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Phillosoph

Rucksack Packing

My previous article was on taking the foundation survival items to the next level.
Having given you a list of items that you might need, some comments on how to carry it were logical.
It is always prudent to get some different views on a subject, particularly if it is a subject you feel you are already familiar with. Even after my many decades, I occasionally I pick-up a new idea, such as using a sandwich box to carry a wash kit!
And so, I find myself browsing videos and webpages on rucksack packing.
There is no single right answer, but a couple I encountered do stick in my mind.
One character starts by producing a waterproof bag. This is one of the expensive drybags that cost more than a reasonable takeaway:
“These are my waterproofs! Always keep them in a drybag!” they tells me, very proud of themself.
Why?, I ask the screen. Are you worried that they might get wet, or is it to stop them drying out once they are wet?
If it is raining heavy enough to penetrate the rucksack, I want to be wearing the waterproofs, so a bag to keep them dry is redundant. Once they are actually wet, I will be stowing them somewhere on or in the rucksack where they can drain and dry.
Nit-pickers will doubtless waste time thinking of rare scenarios where having the waterproofs in their own dry bag will be valid, but I will move on.
It is not an efficient packing strategy nor use of money that could be better spent on something else.
A lot of rucksack packers have a selection of accessories for their electronic gadgets. I have to marvel that many of them carry numerous flexible electronic cables in hard cases, yet are content to throw expensive and valuable compasses in pockets or soft pouches.
Once I have some funds, I intend to find a rigid camera case suitable for my best compasses. That is a post for another day.
If it is a “72‑hour pack”, why carry boot polish and associated brush and paraphernalia? Freshly polishing boots only adds a little to their water‑resistance, and your boots should not be totally water‑proof anyway.
Air needs to circulate, your feet need to breathe and the interiors need a chance to dry‑out once water gets in over the tops. And you are better advised to wear matt-finish boots in a natural or neutral colour(s).
I can recall only one three week or more duration trip where I bothered to carry boot‑cleaning items. Most trips were to a climate and/or season where canvas or canvas and Goretex boots could be worn.
When carried, my boot cleaning kit was a single brush, can of polish and a shred of rag carried in an old cotton sock. Sock could be used to buff the cleaned boot.
Rather than continue on this vein, I will pass on some useful ideas that I have gathered over the decades.
Firstly, I will suggest a premise:
• Your pack will contain some items that you do not want to get wet. For example, your warm clothing, your bedding, your food etc.
• There are some items that will get wet, and once wet you will want them to dry. This includes parts of your tent, your waterproof clothing, etc.
• There will be some items in your pack that it does not matter if they get wet. This includes water bottles, cooking vessels, canned or pouched food, etc. If the exterior is contaminated by water containing sewage or microbes, that needs to be addressed, but leaving these items out in a quick rain shower would not be a concern.

Bags within Bags

A well thought out bag is a bag of other bags.
No rucksack should be considered to be totally waterproof. Thus, one or more waterproof liners are used to enclose the contents.
Items within these liners will themselves either be in plastic bags or stuff sacks.
You can buy drybags large enough for the main compartment of a rucksack. Some armies issue these, although examples may have gone through many hands and no longer be fully waterproof. Personally, I have never used these.
A heavy-duty plastic sack is a good alternative, and the usual choice before drybags were commonly marketed.
I used to be able to get 100 litre yellow bags from work. The current ones have things like “clinical waste” and “biohazard” printed on them, so not something that may be re-purposed and used in public!
The plain yellow bag I currently use has served on many trips.
Should I need to replace it, I am considering an orange plastic survival bag for the role. This could be cut down to size, or used intact with the mouth partially rolled down. In the latter case, it may still be used as an emergency shelter, or as a signalling panel.
Incidentally, if things turn extreme, your feet may be kept warmer by placing your feet (or the foot of your sleeping bag) into the emptied rucksack. If that bag contains the emptied liner or the end of the orange survival bag, so much the better!
When the tactical situation allows, I highly recommend using a light coloured bag as a liner. It is much easier to find items within a yellow or orange bag than in a black rubbish bag or dark-coloured liner.
There is an obvious niche in the market for sand-coloured plastic liners or drybags. Failing such an item, try a clear bag.
If you expect your pack to see heavy use, it is not unreasonable to “double bag” your main rucksack compartment. When I add the orange survival bag, the older yellow bag will probably be place around it, if it is still reasonably intact.
Similarly, if attempting to cross a river, placing a black rubbish bag or two around your rucksack liner is prudent. A few rubbish bags may be squeezed into the corner of a pack and take up very little room, but can prove useful.
Clear bags are useful in the construction of solar stills or transpiration traps.
I am sure someone will soil their panties over my use of plastic bags. The real issue is the disposal of plastics, not the use of them. I expect my bags to be in use for years, possibly decades.
Some people pack the contents of their rucksacks in colour-coded stuff sacks or packing cubes. Acquiring a suitable variety of colours and sizes may take some effort and expense.
Most stuff sacks are not totally waterproof, so for things you want to keep dry, such as clothes or food, you will probably end up lining the bag with a plastic bag or two anyway.
For many items, you may be better packing them in clear plastic bags and not bothering with a stuff sack.
Clear plastic lets you see what is actually in the bag rather than memorizing stuff sack colours. You may even label the bag with its contents with a marker pen.
If planning a trip or building an emergency or camping kit, I strongly suggest that you stock up on some five‑ or ten‑litre clear plastic bags, such as freezer bags. Avoid getting rubbish bags in “biodegradable plastic”!
Bags that can be sealed watertight, such as “Ziplocs” are an obvious asset.
You should probably invest in a quantity of smaller bags too. These may be used for carrying EDC items or making fire kits.
Items that are particularly vulnerable, or that may cause serious problems if they leak, should be double-bagged.
A range of plastic bags is a much more prudent initial investment than a flashlight that can be seen from the moon!
If your bags do not have sealable closures, avoid overfilling them, roll over the opening and secure with mini-bulldog clips. If you lose a clip, or put it to another use, such as hanging up a survival blanket as a reflector or signal, twist the bag shut and use your cordage in a strangle knot. You may alternately roll the opening and use a piece of duct tape, but this solution may have only limited life.
Stuff-sacks are good for items that do not need to keep dry, such as your frying pan, or stuff you want to breathe and become dry, such as waterproof clothing.
Patrol Pack with Extra Side Pouches

Putting It Together

The above is the “how” of “how to carry items”.
The “where” is based on frequency/urgency of need and on the bulk/mass of the item(s).

Popular High or Outward

Items that are frequently needed, or may be needed in a hurry, are placed where they are most accessible. Such items are often carried in the external pouches and/or lid pocket of a large rucksack.
Smaller items, that might be hard to locate within the main compartment, also tend to get carried in external pockets.
Most large rucksacks would be considerably improved by more external pockets, and more smaller pockets and/or interior divisions to better organize gear!
My favourite hostelling and hotel rucksack has six large external pouches. I knew the water bottle would be in the bottom-left side pouch, my wash kit and towel in the bottom right-side, and my journal and medical kit in the top, front.
I could even send someone else to fetch the medical kit by being able to unambiguously describe its location.
Items that are not so frequently used, or only carried as spares, tend to be placed toward the bottom of the main compartment. You will only need to unpack your sleeping bag once a day, for example, and not until your tent or shelter is erected. The sleeping bag is thus at the bottom of the main compartment.
You do not need your sleeping clothes until your sleeping system is set up, so this clothing will probably be stored under the sleeping bag.
Some packs have the main compartment divided into two sections, often with a removable partition and separate access to the lower section. The lower part is used for your sleeping bag and related items.

