Reconsidering the masses

FranklyOnTheRun

Hello everyone,

I am going to leave for 6 month in India at Oct. 20th and you gave me a headstart with all your great tips on downsizing travel equipment, and what can I say, i got hooked on it.
So now after sorting out unnecessary medication, clothing, books, i got to my backpack.

Now, it is a 35l Pack that fits me great and is quite small around the waist, but still it is way to high.
I am now considering only taking a daypack and adding a outside moneybelt kind device to carry additional stuff.
I am quite exicted about that idea, so please let me know if you either traveled that way and it was great or not / your experiences, hints what i can look out for. Tips to improve my daypack (Add on's)


Any input is highly appreciated. Thank you

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FranklyOnTheRun

Can you recommend any particular wais-belt, witch enough place to actually act as a backpack extension? comfort vs. space?

FranklyOnTheRun

Am I missing anything here yet?
This is an altered Packing List that i took from www.TravelIndependent.com (or something like this). Anyway, not my own creation, but a great piece of wonderfull work done here. Thanks so much to the author.


Essential clothing:
• Fabric softener sheets to keep cloth smelling fresh
• A Moisture wicking Polo-Shirt (Coolmax). A Long sleeve shirt.
• One pairs of trousers (Jack Wolfskin). Quick drying moisture wicking, travel type.
• Swim wear,a pair of trunks
• One thin light-weight fleece
• Underwear, three or four pairs, moisture wicking underwear (Coolmax)
• socks 1 pair Waterproof/ 1 pair (coolmax)
• sleeping sack - silk
• Quick Dry-Micro fiber Towel, tassels on two corners (to dry)
• Sarong (great covering, clothing, skirt, towel - you name it), you can pick this up on route anywhere there is a beach.
• A bandana
First aid and cosmetics:
• Lip salve with sun protection,
• syringes and needles (but don't go mad - only if going off the beaten track),
• cold/flu pills (with de-congestant), something for a sore throat,
• plasters (band aids), Liquid Bandaid
• antiseptic cream (antibiotic ointment),
• travel/motion sickness pills,
• anti-histamine pills, laxative,
• diarrhoea blocker, Pepto-Bismol similar
• mouth ulcer (aka canker sores) treatment
• Hydrocortisone cream (2%) or something else to treat insect bites,
• pain killers.
• a needle (for blisters), tweezers, Tiger balm can be useful, (easily picked up in Asia).
• a pair of tweezers.
• Roll on deodorant and shaving cream - 'King of Shaves'
• Nail clippers
• Condoms
• Mosquito repellent
• Vitamin B1 500mg a day, starting two weeks ahead, all troughout the travel (told , doesn’t work, but I will still try)
Equipment :
• A small calculator (dual power) small
• A small thermometer (to test temp. of the food – avoiding Diarr.)
• A travel alarm clock, with a world-time feature.
• LED key ring light
• Candles
• Money belt or travel organizer.
• A wire lock, with a retractable wire that can be pulled out and looped through your bag to secure it to a bed or railing
• Little combination (not key) padlocks to keep you bag secure.
• Little note book with pen
• post-it notes useful for keeping the right pages of guidebooks quickly accessible.
• Some cards with your name, address and e-mail, to give new friends;
• Netted bags (Small)
• Leatherman
• Umbrella, a very light compact
• Large clip (keeping money together)
• Compass cheap key ring one;
• Pack of cards
• plastic container (Tupperware) for the bottom of your pack to keep little things together.
• Take a ton of plastic zip lock bags and elastic bands and duct tape
• Empty film canisters.

Official Documents :
• Passport (with Visa)
• Several passport photographs
• Certificate of all vaccinations.
• Airline Ticket
• Traveler Checks
• Photocopies on password secured webpage ,of everything important (passports, TC numbers etc.),

sky888

you should travel light.. so that you can go about India easily...

whatever you are short of , you can get it there (and it's cheaper)

* you may want to pack in old cloths of yours, so that as you wear them, you can throw them away along the trip.. and your bag gets lighter!

