Whenever I would go travelling, I would travel light. But when I was going on walkabout for a year I almost bought into the travel industries marketing and was considering one of those 70 l packs with a clam shell opening zip and zip on day pack. I did have problems, with my 70l Karrimor Alpiniste. I would have it half full and not be able to find what I wanted. But would one of these new packs be the answer.
I found this website http://travelindependent.info and it got me back on track. More so, I made me want to travel even lighter because of the benefits of travelling light.
What pack/rucksack/bergan to take?
The two packs I was considering were the Karrimor saber 45 and Lifeventure Kibo 40. Both had advantages and disadvantages. For my 11 month Latin America trip I went for the Karrimor Sabre 45. I have since bought a Kibo for another trip and I managed to get one for only £30.
Karrimor Sabre 45
Being a top loader it is a bit more difficult to find your kit, but so long as you are organised and have everything in bags this is not a problem. The other down side with a top loader is security. The top pocket has a lockable zip, so no problem there, the main compartment is closed with a draw chord. My solution was to use a waterproof rucksack liner with D-rings. Put you kit in, roll up the liner put a lock through the D-rings and the loop on the rucksack.
I knew that I would be doing some walking, camping on my trip and that was probably the reason I went for this choice. The side compression straps are long enough and strong enough to strap a two man tent on the side. The front daisy chains will take a sleeping bag. Even when fully loaded like this the pack is still comfortable to carry.
Lifeventure kibo 40
Just like one of the smaller school type rucksacks only 40 litres. If this is what you want there really isn’t much choice. I did actually pick it up for £30 it seemed a deal not to miss. Security is quick and easy as there are lockable zips on all the compartments. It does have daisy chains on the front for strapping kit on, but you would not outboard as much kit as the Sabre. To be honest I’ve not been impressed with some Lifeventure kit but they have gone all out with this piece and produced something, sound, practical and right on the money for travel. Too bad most people will pass this by as being too small?! The carry platform has a hard insert that keeps the load stable and long shoulder straps.
Comments on both and general
Both of these rucksack I have taken as carry on luggage. They are small enough to keep with you on a bus and put in the over head storage area, rather than say good bye to them and seeing them disappear into the storage area or a unlocked taxi boot.
Restrictions in what you can’t carry on and wanting to have my kit with me has made me think about how to get around this problem. One thing to do would be to put all liquids, sharps etc – everything you can’t carry on in a small bag (I would probably use one of the side pouches from the Sabre) and check it in. That way if it gets lost you have the minimal lost. In other words turn up with your 40l rucksack and have that as a carry on and check a bag with all the prohibited items. There are maximum restrictions on luggage to check but not minimum that I know of.
Also less is more when you are travelling in countries where you can have on your back more possessions than someone has ever owned altogether. My Sabre now is looking a bit battered, and I’ve had to gaffa tape the bottom after a volcano boarding incident, so that would make it my first choice for the next trip.
Weight saving tips
Clothes washing on a regular basis means you can have less clothes. It does mean you might get a bit board of wearing the same kit all the time, if you’re that type of person. Hand washing is common place in lots of counties and soap is easy to buy so no need to buy expensive hand wash soap here.
Guide books who needs them. Don’t have a guide book, use a map. Usually you can turn up and buy a map from a street vendor and you are back to basics. It is an adventure after all. Information is usually on hand in the hostels and if not just ask, better still ask on the street.
Most of the stuff you will need if you are intending doing any sports or camping can be rented. There is no need to take a sleeping bag, tent, kip mat, boots, etc these can all be rented when you need them.
Photos and cameras
At the time they are just photos but looking back over the years, photos are priceless. So what do you do with them on the road?
Disc and disc
The last big trip I did a double download of photos to discs. Keeping one and posting the other home. I did have problems with some corrupting and had to cross reference to the other disc. The other main problem is getting the photos onto a hard-drive and ordered into folders. So time consuming and you forget just how many you have and were they were taken.
External hard-drive, upload online, SD card
