Detailed Packing List with comments available.

vistet

Washing : I´m a friend of the many small washes school. I pack only shampoo ; this is what I use when trekking (for body, hair & clothes). Works okay , whenever I make a urban base I buy detergent packs or go to the wallah. All underwear & socks dark/black to dry fast in the sun.

Maglites are rugged (I´ve put mine in the washing machine without any effect) and the spare lamp fitted inside is neat.. but heavy and eat batteries. Last trip I used one of these new LED lamps : weighs around 20 grams , changed batteries once in ten weeks (no reading sessions though). I keep one clasped to the zipper in my inner tent : the lamp I`ll always find.

With two good compression bags (Eagle creek) I now get on with a 65 l pack. The bulk of this pack is a sleeping bag,Thermarest, a Trangia kerosene kitchen and a wee two-man tent... total weight just under 5 kilos.

Without the trekking stuff I wouldnt need a large pack. Went to Cairo with a loosely packed 30 l carry-on : yes it´s liberating to just zip by the conveyor belt.

TimMakins

Yes, sounds a lot doesn't it. However, my particular pack has compression straps, so that it compresses down when there isn't much inside, which is most of the time. However, the extra size is useful when train travelling - I can put my daypack inside, and lock all under the bunk at night.

Also, I like to bring back material - bed sheets, batiques, block printing, bolts of cloth etc when I come home - the extra expandibility fits it all inside.

Tim

TimMakins

Well, if I could only take such a short holiday, I'd probably get by with a handbag too, but I'm here for 6 months, and travel in a different style from you. My bag compresses down when not needed, too.

How can you be sure ??? Better to be safe than sorry, with labels inside and out. Last week, in Kolkata, a hawker handed in a bag with 1.7 lakh rupees he had found on the railway. Don't assume that all Indians are thieves !

My packing list suggests both candles and a flashlight. None broke in transit, as they were carefully packed. Both have their uses: flashlights are useful when outdoors, or for quick light, but candles are better for long term light when your hotel has a 3 hour power cut, as frequently happens unless you stay in the clubbing scene of Mumbai.

I find powder detergent works much better than a bar of soap. I do laundry daily, and dry my clothes overnight in my room. I like to have my clothes ready when *I* want them, not when the dhobi wallah decides to return them.

A washing line is much better to hang clothes on than chairs or tables, which can be dirty and don't allow air to circulate properly. The budget hotels that I stay in (200rs) never have a tub, so I couldn't comment on that suggestion.


If you read my packing list properly, you will see that the basin plug, or rather the rubber circles that I use instead of one, are for a basin, to allow me to do laundry when a bucket is not available. I never stay in hotels that have a tub - you are obviously on a different budget from the rest of us !

This is very foolish advice for anyone travelling outside the big cities !! Just how many villages in India have an ATM ? zero. If you get cash stolen, it is gone, but if you get TC's stolen, they will be refunded. I know which option I prefer, despite the tiny commission !! Banks all over India will change them - i is never a problem as long as you stick to the major brands and curriencies.

No, I'm English - we have a better sense of humour, for comments that are actually funny. Did you actually *read* my packing list, or did you just browse the headings ? If you had read the notes, you would have seen that the socks were for the trainers. The thinner 'sandal socks' are, in my experience, ideal for that short, initial period of a week or so whilst my feet, not normally used to sandals, get blisters where the sandal straps abraid certain pressure points. It happens every time, but after a week the thin socks aren't needed any more.

I'd disagree with this one. Neck pouches are an easy target - I have met a number of people who have had them slashed off or grabbed. My money belt sits in the small of my back, beneath shirt and trousers. You'd have to razor both to get it.

I find the quality of some local goods not up to much, and prefer to take things I know I can trust with me from home. I've had my mosquito net for nearly 20 years of travelling - it is still in excellent condition, and is compact and lightweight. My batteries are rechargeable - the same 'AA' size is used in torch, camera, radio. I'd rather not litter the Indian countryside with lots of short-life Indian disposable batteries, but this may not be an issue for you.


We obviously travel in different circles. I am a budget backpacker, and prefer samll towns and villages in rural India. However, I am sure that a lot of clubbers read IndiaMike, so perhaps you should write your own list designed for their special up-market, well-heeled needs.

Tim

vistet

Candles is a nice touch for for freshening up the air in the bathroom, easily found just about everywhere.

tamaique

I decided to travel with a maglite, having happily owned one for many years. However, and in spite of the somewhat magical forces of arambolic shantiness, I went through both lightbulbs in one week. I've been since looking around for spare bulbs and carrying this heavy, useless, metal, object around. I have the feeling that even if I do find the bulbs, each one will be more expensive than one of those 50 rs flashlights they sell in (almost) every store (for which spare lightbulbs are generally available). I'm not sure if I'd travel with a maglite again...

By the way, if anyone knows of a place to get replacement bulbs, could you let me know?? I'm currently in Hampi, heading to Vijayawada, Bhubaneswar (and a few other destinations in Orissa), Kalkota, Darjeeling...Thanks It would be best to continue using the maglite, something inside me doesn't feel like letting go just yet.

