Gear

Having the right tool for the job has never lead me wrong. It has however made my back-ache. So, learn from my spine bending mistakes, travel light and pack multi-purpose kit.

1. Baggage – Read More

• Maxpedition – Vulture II – 46L – $140
• US Military Surplus Compression Sack – $20
• Maxpedition Rolly-Polly Folding Daypack – $30

2. Tools & Accesories – Read more

• Swiss Army – Tinker – $20
• Maglite Mini LED – $15
• Energizer Headlight – $15
• Repel 99% DEET 7oz – $8
• 1 Troy oz of Silver – $20 (Because you never know)
• Photon Micro-lite – On key retractor – $20
• Vaccuum Clothing Bags – $10
• Toolkit (Assorted)
• First Aid Kit

3.Electronics & Cameras – Read More

• Google Nexus 7 Tablet – $200
• Lumix TS20 Waterproof Camera – $120
• Kindle – $50
• iPhone 4 (half broken, just for music) – $50
• Pelican Waterproof Hardcase (For tablet and Kindle) – $20
• Anker Battery Backup – $20
• Plug Adapter – $2
• Mini 4-Plug Power Strip – $15

4. Clothes & Accesories – Read More

• Columbia ‘Insect Blocker’ Long sleeve – $50
• Exoficio Men’s Give-and-Go Boxer briefs (The Greatest) – $20
• Merrel/Vibram Geomorph Laceless Hiking Boots – $90
• Mechanic’s Work Gloves (a lifesaver) – $8
• Cotton Bandanas (dark color)
• Wigwam Wool Hiking socks – $10
• Columbia Quick Dry T-Shirts (Black) – $15
• Columbia Fleece Jacket – $40
• Baseball cap (FSU baby!)

5. Things I Didn’t Ever Need (But Brought Anyways) – Read More

• Anti-malarials
• Paper maps
• Nalgene bottle
• Hand Sanitizer (what a twat I was)
• Extra batteries
• Extra extra batteries
• Too many clothes

6. Things I Should Have Brought (But Didn’t) – Read More

• Earplugs
• Less clothes
• Small Gifts

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1. Baggage

What’s right for me may not be right for you. I’ve chosen not to go the route of the standard backpacker and try to fit everything into one, massively unwiedly, single purpose pack. I’ve instead opted for two and a half.

Maxpedition Vulture II (46L) – Foliage Green – $140 Amazon

Bullet-proof, bomb-proof, and battering-ram resistant, this bag is a tank.

Your main pack becomes a part of you over time. Moulding and adjusting to the contours of your body, it eventually becomes a second skin. After a few years the simple absence of it can feel very odd.

Getting a pack that fits you can make the biggest difference. Good shoes and a fitted pack with tight straps has quite honestly saved me from going over the edge of a waterfall.

Packed to the gills and then dragged, sometimes quite literally, across a dozen countries, the Maxpedition Vulture II  has yet to let me down. It has been the albatross around my neck as well as my pillow when I’m tired.

The tough water resistant fabric and rubberized bottom make this pack great for the wet if combined with a simple aftermarket cover.

When I first bought my bike in Hanoi, on the big first leg south out of the city, I suddenly lost both bags off the side. Just slipped right off, tumbling down the highway after me in the rain. When I found them in a ditch there was barely a scratch. Not a popped zipper or gouge to speak of.

Bullet-proof.

I’ve only had it become compromised once, by rats

While staying on a remote island off the coast of Cambodia I hung my pack from a rafter with a small cluster of bananas inside. My breakfast. When I awoke, a hole the size of a golf ball had been chewed clean through. The rat had scaled the chain I had hung it with, then balanced, Mission Impossible-style, from the bottom while chewing a perfect hole through the dense fabric.

I’ve added the ‘Roly-Poly’ dump pouch ($15) to the outside webbing. It’s a simple, sturdy bag with a drain grommet at the bottom. Designed to hold seven fully-loaded M-16 magazines, it’s also perfect for a wet bathing suit, sandy sandals, or a big bag of greasy train-samosas.

The bag comes with an available Camelbak pocket and hose port, although I rarely use it. Instead I keep the rather secret flat sleeve as a holder for documents – important papers, checks, and bills of health and sobriety – all tucked away from the mud and grime of the road in a pristine dry bag.

As it comes, the zippers do not lock. A minor drawback that can be easily fixed by purchasing some small keyrings and working them through the zippers. A luggage lock will give a small measure of protection from snatch&grab theft, which is really all you can do. 

Throw in a small braided bike cable, like the Kryptonite, and the bag can be tethered through the carrying handle and locked to a luggage rack. This small paranoid move at the very least allowed me to sleep soundly on many long Indian trains.

