This is part of BootsnAll’s 30 Days of Indie Travel project, a daily blogging challenge with a prompt for every day in November 2011. Check out the prompt at the bottom of this post to find out how you can participate!
My Must-have Gear Item
I took a 35L backpack on my round the world trip. Occasionally I wished I had a bigger pack, but ultimately it was just the right size for me. While I’ve been told that I’m a pretty paired down traveler, (I try not to let this go to my head), I do pack a number of unnecessary awesome items… from perfume atomizers to stockpiles of Burt’s Bees chapstick. So I had a hard time narrowing down to just one ‘must-have gear favorite’ from my hypothetical list of “things you really don’t need to take traveling, but I like to bring anyway”. So I picked the most useful item, that is now a must-bring for me. Can I travel without it? Definitely, but life on the road is way easier with it.
Flight 001’s Wet Suit bag is on my must-pack list. After returning from Panama with a bag even the customs agents didn’t want to open, I decided I needed a strategy for my bag not mildewing on my upcoming RTW trip. I stumbled across Flight001’s wet suit bag, and 21 countries later, I don’t travel without it. It’s called ‘wet suit’, in that you can put a wet swimsuit in it and toss it in the top of your bag and arrive at your next destination with a dry swimsuit. Ha, that was a lie — that would be magic. The beauty of the bag is that you arrive at your next destination with a wet suit (in a bag) and dry everything else (in your pack). So whether you’re throwing your tiny travel towel in it before an early flight, or decided to go on an impromptu swimming adventure, it keeps your stuff from mildewing, saving on laundry money and time. Mildew happens.
Go Clean Wet Suit Bag, $18, Flight 001
What is your favorite gear item?
30 Days of Indie Travel Project: How to Participate
We’re inviting bloggers from around the world (that means you, too!) to join us in a daily blogging effort designed to reflect on how our travel experiences over the last year – or whenever – have shaped us and our view of the world. Bloggers can follow the prompts as strictly or loosely as they like, interpreting them in various ways and responding via text, photos or video posted on their own blogs.
We’ll share some of our favorites via Twitter and Facebook throughout November, as well as a round-up article at the end of the month, so if you’re playing along make sure to let us know – use the #indie30 hashtag on Twitter, and link to the 30 Days of Indie Travel page in your post so we’ll be able to find it.
Find out all of the 30 Days of Indie Travel blogging prompts so far – it’s never too late to join in the fun!
Prompt #22: GEAR
The right gear can make or break your trip. What is your favorite/must-have gear item?
Tools and inspiration: Learn about the best gear and read reviews on our Travel Gear Blog