"One bag" travel, which bag is best?

wrote in message
ups.com...
Dan Stephenson wrote:
I've found that if you pack light you can make do with a daypack.

I could probably "make do" with nothing. I took survival
training and actually had to do that for a weekend. Well,
I got to carry a knife and a compass. Not exactly my idea
of a vacation though. Besides, they wouldn't let me take
the knife on a plane these days.



A knife and a compass? Jeez, just give me a credit card and I don't need
anything else....

In article , B
wrote:

On Fri, 04 Aug 2006 14:13:00 -0500, erilar
wrote:

YES!!! My old backpack was disintegrating, so when I came back from a
trip a few years ago, I went backpack shopping in a the largest sporting
goods place my daughter knew. I tried on several bags of various kinds.
I wanted to continue traveling without checking anything. I tried on one
with wheels(WAY too heavy). I tried on some lightweight ones. Then I
tried on one that said "BUY ME!" because it was so comfortable. Lots of
pockets. Has its own day pack which can be attached or not. Has a rain
hood. Straps can be hidden to let it pretend to be a suitcase. My
daughter asked if I'd get my money's worth out of it, as it was not the
cheapest one I looked at. Several times already! Eagle Creek.

In my experience those zip-off daypacks are a bad idea. If there are
any lumps or protruding parts of your backpack, they will put strain
on the zippers, eventually breaking them. Plus they're designed to lie
flat on the larger pack, which makes them poor day packs. If I'm
travelling with a backpack, and I want a daypack, I either pack it in
the backpack or carry it over one shoulder until I get where I'm
going. I never carry one pack fore, the other aft. It just looks so
dorky.

This daypack is also more comfortable than my old backpack. And carrying
one fore and one back balances the weight if you put heavier stuff in
the small pack. Also keeps the camera where I can reach it easily.

--
Mary Loomer Oliver (aka Erilar),
philologist, biblioholic medievalist

http://www.airstreamcomm.net/~erilarlo

"TOliver" wrote in message
...
A
black bag will literally jump off the carrousel into your hands (and the
visible ID may cause a purloin artiste to stay his hand, not knowing
whether
I'm looking on, ready to impale him on my swordless cane.

That's an interesting thought. I've never had any trouble picking out my
particular black back on the carrousel. I've never even seen another of the
same model TravelPro bag on the carrousel. But how could one accuse a thief
who "accidentally" picks up your black bag from among the hundreds going
'round and 'round. After all, they all look the same, right?

Knock on wood and bless the fickle finger of Fate, but in a half century
of
"traveling" since I left high school, I don't recall ever having been
pick-pocketed, to have lost "stuff" from a hotel room, or to have been the
victim of theft, from baggage or otherwise, a better record than
experienced
at the hand of local burglars, car & residential.

My problem is forgetting and misplacing stuff. If you call me "absent
minded" I must own to it. This is why I generally travel with exactly the
same set of stuff or one of a couple of variations. With a strict routine I
tend to have a feeling for when something is missing, even when I've been 24
hours without much sleep. One time I spent about 5 minutes at the check-in
counter furiously looking for my lost tickets, only to eventually find them
in the spot I had looked at least twice before. They were in my black
leather ticket organizer in the black pocket of my black computer case.
Since then I found and purchased a shocking day-glow orange ticket organizer
which always goes in the same pocket of the same boarding bag. My luggage
not only has to carry my stuff to the other end of the trip; it also has to
help me actually get to the other end.

--
Donald R. Newcomb
DRNewcomb (at) attglobal (dot) net

On 3 Aug 2006 22:25:26 -0700, "Tchiowa" wrote:
What bank is issuing ATM cards that expire? My ATM never does. And no
need to carry more than one. I also carry a few Credit Cards that you
can always use to withdraw cash.


King County Credit Union (Seattle area) - mine expires 7/08.

On Fri, 04 Aug 2006 19:32:06 +0200, B wrote:
I had a medium-sized backpack (actually called a travel pack) whose
backpack straps could be tucked away behind a zippered panel. Then it
could be carried like a suitcase, or by attaching a shoulder strap.

