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I'll pop in in a week or two when my schedule clears up to post more contrarian bullshit/photo stuff, but: A laundry bag is nice to have, especially if you're backpacking somewhere like Southeast Asia where you're typically farming out your laundering to someone else. It's also a great place to hide valuables in your room. My camera and/or laptop would go at the bottom of my laundry bag, itself inside my plain-jane military surplus duffle bag, which was locked. There are a ton of things wrong with a military surplus bag for traveling (straps lack padding, deep and accessible only through the top, etc), but they hold a shitload, are tough as nails, and cheap as dirt. You're seldom walking long distances with your pack on your back in Southeast Asia anyways, so the comfort issue really isn't one. They stand out from Black Rolling Suitcase #263 at the baggage claim (throw some patches on it to differentiate from actual military ones if you're in the US) and don't scream "well-heeled tourist". They also wad up well; when I switched from regular backpacking to motorcycle touring, it went inside one of my saddlebags and didn't drag me down at all. I don't necessarily recommend them for everyone because there are more convenient and ergonomic options out there, but I've been using one since I was 19 and will probably continue to do so.  
Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 03:18 on Jul 17, 2011 |
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Jul 17, 2011 03:15
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Ribsauce posted:One thing I want to add, I do not know how well they work but maybe an electronic dictionary if you are going to try to learn a new language. I have the standard paper spanish:english dictionary but I wish I had an electronic one as well. Again, I do know much about them except they exist and I might find one useful. The paper one is cool for looking up one word, but when I am by myself trying to figure out a bunch of phrases I will need the next day it is kind of annoying. I've gotten a lot of use/mileage out of the Lonely Planet pocket phrasebooks myself. I bought the Southeast Asia one the first time I was there, which gives you a little bit of everything (fine for travel and basic conversation IMO), but later picked up the Thai and Vietnamese ones, which were more comprehensive and well-suited to someone living there. They're also conveniently-sized to carry around all day. poo poo, I should really pick up the one for Japan, I'm leaving in a few days. *crosses fingers airport bookstore has it*
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Jul 19, 2011 01:50
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Sheep-Goats posted:Bringing more shirts than underwear is weird. Theyre easy to wash in the sink by hand and hang up to dry for the next day. I wore mine multiple days in a row during my motorcycle trip (monsoon season, no less) in Vietnam and Laos. Doesnt matter if theyre wrinkled!
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Sep 1, 2011 06:04
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I've been half-looking for a similar toiletry organizer since I saw an Austrian dude with one in Borneo several years ago, and found just what I was looking for (well not the exact same one, but close enough) at the mall in Fukuoka two weekends ago: The Lapoche Travel Toiletry Organizer. It's got little pockets to keep your stuff from rattling around, is padded enough that you don't have to worry much about caps coming off and liquids wreaking havoc, and has a handy hook that you can hang it from in the bathroom. I took it on a trip last weekend and it was awesome. Recommended!
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Oct 4, 2011 23:38
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Just want to reiterate after a few months using the toiletries kit I recommended earlier, it does indeed continue to own. I picked three more up as Christmas gifts for my parents/sister who all travel a lot (sister for work, parents now that they're retired) and they all really like it as well. A ziplock bag or whatever is perfectly serviceable, but stuff is easier to find in the Lapoché, and the padding has helped keep things from getting uncapped and messy, or poking/tearing a hole in the bag. The hook for hanging it up is also really useful, on the whole the kit is really well-made and feels like it'll last me years. Is it an absolute necessity? No, but it makes life easier, and I'd buy one again in a heartbeat. edit: external link to the company's site because it looks like the old one from my original post has changed. Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 05:38 on Apr 10, 2012 |
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Apr 10, 2012 05:35
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qirex posted:I assume you're talking car/train travel or you check a bag, right? Because if not you'd have to put everything in a ziplock to clear security anyway. Yeah, I don't really travel by plane in the US and pretty much always check a bag. caberham posted:How can I wear nice clothes on the road without packing a tonne of poo poo? Either quick dry undershirt for sweat absorbent or having enough time/money for lots of laundromat. This is probably my pet peeve because I like to be in cities and *try* to wear decent clothing because I might get pulled into a house party, dinner at a restaurant, or something. I usually have two long-sleeve button-downs and a decent pair of jeans with me.
