Packing List Revised

Wednesday, November 24th, 2010 in: News

So, as my visa deadline was fast approaching, I found myself once again packing up. This time, I needed to be more efficient. Since I knew I was going to be staying in China longer and leading a more normal life there, I took along wayyy more than I needed to.  I meant to ship back all my unneeded stuff to Japan, but ended up bringing it back myself. I’m amassing quite a life for myself in Nagoya, every time I take stock of my things I’m reminded of just what an anchor it all is. I’ll be glad to get away from it again.

For the most part, I’m just lightening the load, but there are a few changes that should make a major impact.

My biggest change is in clothing – I’m losing as much of it as possible, and trying to get the most out of what I do take. While I really do like my SCOTTeVEST Soft Shell (click here for my review), and have made good use of its impressive cargo space on more than one occasion–it actually has saved me from overweight check-ins twice–the fact remains that it’s heavy and bulky, and I’m going to be headed to mainly tropical locations. I just can’t justify having so much weight dedicated to an insulating layer I will only be using a fraction of the time. But what to replace it with?

Out with the old, in with the new

Back in April, I wandered into a North Face store in Kawasaki and saw a really impressive down jacket that compressed down to nothing. I would have gotten one, but it was over $300. Just recently, I found myself in a Uniqlo and was pleasantly surprised to see that the domestic Japanese market has been taking cues from outdoor companies.

Should be perfectly serviceable, layered with North Face rain shell I picked up in China.

Considering they compress down to about the size of a soda can combined, I feel much better about bringing them along than a bulky jacket. Uniqlo impressed me with their selection of quick-drying and odor-resistant underlayers, I’m wearing a Heat-tech undershirt and pair of boxer briefs right now, and so far I’ve found them very comfortable, and they are a fraction of the cost of other tech-layers.

In that same vein, I had to give up my awesome Icebreaker boxer-briefs, which performed great but started to fall apart after several months on the road. It’s asking a lot to live with just two pair of underwear, so I’m not too surprised or disappointed in Icebreaker, but I wanted to see what else was available, so I picked up two pair of Ex-Officio’s Give-N-Go Boxer Briefs, which are synthetic but slightly cheaper and also perform well. I lost a pair on a recent camping trip in Fukushima, so I picked up a pair from Uniqlo to pick up the slack.

Also picked up in China is a Patagonia button-up, similar to this one, to replace the Cotton Prana shirt I’ve been using (and still love). The Patagonia is quick-drying and odor-resistant, and the Prana shirt isn’t. Also, the snap buttons and roll-up sleeve snaps are really convenient.

For lower layers, I realized just how much I loved my Columbia Titanium series pants. Quick-drying, anti-wrinkle, odor resistant, I practically lived in them the entire time I was in China, and though they are very lived-in, aside from a couple holes here and there they still look good. I couldn’t find the same pants online, so I picked up a pair of convertible Silver Ridge II pants, which have a lighter, softer material which should serve me well in the tropics. They also look much better than most convertible pants:

I bought a large at first, but I am definitely a medium. Oh well, they made a thank-you gift to Sosha for letting me crash at his place; he loves them as much as I do.

The other major change is in electronics. My Dell died on me one too many times so I picked up an Acer TimelineX, a full-powered laptop in a netbook form factor. The new Macbook Air would have given me a moment’s pause if it were available, but I’m very happy with my Acer so far. Still waiting for Dell customer service to do something about my bricked Vostro V13, I’ve never had a worse experience with a computer manufacturer.

The Edited List: Toiletries

1. Rick Steves toiletry bag – Actually, I picked up a Lewis and Clark Toiletry Kit for comparison, since I was having my doubts about Mr. Steve’s bag. They both seem serviceable but the Lewis and Clark kit is much larger than I expected, so I might stick with Rick.
2. Sink stopper for laundry – Haven’t had a need for it yet, but my friend in the Philippines says she hand-washes everything, so I think it’ll be more useful in SE Asia.
3. Calendula cream – This stuff is awesome for general skin care, I actually bought a new tube to make sure I don’t run out
4. Arnica Cream – Equally awesome for bruising. I actually ordered some in pill form, as it’s supposedly more effective.
5. Grapefruit Seed Extract – I used this once in China after I got “la duzi,” and it seemed to help.
6. Neosporin
7. Medicated Chapstick
8. Anti-itch cream Lotrimin – for jungle foot. Treat the cause, not just the symptoms
9. Airborne – only good for a vitamin boost and the placebo effect, once I ran out I knew that was it.
   
10. Dr. Bronner’s Castille Soap – Love this stuff, all purpose goodness
11. 耳かき, earpick
12. Tiger Balm
13. Climb On
14. Hair Wax
    
15. Gloomy Face Mask – I never use it
16. Fuchs Travel Toothbrush – Compact and clean, I bought a second one for the next journey
17. Facewash (grapefruit)
18. Deodorant
19. Pocket Warmers (カイロ)
20. Pocket Tissue
21. Mintia caffeine mints
22. Steripen – This one has yet to prove its worth, but I think I’ll be glad I have it in less-developed regions
23. Nalgene – I hate to say it, but it’s too big and heavy, I think I’ll find a better solution on the road
    