Anders

I used to travel with a mini maglight but they are bulky, heavy, burns trough the bulbs quickly and are not very powerful. I bought a small aaa LED light instead that I carry on the keychain 24/7 in India and at home. I throwed the mini maglight in the garbage.

phobal

This is haughtiness and elder snobbery at its finest, accented by the fact that you're even newer to IM than me. Simply because I am 19 and that I would trade off C$5 a day for 10 lbs less crap does not make me a "special-up market" yuppie like you blindly ascertain.

If you didn't want somebody else's advice on what to pack, why the fuck did you put it up for review? Just so you can validate your existence and insecurity by rebutting everything and anything someone would say?

Racial stereotyping? Hahaha christ man, relax! All I did was give my opinion on your gear, like you asked.

Oh, and I beg for your forgiveness for only reading the headers and not the 2 paragraph justification for bringing a basin plug or washing powder. You got me on that one.

xealot

Spoon!

Never thought of that, I'll definetely be chucking in the pack

__________________
Laziness is not a real word! It's most literal translation is "Differing Priorities"

Nick-H

Chopsticks

You can eat anything with chopsticks. Anything you can't can be drunk. Easy to keep clean too.

Mmm... must take on a South Indian 'Meal' with chopsticks: I bet that'd attract an audience

Nick-H

But seriously...

Knife! Was there a pocket knife on that list? I might have missed it.

A good, very sharp pocket knife is invaluable. The simple stainless-steel kind are easy to wash after, eg, peeling fruit.

[LATER: oh, yes; of course it was on the list...]

xealot

Lol Nick, you're hilarious... go to a place where they encourage you to use your hands and still sticking with chopsticks. You must like a challenge!

Nick-H

Well, Xealot, I haven't actually done it yet, but I'm fairly sure that there is a pair of chopsticks at the bottom of one of my boxes

TimMakins

19 and very impetuous - we were all there once, and I am sure we all rushed out fighting and jumped to the wrong conclusions just as foolishly as you have. Please calm down - swearing seldom helps on a board like this, or in other paths of life. Many find it offensive: respect their rights too.

If you take the time to read my initial post, which I copy for you here:

Detailed Packing List with comments available.
Take a look at my Packing List above, with a full explanation of each item. You may not like it, or agree with some of my points, but it suits me.

you will find to your surprise that I wasn't asking for a 19 year old's 'advice', nor did I put the list 'up for review'. The list was put there as a help to newbies like yourself who may not have a clear idea of what to take when backpacking. My list is one that I am completely happy with. After 30+ years of travelling and 70+ countries visited, it suits me very well indeed - no peer-afformation is wanted or sought. I have absolutely no need to 'validate my existence and insecurity' - it may surprise you to learn that some people do things purely from a desire to help others. I welcome constructive comments from those that have something to share, and know what they are talking about. I don't 'rebutt everything' you say, just those comments that, from my own experience, I judge would be stupid for others more naiive than yourself to follow. When you have seen a bit more of the world, I am sure the rest of us will be interested to hear what you have to say, but for the meantime, you will have a lot more credibility from your peers if you try a little harder to keep your foot out of your mouth.

However, if like most 19 year olds, you are eager to prove yourself as experienced and mature, the way is simple: share your own packing list on your own website, and pass on some of the varied experiences you have had whilst travelling this planet. No doubt many on this list are eagerly waiting your wisdom...

TimMakins

You are quite right, Rohan stuff *is* expensive, and most of their stock is way beyond my budget. However, I also recognise the value of top quality and excellent design by people well-versed in their field, and quite frankly I would rather go without food for a couple of days than not have a pair of their excellent travel-trousers, 'Rohan Bags' with me - they are just idea for the type of travelling I do.

Hahah, yes that's true. I was surprised that some posts say not to bring stuff like soap and washing powder - you'll obviously need it from day one, so why go shopping the moment you get there ?! Just don't bring too much, that's all.

TimMakins

[quote=Kanbe]I have taken a sleeping bag to India on a couple of my previous trips, and have been very pleased to have it. Travelling in the north in winter can be quite chilly at times, and if you are on a train in Sleeper Class or the old non A/C First Class, no bedding is provided. You could, of course, hire a railway's 'Bed Roll', but its rather complicated to do, and no guarantee one will be available.

Another occasion I was glad of my bag was when camel-trekking in the desert near Jaisalmeer; those deserts, though hot enough during the day, get very cold at night.

Another occasion was in Delhi - also the winter-time. I used to love staying at the old 'Tourist Camp' on Asaf Ali Road (whatever happened to that place?) but on those frosty nights of Dec/Jan, the bedding supplied just wasn't enough, and I was glad of the bag. The same applied to cheap hotels in Mussorie etc. too.

You are quite right to say that in the South there is little need for a bag, but for other places, in the winter when many of us travel this wonderful country, a bag has its uses. Just don't be afraid to post it home when you no longer need it - for a 1kg down bag, that's not going to break the bank.

Tim