Military Surplus Sleeping Bag Compression Sack – $20 Amazon

Tough as nails, this simple duffle is intended to hold a US Military arctic sleeping bag, or it can be used to hold quite literally anything else.

Ripstop nylon, a simple drawstring closure, and enough compression straps to make it as big or small as you need and always have a place to grab it as you’re dashing off the bus.

It’s my expendable bag. Clothes, shoes, toiletries, toolkit – everything but passport, electronics, and cards.

If I have to leave a bag unattended, it will be this one. Running from hostel to hostel on the back of a mototaxi, I would feel comfortable enough leaving the duffle and popping in with just my backpack. Safe in knowing any would-be thieves would simply be making off with my dirty undies (‘the fucking whites dude’) and not my passport.

 

Maxpedition Rolly-Polly Folding Daypack – $30 Amazon

It’s all about flexibility. Can you quickly pack, unpack, then repack for a different adventure? This tiny daypack, built by the same hard-use company as my backpack, is my everyday runabout. Pluck a few items from the big bag and hit the town.

I rarely leave home without the following inside:

• Umbrella
• DEET Spray
• Maglite
• Headlight
• Pelican Hardcase – Holding Nexus and Kindle
• Laminated Passport Copy
• 1 Troy Oz Silver

Simple but wonderfully effective, it folds up to the size of a fist when not needed, then unrolls to expand to amazing sizes. A grommet at the bottom allows water and sand to drain out, and a zippered pocket secures valuables. I always keep a carabineer clipped to one strap; it’s saved me numerous times.

Once, while riding in a human powered rickshaw through crowded Varanasi, I heard the distinctive -ping- of my carabineer on the metal railing. I looked back to find a small Indian boy of about ten crouched on the rear axle.

One hand was holding on tenuously to the jostling carriage, and the other was stealing my bag. It was fully out of the rickshaw before the safety catch caught against the railing with a bang, freezing him sheepishly. His getaway driver behind him looked none too pleased.

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2. Tools & Accesories

Swiss Army ‘Tinker’ $20  

Simply the best all around set of tools for my needs. Big knife, small knife, flathead, Philips, can opener, leather punch, tooth-pick, tweezers.

If I can’t fix it with this, I probably shouldn’t be fixing it at all.

Maglite Mini LED – $15

The little light that could. LED technology means the batteries need replacing about once a year. Despite its small size it will light a massive cave, and then simultaneously survive a four-storey drop into said cave (experience).

Energizer Headlight – $15

I don’t think I can stress the convenience of two hands when doing something important. I mean, we get used to doing most things with two hands, so why willingly lose one to holding a flashlight all night.

The red-setting does less to kill your night-vision than the white if you’re operating in near-dark conditions.

Pro tip: Wear it around your neck instead and less people will call you a dork.

Repel 99% DEET 7oz – $7

The good stuff. The melt your face off, industrial strength, blast that mosquito back to the Mesozoic era – stuff. Four squirts for the entire body. Any more and you might dissolve.

Photon Micro-lite on key retractor – $20

Awesome little thumbail-sized LED light which I’ve clipped to my old work ID holder. Now I always have a small penlight attached to the webbing of my bag. Zip out, unlock the strange lock in the darkened hotel hallway, zip back.

1oz of Silver – $20

A gift from my paranoid father, this chunk of metal could one day buy my freedom in any number of ways, but I’ve been unable to part with it yet, no matter how destitute.

Vaccuum Clothing Bags – $10

Great for keeping your clothes dry and organized. I carry three medium ones in my duffle: shirts, pants, underwear. Simple. No vacuum needed really, just sit on them and roll them up.

Toolkit

An old CD-case serves aptly as my toolbox.

• Electrical Tape
• Duct tape – Wrapped around a small stick to compress it.
• Rubber bands –
• Sewing kit with large gague needles and strong thread.
• Zip ties (assorted sizes) – Always handy in the strangest ways.
• Doan Magensium Fire Starter – $9 – Burns hotter than the sun.
• Lockpick – Ya never know

First Aid Kit

Everyone gets boo-boo’s. Fix them quick before they have to take the leg. 

• Antibacterial/Antifungal Cream – Anything with Neomycin or Clotrimazole. This is first because it’s been the most valuable to me. I’ve seen so many journeys ended because of small bites and scrapes that are left unattended in the damp, ending up necrotic and requiring evac. 
• Gauze Pads 2×2 with Tape – If its small enough to need a bandaid, then it probably doesn’t need anything. For everything else, there’s this.
• Elastic Compression Bandage – Known as ‘Ace Bandages’ they can be great for a sprain or to hold a number of pads to a gnarly wound. 
• Pepto Pills – For the inevitable gut bugs.
• Loperamide – Anti-diarrheal – Only to be used to plug you up long enough to get on a bus. This is not a cure! You MUST expel these things, there’s no way around it if you plan on recovering.
• Oral Rehydration Salts – A sachet of vile tasting powder containing a monster dose of electrolytes and essential vitamins. The only thing that can bring you back from the brink sometimes after a week of running to the outhouse.

