the above case and backing up my photos/videos from my trips, editing them during downtime, etc I wouldn't ever travel without one. With some of the great packs available you can safely combine carrying a laptop into your carry on to really minimize their impact. Carry one less pair of shoes or one less set of trousers and you've freed up more room than a laptop takes up. It's almost negligible at this point.
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Oct 14, 2013 21:37
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Yep, typing at full speed I really can't do without. I have Premiere Pro on my Ultrabook, with how fast and powerful modern lappies are I can take video from my GoPro and edit in the evenings wherever I end up. I have two removable drives, 1TB each (I'm a computer guy from the 90s, even 80s.. goddamn it's incredible how far we've come..) and I can dump huge wads of DSLR pics and high res GoPro footage and edits to one, back it up to the other and keep one in each of my TWO BAGS (gasp) so if something happened to one I don't lose my whole trip. Bought a cheap rear end Italian 3G key and now I have Internet everywhere, always.. which means I stay in even cheaper hotels because I don't need their net. BUT, if I was really going to go trekking.. I'd leave all that poo poo somewhere safe and probably go with just my phone. Can't do that for months on end though.
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Oct 15, 2013 08:35
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ok dudes I have finally decided to leave on my trip in January so expect me to post a whole ton of irritating questions in this thread over the next month! I'm having a problem though - all the travel/outdoor shops in London seem to be all about hiking/skiing/camping, and are subsequently packed full of cold weather gear and very little that is appropriate for warmer climates. I'm planning on hitting all over SEA and Australia/NZ, and it looks like I'll be going through India for at least a couple of weeks before that, so I need stuff which will keep me cool, not warm. Does anyone have any ideas? Lots of things are easily bought online (microfibre towel, sleeping bag liner) but stuff like trousers I really want to try in a shop but don't seem to be able to find.
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Oct 30, 2013 22:17
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Don't overthink it too much. I held onto my travel gear all the way through my two-year backpacking stint, but every stitch of clothing got replaced at some point before I got to the places you're going, and I never ran into trouble swinging 4 months in Australia/NZ and 8 months in south Asia with whatever I picked up along the way. The travel clothing did last way longer, of course (like 3-12 months instead of weeks), but it's really not stressing over. Most of your clothing comes from India and SE Asia anyway, and it's wayyyy cheaper over there - if you can't find travel clothes you like back home, just wear what you would normally in hot weather and replace it as needed. (Not denim. You don't want to haul around more than one pair of jeans.) Focus more on working out what actual gear will make your life easier. I found good earplugs and a comfortable eye mask, a microfiber towel, a silk sleeping bag liner and an airline blanket all worth their weight in gold.
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Oct 31, 2013 05:46
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Instead of one small question at a time, try one gigantic check list. Where will you start? When will you start? What kind of weather? How long is your trip? What kind of activities? Lodging ? Any couch surfing contacts? Any meds to bring? And the biggest factor is MONEY. Are you going to bus / train / plane /ferry? Theoretically you can just arrive with a passport and atm card, just buy whatever or bring whatever you need along the way. Like the OP , you are not going on some safari trek. Preparation can drastically reduce your costs. Don't mean to burst your bubble but it's not some eat pray love soul searching journey of man kind. It's just a super long period of joblessness going from one city to another. Doing / eating / seeing awesome things along the way. But if you make your way to hk give me a shout, throw you a goon welcome party!
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Oct 31, 2013 06:35
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cadenza posted:ok dudes I have finally decided to leave on my trip in January so expect me to post a whole ton of irritating questions in this thread over the next month! I'm having a problem though - all the travel/outdoor shops in London seem to be all about hiking/skiing/camping, and are subsequently packed full of cold weather gear and very little that is appropriate for warmer climates. I'm planning on hitting all over SEA and Australia/NZ, and it looks like I'll be going through India for at least a couple of weeks before that, so I need stuff which will keep me cool, not warm. Does anyone have any ideas? Lots of things are easily bought online (microfibre towel, sleeping bag liner) but stuff like trousers I really want to try in a shop but don't seem to be able to find. My wife and I are going on a similar year-long trip, starting in January, starting in India. Not familiar with what kind of stores you have at your disposal but most of the outdoors stores near me have a clearance section where they still have warm weather gear. The staff at the stores tends to also be helpful - just tell them what you need and ask if they know a store that would carry it this time of year. They tend to be staffed by like-minded travel/adventure types. For us, we're going with the basic pants mentioned here (the Zion/Brion/REI Adventures variety). For shirts, we picked up some merino wool shirts at an REI "garage sale" for $4 a couple months ago and plan to wear them to stay cool when it's hot and to be a base layer if/when we head to higher elevations.
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Oct 31, 2013 20:30
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I'm looking for a light travel shoe that has a vibram sole and is low profile, so I've narrowed down the choice to either: Merrell Excursion Glove or Merrell Tough Glove. It seems the difference is pretty much that the tough glove has a 1mm forefoot shock absorption plate. Also since they are a thin leather, are they durable enough for travel/backpacking through humid countries? I feel like I might be better served by the trail glove. What is the sizing like? Do they run true to size or should I size down? None of the shops around me have them in stock for me to try out. paberu fucked around with this message at 12:46 on Nov 12, 2013 |
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Nov 12, 2013 11:42
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How much hiking do you plan on doing? You can put up with being uncomfortable for one or two day hikes. edit: Assuming you're not doing anything super crazy.
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Nov 12, 2013 14:53
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Is this your first time wearing a 'barefoot' shoe? Just be aware that without any support, your arches can start to ache after a week or so.
