Travelling in the ess developed parts of the world is not like a camping trip. You will find plenty . . . → Read More: Sleeping Gear]]>

Travelling in the ess developed parts of the world is not like a camping trip. You will find plenty of cheap food and accommodation everywhere, so you won’t need a stove, tent or sleeping bag,

There may be occasions where you would think a sleeping bag might be useful, in a cold room, sleeping outside (when it is warm), protection against insects, as a seat or cushion, etc., but consider the alternatives first.

Long underwear or other warm clothing will be fine in emergencies, on buses, trains, and cold hostels. A sleep sheet packs small, is light and easy to wash, and should suffice for all other times. Combine this with a plastic sheet, bivouac bag or poncho and you can replace a tent and sleeping bag.

If you do decide to take a sleeping bag then you there are certain things to look out for when choosing one.

Sleeping bag

For camping, cold climates, and trekking in the mountains, you can buy the most expensive, warmest bag you can find. But this will be way too warm to use in the tropics. It will also be bulky, heavy, oftentimes flimsy, as well as hard to wash and dry.



So look out for a small-packing, light bag that is both easily washable and hard wearing. Choose one that is inexpensive so that you won’t mind if it gets damaged, lost or stolen.

The new super-light synthetic bags are good, and one with the zips in the right place can turn it into a blanket for sleeping or picnics.

Down bags can sometimes be too warm (unless you are going somewhere really cold) and don’t perform well when wet. You also need to dry them properly after you wash them to maintain their insulating properties.

I use a Western Mountaineering ExtremeLite down bag. You can find a good selection of both down and synthetic bags at Blacks in the UK or REI in the US.

Using a sleep sheet (see below) inside your sleeping bag will delay the need to wash it for a long time.

Sleep sheet/Sleeping bag liner

Basically a sheet, made from either cotton or silk, folded and sewn into the shape of a sleeping bag. These are mandatory for sleeping in hostels. If you don’t have your own then you will have to buy one. A good substitute for a sleeping bag in warm climates.

I use a Lifeventure Advance Sleeper Cotton bag (shown here). This comes in a rectangular shape (for hostel sleeping or rectangular sleeping bags) or a mummy shape (for mummy-shaped bags). It has anti-bacterial, anti-bedbug and anti-mosquito treatments, and packs quite small.

You can read more about sleep sacks and buy them here or here.

Bivouac sack

The waterproof version of the sleep sack. The cheapest are made of plastic, some are made of nylon, the most expensive are made of Gore-Tex and are like small one-man tents, some with built-in mosquito nets.

Mostly used as emergency shelter when hiking or mountaineering, but can be used when travelling to protect your sleeping bag (on the outside), for extra warmth, and as a replacement for a sleeping bag or tent in warm climates.

They are lighter and easier to wash and dry than a tent/sleeping bag combination, but can be colder and more cramped to sleep in.

In warm weather you don’t usually have to worry about the rain, just the insects. When I am sleeping out in hot climates I use a Bug Hut 1 tent from REI (shown here). This is an ultralight shelter that is fast to put up. It fits completely over your sleeping bag and the poles keep the mesh away from your upper body.

Hammock

A good compromise sleeping solution is a hammock. These are lighter than a tent and more comfortable to sleep in. I use mine for emergencies when travelling.

You would be surprised at the number of places you can use it. The best manufacturer and model I have found (and one that I own) is the Hennessy Hammock UltraLite Backpacker A-Sym (shown here).

Read more about hammocks and sleeping in them here.

Sleeping Pad

This is what you lie on when sleeping on the ground when camping. It both insulates your body from the cold and the hard, sometimes rocky ground.

They come in two basic types, the closed-cell foam type, which is thin and bulky which either rolls or folds up, and the inflating type, which insulates better and packs smaller, but is heavier and more expensive.

Therm-a-Rest (shown left) make the best of the latter kind. These are ‘self-inflating’ (although they sometimes need help).

The lightest weighs just over 1 pound, (455g) but this model is also the shortest and least insulating.

