Do you guys use any dedicated travel gear or least stuff advertised as such? Backpacks, slings, passport wallets, hooks, etc.? Or is it all just a big meme by niche one pack/EDC groups to scam you into buying expensive trinkets?
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Not really, the big issue with travel gear is that companies focus too much on security and durability, which makes their bags a lot heavier than necessary and their gear overloaded with functions that you may only use once or even not at all during a vacation. The only two travel-minded items I have and take regularly are a used original Baubax bomber jacket I picked up for $30 plus shipping (pic related, fits me nice and snug and looks good) and an Evo-International Travel Adapter (not bad but slow which isn't a problem if you remember to charge each night). Key here is neither of these are perfect, but they're good enough for their price to take on vacation.
Following up on this, travel gear is a lot like survival gear--with both you're often buying ease of mind rather than functionality. Any smart anon can learn a new skill to take a pound off their luggage, but so many travelers choose to take the Scrubba bag or the oversized neck pillow. Not trying to cast shade on those folks, just saying that a little extra thought and the right apps on your phone will prove much more valuable than an extra (and expensive) item for your trip.
>Scrubba bag
Man I bought one of these and I only had to use it once before realising... It's probably useless.
You can just fill up a kitchen sink and wash your clothes in that.
I used to wash my clothes in the sink, then I changed my mindset after a couple trips.
1. I'm traveling to enjoy myself, so I want to keep labor to a minimum.
2. Getting your clothes washed at the laundromat is actually a very minor expense. I'm spending more money on other things, I can spare a few bucks every week.
Laundromat is fine and typically the right way to get your clothes washed. But if there is no laundromat around, you can rub one of these pure soap bars to get rid of stains, way better than a scrubba bag.
Washing my clothes in a sink always rubbed me in the wrong way. Like I usually just book a hotel that had washing machines at one stop or use a laundromat.
I picked up sink washing from my dad who travels a lot for business, I like that it saves me time moreso than money because I agree that in many places doing a load of laundry will only cost you a couple bucks at most. I just don't like having to think about the timing of washing and drying, so I guess I'm the opposite of the anon who prefers the convenience. I find laundry detergent sheets really helpful in this regard--no liquid, which helps with TSA, and you can stuff them between your folded clothes to impart a mild fragrance. At the sink, just tear a piece off, no fretting about spilling sticky liquids.
>Laundry detergent sheets
Genius, I've been looking for a soap solution for doing laundry while backpacking and this might be it. Combine this with the stain removing stick
and you can clean any clothes just fine.
Drying clothes can be tricky depending on where you are. If you have a private room it's easy, just sit the clothes over chairs and windowsills, but in hostels it can be harder. Those portable clotheslines are ok but if you don't have anywhere appropriate to put it you're out of luck.
>Drying clothes can be tricky
There is one method: Wear only synthetic fibers. No cotton or wool. Synthetic material will dry incredibly fast, even when it's cold & damp outside.
The only downside is that they're not particularly comfortable, and not stylish. They're not the type of clothing you'd wear to a night club or a 5-star restaurant.
I've been thinking about trying out these Dreambly sheets as an all-in-one laundry solution, apparently they also work as a stain remover? Per reviews the detergent function works at least.
Oops, forgot pic.
>Or is it all just a big meme by niche one pack/EDC groups to scam you into buying expensive trinkets?
Meme to scam fragile white people who think they need waist support strap for their travel backpacks so they can walk around thailand urban streets. Chinese tourists bring in a suit case.
Travel gear is okay MAYBE for 1% of travelers who are live out of their 1 bag.
Not really. I mean, I have a zippered toiletries bag with some compartments in it, sort of similar to the OP pic, but it’s not particularly special, just practical. It’s a Dopp kit, things like it have been around for a hundred years. And I use packing cubes for clothes, because I find them an easy way to quickly organize, pack, and unpack for my family of four, but they aren’t stupid magical space-age, volume reduction vacuum bags, just small cheap zippered cuboids.
I have had a couple of passport case “travel wallets,” all of which were given to me as gifts, and one of which was quite beautiful (an old leather folder, from the 1940s), but I’ve never found them very functional. They never seemed to fit anything I needed to put into them especially well, and they’re badly shaped and too bulky to carry around in anything but maybe the inside pocket of a jacket (the vintage travel wallet was clearly designed with an overcoat or suit in mind). I have ordinary wallets and a basic plastic cover for my passport that do the job better IMO.
Last but not least, I use extremely ordinary, midrange suitcases with wheels (had many over the decades, including a couple of over-complicated, expensive ones, but have settled on Travelpro as my personal favorite brand). Never had a problem, including on dirt roads and cobblestones. If I’m somewhere I can’t easily roll it I pick it up.