Hard Up, Soft Down

A sleeping bag is soft and compressible, which is another reason it is carried toward the bottom of the bag.
Denser items, such as spare water bottles, canned food and cooking vessels are held towards the top of the pack, so their weight helps compress the items below. These items may be needed more than once a day.
Conventional wisdom is that heavier items should be carried towards the top of a pack, and close to the back.
I have seen an alternate view that ammunition should be carried with the sleeping bag in the lower compartment to avoid the pack becoming excessively top heavy. This rather depends on just how much you are carrying.
In general, I would keep the dense items “high and to the back”, but keep in mind the option of redistributing some items if the pack becomes excessively top-heavy. Better still, have a rethink of what you are taking!
I have previously written about what to carry in a daysack, so will not repeat that information here, although some of those concepts will also apply to what items and how you carry them in a “big pack”.
In a previous blog, I explained my use of a soft-core pack, which allowed me to easily transfer a number of useful items between different packs.
In a follow-up, I suggest a similar range of items packed into the detachable side pouch of a military rucksack. This pouch would be worn as a pack when the large pack was not, but when a soldier might still have need of items such as googles, extra water, protective gloves, dry socks, or rain poncho.
The other side pouch would carry CBRN items, and also be carried if such threats were anticipated.
Many modern soldiers carry lots of items on their webbing that are not immediately combat relevant and would be more efficiently carried in a light pack.
A Daysack
On many of my trips, I have ensured there was room at the top of my main pack to carry a daysack. This was packed with most of the items that I might need to hand for a day sightseeing. Many of these items were things it was always handy to have at the top of a main pack, such as a rain jacket, toilet roll and sun hat. Effectively, when the daysack was in my large pack it served as extra pockets.
I could dump my main bag at my accommodation, grab the daysack, transfer across my water bottle and journal, and I was set to see the town.
Some soldiers advocate carrying a “grab bag” of “mission essentials” at the top of their pack. This will contain relatively dense items such as ammunition and communication gear. The idea is that if the main pack needs to be abandoned, the grab bag and its contents go with the soldier.
An extension of this idea is that under the grab bag there should be a bag of “personal admin” gear that may be taken with the grab bag if possible.
Some soldiers already carry an unpacked daysack within or strapped to the outside of their large pack.
It seems to me that the above ideas may be combined with the creation of a daysack that fits into the upper part of an army large pack. The daysack would have an upper section optimized for carrying dense “mission essentials”, and a lower section for “life support” such as 24 to 36 hours of rations, a brew kit, a stove and mess kit/canteen cup.
This “assault pack” would have a compartment for a water bladder and provision to attach the side-pockets of the large pack, holding the contents suggested above.
Which “personal admin” items belong in the small pack and which should remain in the large pack will probably be hotly debated in certain circles and forums!
As is so often the case, I digress! Back to the topic of rucksack packing.
For convenience, I will divide the contents of a large pack into seven generic categories:
• Clothing
• Cooking
• Food
• Water
• Sleeping
• Shelter
• Miscellaneous/Any Other Business.

Clothing

You will probably have several bags of clothing, based on form or function.
Most of your clothing will be packed into waterproof plastic bags. Several small bags may utilize the available volume better than on larger bag. “Dirty laundry” I tend to keep in a stuff sack, so that it may air.
Recently washed items such as socks may be tied to the outside of the pack, or held in a mesh bag pinned to the rim of the pack flap. This lets them air dry, and they may be easily slipped under the flap should it rain. Some rucksacks have external mesh pockets which are useful for drying your laundry.
Rain clothing is carried in stuff sacks. My rain poncho will be with my soft-core bag or side-pouch, along with some cordage and light pegs so that it may be used for a shelter.
A rain jacket and trousers, if carried, will be in a readily accessible area such as a side pocket, lid compartment or top of the main compartment. If the storm clouds are gathering, these items may be placed directly under the top flap, above the snow‑lock for immediate access.
Rain items tend to migrate, depending on if they are wet or dry.
If wet, they are generally left unbagged and slipped under the pack flap or strapped to the outside of the pack to dry.
You will probably have a plastic bag for your socks in the main compartment. It is also prudent to have at least one smaller Ziploc bag holding a single pair of socks in a more accessible location. If away from your pack, have a bagged spare pair on your person.
If conditions are bad, change into dry(er) socks whenever you can. Let the wetter pair air dry, bag them if they get dry.
With most clothing, I usually reckon on “wash, wear and spare” unless carrying a lot of other gear, or a very short trip, in which case it is “wear and a spare”.
Socks are an exception, and it is not a bad thing to have a few extra pairs.
Underwear may be bagged with your socks, or separately. If you are packing an emergency or bug-out bag, you may have several different types of underwear to suit different seasons and conditions. Bag these separately, according to type.
Spare shirts and trousers are carried in the main compartment.
If you carry a spare uniform or set of clothes for sleeping in, bag these separately and stow at the bottom of your bag under the sleeping bag.
You will need a warm jacket or jumper should the weather be colder than expected, and to prevent you from chilling once you cease a hard activity. This should be bagged individually and carried in the main compartment, but above the spare and unused clothing so it is relatively easy to access.
Hats, gloves, scarves and bandannas, if not already being worn, some, at least, should be readily available in a side or lid compartment.
You may need several different types of gloves available.
It is prudent to carry spares of hats, gloves, neck gaiters and the like. These may be bagged in the main compartment if space is needed for other items in the outer pockets.
Most clothing items take up least space if rolled. There will be exceptions to this general rule of thumb, so experiment!

Cooking

Cooking is treated as a separate category to food.
On many of my “city-breaks” I have not carried any form of stove or cooking vessel.
Some backpackers take to the wilds only carrying food that will be eaten cold.
In general, you should have some means by which you are able to heat-treat water.
For general camping, I carry a pair of billies and a frying pan with a folding handle.
For more basic cooking, a canteen cup will serve, but a European mess kit is better.
The use of cooking fires is not permitted in many areas, and an unmodified canteen cup and many camping cook sets are not particularly suited to such heat sources. You will need to carry some form of stove, and an adequate supply of fuel for it.
Being relatively dense items, your cooking vessels, fuel and stove should ride high up in the main compartment, helping compress the clothing and sleeping bag below.
You will eat or brew‑up more frequently than you change clothes, so these items also sit high for ease of access.
Stuff sacks are suitable for many of these items. Fuel containers that could leak should be placed in plastic bags and packed so that they stay upright. Fuel in general should be kept dry, so pack it in plastic bags. This also reduces any odours the fuel may produce.
Brew‑kit items will also be vulnerable to water and should be in a plastic bag.
Canteen cups, and British and European mess kits are of a shape that allows them to fit in a relatively narrow pouch. Some types of stove are also very compact.
Some travellers like to carry these in the side pocket of a large pack. There is usually room also for some fuel, a brew‑kit and about a day’s worth of food and snacks. This makes these items very accessible, and is particularly useful if you tend to stop to brew‑up every 90 minutes. Additional fuel will probably need to be carried in the main compartment.
The downside of using a side pocket for your cooking kit is that you might need this side pocket space for something with a higher priority. Another problem is that your stove and other items will be rather vulnerable in this position. If anyone else is likely to handle your bag, expect it to be knocked over, manhandled and possibly tossed off the back of a trailer. If you have to trust your large pack to airline baggage handling, I suggest you repack the stove and other vulnerable items to the main compartment.

Food

Most of your food will be in the main compartment, above your clothes. You should be eating more often than you change your clothes, and the mass of the food helps compress clothing and sleeping bag.
Most of the food will be in plastic bags. For many things such as rice or flour, double bagging is a good idea. Yes, I have travelled carrying and using flour. I have read Kephart and James Austin Wilder.
I once saw a backpacker’s guidebook advocate carrying dried rice in a plastic ice cream container. I still have no idea why the author thought that was necessary.
Many packaged foods are already in a form suitable for carrying in a rucksack. You might throw them in a bag just to keep them together. Canned goods are also generally “good to go” right off the shop shelf.
Some fresh foods, such as fruit, cheese and bread may be better kept in their paper bags. Pack fruit carefully so it does not get smushed.
In the past, I have carried some spices and condiments in 15 ml centrifuge tubes. Essentially, screw-capped plastic test tubes. More often used items were in 50 ml tubes. Curry powder, chilli powder, cayenne, cumin, salt, sugar, powdered garlic, Tabasco sauce, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce can add welcome variety to meals. In hindsight, many of these could have been carried in small Ziplock bags, with the tubes only being used for the liquids.
Snacks, trail-mix and food for that day may be carried in external pouches for easy access. Some of these items end up in jacket pockets if you tend to “graze as you go”
In bear country, you will need a line and net to cache your food and other items..