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Apr 11, 2012 03:31
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Movendi posted:I don't get how people can sleep in hammocks? It doesn't seem at all comfortable (for stomach sleepers and probably side sleepers), you're way more exposed to the elements like wind, rain and exotic animals that would drop on you in those costa rican trees. I haven't used one so that's my guess but i would like to know if there's anything more to it than just tying the ends between trees. I love hammocks to lay in for a couple hours, but they wrecked my back as a sleeping choice on a 4 day, 3 night hiking trip in Cambodia when I was 19.
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Jun 20, 2012 07:33
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Anyone have some general useful gear to recommend for motorcycle touring (I'll probably x-post this to Cycle Asylum)? Maybe some easily washable socks/underwater? I did 8 weeks in the rainy season in Southeast Asia and wound up doing a fair bit of laundry in the sink... I had a pair of really thin socks for athletes I won at a hipster bicycle race back in the US that dried amazingly well, no idea what ever happened to them. Or just general stuff... I'm about to put together an order from Amazon so figured I'd check in here. According to reviews the new SmartWool socks suck now, which is a bummer. Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 00:56 on Jun 27, 2012 |
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Jun 27, 2012 00:53
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Movendi posted:As for travel gadget i've gone ahead and bought the samsung galaxy 7.7. Weighing at 300 odd grams it's a pretty slick ereader and photo backup drive. I'm reluctant about using this for research or booking hotels especially using credit card forms. I don't think this or any tablet would be good if you're planning on doing couchsurfing which usually requires lengthy tailor made messages to your hosts if you want to increase your chance getting accepted, and even then it can be pita. From what you've just written, a small bluetooth keyboard sounds like a good idea.
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Jul 1, 2012 14:16
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Sheep-Goats posted:I had an S100 on a recent trip to Curaçao. Phone in my left, camera on my right (it's not appreciably larger than a phone) wallet in a thigh pocket, keys to my rental car (rental cars are a must in Curaçao) in my left thigh pocket. Took great photos. Disgustingly huge upgrade from my previous camera. Yeah, they're great little cameras. The mirrorless cameras will give you a big bump up in image quality and handling, but they're all just a bit too big to pocket, which understandably kills it for a lot of people. Don't cheap out on a strap though. I was taking a picture of my friend at the Grand Canyon with his S95 and the lovely 20 baht wrist strap he got at Pantip Plaza broke and the camera fell about 8 feet onto some rocks, cracking the LCD and making much of it unusable. Still worked the rest of the trip and it's like a $60 part to replace, but still... drat.
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Aug 6, 2012 01:50
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Movendi posted:What are people's thoughts about leaving passport, creditcards or other valuables (tablet) when travelling around? Despite what movies/your government might tell you, passports are generally not a target in most places. I volunteered with one of the busiest (in terms of crimes involving foreigners) police stations in Bangkok for a few months, and the only times passports were stolen was when they were in a bag that was already being stolen. It's not that there isn't a market for them, but the average thief isn't going to have the contacts to fence one, and stealing a passport guarantees that a police report is going to be filed (required by the embassy before they issue you a new one). Personally I don't sweat my passport too much. If you really want to minimize the chances of it being stolen, you can leave it for safekeeping with the hotel/guesthouse in most cases. Unlike valuables there's not going to be as much of a motivation to knick it and claim someone snuck in and took it, and again, if someone does, it guarantees the police are going to show up and start asking questions. Normally what I did was keep my electronics and stuff in a bag which I then put inside my dirty clothes bag, which was inside my large military surplus dufflebag, which was locked at the top. If they were really dedicated they could cut the bag open and rifle through it, but just walking off with it would have been too hard given the size.
