William Black wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
http://home.comcast.net/~plutarch/packlight.html


This guy carries a HUGE bottle of shampoo, vitamin pills and
aspirin, but doesn't carry Imodium or a mobile phone...

Or an ace bandage or any other kind of first aid items.

He carries a towel that weighs half a pound...

But he doesn't carry a change of trousers...

Maybe he carries the big towel because that's what he wears when he's
washing his jeans in the sink in the bathroom in the bus station.

Then there are his jeans. He's obviously never gotten soaked to the
skin in cool weather in jeans and then had to live in them or go
naked. And his recommendation to cut them off if it gets hot--so what
does he do if it then turns cool?

A couple of pairs of nylon convertible pants would weigh less than his
towel and jeans and be far more comfortable and convenient but not as
stylish.

He carries an electric shaver and a dictionary, but no phrase
book...

I thought the electric shaver was a bad call but thinking about it I'm
not sure it's any heavier than a disposable and a can of shave cream.
But then he has "buy a cord when you get there"--he obviously hasn't
ever tried to find a "cord" to fit an off-brand electric razor
anywhere where there's no Radio Shack (Radio Shack's not good for much
but generally if I bring the thing in they can match a wall-wart and
connector to it).

Very odd.

And then after all this effort to reduce weight, he suggests lugging a
bicycle around. Not _riding_ it mind you, but carrying it onto and
off of all sorts of public transportation, most of which is decidedly
bicycle-hostile. If I was in shape to ride a bicycle all over the
place I'd just ride the damned bicycle and not bother with the public
transportation.

He also recommends you buying batteries when you need them, which
does rather seem to indicate that he doesn't get off the beaten
track
much...

Or carrying one set of rechargeables and a charger, which says the
same.

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)