Thank God I Packed That

December 19, 2009 at 2:27 pm · Filed under Just for fun and tagged: backpack, cable ties, equipment, luggage, macgyver, necessities, packing, suitcase, travel

When I first packed my backpack to leave Australia nearly two years ago, I was preparing for any eventuality.  Over that time, my backpack evolved into a suitcase (when I was more settled and was starting to feel like Atlas carrying the world on my shoulders) and (I like to think so) the contents have been streamlined and adjusted to suit my needs.

But after all this time, some things I’ve packed have withstood the test of time, and I my adventure wouldn’t have been the same without them.  Here they are:

KNEE-LENGTH THERMALS – I haven’t really seen them around in the shops, but a few hours before I got on my flight to India, my best friend gave me a pair of flowery Bonds knee-length thermals.  They are adorable with a touch of the ridiculous, like capri pants in a nice stretch jersey.  They work as pyjama bottoms, under long pants teamed with my ski socks when it’s freezing, and even under longer skirts.  They’ve got a few holes in the seams now, and a grey tinge from being washed with dark clothes, but I think they’ll make it all the way back home…

They're not quite this ridiculous.

SKI SOCKS – A friend gave me a pair of hardly used ski socks before I left home, knowing that I get cold when the mercury drops below 25 degrees celsius.  And I adore them – they’re much easier to wear under jeans/long pants, without the annoyance of thermals that ride up under anything that’s fitted.

CABLE TIES – I know, how MacGyver of me.  I think I originally brought them along to seal luggage without using locks, and without using those expensive numbered cable ties you can get from luggage shops.  I don’t think I’ve actually used them for that yet, but they’ve become my version of string.  I’ve used them to replace a zipper tab on my daypack, attach the stopper to my blow-up pillow, my tour leader in Africa used one to fix the truck headlight that had come loose, and I fixed curtain rings at a hostel I worked at with them.  Mine are bright and colourful, strong, and come off easily with a snip of my nail clippers.  Bless.

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