A Travel and vacations forum. TravelBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » TravelBanter forum » Travel Regions » Asia
Site Map Home Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

How to pack light, some tips



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #11  
Old August 20th, 2007, 01:50 PM posted to rec.travel.europe,rec.travel.usa-canada,rec.travel.asia
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 46
Default How to pack light, some tips

On Aug 20, 12:08 pm, "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...

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

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

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

Very odd.


It is somewhat bizarre. Most of the things he packs (including writing
paper!) he could easily buy at his destination, per his own
suggestion...

  #12  
Old August 20th, 2007, 01:55 PM posted to rec.travel.europe,rec.travel.usa-canada,rec.travel.asia
J. Clarke[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 438
Default How to pack light, some tips

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)


  #13  
Old August 20th, 2007, 01:56 PM posted to rec.travel.europe,rec.travel.usa-canada,rec.travel.asia
Spehro Pefhany
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 78
Default How to pack light, some tips

On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 11:08:41 GMT, the renowned "William Black"
wrote:


wrote in message
roups.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...


I carry a small bottle of shampoo, because I don't like the free
stuff. Maybe 200ml, which could last for several weeks. Not having a
mobile phone seems silly.

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


Screw that. What kind of place won't supply a towel? Even a dump
should have them if you ask.

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


Ewwww!

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


Electric shaver?

Very odd.

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...


Depends what kind of batteries you need... AA cells and 9V batteries
are available just about anywhere. If you need special photo batteries
then you'd better have spares outside cities.

When travelling really light for pleasure, I liked to take along
discounted hard cover novels, which can be left behind as they are
read, thus making room for other stuff that accumulates.


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com
  #14  
Old August 20th, 2007, 01:58 PM posted to rec.travel.europe,rec.travel.usa-canada,rec.travel.asia
Markku Grönroos
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,095
Default How to pack light, some tips


"Spehro Pefhany" kirjoitti
om...

I carry a small bottle of shampoo, because I don't like the free
stuff. Maybe 200ml, which could last for several weeks. Not having a
mobile phone seems silly.

Why? When travelling on holiday, you need a phone. I don't need one.

  #16  
Old August 20th, 2007, 02:33 PM posted to rec.travel.europe,rec.travel.usa-canada,rec.travel.asia
me[_5_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 391
Default How to pack light, some tips

On Aug 20, 7:08 am, "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...

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

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

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

Very odd.

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...



His "principals" alone was a bit strange. It wasn't clear if he
was
attempting to "save money" or just be "light". He's lugging a
bike around, but he comments about "renting" one. You can "rent"
a car too, and then luggage weight won't be much of an issue at all.

I've got more of a 3 part equation for figuring out what to bring.
Items get considered on three factors.

1) Likelyhood I'll need it
2) Cost of buying it there
3) How much it weighs.

Something can be cheap to acquire, but I know I'll need
it almost immediatly upon arrival, if not sooner, so I'll
frequenlty just take it with me. There can be things that
are just too heavy/bulky so I'll just plan on acquiring them
upon arrival, or soon there after. There are things I'll need/want
and they are expensive, at least to acquire there, so I'll
take the ones I already own.

Clothes I own and it can be time consuming to purchase
them there so I tend to take them with me. Some clothes
are unlikely to be needed so if I do end up needing them,
I'll buy them there. This is especially true of something
bulky like a jacket or sweater.

Chargers, converters, cameras, computers, etc. I own
and it can be time consuming and expensive to
shop for them upon arrival, so I tend to bring them.
Film, simple batteries, some toiletries get limited to
what I'll need at a minimum and the rest gets bought
along the way. First aid stuff gets brought for the
occasional need, but if I'm going through bandages
I'll stop somewhere and get more.

I usually pick a bag and then fill it up. If I find myself
packing alot of "extra" stuff, I may reconsider my
bag choice. But an awful lot of the "extra" stuff is
small and light and unless it's stone cold cheap
where I'm going, what the heck.

  #17  
Old August 20th, 2007, 03:14 PM posted to rec.travel.europe,rec.travel.usa-canada,rec.travel.asia
Jim Ley
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 862
Default How to pack light, some tips

On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 08:55:47 -0400, "J. Clarke"
wrote:

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?


He uses the needle and thread of course.

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.


shave cream? if you're really into that, then a soap stick or a
shaving oil are much, much smaller in weight, but soap is plenty.

Jim.
  #18  
Old August 20th, 2007, 03:24 PM posted to rec.travel.europe,rec.travel.usa-canada,rec.travel.asia
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 317
Default How to pack light, some tips

[xeroxing pages is] a good alternative,
especially if you only need a few pages.

..
But be careful with that--copy paper is generally a
heavier grade


True, plus a person making Xeroxes in a hurry may only xerox to one
side of each page, doubling the number of pages needed.

A lot depends on your mode of travel. A big book is more hassle for
someone backpacking than for someone who's cruising around in a rental
car.

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.


Nice in theory but not always practical, due to big distances between
cities, mountain ranges, urban areas with heavy traffic, etc.

James

  #19  
Old August 20th, 2007, 04:19 PM posted to rec.travel.europe,rec.travel.usa-canada,rec.travel.asia
J. Clarke[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 438
Default How to pack light, some tips

Jim Ley wrote:
On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 08:55:47 -0400, "J. Clarke"
wrote:

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?


He uses the needle and thread of course.


You mean the needle and thread that he left at home?

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.


shave cream? if you're really into that, then a soap stick or a
shaving oil are much, much smaller in weight, but soap is plenty.


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


  #20  
Old August 20th, 2007, 07:29 PM posted to rec.travel.europe,rec.travel.usa-canada,rec.travel.asia
William Black
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,125
Default How to pack light, some tips


wrote in message
ups.com...
[xeroxing pages is] a good alternative,
especially if you only need a few pages.

.
But be careful with that--copy paper is generally a
heavier grade


True, plus a person making Xeroxes in a hurry may only xerox to one
side of each page, doubling the number of pages needed.

A lot depends on your mode of travel. A big book is more hassle for
someone backpacking than for someone who's cruising around in a rental
car.


Except that if you're renting a car you do rather tend not to hang about
much but a backpacker spends a lot of time waiting for the next
bus/train/aircraft.


--
William Black


I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
Barbeques on fire by the chalets past the castle headland
I watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off the Newborough gate
All these moments will be lost in time, like icecream on the beach
Time for tea.




 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Bright up your advertising with a slim light box !----11 mm LED light box in China! Gabe Vanrenen Travel Marketplace 0 June 29th, 2007 05:04 AM
Where to pack it... Where??? mag3 Air travel 12 June 27th, 2005 11:51 PM
Ei(Light) Has Passed Over Howie Cruises 112 August 23rd, 2004 02:29 PM
Packing light - friendly WARNING to fellow travelers who travel light. Bradwell Jackson Europe 38 June 24th, 2004 11:15 PM
Day pack? Kenny-Z Latin America 3 March 1st, 2004 03:32 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:10 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 TravelBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.