Water

Water is quite heavy, so ideally rides near the top of your pack, near your back.
Many more modern rucksack designs include a compartment designed to carry a hydration bladder. Those that I am most familiar with are against the back and high up, so are the most efficient position to carry a large volume of water.
I suggest you get the largest hydration bladder that you can afford that is compatible with your pack, so a significant part of your water is carried where its mass is best dealt with.
Another advantage of such a hydration bladder is it lets you drink any time you want, or at least any time while you are wearing your pack.
Hydration bladders designed to attach to the outside of packs should be mounted as close to the top and back as practical. These may be better off carried within the main compartment for protection.
More conventional bottles are best carried in the main compartment, close to the top and the back.
If you do not have a hydration bladder, you will want to carry one bottle where it is readily accessible, such as in your daysack or an external pocket.

Sleeping

I once met a young Dutch backpacker who was rather offended that I was carrying my sleeping bag inside my rucksack.
“You are supposed to strap it to the outside!” he protested.
“But it fits inside! I have plenty of room.” I argued. Just to compound his annoyance, I was camping, so was also carrying a tent, stove, cooking kit and my daysack in my bag, while he was hostelling and had his pack so filled he had to carry his sleeping bag outside.
Admittedly, my Alaskan Packboard is a roomy beast, and I was using tricks such as wearing silk shirts. And my sleeping bag was my little Merlin Softee, which has a packed size about that of a rugby ball, without needing compression straps!
There are several approaches as to how to carry sleeping bags.
Firstly, use the right bag for the season and expected conditions. If you are hostelling in the Mediterranean in summer, you do not need your heavy, bulky extreme Arctic-rated bag!
On other pages I have given advice on what sleeping bags to acquire.
If you have to carry a sleeping bag on the outside of a rucksack, be aware that your bag is not protected against abrasion nor water. The stuff sack or compression sack you use with your sleeping bag is generally lightweight nylon.
Our ancestors knew to roll their blankets in a ground-cloth, tent section or gum blanket for protection. This never seems to occur to many modern travellers.
Don't use your only waterproof item to wrap your sleeping bag or pack! You will have trouble donning it when the heavens open.
It may be prudent to find a sports bag or similar that can fully enclose your sleeping bag. If necessary modify the sports bag with attachment points to keep it more securely attached to your pack.
Inside the sports bag, have a plastic bag big enough to hold the packed sleeping bag. Generally you want your sleeping bag to dry out from any moisture it may have absorbed in use. If the heavens are about to open, or you plan to ford a river, put your sleeping bag in a plastic sack to prevent it getting any wetter.
Where to carry the strapped sleeping bag? Possibly the most common solution is to carry it on the bottom of the pack. This is not so bad when walking, but can get in the way if you try to sit with your pack on.
Top of the pack is generally not so practical. I have seen soldiers try this, then discover they cannot raise their heads to fire when they have gone prone. Even if you keep on your feet, you may feel that your pack seems top-heavy.
A sleeping bag strapped to one side of your pack can get interesting if you try to navigate narrow doors or use crowded public transport. It may also throw off your centre of gravity. I have sprained an ankle carrying too much weight on one side (I had a sports bag instead of a rucksack). Similarly, a bag strapped to the front of the rucksack, projecting behind you, can cause problems, assaulting strangers and demolishing scenery.
As you will have gathered from previous sections, a sleeping bag can be carried in the main compartment of a large pack, and should be placed close to the bottom. You only need to unpack your sleeping bag once a day, and it can be compressed by the mass of other items above.
First time you put a bag in your large pack, it can be a shock! Some bags will appear to take 50 to 75% of the volume. How will you be able to carry all the other stuff you have?
Generally, sleeping bags are an item you do not roll to pack.
Your new sleeping bag probably came nicely rolled up in a stuff sack or compression sack. You can drive yourself mad trying to get it back inside in the same configuration.
The best way to pack a sleeping bag is to insert the foot part into the sack, then grab handfuls and cram them in, pushing them down as far as possible and into any empty space you feel. Takes a fraction of the time and is probably better for your bag.
If you have compression straps, first “foot and cram” as described. The best method I have found is to then sit on the sack and incrementally tighten alternate pairs of straps.
It is worth repeating that for long-term storage, sleeping bags should not be kept in stuff/compression sacks. Mine are loose in large plastic bags to keep the dust off. My down bag is in a roomy cotton sack the manufacturer thoughtfully provided.
One of the problems of a bag in a stuff sack or compression sack is that it is fairly dense and will not compress much more. It may not be the best shape to efficiently use the interior volume of your rucksack.
An alternate approach is to just not use a stuff/compression sack!
“Foot and cram” your bag directly into the bottom of your rucksack. This allows the bag to “flow” into any available space. An interesting variation of this is to use a bivi-bag as the waterproof liner you cram the bag into. A nice example of making one item serve more than one role.
Not using a stuff sack is a relatively new idea to me, so I have not had time to try this “in the field”.
As an experiment, I placed a bivi-bag in the bottom of a British Army large bergen. Into this I crammed my Merlin Softee and a -15°C three/four season bag (A Eurohike “Backpacker Micro III” I have lying around. Amazing what people leave behind and never return for!)
The results were promising. The bergen is still 50% empty, not including the volume enclosed by the snow‑lock. That is impressive for two sleeping bags and a bivi-bag. I expect the bags will compress further once some mass is placed above them.
Unpacking the bags seems quicker than if they were in stuff sacks. More importantly, they may be packed up very quickly, which is useful if you have to vacate the area quickly.
Even if your rucksack does not have a separate sleeping bag compartment, I recommend keeping your sleeping system in its own liner/bivi-bag outside the liner with all the other items.
Kip mats are another sleeping item that is often strapped to the outside of a pack. While bulky, they are less massive than sleeping bags so cause less problems with the balance of your pack.
Items tied to the outsides of packs may not fare well through baggage handling. Wrapping the pack in a dozen or so metres of plastic may only be a partial solution.
Some mats may be folded and will fit inside the main compartment. These may be carried outside the liner, and are usually placed close to the wearer’s back to provide extra cushioning.

Shelter

I was taught that your tent was to be carried inside your main compartment, but outside the waterproof liner. A tent will often be packed up while still wet, so the logic of this approach is clear. Outside the liner, the tent components have a chance to dry‑off while you are in transit.
Most modern tents come in a nice bag, probably fitted with carrying handles. You will want to re-purpose this. Chances are you will never get the contents back in this bag as neatly as they came from the shop.
Separate the tent inner and fly and place them in separate stuff-sacks.
Tent poles are usually carried down the corners of the main compartment, near your back. If your main compartment has a partition, it should have cut-outs at the rear corners to accommodate tent poles. If you are buying a rucksack with a partition, make sure it has this feature.
When packing your poles and tent bags, be careful that you do not damage the waterproof liner(s).
Your bag of tent pegs should be stored with the tent fly, unless you are so unfortunate to have an “inner pitches first” tent!
Tent pegs can be in a plastic bag or a small stuff sack. A clear plastic bag lets you see the contents, but won’t let the pegs dry so readily. Galvanized tent pegs should not corrode, but if you brought them from a budget source, they may not be quite what they claim.
It is a good idea to have an additional bag of spare and special purpose tent pegs. Store these in an outer pocket where they are readily accessible.
If the tent fly or inner got a good soaking, lightly fold it and carry it without its stuff sack, under the pack flap, over the snow‑lock. This will let it air and drain.
If you use a basha or tarp rather than a tent, packing instructions are effectively the same: Inside the bag but outside the liner.
Some individuals have squeezed a basha and associated items into the top pocket of a rucksack. There is not really much room for anything else, and getting it in and out may take several minutes and a black-belt in origami, which is not the best situation if you need to pack-up fast and get somewhere else.
Carrying a basha in the top compartment may increase the rain resistance of the rest of the bag. The same effect may be achieved by carrying the basha or tent fly just beneath the snow‑lock, although this may hinder accessing the main compartment for other items. Carrying your waterproof jacket and trousers at the top of the bag may produce the same protection but be more practical.
Some companies that customize rucksacks offer external poncho/basha pouches. Typically these are high on the front of the rucksack, just below the edge of the lid when it is closed. There are various ways to rig something similar, either as a pouch, or a square of tough material the shelter may be rolled up in. If going for the former, make sure there are drainage holes that let the contents dry.

