BootsnAll Travel Community

I have to 2nd all those who said they love their packing cubes!! I have 2 half cubes. One for socks, undies a couple of tank tops that serve as PJ’s and one for sarongs, bathing suits, bandannas and my pack towel. (it usually ends up as a good spot to put small breakable souvenirs too!) I also have a quarter cube for electronica – camera cable, spare batteries & flash cards, plug adaptors, alarm clock, etc. But if I had to choose between my cubes and my “Pack-it Folder”, it would all go in a ziplock, ‘cause I LOVE my folder. I can put week’s & week’s worth of clothing in an small tidy pack and nothing comes out wrinkled & messy.

Im not going to South America at all. I will be in SE Asia next year though for about 6 or 7 months. Perhaps I will run into you there.

ok I just have to ask. What the heck is a packing cube?

I'm starting to feel some what old (might be due to the birthday I've just had) but all I can visualise is giant plastic cubes/bricks that little kids play with.

I take it they are light weight, um, packing aids? Generally I just pack mine in those plastic bags one gets from supermarkets. Although since I've now got those 'environmentally friendly' reusable shopping bags I'm going to have to come up with something else.

Sorry, I've got nothing on the topic right now. I'll think on it.

The only thing I've pack the last few trips and never used was my mobile. Just in case work needed me. Although since I didn't turn it on 'just in case work needed me' it was kind of pointless.

just don't tell my bosses....

quote:

What the heck is a packing cube?

These are packing cubes

I don't use packing cubes but I have a compression bag I put all my clothes in which makes packing easier. I wish I had brought jeans. I set out on a year tour thinking they would be heavy and take forever to dry. But as has been said, you just want to look nice and feel normal, so I wish I had a pair that fit me nice. That said I've got two months left of a 13 month trip and I've survived w/o them just fine. My quick dry pants, however, have been the best clothing item! I didn't need to bring a water bottle - thrown out pretty early. I brought a ton of meds for every problem but luckily I haven't needed much of it. Gave most of it away. YOu can easily find meds on the road, tho. It's not a heavy thing to carry, but takes up space. I wish I would've started with a smaller bag!

Why thank you Static. I can safely say I've never seen them before but will certainly keep them in mind. I hate having to unpack the entire contents of my pack to get the item down the bottom.
of course I guess I could still end up doing that... particularly if I forget which 'cube' said item is in.

I really wish I had brought cutlery. I had a pocket knife, but a butter knife, spoon and fork would have been SO useful for those times I catered myself (or that time I ended up eating an avocado on a roll for dinner...booo!). I ended up snitching a set from a hostel.

I also wish I had brought a silk sleep sack.

I brought a rubber clothesline which I barely ever used.

Malena, I totally agree. I wish I had brought some "cute" clothes with me, most of my clothes were so practical.

I actually used my cutlery a lot, esp. in Africa and Europe.

I rarely used my silk sleepsheet, I guess I just forgot or didn't care about how dirty the sheets actually were. When in doubt I put my sarong down and wrapped my pillow in a Tshirt. I didn't die so I guess it was alright.

One thing that I loved having was a small bottle of liquid soap or even baby shampoo. Everywhere in Asia/India there are sinks to wash your hands and having soap was great. Sometimes the antibacterial gel just made a goop of the dirt on your hands.

In hindsight I didn't need so many medicines, pain relievers and such, but I think I still would take them with. And I gave a lot away to grateful people.

And while I used my hiking boots a ton in Oz/NZ and parts of Asia, I only used them once in Africa for varying reasons. I wish I had a more basic set of gym shoes or trail runners with me instead.

But, I loved that I had jeans with me in Africa, it was colder than I thought and they are very durable and I didn't get bit by mosquitoes through them like my linen pants. But I certainly didn't need them in Asia.

Edited to add: My headlamp. I am sure its very dorky, but wow, that came it handy everywhere. Reading on long buses, walking home when the power goes out in town, putting up a tent etc. Will never travel without one again.

I really wish I had brought:
a bottle opener
an umbrella

why the %&$# did I bring:
too many clothes!

I wish I hadn't lost my pen knife that HAD a blade, a can opener, and a knife fork and spoon in one package!!!

I wish I hadn't brought enough clothes for a closet, even if I DID have school to attend.

I wish I hadn't brought my sleeping bag.I haven't used it yet. Maybe I'll use it on the Camino de Santiago if the night looks free of rain!!!

Marlena and Kath--

Thank you thank you thank you for your post! My hubby and I leave for our first rtw trip soon, and I just spent some $ on cute-looking quick dry clothes (not easy to find. I checked ex officio), and your post left me feeling justified. :-)

Wasn't going to bring any jeans, but a couple of you good folks suggested a pair. Maybe, they'll make it into my bag.

i'd be a gazllionaire if I had a dollar for everytime i responded to one of these posts, but they are great fun and I learn a lot every time I read them. Here's my 2 cents:

What I wish I'd left behind:
Compression Bags - I've decided these aren't that great afterall. When completely compressed, they are so stiff and awkward that they actuall leave a lot of unused nooks and crannies in your bag/case.

Too Many Meds - Yes, I never did use all those extra meds. When you're toiletries kit is a third of all the stuff you're bringing, you've gone overboard.

Contact Lens - I wear glasses on a regular basis and only contacts when I'm doing sports or on weekends when I want to look stylish. However, when I travel, I bring an extra pair of glasses anyway, so I never use the contacts i do bring. The lenses themself taking up no space, but the bottle of cleanser does.


What I Will Never Travel Without:
Dr. Scholl's Foot Spray - I've written about the magic of this product many times before. Its basically for things like athletes foot, etc. But what it really does is just zap the moisture out of things. When you walk as much as you might do on a RTW trip, your shoes are going to be stinking! And all that moisture? This spray is great for that. In addition, I've sprayed my pants, socks, etc., with it, when I haven't had the opportunity to do laundry and it really helps freshen them up, take out the moisture, and make them wearable for another day or two. Its good stuff.

Tell us more about these cubes! I can see how they'd be nice ... but I can't figure out from the website just how many you would need, or in what combinations, or how many things one cube will hold ...

I'm glad we took three lock'n'lock boxes. These are air and watertight, perfect for all our electrical stuff and our first aid kit etc. Not particularly compact, but if you fill them tight they don't really need to be.

And I wish I had taken one of those sleeping masks that you see on old people. I've been on so many buses where street lamps have kept me awake. Or in hostels where they leave all the lights on and I just can't sleep. The sleep mask would beat nailing blankets to the walls.

I love this thread. I leave in about 3 weeks for a year-long RTW and need to start packing!

For past trips (not RTW, but 3 weeks in India can seem like a lifetime)...

Wished I'd brought / Forgot and regretted at least once:

• sarong
  
• wine bottle opener
  
• and a friend I traveled with coveted my wetwipes in India, perfect for a quick clean up of your dirty self when on an overnight train or after a really nasty bathroom

Bought during a trip and now will always travel with:

• compact umbrella - way better than a hat, keeps the sun off your face and more, keeping you cooler too - used it all throughout India (as many locals did)

Why the F*@#! did I bring?

• longjohns - instead bring wearable clothes that can be layered instead
  
• inflatable mattress pad & sleeping bag - yes, I loved them the 1 time I used it, but the rest of the time it was just bulky
  
• clothesline - bring a length of rope instead, which can be used for other things and is nowhere near as bulky