Their construction means that they can get damaged on thorns and other sharp objects, and will stop working if they get punctured. They can be hard to repair (they come with a repair kit).

They come in a variety of sizes (long, regular, short lengths) and insulating properties (3- 4-seasons, for example). I have the Therm-a-Rest ProLite 4 Regular which is a 4 season, regular length (72″, 183cm) sleeping pad.

You can buy them from Blacks in the UK or REI in the US.

Pillow

Inflatable pillows can make it easier to sleep on a plane, train or bus. There are two types, one that fits around your neck like a collar and ones that look like regular pillows.

You can also buy a stuff-sack which, when filled with clothes, can make a good pillow, particularly the ones that are specially made for this that come with a cloth lining (turned inside-out when used as a pillow).

Check them out here. They come in two sizes, I use the 10″ x 20″ model for my sleeping bag stuff sack.

You can buy toiletries almost anywhere in the world, often for less than it costs it home.

You may . . . → Read More: Toiletries]]>

You can buy toiletries almost anywhere in the world, often for less than it costs it home.

You may have your favourites, however, and not every brand is available overseas (sometimes there are worse, sometimes better alternatives). You can’t always be sure of the quality, either.

For these reasons you might consider bringing your own.

Space and weight can be saved by taking small, travel- or trial-sized bottles, or better still, buy some small, refillable plastic bottles and containers and fill them with your own products.

Liquids can weigh a lot, and a lot of bottles of liquids can weigh a considerable amount.

You also have the problem of leaking, although this can be made better by putting the bottles in a leak-proof plastic bag. There are non-liquid alternatives for most toiletries, some of which are listed below.

Starting at the top of the head and working down:

Hair

Shampoo generally comes in liquid form but you can get it in a bar (like soap) which is lighter, more compact, and more leak-proof than regular shampoo.

Don’t take a huge bottle, you will probably have to carry it around with you for ages before you make a dent in its contents.

Soap

Soap comes as a liquid and a bar. You can also get universal soaps that wash hair, clothes, and crockery. You can buy soap anywhere, too, all you need worry about is something to carry it in.

Teeth

Some people cut the handle off their toothbrush to make it lighter for travel, but this saves so little weight and it is annoying to use, so it’s really not worth it.



However, you should get toothbrush covers, which are very useful if your brush is squashed into your bag every day.

Floss is essential, not just for your teeth, but for other uses such as thread, tying up things, cutting food (like a cheese-wire), emergency shoelaces, a clothesline, and so on.

Shaving

You can either use nothing (just hot water), or just soap to shave with, but both of these are hard on your skin.

You don’t need to take a large can of shaving foam as there are smaller, lighter alternatives, such as shaving oil.

Cheap plastic razors can be bought anywhere, but a good travel razor is the AVID razor, which is cheap, light, and works well.

Deodorant

Comes in non-liquid form as deodorant sticks, which also come in small, travel sizes. Available everywhere.

Nails

Standard nail clippers are fine, stainless steel are better. You can use toenail clippers (straight, or slightly convex) as regular nail clippers (usually concave) if you don’t want to take both. Be aware that if you take nail scissors they might not be allowed in your hand baggage on some flights.

Mirror

Don’t take glass mirrors, there are so many good (lighter and unbreakable) alternatives made of plastic (acrylic) you can buy these days, such as the Coghlans Plexiglass Mirror

Towel

Towels from home are heavy and bulky. You don’t need something that large anyway, a thin hand towel is fine, even one cut in half can be used in most situations.

You can get some made of synthetics (viscose, for example) which are very absorbent for their size and weight.

Universal sink plug/stopper

Sink plugs are hard to come by in some countries as they are both useful and . . . → Read More: Laundry]]>

Universal sink plug/stopper

Sink plugs are hard to come by in some countries as they are both useful and portable, therefore they don’t stay around too long in one place.

It is always best to carry your own, they don’t take up much room and are very useful when doing laundry in hotel and hostel sinks. The best are the large, flat type that fit any sink. You can also use a sock or fashion a stopper out of a variety of materials (duct tape, for example) if you don’t have one.

