Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Luggage

This morning I packed! I collected all the stuff accumulated in the past few weeks and put everything in the backpack. Then I went out and made a long walk to test the backpack and the shoes.
Here's a wonderful day, perfect for walking -- 4 degrees and nice sun with just a bit of wind. Hardly the same conditions I'll find in Asia :)
So what went in the backpack? Among the others, all this stuff:
And also this stuff:
And more :)
Let's see...
  • 1 backpack Lowe Alpine Mt. Troy 65+15
  • 1 pair solid Goretex shoes by Lowa
  • 1 small day pack
  • 1 pair flip-flops
  • 1 jumper
  • 5 pairs of trekking-quality socks, either wool or synthetic
  • 4 pairs of underwear (like these HH), synthetic
  • 4 t-shirts, 2 long sleeves HH, 2 short sleeves, all synthetic
  • 2 pairs of trekking-quality zip-off trousers
  • 1 hat
  • 1 swimming suit + goggles
  • 2 microfiber towels, small
  • 1 outdoor microfiber pillow
  • a couple of meters of climbing-quality rope
  • Macbook Air 11" + power brick
  • Panasonic DMC-LX3 + usb cable + battery charger
  • Usb charger + usb mini cable
  • Notepad + pencils
  • Lonely Planet Southeast Asia on a shoestring
  • ABN Amro e.dentifier
  • An amazingly bright LED torch
  • Lip balm
  • Universal sink cap
  • Compass!
  • Zinc-oxide tape
  • Swiss army knife
  • Travel lock
  • Sun screen/lotion
  • Talcum powder
  • Water disinfectant
  • Water canteen
  • 55% DEET insect repellant
  • Lifesaver soap
  • After-Bite
  • Disinfectant for wounds
  • Malarone
  • Antihistamine
  • ... More medicines
To that you add -- among other things -- plastic bags, a couple of snacks, toothbrush and toothpaste, sunglasses, the Samsung Galaxy S2, my North Face jacket, wallet, and tissues. Some last minute additions will come up to mind later.
I'm really happy with the backpack: it can fit way more than this stuff and in my long walk today I could feel it very comfortable. I could also adjust it very easily while walking to make it more balanced and fit better.
As for the shoes I've been walking in them a lot since I got them a couple of months ago and they're really comfortable.
The choice of the anti-malaria prophylaxis was an hard one. Malarone is an expensive product that has to be taken every single day at the same time. Its counter-indications include the usual problems of anti-biotics, which are quite a lot. Unfortunately all other products against malaria have even bigger counter-indications (hallucinations, anyone?) or are less indicated for the areas where I'll be traveling.
I got most of the stuff I didn't have yet either through Amazon (the stuff with the referral links) or at the specialized shops in Amsterdam like Demmenie Sport (now Kathmandu), Perry Sport, and Bever.
How will I look like? Gorgeous, of course!

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