Miscellaneous/Any Other Business

The above six categories include most of the items that will occupy most of the volume of your large rucksack.
This last category includes a variety of other items, some of which are very important, others less so.

Medical

My EDC includes a number of first aid items. There is a more extensive kit in my large rucksack. An intermediate level kit may be found in my daysack/soft-core pack. I have described the contents of these kits on other pages. Many of the contents of these kits are individually in plastic bags to protect them from water. The larger pouches are within clear, sealable waterproof bags.
Your medical kits should be readily accessible, so an external pocket is preferred. It should also be obvious what it is.
You may have to send someone else to fetch your medical kit. They should be able to find it with simple directions such as “My pack. Top, front pocket. Green pouch with a white cross.”

Washing

Wash kits are another item that I have described in other blog posts. It is convenient to have them in an external pocket so they may be easily accessed when wanted. Some items of a wash kit inevitably get wet, and an external pocket gives them more opportunity to dry. The wash-kit is a large pack item. It would be a rare circumstance when I would want to carry this in my daysack.

Lights

My girlfriend: “Flashlight!”
I rummage through my bag and produce a flashlight.
“How did you know I had a flashlight?” I challenged.
“You have everything!”
A flashlight lives in my daysack, or other readily accessible pocket. I have other sources of illumination on my person. My soft-core pack has a hand-crank flashlight from a pound store. It is 100% waterproof if I keep it in a Ziplock bag.
Some campers carry lanterns. I have had little use for them myself. I am more likely to go to bed than curse the darkness. My only lantern is made from a soda can and a candle.

Maps and Compass

I have a Suunto Clipper compass as part of my EDC. If heading to the wilds, I will have a larger compass either on my belt or in a coat pocket. A mirror sighting compass lives permanently in my German desert parka.
It is not a bad idea to have a spare compass in your daysack or large pack. Pack it so that it is well protected from damage and moisture.
Maps in current use should be carried somewhere accessible, such as the daysack or top pocket of a large pack. Maps not in current use should be bagged against water and may be carried elsewhere where there is room.

Emergency Items

Emergency items such as flares, smoke bombs, space blankets and similar should obviously be in an easily accessible location. Bear in mind that the emergency may begin with you being separated from your large pack.

Repairs and Spares

Your repair kit should be relatively compact. A few buckles, a minimal sewing kit, some bladder patches and some tape. This is described elsewhere.
Despite its low bulk and mass, it is a large pack item. Tucked into the corner of a lid pocket is probably a good location.

Cordage

Various sizes of cordage will prove useful.
It sould be easy to find and access. In addition what I carry on my person, the soft-core pack contains several kinds.

Books and Notepads

I like to keep a journal when travelling, so carry a notepad. Also good for recording anything interesting, or drawing pictures when there is a language barrier.
Not surprisingly, the notepad is in a plastic bag. It lives in the external pocket of my daysack, or an external pocket of my large pack, depending on what I am carrying.
Guidebooks and novels currently in use migrate between the daysack and external pockets of the large pack. Guidebooks for previous areas or areas yet to be visited ride in the main compartment where their mass compresses whatever is beneath.

Electronic Gadgets

I never carried electronic items on my major adventures. Even my beloved iPOD stayed at home. I preferred to experience rather than to photograph and record. I know this approach will be alien and probably incomprehensible to younger readers.
Rationalize the electronic gadgets and accessories you intend to carry in your pack. A couple of USB adaptors will remove the need to carry half a dozen or more different cables. A hand-crank flashlight that also works as a charger and radio is a better choice than a more expensive and heavier power bank.

Miscellaneous Bag

Tucked away in the main compartment of my large rucksack I have often carried a “miscellaneous bag”. This might be an old pencil case or a Ziploc bag. It contained anything I might need in the future, but not at present: My home house keys, travel card to get me home from the airport, money that I could not use in the present country, presents for people at home, and so on.

Other Paperwork

It is amazing how many packing lists never mention toilet roll! This needs to be reasonably accessible and kept dry. My soft-core pack includes a roll in a Ziplock bag with a 100 ml bottle of alcohol hand sanitizer.

Ammunition

If you are armed, a realistic quantity of ammunition should be on your person. Spare ammunition may be carried in your pack. Since ammunition is dense, and may be needed in a hurry, it obviously rides near the top of your pack, and close to the back.

Final Thoughts

If your pack is totally full, you should probably rethink.
You will need some free room for unexpected contingencies. And free space lets you move stuff around when looking for something. You do not want to unpack your pack every time you want something lower down.
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Phillosoph

Never Travel without Your Ear Plugs

Sometimes it is the little details that can make all the difference!
In my travelling kit I have an item I jokingly refer to as my “bedside table”.
My Bedside Table when Travelling
This is a small cloth pouch with a ribbon attached, The pouch holds my glasses when I sleep. The ribbon lets me tie the pouch onto a bedframe or tent pole.
Sewn to the outside are two pockets. The larger holds my travel alarm clock. There is room for the battery, since I take it out when I am not using the clock.
The smaller pocket holds a small plastic container containing a pair of foam ear plugs. Actually, it now contains two pairs since I seem to have acquired another set somewhere during my adventures.
If memory serves correctly, (which I cannot take for granted these days), I brought my first pair in Holland. This is why one of the few Dutch phrases I can recall is “oordoppen” and why the container is labelled “Herrie Stoppers”.
Ear plugs really are the traveller’s friend! They weigh virtually nothing, cost very little but can make all the difference between a great trip and an ordeal.
Someone else in the hostel room snoring? Idiots in the next tent playing loud bland pop music into the night? Screaming baby on the overnight flight? Local dustmen decide the middle of the night is when to collect the bins? All have had me reaching for the container of ear plugs in the pocket of my “bedside table”.
Are ear plugs a “survival item”? Not really, but they can be the difference between being well rested and being tired, irritable and unfocused, which can lead to all sorts of trouble!
I have even been known to use the ear plugs in my own home when a noisy party or the sounds of city life just get too intrusive.
I was watching something on TV recently, and it occurred to me that a protagonist would not have the problems they had if they had a simple set of ear plugs. Always willing to learn from the mistakes of others, I decided to add some ear plugs to my EDC.
I have a small belt pouch I use for money and cards. One compartment holds my Suunto Clipper compass and a small magnifier that I use when the small print on labels proves just too small for my aging eyes. A container of ear plugs would fit easily in the remaining space.
I probably have some more foam ear plugs somewhere around the place. I brought a pack of them for my girlfriend when she was having to make long overnight coach-trips.
Polymer Ear Plugs
For variety, I brought some polymer ear plugs, although admittedly a factor was that these came in a little plastic case well suited to where I intended to carry them.
Actually I got a set of ten pairs for a very reasonable price.
I am sure some time in the future my girlfriend or her son will need some.
A colleague saw me looking at options on ebay, and insisted on bringing me three pairs of foam ear plugs from the ten pairs he had at home. It is not just me that bulk buys on things like this!
There is just room inside the case of the polymer ear plugs to squeeze in a pair of these foam plugs too. Why carry two pairs? The foam may be better than the polymer for some noises. Although the more likely reason is my girlfriend may need a set at the same time that I do.
As with so many things, prices for ear plugs range from very reasonable to incredibly high.
Matador Ear Pluga
The Matador set are at the higher end of reasonable, and come with a nice container that can be fitted to a keyring. My keys probably have enough gadgets already, however, and I got ten sets of polymer ear plugs for less than half the money!
I know from considerable experience that the low cost ear plugs work fine. Price is so low that there really is no reason not to own some. Often they are sold as multiple pairs, and having some spares is no bad thing.
Military or civilian, traveller or stay-at-home, all would be prudent to have a few ear plugs within easy reach. Even if you don’t carry them in your EDC, they should have a place in your travel kit, handbag, bug-out bag or bedside drawer.