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Nov 12, 2013 19:07
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I'm planning to just travel around SE Asia city areas so no mountain hiking, I've had vibram five fingers for a couple of years now so I have no issues with barefoot shoes. Just want something light, tough and comfy to take travelling and to exercise in.
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Nov 13, 2013 05:44
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Then get whatever makes you look better.
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Nov 13, 2013 06:18
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Does anyone have any suggestions for a shoe that will stand up to the cold winter of Chicago, Detroit, Montreal, Boston and NY? I am assuming I am after some sort of boot. Preferably something that would not look out of place in less cold parts of the USA in winter, such as California / Texas. Alternatively, am I better off buying a cheap pair of cold weather boots when I am up there (2 - 3 weeks max), and wearing some more casual where I can get away with it?
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Nov 13, 2013 07:25
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Outrail posted:Then get whatever makes you look better. I was hoping to find out how tough the tough glove is - i.e. is it going to hold up in humid weather (potentially being socked in rain), and can it handle being bashed around. I've read that the leather is quite thin.
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Nov 13, 2013 09:38
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paberu posted:I was hoping to find out how tough the tough glove is - i.e. is it going to hold up in humid weather (potentially being socked in rain), and can it handle being bashed around. I've read that the leather is quite thin. Normally I run in KSOs but if it's raining I go for the Tough Gloves. They're my go to hiking shoes and work great on Utah mountains and Italian cobblestone. Once in a blue moon I put a coat of Pecard's on them but beyond that they've been wonderful. Abuse the hell out of them, they can take it.
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Nov 14, 2013 02:14
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Jonny Quest posted:Abuse the hell out of them, they can take it. Exactly what I was after, thank you. I'll grab a pair. Do you have them in brown or black? How has the colour held up?
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Nov 14, 2013 07:21
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Pretty well actually.  These are two years old this fall. So aside from some scruffs on the front they look okay. Honestly the biggest problem I have is remembering to roll my pants to avoid stepping on the hems--oh, and my wife thinks they're ugly.
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Nov 17, 2013 18:24
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Travel gear can come in nice and handy but guys, don't go too overboard and look like a travel dad.  Hiked up socks, travel dad pants, "smart travel shoes". gently caress I bet he has a silk pouch somewhere. If you go across South East Asia and will mainly stop in cities/towns, just bring a pair of jeans/slacks/shorts. Service laundry is dirt cheap. Maybe the pants if you go on a hike or something outdoorsy for a while.
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Nov 18, 2013 04:59
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do not bring jeans to south asia other than that yes if you're going to get travel clothes, get the kind that are really just ultra durable regular clothes.
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Nov 19, 2013 00:02
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Does anyone know where to buy Sea to Summit gear in Aus? Wanting to pick up the ULA Epic but am hoping to dodge the $80 shipping charge and get the dry pack locally.
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Nov 27, 2013 07:54
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Which city are you in? At leas tin Perth and Melbourne there's a group of outdoor stores along a single street. I know I've seen StS stuff at at least one of them.
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Nov 27, 2013 07:56
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Outrail posted:Which city are you in? At leas tin Perth and Melbourne there's a group of outdoor stores along a single street. I know I've seen StS stuff at at least one of them. Hobart  I imagine most of the stores are similar, their selection is always pretty limited though. I'll look around.
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Nov 27, 2013 11:15
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Paddy Pallin carries StS gear, or at least their website and the Perth shop do, including the Big River that I believe the Epic uses? I could have sworn there was one in Hobart, but it looks like it's actually in Launceston. Which is a further drive than I remember. If you happen to be up there, it's worth a check out. Their website's also only listing the five and twenty liter versions of the bag, but has pictures of all sorts of sizes - might be worth ringing them and seeing if they stock the 65 and how much it'd cost to ship to Hobart.
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Nov 27, 2013 14:45
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Ockhams Crowbar posted:Paddy Pallin carries StS gear, or at least their website and the Perth shop do, including the Big River that I believe the Epic uses? Great thank you I'll check it out. May end up grabbing a different pack online if I ditch the packraft idea. It's so cool though!
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Nov 28, 2013 09:46
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I have some travel stuff (Pacsafe backpack, eagle creek packing cubes, etc) for sale on SA-Mart. http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3591627
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Dec 4, 2013 21:28
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Hey all, Here is a link to my new gear list for some thru hikes over 2014. All brand new over the last few weeks, if you have any questions or queries about any items just shout out and I'll give you a run down. Managed to keep everything under 11 kilos even with creature comforts. (please don't ask how much it all cost  )Link : https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ApyMEff-myccdGFKUnA0bFpBazEtU3RlLWVnb1dGMlE&usp=sharing
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Dec 14, 2013 12:58
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What is your guys' favorite travel raincoat? My personal criteria: -Zip front -Hood (roll-away or not idc) -Thin, lightweight -Doesn't look too 'technical' Extreme packability and underarm zippers are a huge plus. I overheat in my core/armpits easily and armpit zips are a godsend for me. I currently own a few different choices that teeter between "super lightweight/packable but look dorky" and "work great yet look very technical and could probably pack smaller" and none have armpit zippers. If a Filson or Barbour jacket was easy to travel with I wouldn't have a problem but I like to travel carry-on only and waxed cotton canvas/twill is bulky and heavy and too warm to bring to a warm climate. I like having an unlined outer shell so i can wear it over a tshirt if it's warm+wet or I can layer up if its actually cold and use it as a shell. Anyway, I've been looking at Marmot and Exofficio's offering but was unsure if anyone had a preference or a better option.
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Dec 15, 2013 03:56
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