Packing Advice PLEASE! Drawstring bag???

didirrmurphy

Hi All! I just joined indiamike and I LOVE it!
I'm going to India December to January 2004-2005. i was wondering if i could use a drawstring bag when sightseeing in delhi agra lucknow varanasi and jaipur. I would probably carry
toilet paper
cream
baby wipes
antiseptic
viscose towels
digital camera
mosquito repellent
calculator
tape recorder.
sarong.
small notebook
small flashlight
pen
water purifier tablets.
anything i forgot or might wanna take out? And is the drawstring bag safe enough and big enough to carry some souvenirs picked up on the way along with ALL this stuff?? i have a seperate duffel bag for everything else (clothes etc). Thanks for your advice DEEPLY appreciated!
Thanks!
Didi

guerik

What type of drawstring bag is it? That just describes the closure really, doesn't it? I'm probably not following.

But if the bag's comfortable enough to wear on your back all day, and big enough to hold all the things you want to carry, then it should be ok.

didirrmurphy

By drawstring bag I mean the type with just two pieces of fabric sewn together, and then the normal pull the strings to tighten at the top. Isn't it dangerous to have it on your back though? Because of pickpocketers?

wonderwomanusa

I carry a nylon (light-weight and washable) tote bag that goes over my shoulder for packages and other stuff. It's made by LeSportsac, weighs 10 oz, and you can get them on E-bay. It's also the bag I carry on the plane.

My shoulderbag carries camera, and essentials and some of the other stuff that you're planning on using a drawstring bag for. I don't carry as much as you plan to, but you won't know that until you've been out and about.

I've never been pick-pocketed in India, nor has anything been stolen from me.

Don't forget your sunglasses!

didirrmurphy

Thanks much!

Merchant

I have never understood the connection between India and baby wipes, creams, and other emollients and sterilizers. Do people carry these things when traveling in their home countries?

A study in the slums and refugee camps of Pakistan found that the incidence of diarrhea in children could be cut by more than half if they washed their hands with soap and water--plain old soap and any water available. Not anti-bacterial soap and bottled water or anything fancy.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/...in620551.shtml

How dirty are you really going to get as a tourist in India? Just use the little MediMix green bar of soap in the dish at the sink in every restaurant in India. The locals, despite popular misperception, are actually quite concerned about cleanliness.

skell

I take wipes/towlettes, cream/lotion, eyedrops and chapstick where ever I go, even locally. Especially handy on flight, trains, buses, etc. Soap and water isn't always so readily available.

charras

I found that all those antisceptic wipes and things were wholly unnescessary, unless I sustained a cut.

I couldn't recommend highly enough a nail brush,

cyberhippie

Any kind of bag is fine for wandering around with, pickpocketing isn't a big problem in India, just be as cautious as you would anywhere else and you can safely walk around with your stuff in your bag of choice!

Whilst on the subject of wipes, lotions, soaps and the like, I thought I'd let the travelling population in on the wonderful idea of "paper soap"
These are thin strips of paper impregnated with soap, a little book of these paper soaps costs a few rupees and are great for a train ride when you want to wash your hands or freshen up in the morning.
Of course they're so light and cheap they are a great standbye when there's no soap around.
They are available on almost every train in India, other than that I've never come across them, do any of our local members have any idea where you can purchase these handy little inventions???

volga_volga

Oh. When i read your list i assumed you were travelling with a baby, hence all the anti-bacterial stuff and baby wipes. Is that not so?

Then I think you make your life too complicated... the anti-bacterial wipes won't last until you re-apply them every 10 min, and then you'll need to carry a suitcase of them for a few days trip. Towel? Sarong? you can get yourself a light face cloth at any bazaar for a few rupees. Can change them every day if you want! (Towels should be provided by the guest house, non?) Flashlight? you'll need it in the evenings only, you'll keep it in your room most likely. It is better not to venture out at night in places where you'll require a flashlight! Water purifier? bottled water is cheap and easily available. You'll be looking for a "clean" vessel to purify your water in...

what you might need (well i would!) is a warm shawl/cover, it is winter in North India in Jan, especially gets cold at night, you'd want some cover up. Oh, and you might want to add sunscreen.

Re downstring bag, i like them too, but for the everyday bag they are not most convenient, you have to take it off, untie the string, then re-tie it... too much trouble. Although they are light and compact to pack...

added: such bag normally does not have compartments, you'll be forever looking for your stuff in it... also the strings can cut into your shoulders once the bag becomes heavy-ish... why don't you get yourself a small rucksack as a daybag? you can organise stuff using various pockets and the shoulder straps are much more comfortable than the strings.

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Bryan

if you really want water purifier tablets why not just ditch the tablets and get the water bottle that has the purifier in it ..
Should save at least a small mountian of plastic bottles

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(As come it will for a' that),
That Sense and Worth o'er a' the earth,
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For a' that, an a' that,
It's coming yet for a' that,
That man to man, the world, o'er
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laurencampbell

hey bryan

where can one get a water bottle with purifier inside it? sounds fab!

lauren