 

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Phillosoph

Original 30 Litre Travelling Article

My recent decluttering exercise turned up a number of unexpected bonuses.
One of these is that I found a copy of my original article on hosteling that was mentioned in a previous post.
Below is an OCR scan of the article, with minor proof corrections. I will reproduce it as it was originally written. Some of how I traveled in the years after this was written differed in actual practice.
When packing for some camping and hostelling in Germany, I was annoyed to discover that my capricious rucksack was nearly full, but I was taking virtually nothing. How could this be when I'd planned to travel “Light but Right”? I felt better when I discovered that the weight was only 15 kilos; and much better when I saw what some of my fellow travellers were carrying.
I recall one Canadian girl who carried a full-size pack with a sleeping bag on top, a daypack on her front and another in her hand: and she was just hosteling. Another girl admitted that she once carried 21 kilos in clothes alone.
Many male travelers are just as bad. For these people the following statement is made: You can travel around the world by hostel and only need a 30 litre daysac.
The following intends to explain how.

Bedding

Most hostels in northern Europe provide blankets or quilts, so the only bedding that you need is a sleeping bag liner or sheet bag. I have three tips concerning such items:
• If you are a restless sleeper who often gets tangled up in a bag then cut the bag liner from toe to mid thigh and resew so the bag has separate legs.
• Sewing a different textured cloth around the opening allows you to find the way in even in the dark. It also provides a means of identification. Ladies might consider a piece of lace for this purpose.
• Keep the liner handy near the top of the pack or in a pocket. No one likes the roommate that wakes them up by turning on the hall or bathroom light then pottering around for half an hour getting ready for bed.
In some countries the bedding is not provided or not safe. You'll be sleeping indoors so forget the 5-season Everest-expedition bags.
Usually a 1-2 season bag or a blanket will be sufficient. Blankets can be folded flat in a pack to act as a pad for the back. If the bag or blanket takes up too much room, it can be strapped to the top of the pack in a waterproof bag. This proves useful as a pillow or seat.
Another useful item is a set of pockets that can be tied to a bed frame.
These hold my alarm clock and ear plugs and keep my glasses from getting under foot.

Clothing

Clothing takes up most of the bulk because most people take lots of cotton.
Cotton is fine for hot, dry climates but takes ages to dry and is very cold when wet. It is to be avoided when possible.
All the shirts I now carry are silk. Silk is comfortable in warm weather and warm in cold. It also dries very quickly. Surprisingly, cotton shirts and silk are of a similar price at the moment.
Often I've been drenched in downpours yet remained comfortable and dried within the hour.
It’s also a wonderful feeling (and very practical) to walk in off a hike, straight into the showers and soap down the shirt before removing it.
Strictly speaking you need only three shirts: wash, wear and spare. On most trips I take two long-sleeved and two short-sleeved silk shirts. The latter resemble tee-shirts in that they only open down to the chest. The collars have been removed so they can be worn under a long-sleeved shirt for extra insulation.
It seems inevitable that you will end up with some cotton items. Some people like tee-shirts for sleeping-in and they make good souvenirs.
Trick is to have them as a reserve, not as a main garment.
Polyester tee-shirts can be had that are just as comfortable but much quicker to dry.
For underwear. I carry three pairs of nylon or polyamide swimming shorts. In addition to drying fast, they have another advantage. If I want to change “into” shorts all I have to do is remove my trousers.
For colder climates, merkalon thermal underwear takes up little room and is easily washed and dried.
I've met two different travelers who've carried fourteen pairs of socks! You don’t need more than four pairs.
Ideally these should be wool/synthetic but often I make do with cotton.
The trick is to rinse in very hot water and give them a good wringing out.
The best way to wash socks is to put them on your hands and wash your hands.
Sewing a loop to the top of each sock gives greater security when hanging them up or tying them to something. This allows them to be tied to the outside of your pack to act as pouches.
A few bandannas are useful to carry since they have numerous uses.
Denim jeans are fine for hot, dry weather but once wet they take ages to dry and if you're wearing them you'll be miserable.
Lighter cotton or polycotton trousers will be better, and maybe better still will be the “cotton-feel” synthetics.
It's worth remembering that trousers take a lot of punishment so a very lightweight pair may be a false economy.
If walking off-road, a pair of gaiters or puttees (spare bandannas?) will keep your trousers clean. Better still, wear breeches or shorts.
Carrying something clean to sit on (and using it) will save laundry duty. Another tip is to always place your bag on its base or front when putting it down. This saves soiling your shirt back.
That covers the basic everyday clothing.
To summarize, select garments that are versatile and easily washed and dried, preferably by the cheap method of dunking in a sink and hanging on a line.
A warm garment such as a jumper or fleece is needed for cold days, rest halts or walking around in the evenings.
A lightweight windproof jacket of something fast drying such as nylon will be useful for milder conditions and can be worn over the fleece.
An important garment is some form of waterproof. Wear it only when needed but keep it close to hand. A good place is under the pack flap above the snow lock. Remember these garments also serve as windproofs.
A good way to warm-up is a hat. Hats also keep the sun from your eyes and the rain off your glasses. Choose something that will survive being put-in a pocket, such as a baseball cap and a woolly hat.

Footwear

When carrying a rucksack I always wear boots. They've saved my ankles on both hillsides and cobbled streets. Depending on expected conditions, these will be either canvas hiking boots, leather walking boots or DMs.
The canvas boots are kept clean by my nail brush; the others require a simple cleaning kit. This is simply a brush, tin of polish and an old sock to buff with and keep them in.
You might like to carry another pair of shoes to give your feet a rest in the evenings. I favour espandriles.
I've never carried an iron since most of the creases fall out of T-shirts if hung-up, and silk only retains a few wrinkles that doesn’t look too shabby. Large creases can be removed from silk by smoothing with a damp flannel.

The Wash Kit

The choice of items is personal but I'll list my choices as a guide:
• A screw topped bottle of shampoo: 125ml but seldom fully filled. A 50ml tube proved adequate for most trips.
• A flannel: half of one would do.
• A hand towel: pertex is preferred.
• A bar of soap: used as an antiseptic, laundry agent and for shaving: hence no shaving brush nor foam needed nor carried.
• Razor.
• Deodorant.
• A “fit any hole” sink plug. I actually seldom used this.
• A small nail brush: used dry, this removes mud from clothing and canvas boots. Wetted with a little soap it removes any stubborn marks from clothing.
• A plastic bag of toilet paper: most hostels will provide paper but many of the sights you visit may not, so this in fact rides with your daytime items.