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Aug 20, 2012 06:26
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Movendi posted:Well stolen passports are an easy way to be a victim of identify fraud and have a criminal fingerprint in all over the world. Crimes can be commited under your name, credits and loans taken out, and other evil stuff. I'm not sure in other countries but all you need here is a passport + some utility bills with your name and address + birth certificate or some other document that wouldn't take much effort to fake. The hard one would be the passport so that's why i think it does demand our attention. Unlike rifling through someone's garbage for an SSN or skimming a PIN number, a missing passport is immediately obvious to the victim. It will be immediately reported, and subsequently cancelled and flagged by the issuing government electronically. Let alone how secure modern passports are; go ahead and try to add a photo to one, let me know how that goes. I'm not saying it can't happen, but you're vastly overestimating how useful a stolen passport is to a thief. Yeah, take steps to protect it, but it's not the end of the world if it goes missing. I recommend a waterproof P&S for that kind of travel; you take a bit of a hit on image quality and don't get RAW shooting, but can bring it anywhere. I don't think of it so much as an advantage from a theft standpoint as I do a photo-taking opportunity, but I suppose that's another upside. Leaving a bag alone on the beach is pretty much inviting someone to steal your poo poo. Buy a drink/snack from a vendor who looks trustworthy and ask to leave it with them, if you must. Personally, I normally just bring a towel, a bit of money, sunglasses, sunscreen, etc and leave the camera at home, even though I'm an avid photographer. Part of that is not wanting to get sand in a nice camera though. On that, if you're in a cafe, put the leg of your chair through the straps of your backpack, so it can't be snatched or stealthily pulled away from you. Keep it on the inside (not the street side) if it's outdoors. If you're riding a scooter or motorbike, don't put it in the front basket, as other thieves on bikes are known to snatch them out and ride off. Be aware on a bus (especially a night bus) that leaving a bag under your seat allows the person behind you to slide it back and go through it at their leisure. Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 15:17 on Aug 20, 2012 |
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Aug 20, 2012 15:15
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Want to say that those Exofficio briefs are the loving poo poo. Two pairs of those and I reckon I'm good to go. I saw people talking poo poo about the newer Smartwool socks on Amazon, confirm/deny? I think I posted about them before but I used to have this pair of really thin-material socks I won at some hipster bicycle race... they were pretty awesome about not holding in odor and dried out super-fast. Can anything think of something similar? Any recommendations for a slim-fit dress shirt that's well-suited for traveling? And maybe a pair of slacks too. I'm trying to piece together a more pared-down travel wardrobe for a big (well, 30-day) motorcycle trip I'm planning for either this summer or next, hopefully will be camping/couchsurfing for the most part. Will also be doing a number of weekend trips in the interim, but those should be easy enough to pack for. Underwear: two pairs of Exofficios, gently caress yeah Socks: Smartwool? Something similar to those hipster socks? 2-3 pairs enough? I did a motorcycle trip through Southeast Asia during the rainy season in college and remember getting by fine basically using two pairs of lovely Walmart socks: wash the day's pair in the sink and hang it up to dry, wear the day before's the next day. I imagine this would be better with better socks, although the caveat about Japan is that shoes come off a lot more often here, so they have to look nice/normal and stand up well against holes, odor etc. Pants: one swimsuit, one pair of regular shorts, one pair of nice-ish jeans, maybe another pair of slacks if I can find something non-dorky and well suited to travel? Plus motorcycle pants and rain pants. Tops: ? + motorcycle jacket and rain jacket. Shoes: motorcycle boots, one pair of street shoes, one pair of flip-flops. The rainproof stuff is a lot less optional on a motorcycle 
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Dec 31, 2012 02:34
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Got my Bluff Pants in the mail today (birthday gift from my sister). She showed the site to my brother-in-law (a pretty outdoorsy dude in the military), who liked the idea so much he tried mine on when they arrived at their place, and ordered his own pair  Initial impressions are pretty positive (really lightweight and I like the material), I'll post a review in a few weeks or so with my impressions. Sizing was very accurate.
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May 4, 2013 09:25
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I was on an internship to China in college and one of the Americans packed a loving desk lamp because he didn't know if they'd have lights.
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May 24, 2013 01:49
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About to pick up these unless anyone else has a very good alternative to suggest. Not that I'm against the Columbia's (could be happier about the price, but looking for something I'm going to get a lot of use out of), just curious what the rest of you recommend. Smartwool socks: What type should I get for general walking around in pretty hot weather? I'm tempted to get something I can use with my motorcycle boots (planning a month-long trip for next summer), but I reckon it'd be too tall/look too dorky once I change into regular shoes and pull off my over pants revealing shorts, so gently caress it. Outrail posted:Unless you're actually doing a lot of hiking you don't need a fancy pack, anything that's going to hold all your crap and not bust open is fine, and the cheaper it looks the less likely it is to get ganked. When I head out again I won't have my camping gear so it'll be a cheap lovely looking 40L pack. I'm on the extreme end of this; have used a US military surplus dufflebag for most of my travel since I was 19. Cheap as dirt, tough as nails, and looks like both. The lack of a frame/padding means it smashes down to basically nothing when empty, I normally use clothes to protect anything that might be breakable. Actually just ordered 3 more of them on eBay this morning to use for holding camping gear and other stuff on road trips, should secure to the roof rack of my van pretty easily. Not entirely rain proof, but close enough for government work, heh. 
Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 07:41 on Jul 15, 2013 |
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Jul 15, 2013 07:38
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Outrail posted:It's not a travel bag until you've pumped up your travel-peen by covering it with flag patches of all the countries you've visited. I did, but that one fell off the back of my motorcycle in Laos 5 years ago, never to be seen again.  I bought most of the flags I need to redo it, haven't gotten around to sewing them on.
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Jul 15, 2013 09:35
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I take a laptop/netbook with me. Somewhat for photos, but mostly because I just can't write in linear fashion (ie use a paper journal). I also normally travel by vehicle (car or motorcycle) these days, though.
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Sep 8, 2013 14:08
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I got this sleep mask a while back and it's easily the best  I've spent on travel-related stuff. Hell, might start wearing it at home. Earplugs are also really nice to have.
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Sep 17, 2013 02:31
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USAA is good about that too, if you can get it.
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Sep 24, 2013 11:25
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NoDamage posted:Holy crap, thanks for this recommendation. I looked at Prana's site and found the Brion, which appears to be a variant of the Zion without the cargo leg pocket, so it looks completely like a normal pant. But the fabric is still stretchy, quick-drying, and water resistant. I just got a pair for Christmas (one of the advantages of living overseas: getting to open your Christmas presents early without repercussions ) and I'm really digging them. True to size, light, comfortable/easy to move around in, don't look like a doofy Travel Dad... great, really. Could easily see myself ordering another pair or two, especially for my month-long motorbike trip next summer.
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Dec 21, 2013 07:33
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Another Christmas present update: got a Craft baselayer from my sister. It's meant more for cycling/other outdoor activities in winter, but holy hell is it awesome to wear all the time. Very light, dries quickly (I hand washed it in the sink, wrung it out by hand, hung it up overnight, and it was dry as a bone the next morning), and super comfortable.
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Jan 4, 2014 03:57
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SPM posted:I'm in America at the moment visiting California and for the past year I've been travelling around Australia/New Zealand, where I am going back to in a month. gumtree is called "Craigslist" over here, you might find something. If you don't care about actually wearing it on your back, you can pick up a military surplus dufflebag for like $10-15. They hold a shitload, are tough as nails, and compress down to nothing if you're packing them inside other luggage. 
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Oct 11, 2014 14:21
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kinmik posted:My husband has one and sometimes goes on rucksack runs. Just a warning, if you ever do plan on slinging it over your shoulder by those straps, they tend to cut into you, depending on how heavy it is. He has to pad them with a beach towel. Doesn't seem like it will be a problem for you though. Oh yeah, they are definitely terrible for carrying much weight for extended distances on your back. I've found that I almost never walk more than a couple hundred feet with my luggage though, and that's not uncommon for a lot of other travelers. For example, in Southeast Asia, you usually go from bus depot to bus depot, and once you arrive in the next town, there are plenty of taxis (or their bootleg local equivalent) waiting to take you to your accommodation.
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Oct 12, 2014 13:15
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Thoguh posted:It has a zippered area for expansion, that could be the difference? When you use that it gets pretty big. I've never used it on a European budget airline so can't speak for an airline that is really strict. But comfortably full it fits fine in the overhead bin of regional jets and it fits long-ways on mainlines. Ah yeah, I've got a rolly bag that's like that. It's been pretty useful for international moves, although after almost 10 years it's getting a bit tatty.
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May 5, 2015 02:07
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caberham posted:American tourister or Victoria Knox is more business like but I hate their compartments I have a hand-me-down American Tourister that just touches the FAA max carryon size. It's beginning to come apart (wire exposed at one corner, most zipper pulls MIA), after ~10 years of hard livin'.
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May 15, 2015 08:59
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Hadlock posted:Man, drawstring bags are the poo poo when it comes to traveling with electronics. I always carry two spare USB charging cables, one spare (tiny) usb wall adapter and a three way adapter (someone is always already charging their laptop on the only wall socket) and whatever else. Midjack posted:I've been using a gallon ziplock bag for miscellaneous cables, chargers, and batteries for several years. Makes airports easy, just pull it and my bag no longer looks like a nuclear device on x-ray. What you guys really want is one of these: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=grid+it. Super useful, I've got two.
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Oct 6, 2015 11:58
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NoDamage posted:Prana Brion - This is the only one I have personal experience with. Quite comfortable and the fit is so much better than the REI pants. I got these a while ago from a rec in this thread and I can't say I'm too happy. Really bad piling after just a few washes, and with the wrong pair of underwear* they really show off your package. They are super light and comfortable though, I'm wearing them right now (because I have no plans to leave the house this evening). *or right pair, depending on what you're going for...
