What to pack: Going light doesn’t have to mean going without

by Jeffrey White on


Given all the fees airlines are levying against passengers for baggage these days, it’s never been more important to think about how you pack and look for ways to go lighter.

Indeed, baggage fees are probably the best thing to have every happened to the one bag, carry-on movement. Even if people slim down their packing just to save money, they are bound to realize what die hard like packers have been saying for years: Lightening your load will keep you more flexible on the road and improve your travel experience. Once you go light you won’t go back.

But does going light have to mean going without?

Ultra-minimalists would say yes, because they’re goals in terms of packing are a little different than your average traveler. They go super light and super small (in terms of luggage), which they maintain gives them the maximum amount of freedom on the road.

I respect these types of travelers, the kind who travel months on end with only a change of clothes (I’ve even done this myself). Most people, however, are not ultra-light packers and often worry when they read the packing lists of one, viewing such lists as a little unrealistic.

You can afford to bring a few more things and still feel comfortable that you’re going light. The key is to pick good gear that is functional and versatile.

Here is what I pack for a standard one-month trip, where I am out of cities just as much as in them. All this fits easily into one carry-on bag, with room to spare. This list is also flexible enough that I barely tinker with it going between cold and hot climates. If I was traveling for a few months or a year, the list would still look the same.

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Here’s what I bring:

  • 1 day pack
  • 1 fleece jacket
  • 1 rain jacket
  • 1 pair of shoes (wearing)
  • 3-4 techwik t-shirts (wearing one)
  • 4 shirts (wearing one): 2 wrinkle free cotton oxfords | 1 nylon long sleeve shirt | 1 nylon short sleeve shirt
  • 3 pants (wearing one): 1 nylon cargo pant | 1 nylon regular pant | 1 pair of khakis
  • 1 lightweight sweater
  • 1 toiletry kit
  • 1 waterproof pouch for notebooks, pens, travel documents, etc.
  • 1 iPod + small speakers

I’m also likely to pack a navy blazer if there are a lot of cities on my itinerary.

A note on the color black: A lot of my stuff is in black. I’m not a goth. I just don’t like to stick out too much when I travel and I find things in black are pretty nondescript.

Day Pack
A day pack is key, and it’s got to be compressible. There are a few on the market. Kiva makes a good one, for example. Mine is a Rick Steves’ Civita ($24.95). It’s pretty much as compressible as Kiva’s (mine fits into a small Eagle Creek PackIt cube), has enough room for a camera, books and fleece, plus it’s got water bottle holders, and it’s one of the cheapest available.

Fleece Jacket
Mine is a Eastern Mountain Sport Stretch with Gore Windstopper ($150), but pretty much any fleece will do. You want to make sure it’s at least 200 weight, and I recommend looking for those outfitted in Gore Windstopper with at least one horizontal pocket on the chest for your passport and other items you need easy access to.

Rain Jacket
The Marmot Precip ($100) is simply the best rain jacket you can buy for the money. It’s super lightweight, packs to nothing in your bag and keeps you dry against the hardest rainfall nearly as well as Goretex PacLite I never go anywhere without mine. In fact, when someone stole mine in Montenegro last year I was out of sorts until I was able to finally purchase another.

Shoes
The perfect travels shoe is pretty much the traveler’s white whale. Does one exist? There isn’t one clear suggestion for a travel shoe, though there are certainly some ridiculous ones. I’ve gone through a lot of recommendable ones (Merrill, Keen, Clark’s) but I usually return to Timberland’s SMART line of shoes. They have bomber soles, are waterproof (I treat mine with an additional coat of NikWax) and feel great both on the trail and street. They are on the heavy side, though. If I were traveling in a hot climate, say Asia or the Middle East, I’d probably swap them for a pair North Face M Ultra 104s. They’re super light and totally waterproof (they have a Gortex membrane). You lose a little bit of the style look, however.