The Emergency Bag

Most of this is taken up by the medical kit which consists of:
• Various plasters in a waterproof film container.
• Painkillers and anti-diarrhoea tablets protected from crushing by cigar tins.
• Sun cream and insect repellent.
• TCP: liquid is better since it doesn’t mark clothes, lasts a long time if diluted to instructions and can be gargled for sore throats.
The sewing kit fits in a waterproof tube and contains a couple of shirt buttons, five safety pins (for zips), three needles including a sallmaker’s that will sew leather and canvas, and a piece of matchstick or straw wound with several metres of “invisible” thread.
Also in this pack is a lighter, small torch, string and a roll of dental floss that has various uses including heavy duty sewing.
The contents of the sewing and medical kit combine to treat blisters.
Hostels that have kitchens usually provide pots but you may need something to provide you with a hot lunch or drink when rambling. All one needs is something to boil up water quickly for tea, soup, noodles or a freeze-dried pack. An alcohol jelly stove or mini-Trangia is ideal.
Also needed for travel off the beaten track is a survival bag, compass and maps.

Female Travelers

Most of this article has a male bias, for good reason. When it comes to female clothing I can’t speak first hand, but have sought some advice.
According to fashion magazines one can go on holiday with just a swimsuit/body, large baggy tee shirt, white shirt, sarong and white chinos.
This is obviously not the whole story but has the right idea by having lots of versatile and mixable separates, preferably in silks or synthetics as already detailed.
A friend maintains she needs a long-dress for hot weather and that viscose is quite comfortable but should be folded rather than rolled.
Another says she would pack a dress suitable for going to concerts (and presumably suitable shoes since not everyone can pull off the look with walking boots).
I'm also told that tights are better than socks since they dry quicker. I'd imagine that stockings are better still since if you hole two legs you still have a pair to wear.
For shoes that don’t look right with socks, there are things called shoe liners.
As for males, swimwear can be used as underwear.

Packing

Knowing what to carry is only half the story. There is also the art of packing.
Most of the smaller packs on the market are designed for climbing and somewhat short on pockets. Pockets can be added on but in practice this may not be needed. A small pack is easier to remove and there is less room for things to go astray.
The front or top pocket of a small pack will hold a guide book, notebook and some sweets and chocolate. There may be room for a waterproof and some socks to change into when travelling overnight.
At the very bottom of the main compartment are bags containing the crushable clothes: underwear and socks.
Above is a padded bag or small box containing the items you don’t want creased such as shirts, trousers and dresses. Padded bags can be made from bubble wrap.
In my kit the shirts and trousers are wrapped around a stuff-sack of “smalls” and then rolled up in a short length of covered foam sheet.
The fleece or jumper is placed in its own unpadded bag so it can be accessed easily when needed.
Denser items are placed on top to compress the softer below. These include spare shoes, polish kit, mini-stove, lunch and a bag of miscellaneous items (things you don’t need now but will need in the future: home front door keys, guide book for the next country, presents, money, phone and travel cards for the country you're returning to, etc).
On top of these items is a bag containing the wash kit, towel, alarm clock, earplugs and sleeping bag liner (wrapped separately to protect it from damp wash items).
Everything needed for bed can therefore be grabbed in one go.
Nearer the top is the emergency bag and a small bag containing the hat, gloves, bandannas and scarf. If the top pocket of the pack is full, this bag can be pinned or sewn to the inside of the sack to prevent it falling to the bottom.
Also near the top of the bag is my All-Weather blanket: used as a ground sheet for picnics and as a waterproof cape.
An external pocket is useful for a water-bottle. If making your own pocket it must be large enough to take a bottle of locally brought water. Bottles are by their nature waterproof so a pocket can be something as simple as nylon mesh.
I also carry a GO Pure Cup that will chlorinate 500 litres of suspect water. The cup is useful for gargling and diluting TCP.
A thermos, if carried, will ride in the main compartment, insulated by the clothing.
Another use for mesh is to make a bag for drying damp items in. Pin this to the edge of the pack flap where it will ride high and is less likely to be soiled if you put your bag down. When it starts raining, you can push it under the pack flap as you reach for your rainproof.
A final note on packing.
The sack is lined with a waterproof bag and as many items as possible wrapped individually and distinctively, which protects from water and makes things easier to locate. Spare plastic bags are also carried.
There should be enough room in your pack for purchases made while travelling.
There are a few other items that I would take, but these are carried on my person.
They include my Swiss Army knife and passport. The latter should never be left in your rucksack!
In summary, the basic strategy is to carry a few low-bulk items that can easily washed, and more importantly are quick to dry. In many countries there are minimum charges at laundries so using them can prove very expensive.
Carrying a smaller pack also makes it easier to use public transport and means your pack will always fit in luggage lockers and racks. It also makes it easier on you should you need to sightsee with your pack on your back, as sometimes occurs.
When you reach your accommodation, the pack can be unpacked of any unneeded items and used as your daypack.

The Ideal Bag?

The ideal pack would be in two parts, the smaller fitting onto the larger.
The larger bag holds the things you carry when moving between accommodation, the smaller the stuff needed when walking around in the day.
The larger bag contains the sleeping bag, bed kit, shoe polish, miscellaneous bag, spare shoes, clothing, underwear, socks and laundry pouch. The capacity can be increased, and the straps covered to prevent damage from luggage carousels.
The smaller bag takes a hat, gloves and scarf in one pocket, a waterproof under the pack flap, a waterbottle in a side pocket, stove, lunch, fleece, emergency kit, and AW blanket in the main compartment and guidebook, novel,notebook, sweets and toilet paper in another.
Acknowledgement. Many thanks to Aileen Fyfe, a first rate traveler who provided invaluable advice and comments. I hope my comments will in turn lighten your load.

Philip West.

 August 1996

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Phillosoph

Sleeping Bags for Hostelling

A few weeks back I got talking about my experiences of youth hostelling when younger.
I didn’t get into hostelling until I was in my early twenties so was often the “old man” of a dorm. That said, I often struck up enjoyable liaisons with some of my fellow travellers. Some of these only lasted a couple of days until our paths parted, others were friendships that remained active for many years.
I was asked to write a little on the blog about my experiences and conclusions. .
One of the first topics I was asked about was sleeping bags for hostelling.

Do you really need a sleeping bag for hostelling, I was asked? My answer would be yes. 
While many hostels provide some bedding there are many that do not. It depends where you are in the world and whether it is an official IYH hostel or not. .
I will note that some of my most memorable experiences have been at “unofficals”, although by no means should you avoid the official places. There have been some fun times in those too. .
Another reason for having your own bedding is that there will be times when you want to travel overnight by train or bus, saving yourself the price of a room for the night.
This is not going to be a generic article on selecting sleeping bags. I will save that for another day if there is interest.

Too Much of a Good Thing?

The most common mistake when buying your first bag is magnum-itis!.
A common mistake when buying a bag is to buy one that is too warm. .
Look around any hostel and you'll see several roommates with legs draped out of too hot five-season expedition bags. I did exactly the same when I brought my first bag (labelled as -15°C). I still have that bag but now reserve it for outdoor use or buildings that I know will be insufficiently heated. .
In truth, I have seldom used it. 
Use your hard saved money for a more practical purchase.
I soon invested in a one/two-season sleeping bag that folds up to the size of a rugby ball without the need for compression straps. My bag of choice was a Snugpak Merlin Softie 3, which I am happy to say are still in production. There are several variants available now. There are lengthened versions for the very tall. A tactical version has a reinforced lower for users that might need to sleep in their boots. (Put sandbags over them first!). 
Looks like the modern versions do have compression straps, probably because users expect them. My original stuff-sack neither had nor needed them.
The latest versions may have higher specs than my bag. According to its label my original bag is a “summer” bag for -5 to +10°C, comfort 0°C.

