Feedback & Thoughts on first draft of Europe packing list

Man. Great feedback - thanx guys for breaking down the first packing list and giving your thoughts. I figured there was way too much stuff... but being an editor, well, you can't edit what's not there. One of the good parts of traveling, to me anway, is that you don't actually need all this crap!

I like making that big list and chopping it all to hell though...

Aoife, Claudia and Chris Albon especially gave some great tips and were quick to smack down the stuff they thought was shite, too much, or too much shite. Here's my thoughts on their thoughts:

Aoife:

"Liquid anything is BAD - minimise what you take." - good point. It's bulky too, because of the containers. I might just take Chris's advice and just use regular bar soap for my clothes.

Sari - LOL. This is called me not taking dictation well. I was brainstorming list, and I think "sarong" was said, but for some crackheaded reason I wrote "sari". Oh well. Made for a laugh though.

US-sized envelopes - you got it, Aoife.

"(btw aren't the condoms a bit incongruous?) - not when you're going to see said girl in Scotland ;-)

Claudia:
Swiss Army knife: The SAK has been with me since I was 12, and it's always been useful. The Benchmade is a superior *blade*, but the bottle/can opener, tweezers, toothpick, and scissors on the SAK have always come in handy on my trips. Usually I'll have Benchmade in my pocket, SAK in the zippered pouch in my daypack.

Palm m125: I've been thinking about this one a lot. I'll need to replace the Palm's batteries, lest I lose everything in there... and so far I haven't thought of things it can do that Zula can't. I'm probably going to have a bit more of a think, and do a post up on this.

Water bottle: I'm a little caught. I always like to have something to drink with me, when I'm traveling. But does that justify bringing my own bottle? If not a bottle, I'd thought I might bring my commuter cup, since I could also put hot drinks in there (it's also a lighter weight plastic)

Sleeping bag & pillowcase: bag, nah; I'll be fine with just the sleepsheet. pillowcase - dunno. maybe... could it do duty as a laundry bag?

Coat: even in Oregon, it takes a really hard rain before I usually put on my raincoat. My black thin overcoat layers well too... I'll ponder this a touch more.

"Instead of a towel a small shamee perhaps?" - quite possibly

"Oh yeah, ditch the sweater too. Fleece will do." - Too right. No sweater.

Chris:
floss? really? that's quite cool. I'll give that a go instead.

Boots/sandals. Personally, I do love to wear my sandals, but I don't like to wear them exclusively. I already have my boots as well, plus I don't want to go out and buy tennis shoes because of $$$$. The only way I'd probably get decent ones is to spend some coin, and crappy ones might be cheap, but they'll fall apart. Does anyone know of a good alternative to boots? I might be hiking some, but Chris has a good point - I might not be hiking enough to truly justify having the boots.

"Benchmade folding knife?" You betcha. I see you point - 2 knives instead of one - but it has different functions. This might be the snob in me, but I've used both knives a decent bit, and when it comes to doing a lot of cutting (say, preparing a meal in the hostel), the Benchmade is much easier to use and performs better. That, and I just love my knife :-)

"5 pair socks - Go with 4 pairs" - good point. I just might do that.

"Palm m125" - ah, again the Palm! I've got Zula, plus I'm going to have my little backpocket notebook (requires no booting, is completely unattractive to thieves, and I can use it anywhere). I think all my needs here are sorted... the palm is starting to seem like excess.

"digital camera" - instead of memory cards, I'll be using a Sony Mavica that uses rewritable CDs. No software required; I can shoot, run the disk wherever, and then (I believe) reuse.

"skully or tooq?" this was a suggestion for something that has a proper name that eludes me. I meant one of those little fleece-type caps; especially since I'll be in the north and the east, and a fair bit of mountains, and during October/November, this is a small item that may come in handy on chilly mornings. What type though? Fleece is warm, but only if there's no wind...

"3 pair trousers (2 convertible, 1 not) - Why bring the non-convertible ones?" true. I'll ponder this... it was more in the "3 pair might be better than 2" thinking. I have 2 pair convee, 1 non, so if I brought 3 this saves me from having to buy another pair.

"silver and black tie" - sorry, this referred to a particular tie that I have. odds of needing it? Not sure. Slim. Amount of room it takes up? Teeny. I put it in the "just in case" category. A tie can also be used for tying stuff too. It might make final cut, it might not. We'll see. At least I didn't mention my pocketwatch and dress shoes though ;-)

"swim trunks? - Of course!!! Communal showers... great lakes! WHY EVEN QUESTION!" You're absolutely right. I question no more, in go the trunks! (They'd make good spare undies/"something to wear while I do laundry" clothes, too)

"Eurail and Britrail maps - Who needs stinkin maps?" Ahhh... this bit of seeming madness may have some method behind it. There's an idea I'm kicking around, that I'll bring up in another post.

"universal sink plug - HA! Instead of that... use a jar openner gripper thingie... that works much better and is much lighter" Eh? Jar opener gripper thingie? Please elaborate...

"plastic plate - Use a frisbe! Fun toy AND plate!" Hmmm... that's a really good idea. Except that you've never seen my lame self try to throw a frisbee. Still... that's a possibility...

"battery shaver - good..well... why use a a special battery shaver when you will need to charge your palm just as often?" - Hmmm... I was thinking a cheapie one that takes disposable batteries... don't they have those, that run on AA batteries? It's not all rechargeables, I think.

"pajama pants - Will wearing special soft pants around the hostel be worth carrying these everywhere? I dont think so" Sorry, that description wasn't too clear. They're a technical pant, that you can also use for layering... they're good for sleeping if it's cold (though they look a bit odd... Sean calls them my "dancing pants"). They might make the cut, they might not. I don't know if they'll get enough use for it to be worth having them.

"deck of cards - Good if you play cards alot... i dont.." True... this fell more in the "ideas for icebreakers" sort of thing.

"fruit, bread, wine, cheese (for the train) - ok.. but I dont see why uou need tot include this on your packing list... you can walk a km with a shopping bag filled with these items to the train station very easily" Yup, that's what I'm going to do... the mention reminded me that I'd be doing it.

"sewing kit - drop it! use a needle and the floss (also your clothes line for a sewing kit) Actually, I've got a teeny one that's about the size of a credit card. Plus it keeps the needles, pins, etc., in place.

"mini CD player, radio? - battery powered mp3 player is better" and "CD case & discs - way too heavy... better powered mp3 player is better" True... this heads back into expense category though. Music rocks. I don't have an MP3 player right now, but I do have the CDs and a player. They'll take up a bit more room, but unless there was a hellacious deal I'd rather just save the $$$$.

"pictures and love letters from my fiancé" - I have a few pictures that are okay to lose (she has the negs), and the letters I'm thinking I may photocopy, so that way the originals stay home and safe, but I have the reminders with me on the road. I just like them :-)

flashlight - I have a Microlight myself... I had pondered a small LED headlamp, as I often do a fair bit of a late-night reading and writing, when I might need some extra light..

"condoms - oooo... nice... wiat a minute... dont you have a fiance? >:(" Aoife mentioned this too... good call. Fiance and I will be seeing each other in Edinburgh :-)

"Sleeping bag - good" Hmmm... some say drop, some say take... what do you think is the advantage of taking it along?

"squeeze bottle of liquid soap for clothes - What? I just use regular soap.. " Is there a soap you'd recommend?

Right... now it's time to make the next draft of the list... chop chop chop pack pack pack unpack unpack unpack CHOP pack pack...

The Packing List Saga

1. First draft of packing list
2. Feedback & Thoughts on first draft of Europe packing list
3. Second draft of packing list
4. Pack it up! - Coming Soon...