T-Shirts
No matter where I’m going, I pack a few non-cotton T-shirts for my base layer — and you should do the same. First, they’ll wick away sweat, dry fast and deftly handle the odor that comes with wearing a shirt a few times without washing it. Second, they give you much more freedom in what you choose to layer over them (you don’t have to necessarily ditch cotton!) My pick are Eastern Mountain Sport’s TechWick t-shirts ($25). Why? Made of 100% polyester, they’re stylish on their own, do all the things a good base layer should and are not nearly as expensive as other options on the market. For really cold weather I choose a long sleeve version.

Shirts
I’m probably one of the few who maintain that the old fashion cotton oxford shirt is the best travel shirt going. For years I wore old Gap ones — they’re amazingly comfortable (nothing beats cotton in terms of comfort) in hot and cold weather, durable and inexpensive. But travelers like to hate on cotton — it tends to wrinkle too much and doesn’t dry quickly. Luckily, I’ve found the answer: I pack two LL Bean’s wrinkle-free cotton oxfords ($29.95 each), which are comfortable, look great even having been rolled up, and are treated with a membrane that makes them stain resistant and easier to dry. I also throw in a North Face nylon long sleeve ($55) shirt for more rugged duty, and a North Face short-sleeve nylon shirt ($45) for Happy Hour.

Pants
Jeans are the absolute worst thing you can pack: they’re a lodestone on your back and take days to dry. Instead, invest in a pair of North Face Paramount Convertible Pants ($65). They’re roomy, comfortable to travel in, 100% nylon and easily zip off into a pair of shorts (which you can use as a bathing suit). I like these pants because the cargo pockets rest on your thighs, not on your side, so they’re easier to get at and the pant bottoms do not bunch at the heel like other nylon pants; they go over shoes and hiking boots very nicely (there’s even a zip flap at the pant legs to make them fit over thicker boots). I also throw in a pair of North Face Trekker Pants ($65), also 100% nylon but with a slimmer fit and no cargo pockets (they’re my day to day pants). Finally, I pack a pair of basic khakis ($29.95 at Old Navy) for evenings. I like ON’s because they’re more rugged and inexpensive.

Sweater
I observed the sheer versatility of the Banana Republic Cashmere-Silk V-neck Sweater ($100) long before I owned one. My brother swore by his, wearing it everywhere from the beach after a swim (with wet trunks) to a hike to dinner to the theater. I can now say that it is the world’s best travel sweater: Ultra functional, thin and versatile, it keeps you warm in cold weather and is just about perfect for a cool evening in a warm climate. If you want to go less expensive, look for marino wool. If I’m going someplace really cold, I’ll swap this out for a beefier wool sweater.

Toiletry Kit
We’re talking shaving oil, razor, electric razor, toothbrush and deodorant — all of which fit easily into a small Eagle Creek PackIt cube. The rest I buy wherever I am.

Portable filing cabinet
I use a large Eagle Creek PackIt sack as a roving filing cabinet. It’s waterproof, so I put my notebooks, maps, travel documents, paperbacks and even my laptop, if I’m bringing it, in there and it keeps everything together.

Gadgets
I am not a gadget guy, and I honestly don’t understand those who insist on traveling with all the cords, adaptors and chargers that gadgets require. I make an exception for an iPod (or any MP3 device), easily the most useful gadget you can have for forging connections with different people. I throw in a very small, cheap set of portable speakers ($7), which work surprisingly well on just a few batteries. If I am traveling on assignment and have to take a laptop, digital camera and voice recorder, my small amount of accessories fit into a Eagle Creek toiletry case.

Did I leave out anything essential?

TUAW blogger shows how to pack your gadgetry for a productive trip

by Scott Carmichael on

One of our fellow bloggers at The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) just returned from a trip to Africa. When he returned, he decided to share his packing experiences with his readers, and provide fellow travelers with some basic tips.

The photo above shows the kit he brought with him. One of the most important decisions he made was to leave the full size laptop computer at home.