My Merlin Softie has been all around the world with me and is still good to go. I have used it for both hostelling and camping.
I prefer bags with two-way zips for hostelling and similar travels. They provide better ventilation and are easier to get into in a dark dorm room. 
Some designs can also be zipped together, if your bag has a right hand zip and your loved one's a left.
The compact size allows me to carry a very small pack, with plenty of room for everything else. 
The larger sleeping bags often take up most of your rucksac volume or become large unwieldy lumps lashed to the outside. 
Should conditions be colder than expected, I can always add more insulation in the form of clothing or blankets. Taking insulation out of a heavier bag would not be possible. 
Conceivably I could use my lower performance bag inside another bag.
I suppose if I had my time again I'd buy a one or two season bag and a two or three season and have a really versatile system for all conditions.
I have a lightweight down bag that might work well with the Merlin but I cannot recall any instances where I was cold in the Merlin bag. 
Bear in mind that many of your travels will be to warm places in summer and you will see that such a bag is more than adequate. 
You’ll spend a third of your time on holiday sleeping, so a good bag is a good investment.
Many hostels will provide blankets but expect the guest to provide a sleeping bag liner. A sleeping bag liner is basically a sheet sewn into a bag-shape to keep the bedclothes clean. Some hostels may also have sheets or bags for hire.

For a long time I carried a simple, easily washable cotton sheet bag, both for hostel bedding and to protect my own sleeping bags.
One morning in a German hostel it disappeared from my bed! The maid had mistaken it for one of the hostel’s sheets and sent it on to the laundry. This was my last morning before moving on to Holland, so there was no way my bag would be returned to me in time.
The hostel owner was most embarrassed by this and gave me a set of sheets as a replacement. Once I'd returned home I set about sewing these sheets into a replacement liner, with two modifications:
  • One was to sew the sheets into a mummy shape to match the shape of my sleeping bag.
  • The other was to sew round the opening several pieces of brightly coloured material. This was partially to make my bag instantly recognizable to prevent the same happening again, and also so that I could locate the opening of the bag by touch, saving me from using a light and disturbing my roommates.
Although quite reasonably priced, liners can be very easily made, and there's no reason why they have to be white.
Make them from something you can recognise in an instant and line the neck with something that feels different and identifies it further. Some of you may consider a piece of lace.
I’m still using my homemade liner. Nowadays you can find pile liners to make your bag warmer. There are also silk liners and pertex ones, which have tempted me but I have yet to try.
If you are a restless sleeper who often gets tangled up in their bed clothes, you can make or modify your liner so it has separate legs.
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Phillosoph

Travel Wash Kit

Once, while I was in Saltzberg, an American lad asked me to pass him his daysac. It nearly wrenched my arm from its socket with the unexpected weight.
“This is heavier than my entire kit!” I complained “What have you got in here?”
“Just my gel and moose and shampoo and conditioner and…”
You get the idea!
Choice of wash kit is personal, but I'll describe mine as a guide.
Like many travelers, I used to use a washroll or zippered bag for my wash kit.
The last one I used was quite an ingenious in that it had lots of pockets and compartments, a hook it could be hung up by and a little mirror that attached to a pad of Velcro.
One day it occurred to me just how much unnecessary bulk and weight all those thicknesses of condura contributed.
Now I just use a mesh drawcord bag.
I can hang the bag from the cord, or knot the cord around a pipe if there is nothing to hook it over.

Contents:

        • A screw topped plastic bottle of shampoo. I use a 50 ml plastic screw-topped tube. I’ve taken trips of a month or more and never managed to use up all this shampoo. Older I get, the less hair that needs washing!
        • A flannel, though half of one will do. Always give this a good wringing out before packing away. In actuality I seldom use a flannel, so this is an item that could be omitted. I mainly use mine for scrubbing stains on clothing. My old cotton flannel seems to have survived the decades, but you might like to consider the more recent microfibre face cloths if you are creating your own new kit.
        • A bar of soap. Soap can be used as an antiseptic, laundry agent and for shaving. Hence I have no need to carry a shaving brush nor foam. Many of the soap cases available in the shops are made of too brittle a plastic and therefore are of little use for travelling. Nowadays I keep the bar of soap in a small PU nylon drawcord bag, which is simpler and lighter. Unlike most soap cases, I can hang the bag up in the shower. Making such a bag should be within anyone's sewing skills. The soap bag often ends up outside the mesh bag so the soap can dry.
        • A disposable razor or two, depending on the length of the trip. I have a beard these days but still pack a couple of razors to keep the stubble down on my neck and throat.

  • One of the most useful things I've carried on my travels is a little nail brush, just an inch or so long and brought for a few pence in a supermarket or cosmetics shop. I think my second one was from Body Shop. I don't think I've ever used it for my nails. What it has been used for includes:
    • Brushing dried mud off my canvas and suede summer boots: a lot easier than washing them and scrounging newspaper to pack in them to dry.
    • Using with hand soap to scrub away collar grime or food stains. Laundry is then simply done in a wash basin or shower, for free!
    • Brushing dried mud out of clothes. One of the most popular clubs with travelers in Jerusalem has a floor not unlike a farmyard. Every morning in the hostel my little brush would pass through a score of hands as garments were restored to a more presentable condition. So appreciated was this item that someone stole it from me!
  • A “fit anyhole” sink plug. You often encounter sinks without plugs. This is such a useful item I have had them stolen from me by other travelers. I have seldom used it myself. Shaving and washing under a running tap, and turning the tap off when not needed uses less water and is actually simpler, so I would not replace this if it was lost or perished.

  • A small mirror. The one that came with the wash roll broke, being glass. My current one is made from a piece of polished door finger plate, brought from a hardware store. Acrylic camping mirrors are an alternative. Shop around since price varies considerably for what is essentially the same thing. Add a short length of fishing line or rot-proof cord so you can hang it up or tie it around something. Mine also has a blob of blu tac on the back.
  • A spare comb.
  • A packet of dental floss. I have mainly used this as heavy thread for repairs. If you look at my self-built rucksac you can spot some dental floss repairs!
  • A couple of moist napkins in foil packets. These are used to freshen up when washing is not possible.
These are the contents of my mesh bag. There are a couple of associated items, several of which can be found in the same rucksack pocket.
For a very long trip I might consider taking my electric beard trimmer. This fits in a pencil case with its attachments, cleaning brush and oil.
An associated item I always carry is a mesh pencil case holding a toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant. I found that I tended to need these items at different times to the rest of the wash kit, so it was handier to have them separate in a side pocket of the rucksack.
  • Deodorant/Antiperspirant. I generally use gels or soft sticks. These are a lot less bulky than aerosols and probably last longer.
  • A toothbrush and paste. You can get folding travel models of toothbrush, but I just use a normal one. I intend to replace this with a child-size brush.

Towels

Also with the wash kits is a travel towel.
Travel towels made from Pertex are not only small packing but dry very rapidly. I think I acquired my actual towel on a trip. It seems to be made from something like polyester. Not as fast drying as Pertex, I expect, but still quicker and less bulky than cotton.
There are other options if you cannot get a towel of high-tech modern material . In the article on ninja rokugu, we encountered the tenugui. Towels do not need to be the big fluffy things you use at home. Tenugui are unhemmed, supposedly making them easier to wring out. Thin cloth and frayed edges make it quicker drying. Put another way, anyone with some thin cotton or linen can make themselves a travelling tenugui. You probably have an old shirt, pillowcase or bedsheet you can re-purpose. Wikipedia says a tenugui is 35 by 90 cm, but for a travelling item you can shave a few centimetres of either of these dimensions in interests of packability.
A thin cloth such as a bandanna, tea-towel or shemagh can be used instead.
Whatever your choice of travel towel, add a loop of cord, ribbon or string to your towel and make the loop big enough to pass the towel through or to knot around something. This lets you attach the towel to a rucksac hand-loop or strap to dry in the breeze.
If a low profile is desired, use a neutral or natural coloured cloth.
In addition to these items, my daysac has a toilet roll and hand-sanitizer in a plastic bag.
You can improvise to overcome the loss of several of these items. Soap is mainly a lubricant so a lot of the dirt can be removed with just water and more scrubbing. In the past sand or oils have been used, and certain leaves, grass or straw may make good scrubbers. In cold dry conditions you can wash yourself with handfuls of snow. Snow is very absorbent so can be used to dry you but should not be kept on the skin too long. It is cold so you wouldn't want to do this!
Salt has been used in place of toothpaste but in fact it is the mechanical action of brushing that is more important for cleaning. Using a fingertip is well known but chewing a stick and using the frayed end is more effective.
Some hikers clean their teeth with baking soda or a mix of baking soda and salt. Apparently this does not attract bears like flavoured toothpaste can.
Plug holes can be plugged with blobs of toilet paper.
Splashing around in a river can be great fun but it’s better you carry some water away to wash with. Your soap may be biodegradable but before it degrades it's still contaminating a water supply and many creatures, environment. Better to pour it on the soil where the organisms there can degrade it more usefully.