Detergent

Woolite is a traveller’s favourite as it is a good cold-water detergent. You don’t need much in a sink to wash a lot of clothes.

You can carry small amounts of powdered detergent in a plastic film container (if you can find one these days). Small, plastic pill containers (with screw-top lids) make a good substitute.

Clothesline

The quality of travel clotheslines varies considerably, so make sure you buy one that is long enough, strong enough, has good attachments at both ends (not suction cups), and holds wet clothes without pegs or clothespins.

A good brand is Flexoline. This is made from surgical rubber tubing, the wet clothes are inserted between the strands.

Fixing

There are a number of things you can pack which are light, small, cheap, and versatile when it . . . → Read More: Repairs]]>

Fixing

There are a number of things you can pack which are light, small, cheap, and versatile when it comes to making repairs on the road.

Para (parachute) cord comes in a variety of thicknesses and colours and can be used for making repairs to bags, clothing, sleeping gear.

Also it can be used for other things such as shoelaces, tying parcels, even making shelters and snares if you are in a survival situation!

Wrap it around something, maybe even replace your shoelaces with the right length piece of cord.

Sewing

Sewing kits are cheap and ubiquitous, but if you don’t have one and need to make repairs you can just ask the receptionist in any moderately priced hotel and you may get one for free, or just buy one in a fabric store.

There is no guarantee that doing either will get you good quality materials, however. The thread can be thin and the needles can blunt quickly, so sometimes it pays to make your own kit.

Choose stainless steel needles and strong thread if you do, put them in a small container (a plastic film container is fine), along with some spare buttons and safety pins.



Safety pins also have many other uses apart from sewing. They can be used for temporary clothing or gear repairs, as paperclips, for hanging curtains in cheaper hotels, lock pick, toothpick, as clothespins,

Sticking

There are two ways of sticking things, tape or glue. The best multi-purpose repair tape is duct tape. These come in smaller travel sizes but you can wrap a length around a pencil or pen.

It can be used for other things too, for parcels, for securing bandages, and so on.

For its size, a small tube of Superglue can be useful for all kinds of repairs, just make sure it doesn’t leak (put it in a small, resealable plastic bag.

Plastic bags

Not really a repair item, although they can be cut up and used for various things, rain covers, waterproofing, or left whole for wet laundry, food sandwiches, etc. Ziploc make a good range of sizes and closings.

Also good for protecting your bag against potential leaks from liquids in bottles. Mandatory these days for carrying liquids on planes.

Waterproof bags

Used to separate and keep various items dry in your bag. Good for keeping valuables and electronics. . . . → Read More: Miscellaneous]]>

Waterproof bags

Used to separate and keep various items dry in your bag. Good for keeping valuables and electronics. Simple Ziploc style bags are good for this. However, much better are the plastic bags made by Aloksak.

These are very strong but lightweight, transparent storage bags. They come in four sizes: 7 x 4.5 inch, 6.75 x 6 inch, 9 x 6 inch and 12 x 12 inch.

They are made of a patented, super-stretch plastic, and very puncture-resistant. They close easily and are Waterproof to 200 feet.

Gifts

A final suggestion is to think about taking along some small items that you can present to people you encounter along the way. There is no faster way to endear yourself to the families you meet.

The colourful (economical, flat) press-on stickers you can generally buy near gift wrapping supplies are appropriate for many ages.

Another good idea is to carry a supply of the balloons used to make animals, hats, and the like. You’ve almost certainly seen this done, and perhaps never realized how easy a skill it is to learn (at least for simple items). T. Myers Magic will provide the instruction – including how to blow up the balloons without popping your eyeballs – and the supplies.

For adults in less industrialized areas, inexpensive (but not cheap, throwaway) ballpoint pens are a good choice. They also make good bargaining chips at markets.

High quality fish hooks will be very scarce in poor fishing communities, making them excellent gifts and trade goods (especially for fish!); make sure you get the flat variety.

Bandanas, not widely available outside North America, are another good choice.

Other adults may appreciate a souvenir (perhaps a small flag pin) of your home country, or maybe a interesting coin of your own currency.