I’m seeing this happen more and more nowadays. Some leave their PC at home in lieu of a PDA, others downsize from a full PC to a Netbook or smaller. In his case, he came to the conclusion that the a Dell Mini 9 and an iPhone could do everything he needed on this trip (Note to Apple; you really need to make a Netbook ASAP).
To carry all the kit, he did something I’m very much in agreement with – he packed it in a Tom Bihn Western Flyer bag. You might remember that Tom Bihn captured our attention last year with their Checkpoint Flyer bag, which left us so impressed that it became one of our top 25 travel products of 2008.

In addition to the main bag, he also packed his smaller items in a couple of packing cubes, something every traveler should do.

Everything else in his arsenal is absolutely perfect – he carried power, backup power, spare power and everything else you might need on a trip when you are away from the comfort of your own home.

In the coming weeks we’ll be restarting our “whats in your pack?” segment, so keep an eye out for your very own opportunity to show off the gadgetry (or lack of) that you drag along on your own trips Kudos to Steven Sande for packing such a well prepared assortment of kit, and thanks for sharing!

Pop on over to TUAW to read his entire story, and to learn what worked, and what did not on his trip (including a story about plunging his room into darkness).

7 things to leave at home on your next big trip

by Jeffrey White on

Frequent travelers face occasional questions about what we pack for a long trip, what we think is essential. A contrasting question that comes up less often is what we choose to ditch — and why.

The answers to the second question are usually born out of experience and are combined with encountering other travelers on the road who have made different decisions. They’ve chosen, for instance, not to jettison those silly neck wallets (though they’re wishing they had), and we’d have liked to have advised them: You don’t need that thing, man!

Of course, the travel merchandise industry is significantly, though not entirely, based on things you don’t really need — TravelSmith is one online shop that traffics a lot in the unnecessary — and people who travel less frequently or are about to embark on their first big trip are probably more susceptible to things advertised as must-haves.

The more you travel, the more you bring a calculus of practicality and function to bear on what you decide to pack, and that should fit into the overall aim of getting the most out of your trip. That means looking for ways to become more portable and invisible in the places you travel to — blending in, to put it another way.

I was thinking today about some things I’d recommend leaving behind when you next hit the road, and made a list that is hardly exhaustive but one that I’d happily hand anyone.

At some point in time I’ve made the mistake of using or packing all of these items that follow, even the duct tape. Though I’m sure each has its supporters, you can easily do without these seven things.

%Gallery-44878%1. Wheeled luggage

I realize right now I’m taking on modern travel equipment’s most sacred cow, but I’ve long been opposed to rollaboards and wheeled luggage. They’re a manifestation of the kind of overall laziness in our society that, among other things, compels people to take Segway tours instead of just walking. There are few things more disheartening to me than to see twenty- and thirty-somethings turn up at a hostel, once the base camp for backpackers, dragging a bloated Eagle Creek wheeled duffel. If you’re healthy, able-bodied and under the age of, say, 60, pick up your luggage (I am not the only one who says this).

But here’s why you should really ditch that roller:

(A.) They’re not all that practical if your itinerary takes you beyond the airport, hotel and conference center
(B.) You’re much more likely to over pack if you use one

Remember how ridiculous Kathleen Turner’s character looked when she was pulling her suitcase down that Colombian dirt road in “Romancing the Stone”? Try dragging a roller down a cobblestone street, or a busy city sidewalk, or through a European train or subway station at rush hour (picking it up two or three times to ascend or descend stairs), to say nothing of anywhere else off the beaten path. And since it’s easier to drag than lug, you won’t give as much thought to lightening your load. Faced with having to throw a bag over your shoulder, however, you might think twice about that second (or third) pair of shoes.

Alternative: Duffels have been around for decades and are hard to improve upon. There’s the backpack, of course; I recommend anything 3,000 cu.in. and smaller instead of a big internal frame pack. And there are a number of shoulder bags on the market these days that marry the best of both a duffel and a backpack. My bag of choice is a Patagonia MLC (Maximum Legal Carry-on, pictured): It’s roomy and transforms into a basic backpack if you need it.