And That Is a Good Way Too!

An idea I have recently encountered is to carry your wash kit in something such as a plastic sandwich or ice cream box. The mirror may be attached to the inside of the lid (I suggest blu tac).
The advantage of this approach is that the bottom of the box may be used as a water bowl, should you need one.
It also provides a little more protection to your wash kit should it be rattling around in the main compartment rather than in its own side pocket.
A potential problem is that a box may keep your items from drying out, which may be undesirable under certain conditions. If this proves to be the case, consider adding some ventilation holes to the lid.
A cord run through a pair of holes could be used to hang-up the lid and mirror.
Best of both worlds would be to find a box that will hold your mesh bag. If you are travelling very light or expect accommodations that will not need you to provide your own bowl, take just the mesh bag. If living a little rougher, carry your mesh bag in the box.
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Phillosoph

Six Items for Travelling

The publication of my book on Survival Weapons gives me the excuse to diversify a bit more on this blog, as some readers have requested.
Today's post nicely covers the aspects of both survival and marital arts and I hope will be of interest.
It seems odd these days, but once information about ninja was hard to come by. One of the best sources was (and still is) Donn F. Draeger's Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts.
In the discussion of the ninja Draeger mentions the “Six tools of Travelling” or Shinobi-rokugu (p.127). Six items that a ninja would never leave on a mission without.

Draeger’s descriptions of the items were not as clear as one might wish, however. Last night, while researching a quite different topic I was able to clarify a few things. Items 4 to 9 in the illustration below represent Shinobi-rokugu.

Amigasa. Amigash was a broad brimmed straw hat, the Japanese version of what is commonly called a coolie hat.
A hat is obviously good protection from the sun and the rain but for the ninja has the useful property that it can also conceal the face without the attempt being obvious.
A hat such as this can also be used as an improvised buckler to fend off an attack with a knife.
In the movies, such hats are sometimes thrown like frisbees. While this would not do the damage shown in such movies, it would be a useful distraction.
Below is a photo that is reproduced in a couple of my Japanese language books. I originally thought that the arrows shown here were either hand-thrown weapons or darts for a blowgun.
Hand missiles this size made predominately from wood and feather would be rather light, while such large fletchings on a blowpipe dart would be unnecessary and less than efficient. Possibly these arrows were a hybrid for both than throwing and blowgun.
I now see these are actually arrows intended for a bow and what was visible in my books was just the tail section of the arrow. Each extends across the width of the hat, the rest of the shaft in a pocket of some kind so it resembles a supporting rib.
Doubtless other weapons were concealed in the hats. Bo-shuriken could be placed radially like the arrows and this would be a good hiding place of a garrotte/spare bowstring.
The floppy hats favoured by 17th century cavalry such as the English Cavaliers often concealed a metal structure called a “Secret” to protect from blows and it is possible that some amigasa also had a metal cap or framework within.

Kaginawa. A rope with a hook. ninja were known for climbing so it is hardly surprising that this would be an essential item. A length of cordage is always useful anyway.

Tenugui. Draeger calls this a towel, which conjures the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” to mind.
The tenugui is actually made from thin cloth and is better understood as resembling a bandanna of about three foot by one foot size.
Kendo fighters will know the tenugui as a headscarf to be worn under the helmet, but it was originally a multi-purpose item, used as a bandanna in the fields and a handcloth in the home.
It could also be used as a bandage or sling, or as a mask to protect from smoke or conceal the identity. 
Sekihitsu. Draeger just calls this a “stone pencil”, which does not tell us much. In fact this was a portable writing kit ("Yatate"), which was not an uncommon item for feudal Japanese to carry on their person.
Ninja were spies as well as assassins and some means to record information and leave messages was essential to their task.
One of my Japanese language books shows this as something resembling Popeye’s pipe. The “bowl” is in fact an inkwell and the stem contains a brush. There is even a vent cut in the stem to allow the bristles to dry and air. Such kits could be used to conceal various weapons, and even the ink might be poisoned
Even standard yatate were sturdy enough to be passable clubbing weapons. Underneath this item in the photo is what looks like pieces of pointed chalk. This may be either chalk or a slate pencil. Both would be useful and this may explain Draeger’s use of the term “stone pencil”.
Kusuri. Medicines. Ninja are known to have produced special pills intended to staving off the effects of thirst or hunger. Various salves, ointments and insect repellents might also have been carried.
Doubtless the ninja also carried a few poisons and hid them in plain sight within their medicine kit.
Carrying a few medicines on your person was by no means unusual in feudal Japan.
Shown in the photo is a typical Japanese medical kit (“inro”) which is rather neat. It has a number of small trays which act as compartments moving up and down the cords. The whole thing can be pulled together and hung from a belt. Quite practical and worth copying.

Uchitake. Draeger describes this as a short bamboo pole.
In Eric Van Lustbader’s novel “The Miko”, the uchitake isdescribed as a long bamboo pole that can be used as a walking staff. The other five Shinobi-rokugu items are packed into the pole, which can doubtless also be used as a fighting staff.
The sixth item of the rokugu is in fact a short tube of bamboo filled with gunpowder and is mainly intended for firelighting. Since the Shinobi-rokugu is intended as a basic survival kit some means of making fire would be needed and this makes much more sense.
Below is an illustration found in several of my books, but since I do not read Japanese I am little the wiser. The C-shaped item is obviously a striking steel but how the other items are used exactly I am unsure. The tube it is attached to resembles a flute, but has holes evenly spaced around it. Obviously this cannot be a container for gunpowder.
The lower item is apparently a charcoal/ char-cloth body warmer or donohi which could provide a ready source of ignition for lighting fuses, arson etc. Possibly the flute-like tube is the central part of the donohi around which the char-cloth is wrapped. This could be blown down to produce more heat when needed. A perforated tube could alternately be used to transport a lit slow-match.
How to make a Donohi

Some of you may note something is conspicuous by its absence. There is no mention of a knife. It may have been considered redundant to tell a ninja to bring a knife. In feudal societies, most people carried a knife as a matter of routine, using it for all manner of everyday tasks.

Shinobi-rokugu in the Modern Day

A few months back I brought a new daysac. Once I had it I began to add a few useful things to it, and now that I think about it my choices did parallel the Shinobi-rokugu.

  • One of the first things I added was a hat. In fact I added two. One is my much traveled broad-brimmed boonie hat. The second is a lightweight synthetic headover that can serve as a cold weather hat, neck warmer and so forth.
  • I’ve not added a rope and grappling hook, but I did add a ball of string to provide useful cordage. Perhaps I should add a hank of paracord too.
  • I put a bandanna in the bag too, and usually carry one in my pocket, so that is my Tenugui equivalent.
  • Not yet added, but when travelling my daysac usually carries a notepad and spare pen in a plastic bag. Perhaps I should consider some chalk.
  • Medicines. I will be adding a few aspirin, plasters and dicholorfenic. When I travel with this bag a bottle of insect repellent and sunscreen will doubtless be added.
  • My fire kit is a spare disposable lighter and a couple of nightlight candles. The latter can be used to get a fire going and can also be used for illumination.
For completeness, other items added to the daysac included an All-Weather Blanket, “pak-a-mac”, lever-powered torch, pair of woollen gloves and my Platypus Water Bottle.