24. REI Microfiber towel – performs beautifully, but needs to be washed after a while to keep it smelling fresh
25. +Sawyer DEET spray – I’m heading into mosquito territory. Gotta look into malaria meds too.
26. +Ace bandage – in case my knee acts up

Clothing

1. 2x Icebreaker wool boxer briefs
2. Injinji wool toesocks – still awesome. My excessive hiking started to put holes in the big toes, so I bought two new pair
3. Extra socks – I’ll make do with two pair
   
4. REI MTS synthetic longjohns – Great baselayer, should work well with my new uppers
5. Sierra Designs Rain Pants – These worked really well in the river, gonna take them along as an extra layer for cold and wet climates
6. Swim shorts – no surprises here
7. Prana climbing pants
8. Columbia Titanium pants – so great I got another pair, see above
9. Prana Jeans – sorry boys, just no room and jeans take too long to dry
   
10. Icebreaker wool undershirt – wool is still my fabric of choice
11. Black wifebeater
12. Prana button-up
13. Chili’s Sunglasses – they finally got too beaten up to use, I’m on the lookout for new shades
    
14. Dohm beanie
    
15. Stylish Cap – I love my cap but a little too much to risk it in parts unknown
16. +Ex-Officio Give-N-Go Boxer Briefs
17. +Uniqlo seamless boxer briefs
18. +Uniqlo down jacket
19. +North Face Venture Jacket

Gadgetry

1. Dell Vostro V13 Laptop with carry bag – See above
   
2. Logitech wireless mouse with pad
3. Canon G11 camera with heavy duty wrist trap – I still long for a real manual lens, but the G11 serves its purpose quite well
4. Extra camera battery – almost thinking I don’t really need this
5. Universal power adapter – Too big and I barely used it, if I need something I can probably get an adapter locally
   
6. 4-plug power strip – surprisingly enough, just one or two outlets was plenty, no need for the extra cabling
   
7. iPhone Charger with extra USB
8. Creative Labs Vado HD
9. cheap USB hub
10. Flat ethernet cable – It’s amazing how many hotels lack wireless
11. Petzl Tikka headlamp
12. Rechargeable batteries
13. Company phone for Japan
14. iPhone for elsewhere with Krypton skin
15. Loksak Aloksaks – have been useful when I needed them
16. extra SD cards – I offload my photos often enough
    
17. Eagle Creek packing cubes – work well for keeping everything compartmentalized in a large backpack
18. Shure earbud foam tips
19. +Philips Comfort Earbuds – LOVE these headphones, very comfortable and sound great. I wish the volume buttons worked with my iphone though

Miscellaneous

1. Promotional Items for REWIND – much less than before, but enough to get me by
2. Yo-Yo Repair Kit
3. Sewing kit and materials for some projects
4. PQI Memory Stick – Super small and useful, I made good use of this
5. Can Opener – no apparent need
   
6. Mini Nail Clippers
7. Photon keychain light
8. Leatherman Skeletool CX – Great item but more than I need and I’m worried about it getting ripped off or confiscated by security. For inconspicuousness, I went for the Swiss-Tech Utilikey, which packs 6 useful tools into an item shaped and sized like a housekey.
   
9. Pen case
10. YoYoRecreation Stardust 2
11. YoYoFactory Protostar – Unfortunately it’s developed a nasty wobble, so I’ll be taking a brand new yo-yo
12. Loop 720
13. 2x Speed Beetles
14. Yoyo strings
15. Duncan Spider footbag/hackysack
16. Tennis Ball
17. A few books and a notebook
18. Passport
19. Silk Money Belt
20. Thermarest neck pillow – Still trying to decide whether this is too much luxury
21. 50ft slackline – I can’t leave my baby behind!
22. Climbing gear – shoes, chalkbag, harness, +tape
    
23. Pacsafe 85 portable safe – came in handy a few times in China, leaving stuff with reception at hotels, etc. After my phone was stolen in Xi’an, I’m much more security-conscious than before
24. REI Traverse 30L daypack – I’m opting for a smaller North Face daybag I picked up in China
    
25. Altus 60L Backpack – considering smaller options if I can. I might be able to drop to 50 or 40L at the rate I’m going
26. Big Agnes Insulated sleeping pad
27. Poncho
28. REI XXX Duffle bag
29. Patagonia Drifter hiking shoes – Amazing shoes that served me well in towns and on the trails
30. Vibram Fivefinger toeshoes – I’m afraid they aren’t as durable as I’d hoped, I’ll be taking regular sandals instead
    
31. Converse classics
32. Eagle Creek Compression bags
33. +yoyorecreation Sleipnir – My new favoritest yo-yo ever. Super smooth and stable, perfect for crappy players like me.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I just joined the Amazon’s associate’s program, so if you end up buying from a link you clicked here, I’ll get a small commission of the purchase price. This does not affect your price; the commission comes out of Amazon’s pocket, not yours. So if you enjoy my reviews and want to get some of the gear I talk about, this is a great way to show a little support. I’ve always been impressed with how well Amazon conducts itself, it’s one of my go-to sites for web-shopping.

Here’s a timelapse video of me stuffing my luggage. Altogether it probably weighs around 20 kilos, and is still too much stuff in my opinion, but I’ll have to make do for now. When I finish some of the books I can shed some weight, but I really wish I could get all my stuff down to a 40L bag or smaller. One of these days!

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5-T8R0Gri0

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