2. The neck wallet

The badge of the first-time traveler and the avid tour package enthusiast, the neck wallet is a perennial contender for the most useless travel accessory you could ever buy. Worse, they’re an example of the travel industry at its most fear-mongering, playing on a basic something wicked this way comes conceit that there be uglies out there in foreign lands that mean to do you harm.

Pack one of these with your passport, wallet, loose foreign change and hotel confirmations and you have a weight around your neck that is heavy and uncomfortable. Then there’s going up (or down) your shirt whenever you need something, and the feeling of one of these things sticking to you on a hot day. Only slightly better are the neck wallet’s cousins: the waste wallet and money belt.

Alternative: Theft does happen, I know, and I’m all for keeping your money, credit cards and documents secure. The best way is to keep them in a few different places (and keep photocopies of them). Invest in a pair of pants with a zipped front pocket. Consider making a dummy wallet (and put expired credit cards in it). Want something truly hidden? Try sewing a secret compartment for your money and plastic in your pants.

3. The phrase book

I know I’m not alone in thinking that the least any traveler can do is learn how to say “thank you” in the local language. Aside from that, leave the phrase book at home. Yes, most people appreciate your efforts to speak their language. But assessing their basic usefulness, phrase books come up short (and some, like Rick Steves’ and their sections on romantic encounters, are plain ridiculous).

You’ll seldom find yourself using one for any meaningful conversation. How could you? What phrase books don’t really acknowledge is that if you manage to utter a phrase, or perhaps even a coherent declarative or inquisitive sentence, they have no real mechanism for helping you understand the reply, and certainly no tools to facilitate the follow up. You ask, in German, “Where is the nearest post office?” Someone responds, in German, “Well, do you see that street three lights straight ahead? Make a left there, go under the bridge and take your second right. It’s on the south side of the square with the broken fountain.” Huh?

Alternative: View the phrase book more as an emergency tool. Go to your nearest Borders and spend a couple hours copying out essential
phrases (including those for help and the police) into a notebook. Leaven these with some Internet phrase research (which have audible elements that help with pronunciation). If you’ve got more time (and money), look into Rosetta Stone. After “thank you,” numbers are the most useful thing to learn in any language.

4. The over-sized toiletry case

A favorite of many, a big toiletry case is one of the first things to ditch if your goal this time out is to travel a little lighter. You’ll have more space in your bag and less weight to haul if you do. Men especially: Do you really need all this space for stuff you can actually buy wherever you end up? (These things have so much space that you’re guaranteed to fill it, even if you don’t need half the stuff.)

Alternative: Seriously consider purchasing your basic toiletries at your destination, if you’re staying in one place. Or, go crazy at the $.99 sampler aisle at CVS and seek out a basic dopp kit to put them in. Eagle Creek’s smallest PackIt cube (pictured) has all the room you need.

5. The tricked out camera case

Nothing says “expensive camera equipment in here” better than one of these bags. And I’m not just talking about the larger bags or backpacks. Even smart-looking, smaller shoulder bags for a basic digital SLR and a lens or two are heavy, difficult to pack and not all that handy for the other things you might want to carry with you. I love LowePro gear: strong, well made, etc. But unless you’re a photojournalist on assignment, leave the stuff at home.

Alternative: And even if you are, think twice. I once heard David Allen Harvey, a longtime National Geographic photographer, tell an audience that all the gear he needed on assignment fit into a simple, discreet black school bag. The point was not to look like a photographer, so that he could get close and get the best shots. Try trading in that fancy bag for a classic LL Bean book bag. Worried about padding? Stuff your fleece or rain jacket in first.

6. The photojournalist’s (or “travel”) vest

I once had one of these, a well-worn version from Banana Republic. I got it after graduating college, when my first job was as a photographer on a newspaper. I liked it. The pockets were useful. But when I took it on a few extended trips I slowly came to the conclusion that it wasn’t very functional as a garment (in hot weather, it was too similar to a jacket and in cold weather it was awkward over anything warmer, like a parka) and that wearing one, I looked absolutely nothing like the people I was moving among. Unless you’re reporting from a war zone or are dying to look like a stereotypical tourist, ditch it.