Even when I was young and broke I didn’t like backpacks outside of hiking and camping.
If you travel with a suitcase and are staying in more than one hotel, then packing cubes are absolutely golden to keep things in order
How good are compression/vacuum bags are as an alternative?
>Do you guys use any dedicated travel gear
Yes.
- money clip with about $100 in local currency
- burner phone with nothing incriminating
- sildenafil
- sandals with ankle straps, so I can run in them
- about $500 in new US bills hidden in sandals
Similiar to backpacks. The backpacks are worth spending more on since they will get a lot more use. As far as "travel gear" aside from that.. Lots of overpriced stuff yeah. Things like a collapsible daypack are great though. Have one that comes with a water bottle pouch and chest strap that folds into itself for storage.
Are the travel slings worth it? Or you just make yourself make look stupid with a rebranded fannypack?
Both. They are very practical, but they do look rather stupid.
Slings were exclusively used by europeans for their drug stuff. Without exception. I guess so as to be able to ditch it in a pinch.
>Travel Sling
I would be wary of any sling bag marketed as "It's for travel!", I also find the "travel" ones look dumb.
But a bag like that is undoubtedly useful. Sling, crossbody bag, fanny pack, whatever you want to call it they are good to have. You need them when you're going to carry more than what can fit in your pockets but not enough to justify a proper backpack. The only thing I don't like about them is that I'm yet to find one that is made with light material and can be folded.
Another bag I take with me everywhere is a tote bag, takes up basically no space in my backpack and is especially good for shopping or doing laundry. They're just annoying to carry sometimes.
Yes. High-quality travel gear is certainly not a scam. Thoughtful design + durability make things easier.
Here are a few of the things I use
>thule aion backpack
godly, expansive, well-designed
>peak design tech pouch
You don't need a name brand here, but a little bag that holds all your tech stuff is great for organization
>snap wireless travel charger
Great for charging on the fly
>rolling square 3-in-1 charging cables
great for carrying only one cable instead of several
>travelpro carry on spinner bag
the GOAT for a reason
I look through this stuff and it looks like hundreds of dollars worth of stuff. You get what you pay for matter that much or is cheap Amazon stuff okay for some of the smaller things?
Good travel gear is almost always expensive (but the opposite isn't true; a lot of expensive stuff that is crap). You take a chance with cheaper Amazon stuff, it might be fine, but there's also a higher probability it breaks in the middle of your travels.
When I was a young man I traveled many places with the cheapest Amazon carry-on luggage and backpack I could find, and it was fine, but I also hauled my spinner bag through more than one rural town because the wheel fell off. Or, had to buy more luggage at the airport because my bag didn't survive the flight. Whereas the higher priced gear has never failed me.
Stay within your budget, do research, look at reviews. Upgrade when you can afford to and when it makes sense for your trip. I prioritize luggage and tech accessories first, because they are the most inconvenient to break.
Never trust Amazon. You can find good cheap shit in physical stores. I've been using a $20 Embark backpack from Target for 6 years now and its still going strong.
Any recommendations on passport covers?
This guy has been traveling for 11 years and he is probably the most organized I have ever seen.
Here is a complete breakdown of his system.
Smart tricks around electronics.
The backpack he reviewed is completely sold out everywhere now because it's like the ultimate bag.
>mentions every brand
>all expensive
>all new looking
>sponsored shit
>folding gimmicks
dropped
That's kinda my issue with all this gear. It's all expensive as frick unless you buy Chinese knock offs.
Probably a good setup for a digital nomad, idk. That's a lot of electronics. For me, personally:
>smartphone
>ereader
>travel adapter
>charging cable
Even the ereader itself is optional but reading is my primary hobby and my head hurts if I stare at LED screens all day. As I mentioned here
I don't mind a slow-charging adapter as long as it's lightweight and compact. If you can use just one cable that's several feet in length and capable for all your devices, you won't have to be like the inCharge guys, buying an expensive product in order to fuss around with adapters and huddle around an outlet. A USB-A to USB-C should be all you need, or if you're crazy like me and using slightly outdated tech, a USB-A to micro USB.
Yeah, brand name stuff will always overcharge, it's up to the buyer whether or not it's worth it. I won't write off Chinese knockoffs, they're good at copying basic items. My mom once bought me a Trtl Pillow as a gift, and I found the same product but unbranded and cheaper on AliExpress. I love my mom though and she's a much more experienced traveler than I am, so I still bring it on family trips.
dop kit, electronics bag. i have pants with zippers on the pockets for wallet, phone and passport in case i go to an area with pickpockets, a belly pouch might be useful if you dont have those.