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Oct 17, 2015 09:36
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Boris Galerkin posted:I'm looking for 1 or 2 rolling luggage bags to basically move everything important I own from the US to Europe cause checking a second bag is cheaper than shipping stuff. Do I want hard or soft? 2 or 4 wheels? How big is too big? Are there anything around the $100-$150 price point? As a veteran of many international moves on the cheap, here is my go-to strategy: Get one big roller at a thrift store, and one US army surplus dufflebag on eBay. Neither should cost more than $20, the duffle will hold a tonne, and can be rested across the roller to move through airports, or carried on your back if necessary (not recommended for long stretches if you've got a lot in there, as they don't have a ton of padding). Bonus that it weighs very little so doesn't count much against the weight limit, is tough as nails, and folds up into basically nothing once you arrive. They're also nice for camping, or bulky shopping runs (if you use a motorbike or bicycle) once you arrive. Use your clothes as packing material. MrNemo posted:I've had to make a few trips recently for formal occasions. Never really had to bother travelling for any length of time with a suit before and it was a bit of an rear end, the suit bag it was supplied in is fine for overnight trips but not great if going to more than one place or train trip. Any recommendations on suit bags for actual travel? I personally hate dealing with a suit bag, I usually wear mine on flights if I need to travel with it. Alternatively you can find some videos on Youtube about how to pack one in a suitcase, it involves kinda turning it halfway inside out and folding the shoulder/sleeve into the other.
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Nov 10, 2015 22:09
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Outrail posted:Yeah, they usually 'check at the gate' for free, some people get away with stupidly big carry on. If it will fit in the overheads and it's not a full flight they're sometimes really lax/flexible. Generally the cheaper the airline the more stingy they'll be because that's where all the revenue is. There are carryons that max out the FAA's size regs for carry on size, I have one I've been using for 10 years (it's about done at this point), do recommend. It can be a real bear to get in the bin when it's loaded to the gills, but does come in handy for moves, especially considering all the photography gear I have. +1 on abusing the heck out of the "personal item". What I do is use a strong re-useable shopping bag (the vinyl-y kind, like the ones you can get at IKEA), stows relatively easier than a backpack. They never get weighed while the rolly carryon sometimes does, so all of my heaviest stuff (laptop, iPad, DSLR) gets chucked in there at check-in time, and once that's done I go around the corner and shuffle around what I'll actually want access to on the flight with what's in my carryon.
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Nov 11, 2015 00:37
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caberham posted:I need a suitcase for my product samples and oversized stuff. Sling the duffle across the rolling suitcase, it's now your trolley 
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Feb 24, 2016 11:52
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Mango Polo posted:I'd be worried about a fragile item like porcelain unless very well packed, but sake? I've carried tons of assorted bottles without a hitch, usually by wrapping them in clothes and keeping them in the middle of the bags, with a few items above and below. Yeah, that's what I'd do. A duffel bag isn't as good as a hard suitcase, but if you had something really fancy you could put it in a box with bubble wrap within the bag.
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Mar 24, 2016 21:33
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qirex posted:If it's something you really care about it might be better to get it well-packed and mail it home instead then you won't have to worry so much about the space it takes up. If my experiences buying watches from Japan is any indication they have a very high standard of packaging for shipping. IDK where the poster is from, but for the sake, you can't mail booze into the US standard post (or within it, for that matter), have to use a specialty service like DHL or whatever. That, and booze/pottery are relatively heavy, in all likelihood it's cheaper (not to mention faster) to pay for an extra suitcase than it would be to mail it, even if you used seamail. I'd also rather deal with the airline potentially breaking my poo poo than the postal service, as my recent foray into filing an insurance claim with USPS was pretty awful. They flat out ignored the first claim, claimed to have never received the report from the local post office I brought the item into for assessment on the second one (I watched them fax it), and stalled until the 6 months validity ran out. I'll use it for selling stuff if buyers insist, but I'm never loving bothering again for personal effects.
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Mar 24, 2016 22:55
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caberham posted:It's not really an undershirt but I recently tried stuff from under armor and it's fabulous. Their cold gear line kept me warm and even sweating during 8 degrees Celsius and Shanghai. The cold gear long sleeve compression shirt and their thin fleece works wonders. I'm going to be in Beijing soon and it's 0 there. I think the shirts and pants are still going to be fine. Yeah, their summer stuff is great too. It made teaching in July in rural Japan (no AC or even fans) bearable.
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Jan 10, 2017 07:46
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