Alternative: There isn’t an obvious one. A cousin of the travel vest is the travel, or safari, jacket and they too get the whole hot/cold thing wrong. But I do understand the need for a few extra pockets. A good pair of cargo pants might be more functional.

7. A roll of duct tape

You’ll meet travelers who say they never leave home without a big ‘ole roll of duct tape. And it has a utilitarian ring to it, right? In reality you’ll never need so much tape to justify carrying a roll, unless you’re climbing the Nose Route on El Capitan. A roll is bulky and heavy to boot. Unless your name is Macgyver, leave the roll at home.

Alternative: What I do is peel off two or three large strips of duct tape and put them on the back of my bag. Or, if you travel with a Sigg or Nalgene bottle, wrap some tape around the base of it. This is always plenty to take care of those emergency patches and other needs on the road.

Through the Gadling Lens: great gifts for the travelling photographer

by Karen Walrond on

I don’t know about you, but this holiday season has completely gotten away from me (note to self: do not travel again anytime between Halloween and Christmas, particularly if Thanksgiving comes late in the year). We’ve managed to get our holiday decorations up, but we’ve hardly done any Christmas shopping so far, and time is running out and …

… *sigh*.

Anyway, if, like me, you’re starting to run out of time, and you happen to have a photog in the family who likes to travel (or happen to be the travelling photographer, and are looking for some ideas for hint-dropping purposes), here’s a list of some great gifts you might want to consider:
1. A camera bag. Even if your favourite photographer already has a camera bag, trust me, s/he wouldn’t mind another. The trick about buying a good camera bag however, is to ensure that (a) there’s enough padding inside to cushion the camera from any possible impacts, and (b) it doesn’t scream “camera” while walking in crowded public places or airports.

Personally, I enjoy my Crumpler backpack (shown here) — it’s got a padded section for my camera, my laptop, and a bit of room for other things — and it doesn’t look like a camera bag. In addition, Loewpro also has a great selection of camera backpacks and other bags, and some of them don’t look very distinguishable from any other type of non-camera bag.

And for those who use point-and-shoots, there are some great small padded pouches out there for you to toss in your bigger bags, but still keep your camera (or other camera-related stuff) safe. Check out Etsy for handmade, unique options.

2. A small travel tripod. Until recently, I thought of a travel tripod as a sort of gadgety luxury — but last month, when I taking a photograph of the Houses of Parliament in London at dusk, trying to balance my camera on a rain-slicked banister, and petrified the camera would take a tumble into the Thames below, I realized that perhaps a travel tripod might be something great to have at the bottom of my camera bag.

Travel tripods come in all shapes and sizes (and capabilities) — check out Pedcopods and Gorillapods for two more popular versions.

3. Mailable photo frames. This idea actually comes from one of my colleagues, Sarah, at Shutter Sisters — these handy little photo frames that are actually customizable postcards. Says Sarah: “When I was on vacation in September, I sent my daughter Cadence’s best friend custom postcards using the mailable photo frame from Photojojo (I’d print my shots at a local Wolf/Ritz and mail the postcard from wherever we happened to be).”

This seems like a great stocking stuffer for a loved one who is planning an extensive trip in 2009, and is intent on taking a camera along — a great way to receive very personal news from far away, and then display it immediately! Awesome.

4. A subscription to a magazine known for its photography. I don’t mean this in a read-Playboy-for-the-articles way, I’m talking about periodicals that are famous for their cutting-edge imagery and contributing photographers. Shutterbugs are always looking for inspiration, and I, for one, would love a subscription to a magazine like American Photo, National Geographic, or Vanity Fair, to name a few. Figure out what type of photography your loved one is inspired by, and shop accordingly. Not only will the magazine provide some cool ideas for capturing images, your recipient will have some good reading to take along with them on those interminable flights. Bonus.