*I’m not a doctor, I’ve just pretended to be a field medic to the hundreds of illnesses I’ve encountered in the last three years.

3. Electronics & Cameras

Google Nexus 7 Tablet – $200

My link to the outside world. My electronic entertainment when no one speaks English. My GPS, my northstar, finding my way home a thousand times through the rain and mud. Plus there’s porn.

Lumix TS20 Waterproof Camera – $120

Takes mediocre pictures, but takes them from inside the waterfall. The ruggedness of this little point-and-shoot has always impressed me. It’s tough to snag a good shot, but sometimes you’re able to capture something that simply wouldn’t be possible with a less adventurous camera.

Kindle – $50

Let’s be honest, everyone loves the feel of a good book in their hands. I get it. I love a good cappuccino once in a while. Savoring the depth of flavor and texture. But sometimes you just need a cup, and instant will do.

iPhone 4 – $50

I very much dislike phones. In fact, I’ve loved not having one for the last few years. I have however kept an old iPhone as a music player, notepad, and emergency phone only.

Pelican Waterproof Hardcase (For Nexus 7 and Kindle) – $30 Amazon

One of the smartest purchases I made towards safeguarding my gear. Crush proof, waterproof, and accident resistant – with some padding removed both my Nexus 7 and Kindle fit inside snugly.

Anker Battery Backup – $20

In the developing world, the power grid can be about as iffy as the meat. If you’re power hungry, make sure you have a few more recharges on hand with one of these small, long-lasting, battery packs.

Plug Adapter – $2 

For Asia this seems to be all you need –  no need to go buy some monstrous 100-connector jigsaw plug.

Monster Mini 4-Plug Power Strip – $15 Amazon

I had no idea how crucial this would be.

Even for those not rolling heavily gadget-wise, you’ll begin to notice something about hostels and cheap guesthouses, there’s never enough plugs.

Some of the more remote places may only provide one smoldering set of blackened holes with which to try your luck, and no one wants to chose between charging their camera or powering the solitary fan in a sweltering room.

4. Clothes & Accesories

Columbia ‘Insect Blocker’ Long sleeve – $50 Amazon

Coated in a thick layer of the bug repellent Permetherin, this line of activewear keeps the creepy crawlies off your back, literally. Bugs don’t swarm around or try to bite through the cloth, and it’s as tough and well made as my other products from Columbia.

ExOfficio Men’s Give-and-Go Boxer Briefs (The Greatest!) – $20 Amazon

The greatest pair of underwear hands down in the world.

My main comfort vice while traveling, these wicking mesh undies wash quickly in the sink, dry overnight, and are coated with an amazingly effective anti-stink spray.

Like their motto says ‘One pair of underwear to travel the world’.

(go burn your soggy cotton boxer-briefs now, I’ll wait)

Merrel/Vibram Geomorph Laceless Hiking Boots – $90

I owe my life to these shoes. Seriously. Might name my first child Geomorph.

I can point to two times I definitely would have been seriously hurt from a fall if the amazing traction and grip on these shoes didn’t quite literally pull me back from the edge.

The Vibram soles have yet to wear out after three years hard going. And the bungee-cord laces, while skeptical at first, have won me over with a great balance of tightness and ease of removal.

Asia requires you to take off your shoes what feels like hundreds of times a day sometimes, and this slip on style makes it all slightly less backbreaking.

Mechanic’s Work Gloves – $8

This was an afterthought. I had them so I threw them in the bag. I didn’t realize how often they would get use. I didn’t consider how many sharp, hot, or simply disgusting things you’ll have to handle when you travel.

From working a scalding metal wok, to driving a rattly old scooter to hell and back, a good pair of gloves will protect and absorb the shocks and bruises that come with life on the road.

Cotton Bandanas (dark colors)

I’m never without one and I always need it. Whether it is simply to wipe away the sweat on a hot day, or to hold your brains in when an elephant slams you on your head, a simple cotton bandana can be incredibly useful.

Wigwam Wool Hiking socks – $10

Socks are socks right? Wrong. These booties are far superior to the Walmart Tub-O-Socks. Cushioned heels, and the natural warmth and wicking power of Merino wool mean you can hike for days. Buy two pairs, dry one off your bag whilst wearing the other, then swap.

 

Columbia Quick Dry T-Shirts (Black) – $15 

The base layer for all my outfits, these thin polyester and nylon shirts don’t show the world how much I’m actually sweating in this humidity-factory.

Columbia Fleece Jacket – $40

I remember being on the fence about this one. I mean, Asia, how cold can it get?

Sweet fancy Moses.

My first two weeks in Vietnam showed me; riding a bike 80kph in the rain, never seeing that bright thing the in sky I used to call the Sun, I LIVED in this jacket. Just went to show that even in the tropics there’s always a freezing train car, or rainy night, or feverish chill that requires a little bundling up, and it’s always worth the space.

Baseball cap (FSU baby!)

Shameless Seminoles plug, but hey, if you gotta keep the sun out of your eyes then you might as well look stylish whilst doing so.

5. Things I Didn’t Ever Need (But Brought Anyways)

Anti-malarials

In one of my biggest regrets, I paid over $300 to see a ‘travel medicine specialist’ before I left the States.

I got some required jabs (Hep A/B, Diphtheria, Typhoid), but I could have easily gotten these at the county health-center for less. All her years of travel expertise really bought me was a printout from the CDC and WHO on the countries I planned to visit – which I already had.

For Malaria, she wrote me out a six month supply of Doxycycline, a broad spectrum antibiotic and sunburn amplifier. I took those damned horse-pills religiously for six months, then stopped. It’s been two and a half years since the pills ran out. Three monsoon seasons in the most mosquito infested malarial swamps in the world, and I feel great.

This constant dose of antibiotics may have prevented some unknown malady, or could simply have weakened my body’s natural abilities by flooding my blood with these chemicals, making them uselss to me in the future. I’ll never know. But I’ll not take them again soon unless advised by someone in the field. Like, literally the field behind my house that’s full of mosquito’s.

Paper Maps

I know what you’re saying, what if your little GPS gizmo fails? Where ya gonna be then, smartboy? Well, probably in exactly the same place as I would be with a paper map.

You see, a paper map is great for broad planning, (‘Let’s go this direction for a week!’) but It’s terrible for finding your actual way around.

For one, it’s not in a language you understand. Second, there are rarely any street signs, and if there are, they are more than likely to have been renamed numerous times since the map was printed. (Revolutionary countries are like that).

Nalgene Bottle

Like I thought I’d be filling up my canteen by some clear mountain stream. Haha.

Everyone here whiter than ‘eggshell’ carries with them a store bought 1.5 litre disposable bottle. Refilling is possible at most guesthouses, and the ubiquitous ring tops make them easy to clip to a carabineer.

Hand Sanitizer

When you need it you don’t have it, and when you have it, you really don’t need it.

Aside from the idea that it will lead to the eventual destruction of mankind through a slow atrophying of our natural defenses, I just don’t like like the feel of it. Too squishy.

Extra Batteries

One change for each piece of kit, and a second set if it’s an irregular battery. People on the fringes of the world exist without a consistent power grid, they are adept at getting by despite this, as such, batteries are plentiful. Save the weight.

Extra Extra Batteries

No, seriously. Go get an extra pair of those good underpants instead.

Too Many Clothes

This may seem extravagant, but you can buy new clothes. Coming out lite, going where the trip leads, and buying as you go, can often mean you are the best suited to the situation. Plus, it can be great fun to go market shopping for a Nepalese down jacket, or a new set of neon beach tank tops for the islands.

6. Things I Should Have Brought (But Didn’t)

Earplugs

A big bag high quality foam earplugs. Disposable, so as to be able to toss as they get gunked up. It doesn’t seem to matter how far you go, into the wilderness or the desert, someone, somewhere, is hammering something.

Less Clothes

I can’t stress this one enough. If you’re going adventuring, you probably won’t need half the nicer clothes you’re bringing. Once on the edges there is no need for putting on airs. More underwear, more socks, less everything else.

Small Gifts

When I first came out to Asia, I came with five pounds of candy. Jolly Ranchers specifically. I gave them away plentifully as I drove Vietnam, always to delighted squeels from school children. It made my day (plus I ate some).

When I needed to thank someone older, my only medium was usually a small tip. But money is impersonal, and if it doesn’t make much financial difference to the person, then a small gift would be preferable.

I had recently thought about U.S. Kennedy Half-Dollars. They are relatively rare, yet can be found for face value in large amounts. It’s cultural. A gift from my home. Symbolic. Lucky maybe?

I think a small bag of those, to gift to the unforgettable people who go beyond to help a stranger, would have been valuable.

*Note – Prices and links are all to Amazon.com. This is simply for ease of reference and pricing. I make no commission on links, and only recommend things that I personally use or advocate.