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skell

Another great site for packing tips (besides this one, of course) is:

"www.onebag.com"

Merchant

Jesus, that's a neurotic list! A thermometer to test the temperature of your food? Gimme a break.

You really dont need 85% of the stuff on that list. You can't prepare for every contingency, and contrary to popular belief, India actually has stores where you can buy things and modern hospitals with qualified doctors.

India gives you a great opportunity NOT to carry a hypochondriac's medicine chest strapped to your back. You can be very comfortable with very little.

Here's the best guideline: If you don't use it at home, you probably don't need it in India.

FranklyOnTheRun

Great. I always like to hear that i don't need something, and i think you are right about most of the medication. ...bye bye meds.

If you say that i don't need 85% of this stuff, what do i need a bag for anyway. the rest easily fits in one bag, so why do other people carry around 40l backpacks. Sorry, i am a little confused here.

Thanks for pointing that out, the thermometer was an idea by the infectious deseases doc that i met with, i got drawn away by the horror stories he told me.

Bryan

a 35 litre bag is baig enough
Now the way to pack is this

get everything you want to take
Now look at it again and think hmmmm ...i could leave this and that etc

Now put it on with everything you want to take and go for a walk ...at least 4km and see how happy youa re to carry that weight

yep thats right you'll come back home saying I'm never carrying that weight
So empty the bag and take out all the things you dont need

then be ruthless and say if there was a fire and i could opnly grab a few things and throw them in my bag what would it be ...the real esentials ...and hey presto you're packed

Now put it on and go for another 4km walk ...Nice isn't it ...oh ...its not...RIGHT!!!!
go back to the top and start again until you can happily walk with your bag on your back for 4km without complainig its too heavy or without walking like a 90 year old woman with a crooked back ...

A few must haves ...are 2 sarongs, one pair of flip flops, one vest (simmit), one tshirt, one pair of underwear

there you go ...you're packed

Enjoy and don't worry about not having soemthing ...India is self-reliant and everythingc an be bought
go lighter rather than heavier ...you will accumulate

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Then let us pray that come it may
(As come it will for a' that),
That Sense and Worth o'er a' the earth,
Shall bear the gree an a' that.
For a' that, an a' that,
It's coming yet for a' that,
That man to man, the world, o'er
Shall brithers be for a' that.
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lobo

Buy a lot of what you need out there, clothes etc.
Just have enough to get by on, and be prepared to drop anything you dont need or something that dosent come in useful.
I will carry (apart from what I wear)

1 trousers/1 jogging bottom (to sleep in)
3 under wear 3 socks
3 t shirts
3 long sleeve tops
toothbrush flannel small towel soap
small light/torch
razor/comb
small carry bag
some medication basic
chain for bag
and last of all a lonley planet

Thats more or less it.
If I dont need somethig i will leave it, if i need it i wil buy it.
I carry it on plane as hand luggage. I am going for 2 months but i wouldnt take no more.

FranklyOnTheRun

Thanks Bryan, thank you Lobo.
Your advice was just what i needed. now, lets be ruthless

wonderwomanusa

Unless you'll be in Tamil Nadu in November/December, you won't need the umbrella. If you go there, you can buy one.

I took a pretty good first aid kit last winter, and never even used a plaster, so next trip, I'll probably take a very small amount of that stuff. There are lots of pharmacies where you can buy it if you need it.

Everyone has their own comfort level about what they "need" to have to feel prepared, so if you get coldsores, yes, take the lip blister stuff.

DO take the Immodium; you may very well need it, along with the mossie repellant, needles & thread, cards... an extra toothbrush.

and if your pack is too heavy while you're travelling, you'll know what you can give away.

cyberhippie

I always pack using the philosophy pack as much as you are willing to carry!!
Some times it's a big pack with a CD player speakers camera and lenses etc. etc. etc.
Other times I travel with shorts, trousers x 1 and undies and little else bar my wash kit.
Think about what you really fancy carrying in a climate that sees rain and hot days that can reach 40c + sometimes with 80% humidity.
you'll be putting your pack on the roof of the bus, running to catch a train, walking around to find a hotel!
All these scenarios should be thought about when pampering to your "comfort zone" items!!

Happy Traveling