This pack didn't have any frame, neither internal nor external, but
being smallish, it didn't really need any. It was light and
comfortable.

I don't think they make it any more. I got it from campmor, which has
good inexpensive hiking and camping gear. (www.campmor.com). They only
ship within the US though.
--

The original Rick Steves pack is like that - you can tuck the straps
in and carry it on the shoulder with a longer strap, or pull out the
padded straps and wear it on your back. I have used mine for 11
years, both to Europe and domestically, my sister used it for Israel
and Ecuador and my son used it for travel a half-dozen times in the
states. The bag has held up well, looks as good as the day I bought
it. It has perhaps held up better than I have, as I bought one of the
small wheeled bags made by Victorinox last year, and have found it
easy to use, especially with that swivel handle thing it has going on
- it doesn't tip over.

"Carole Allen" wrote in message
...
On 3 Aug 2006 22:25:26 -0700, "Tchiowa" wrote:
What bank is issuing ATM cards that expire? My ATM never does. And no
need to carry more than one. I also carry a few Credit Cards that you
can always use to withdraw cash.


King County Credit Union (Seattle area) - mine expires 7/08.

Cahoot Debit Card - expires 01/08.

JohnT

Miguel Cruz wrote:

My girlfriend travels with a large wheeled bag and it slows us down
tremendously (hope she's not reading this). It is faster for me to pick
her bag up and carry it in my arms while also wearing my large backpack,
than for her (or me) to drag it by the wheels. The whole principle
sucks. They suck on stairs, they suck in countries where everything
isn't wheelchair-accessible, they suck on bumpy sidewalks, they suck in
ice and snow, they suck if you have to run or jog, they suck when you
are getting in and out of vehicles, they suck on escalators where you
are the jerk who blocks the way so nobody can walk past. They suck.

When you have to carry stuff, it's certainly better to carry it on your
back. However, backpacks really suck when it comes to putting clothes
in neatly and taking them out neatly at your destination :-)

B;

wrote:

Miguel Cruz wrote:

My girlfriend travels with a large wheeled bag and it slows us down
tremendously (hope she's not reading this). It is faster for me to pick
her bag up and carry it in my arms while also wearing my large backpack,
than for her (or me) to drag it by the wheels. The whole principle
sucks. They suck on stairs, they suck in countries where everything
isn't wheelchair-accessible, they suck on bumpy sidewalks, they suck in
ice and snow, they suck if you have to run or jog, they suck when you
are getting in and out of vehicles, they suck on escalators where you
are the jerk who blocks the way so nobody can walk past. They suck.

When you have to carry stuff, it's certainly better to carry it on your
back. However, backpacks really suck when it comes to putting clothes
in neatly and taking them out neatly at your destination :-)

If I'm only travelling for a few days, I use a smallish backpack, but if
I'm travelling for longer, or for a short spell where I need to have
'neat' clothes, I use the backpack _and_ a wheeled 'suit' holder. The
wheels are very durable, and I've had the bag for almost a decade now,
and trundled it everywhere- including on very bumpy sidewalks. (It's not
a name brand.) It's very convenient, and light enough to carry too for
shorter spells. I've had no problem with it on public transport, etc. I
wouldn't use it for trekking across hills and travelling to some places,
naturally, but for all my transport in recent years, it has been perfect
for my needs.

--
David Horne- http://www.davidhorne.net
usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk
http://homepage.mac.com/davidhornecomposer http://soundjunction.org

Following up to David Horne, _the_ chancellor of the royal duchy
of city south and deansgate

I use the backpack _and_ a wheeled 'suit' holder.

me too! As it comes with hangers its dead easy to unload into a
wardrobe. I don't think mine has wheels, if it does I don't use
them.
--
Mike Reid
Walk-eat-photos UK "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" -- you can email us@ this site
Walk-eat-photos Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" -- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

Following up to

Exactly. I guess I'm just one that doesn't look upon my vacations
as an opportunity to practice minimalism.

me neither. My camera gear probably takes more space than the
total luggage of some here!
--
Mike Reid
Walk-eat-photos UK "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" -- you can email us@ this site
Walk-eat-photos Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" -- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap