Clothes are important but before you head to your favorite travel clothing site, you need to get yourself some basic travel gear. If you get the right travel gear your journey will be more streamlined, organised and ready for anything. I spend hours hunting for my travel kit. Weirdly enough I enjoy it. My short list that I can’t do without is below.
Eagle Creek ‘Load Warrior Duffel 28″‘
Eagle Creek Load Warrior
Eagle Creek ‘Load Warrior Wheeled Duffel 28’ is my latest purchase. I haven’t used it yet but it appears to be the travel bag that I’ve been looking forever.
I loved my Blackwolf Bladerunner 60+20 rolling duffel that I traveled with for 3 months around Europe but I found it a bit too heavy at 4.1kg unpacked (of course!). While having heaps of sorting compartments sounded attractive in the marketing blurb I found that being organised by the Eagle Creek packing system was way easier to find things. Also just remember, with each zippered compartment comes the challenge of attaching locks for security – 7 locks or ties in this case.
I learnt on my 3 month trip that 60 to 80 litres was plenty big enough. Fully packed with winter gear it weighed about 19kg. I only used the additional 20L gusset to pack some extra souvenirs in on the way home.
My criteria for a replacement bag before my next big trip was simple: – a rolling duffel; light weight; 60 to 80 litres; a large main compartment; – lots of handles
The Load Warrior fits the criteria perfectly. It weighs just 3.1kg (one whole kilo less than my Blackwolf – which doesn’t sound like much but you try lifting it into trains and luggage compartments for 3 months!). The bag measures 38 x 71 x 25 cm / and is a perfect 67 litres. I’ll let you know how it goes but I’ve got good vibes coming from this bag!
The marketing blurb says this:
“The Load warrior wheeled duffel was built for activity-based travel. This bag features expandability so you can pack 15% more when you need it, exterior and interior compression straps to compress and stabilize your load, and a laundry chute to keep your dirty and clean separate. Plus haul handles everywhere and reflectivity for nighttime visability.”
The best price I found for this bag in Australia was $209aus (and trust me I looked everywhere) was at Desa Handbags
The bag arrived quickly and without fuss.
The Canon Powershot SX50
Canon Powershot
There are only really two things I need when I travel, my passport and my Canon SX50 Powershot.
I love this camera. It’s a cross between a serious camera and a pocket digital camera. I wanted a small camera that I could pop in my pocket but none of the ones on the market gave me the zoom I wanted (this has a big 50x zoom) and the ability to be a bit creative.
The zoom is great for capturing details in a castle in a green valley in Perugia or a balcony full of flowers in the distance.
The FX50 is a little larger than I wanted but the quality of the shots are amazing and it is still compact. I understand that the SX50 has now been superseded by the SX60.
The SX60 marketing blurb says: Canon’s ultra high powered travel zoom. “The PowerShot SX60 HS is Canon’s most powerful SuperZoom yet! Boasting a huge 65x Optical zoom and 130x Zoomplus, equivalent to a huge 21-1265mm, it’s never been easier to quickly and properly frame your subject from far away – perfect for travelers.”
Get some more info here from the Canon site. As of 2016, it appears to retail for about $450 – you won’t regret it.
The Pacsafe City Safe Cross Body Bag
Pacsafe City Safe Cross Body Bag
Don’t leave home without this bag. It does everything. It looks good, it holds everything and the security features are amazing. Pick pockets can now identify these traveler bags and leave them alone as they’re too hard to get into because in has slashguards built into the fabric, turn and lock strap hooks a smart zipper and lots of other things. When I’m struggling with other luggage or taking a relaxing look around I don’t have to worry that someone is trying to take wallet out of my bag!
To give you and idea about what this bag can hold, I can comfortably fit my wallet, 13″ laptop, camera, passport, journal, pens, and other assorted small things.
Do an online search but some reliable online stores who supply Pacsafe in Australia include: Bagworld, Luggage Professionals, and Luggage Direct and some other outdoor stores.
The marketing blurb says:
Anti-Theft Features: (Love these features)
- eXomesh® slashguards – Front, bottom and side fabric body panels of the bag have built in stainless steel wire mesh panels
- Slashproof carrysafe™ shoulder strap – The shoulder strap is reinforced with stainless steel wire
- Turn & lock strap hook™ – The shoulder strap has a releasable security hook at one end that allows you to attach the strap to a fixture to stop thieves from easily walking off with your bag
- Smart zipper security™ – Zipper pullers can be attached to a discreet security hooks or placed under & through a hypalon tab to prevent pickpockets reaching into your bag
- RFID-blocking pocket – Special blocking material prevents high tech identity thieves from downloading and stealing personal information stored on micro chips in your passport and credit cards
Additional Features:
- Zippered main compartment with organisation for phone and other small items
- Zippered front pocket with additional organisation features
- RFID blocking pocket and zippered pocket with secret jewellery pocket in main compartment
- Key clip & wallet ring
- Padded 11in MacBook®/tablet sleeve
- Snap button expandable side pocket ideal for a small water bottle/umbrella
Weight: 0.58kg; Capacity: 10.5lts; Size: 27cm x 42cm x 11cm; Warranty: 5 Years
A Packing System – Mandatory!
If you love traveling but hate packing and losing things in your bag every 5 minutes, you need a system like this. Everything in its place.
A Packing Envelope: I use the orange packing envelope to keep control of my larger clothing items like my pants, jumpers and shirts. Things are folded at the same size using a handy plastic guide, then are stacked on top of each other and then compressed into the envelope/folder to reduce their bulk but also to keep them flat. When I arrive at my accommodation, I simply pull this envelope out and select items from it each day. Mine is from Eagle Creek.
A Medium Size Soft Packing Cube: The black soft cube is great for t-shirts and thermals that can be squashed down – you could also use another envelope for this job but I find the cube is good for pushing into smaller spaces. Mine is from Kathmandu.
Clear Packing Cubes: The clear packing cubes are my favourite packing find. I have about 6 of these in various sizes. I use one for my wet pack, one for my makeup, one for medication, one for power charges and one for some art supplies and other lose things that I don’t want rattling around in my bag. Mine are from Kathmandu.
Squishy Bags: These are optional but I always seem to find a job for them. They squish into any corner of your bag and allow all of the air in the bag to be pushed out to help compress the contents. A combination of clear cubes and squishing bags is the best idea. Mine are from Eagle Creek.