Tag Archives: backpack
Pacsafe – Worth the weight?

Pacsafe – Worth the weight?

by Mark on April 2, 2010 in Gear

Before my very first trip to Thailand in 2004, I went in to a hiking store in Scotland and asked if they had any sort of backpack lock. Five minutes later, I walked out having purchased a Pacsafe 55 and not quite sure if I had just been sold something I didn’t need.

Nevertheless, I took the Pacsafe with me to Thailand and have used it on several other trips since then. This article will assess the practicalities of using the Pacsafe and whether or not it is worth buying one.

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packing

Packing – 15 reasons why less is more

by Mark on March 23, 2010 in Travel Hacks

I was recently living on the small Thai island of Koh Tao when I decided to take a trip over to the infamous full moon party on Koh Phangan. I took with me a small 5 litre drybag with a few spare clothes and a toothbrush. Upon arriving, everyone else was waiting 20 minutes for their giant 65 litre bag/suitcases to be offloaded from the ferry and another 20 minutes for a taxi.

I, on the other hand, jumped on a motorcycle taxi and was at my hotel having a beer by the pool within 20 minutes. I was reading Chris Guillebeau’s tips for stress-free travel article and it got me thinking how much less stressful it is when you pack less and travel light. For my next trip I am going to bring just one small backpack.

Yesterday, I posted my friend Mike’s review of my new Deuter Futura 28 AC backpack

I’ve come up with 15 reasons why, when it comes to packing, less is more:

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The mighty backpack and why the bigger is not necessarily better

The mighty backpack and why the bigger is not necessarily better

by Mark on March 22, 2010 in Gear

It is the most important singular item, excluding your passport and credit card, which you will take on your travels. An item so important they named the entire activity of “backpacking” after it!

It is important for a reason; if you make the wrong decision when selecting your backpack it can become the pain of your travelling life. Whilst in the local camping store back home that slight discomfort when trying it on will inevitably become a source of extreme annoyance or pain during your trip.

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