Getting kit together for mini retirements..

[kingfu]

I'm in the process of getting some gear up together for some mini retirements (1 - 2 weeks) around europe.

As per the article in tims blog i wanna travel light. I would love to hears peoples experiances doing this, what kit i might need and what I don't need.

Also a question regarding back pack size....i see most backpacks on the market are the huge 60 litre+ ones...which i guess is fine and dandy if i want to trek around for years on end. But im guessing for a short break here and there a 35/40 litre would be better? is that correct? and if so would i also need an additional day sac? And lastly if i got a 35/40 litre backpack would i be able to carry one of these onto the plan with me?

Thanks

[Bulldog]

Check out www.lifenomadic.com. They have some great thougts on packing light. Also, the backpack they recommend is fantastic, I have the exact some one, made by Dueter.
Bulldog

[JFrenzel]

I have the swiss army one. Tim uses the same one, I used it in Europe 2 years ago and it was awesome. Carry a camera, pocketknife(Kershaw), notepads, money.


Cheers and Have Fun.

Jose

[webgal]

You cannot carry a pocket knife on a plane, however. They will take it away unless it is in packed luggage. So if a plane is involved at any point, keep this in mind. My husband has donated several to airports over the years.

[TimW]

Before 9-11, you could carry a folding knife or multi-tool with a folding blade up to 4", as long as the blade wasn't serrated. I had purchased a folding knife specifically for carry-on purposes. Imagine how things might have gone if other passengers on those planes had knives and, well, actually used them.

The government woudl still have likely banned them....

But I digress.....put that stuff in checked baggage.

[kingfu]

Thanks for the replies!

Great link bulldog, thanks alot. I can't believe they can get all that gear into a 28 litre rucksac! I'm not planning on taking alot of the gear they do on that site...and i was considering getting a 50litre rucksac!!!

With reference to knives...im in the UK...carrying knives over here isn't as prevelent as in the US. Infact i've got a good idea that unless you have a very good reason to (i.e. you're a chef etc) then im pretty sure its illegal. I wouldn't also even dream about going thru one of our airports with one. But thanks anyway.

[TimW]

Kingfu

I don't live in the UK, but follow weapons laws around the globe (as much as I can). Generally speaking, you are correct...the UK pretty much prevents people from carrying anything for self-defense, and in the case of knives and such, even small ones can get someone into trouble.

There is apparently a move by one of the MPs to ban pointed kitchen knives, since they can be used as weapons. The thought by this member is that it's the cutting edge that's what's really needed, not a pointy tip, so by making (in essence) "safety scissors" out of cooking knives, more lives will be saved.

I could go on and on about what a nutty plan that is, but that's a post for a different thread on a different board. :)

One question: Can anyone here convert the liter (or litre??) size bags into cubic inches? If so, I can give some other ideas for bags as well, since that's my line of work (I sell military and police gear) and could make some recommendations for you to search for.

TimW
Phoenix

[Marcie]

1 liter = 61.0237441 cubic inches

I'll let you do the math :)

[kingfu]

Thanks marcie

So a 40 liter bag would = 2440 cubic inches

[TimW]

That's about what I calculated. There are a lot of bags out there, especially in a more robust "military" configuration...meaning made of Cordura nylon, with webbing on the outside to attach additional pouches.

A reasonably priced pack that isn't so styled is the Tactical Tailor Enhanced Day Pack. About 2100 c.i., has a padded area for a small laptop, a pocket to hold a water bottle and some additional pockets. Made of 100% Cordura. I use one for my everyday pack. The "Ranger Green" color doesn't look too military (think a dark, smokey green). Price is around US$100.00 + shipping. I don't know any European retailes of Tactical Tailor gear.

But since you said you want to travel light, these might not be the best option, since most of the packs, without anything in them, can weigh in the 4-6 pound area (1 pound = 0.45359237 kilograms for the imperially challenged!!! :) ). Typically, these packs range in price from US$30 - $200, with price quality generally being indicative of the quality of construction and materials.

You might want to look at Camelbak's line of commercial packs. They have them up to about 2,200 c.i. and smaller, allowing one to pack the essentials. Camelbak.com has, I believe, the ability to search dealers worldwide...I don't know for certain because, since I am a dealer, I have no need to look for one. The added benefit to a Camelbak is that they come with a hydration reservoir, so you'll always have water (assuming you remember to fill it....).

TimW
Phoenix

[kingfu]

TimW, thanks for your indepth reply. I did check out the camelbak website but they are quite expensive here in the uk (isn't everything!).

In the end i ended up with a 35 litre rucksak from the local super market for £10. I'm actually very impressed with it, took it to amsterdam on the weekend. Has lots of compression straps, a bottom opening and seems very sturdy.

Sadly I did fill it just for one weekend...so im really going to have to start working on and packing light if want to go for a few weeks at a time

[Lucius]

I've learned quite a bit from this websire re: packing light -

http://www.onebag.com/

I'm looking forward to putting it in to practice myself...

Safe travels -

[kingfu]

great site, thanks!