5. A cool camera strap. Earlier this year, I went on a trip with 12 other women — we all rented a home on the Oregon coast for a 4-day getaway. As it happened, a large percentage of us were photographers — which meant that cameras were everywhere. I have to tell you, whether you’re a Nikon fan or a Canon fan or a whatever-other-brand fan: cameras look a LOT alike. At times it became damned near impossible to tell the difference from one camera to the next — and God help you if you just rested your camera somewhere for a minute. Sometimes I thought I’d never see my camera again.

A few of the more savvy of our group, however, had replaced their camera’s store-issue camera strap with some really distinctive straps, making it easy to spot their camera from 10 paces. When I returned home, I purchased a couple for my own cameras. I think they’d make a unique gift — and as with the camera bags, Etsy is a great place to find some unusual ones.

6. Picture frames. I have to say, I’m awful about displaying my photographs in my own home — yet there’s nothing I love better than visiting someone’s home that has tons of photographs around, chronicling their travels and their lives. If your favourite photographer is similar, why not buy a few cool frames to nudge her into showing her work with pride? And on a related note, consider a gift of this book, with all sorts of great ideas on how to display your photos. I purchased it a couple of months ago, and it’s truly inspiring. I haven’t actually used any of the ideas yet, but maybe if someone buys me some picture frames …

7. Practical paraphernalia. It’s not particularly romantic or clever, but photographers can never have too many memory cards or polarizing filters, batteries or microfiber lens clothes for their cameras — just make sure you know the size of their lenses or the make and model of the specific camera, and go for it. In the alternative, if you’re afraid that all of this sounds far too technical to trust to your own judgment, a gift certificate to a local camera specialty store would always be welcome.

8. Fun stuff. And finally, there are some really cool things out there that a photographer might not think to purchase for himself, but would love to t
ry. Consider purchasing a Lensbaby, a lens which focuses one point of an image, and then warps the outer edges, creating a cool effect (see Willy Volk’s example to the right). Or, how about a super-secret spy lens: this handy contraption allows you to point your camera in any direction, misleading your subject into thinking you’re taking a picture of something else. Fantastic.

And finally, although this is technically not for still photography, it’s unreal how many photographers I’ve spoken to who said they want the Flip Video Camcorder for Christmas. And starting at US$ 149.99, for a camcorder, this is a real bargain.

Happy shopping everyone! As always, keep sending your great questions to karen.walrond@weblogsinc.com, and I’ll try to tackle them in upcoming posts. In the meantime, keep clicking.

Karen is a writer and photographer in Houston, Texas. You can see more of her work at her site, Chookooloonks.
And for more Through the Gadling Lens, click here.

How do you poop on Mt. Everest?

by Jerry Guo on

The days of poop-behind-a-rock be gone – a Nepali climber has recently started promoting the use of a packable toilet for hikers up the world’s tallest mountain. Tired of the 965 kilos of waste he picked up during an expedition in May (including a corpse dating back to 1972! wtf!), Dawa Steven Sherpa is determined to make Mt. Everest a cleaner place.

His solution is the Luggable Loo – a portable bucket-cum-toilet that stores waste in a gas-impervious bag. This way, hikers will have a potty to sit on (plus!) but poop to haul out (not so much plus). The bags do their job to keep unwanted aromas from reaching expeditionists while they hike.

Still, if hauling your own waste out seems like too much trouble, what the hell are you doing climbing Mt. Everest anyway? Any good hiker knows that the first rule of messing with Mother Nature is to leave her exactly as you found her. That includes poop, too.

The loo retails from Cabela’s Outfitters for $15 – not too shabby – and 6 of the “Doodie Bags” (as they are so named) will cost you $12.99. If I were Mr. Sherpa, I’d be handing these things out at the base camp. Who wants to clean up someone else’s 20-year-old, iced-over poo anyway?