[Cause]

I think being a white person in Japan is going to give the game away. Also Im sure its not a utopia but I am led to believe that crime is almost non existent but I think I will do some more checking on that.

Still a proper travel bag may be a good investment anyway.

[Abyss]

Cause, on 03 April 2018 - 04:06 PM, said:

I think being a white person in Japan is going to give the game away. Also Im sure its not a utopia but I am led to believe that crime is almost non existent but I think I will do some more checking on that.

Still a proper travel bag may be a good investment anyway.

Ok, screams 'hopeless naive best theft target you've seen all day tourist as opposed to those other tourists with cooler bags who can non-violently take would-be thieves down and hold them for local authorities' then.

[QuickTidal]

Cause, on 03 April 2018 - 04:06 PM, said:

I think being a white person in Japan is going to give the game away. Also Im sure its not a utopia but I am led to believe that crime is almost non existent but I think I will do some more checking on that.

Still a proper travel bag may be a good investment anyway.

Oh! If it's Japan, you're fine. You don't need to worry about theft for the most part (Crime is existent, but it is not remotely the same danger it is in other places). But yeah, getting a good bag for future is always a good idea, and a daybag/daypack is a solid investment.

And you can mostly find snacks everywhere. Even the most remote campsites have oft-serviced vending machines. So you don't need to worry as much about "bringing snacks".

The advice I'll give you for Japan is the two bits of advice my Japanese great-aunt shared with me before her death. Get used to the rush hour crush of people in all places, transit, streets, and sidewalks. It just IS. And if you are going in the summer/mid-summer, ACCEPT the humidity. It is nigh 100% inescapable, and invest in/keep in your daypack multipleJapanese COOL WIPES. These are little packages of wipes that cool and deodorize you, and I've had it on good authority from many friends who have lived in Japan that this is the easiest and cheapest way to get a bit of relief from the sometimes oppressive humidity of Japanese summers. Try them out, and find the one that works best for you.

And enjoy!

[Abyss]

And bring me back as many bottles of Japanese whisky as you can carry. Empty your bags if necessary.

[Morgoth]

Abyss, on 03 April 2018 - 05:07 PM, said:

And bring me back as many bottles of Japanese whisky as you can carry. Empty your bags if necessary.

I had a much harder time getting Japanese whisky in Japan than I did at Heathrow, or any other European airport for that matter. Even the major whisky store in Tokyo had only three bottles of Japanese whisky, just the standard Nikka variants.

We did stumble upon a small basement pub that sold local whisky, but it was the only place out of god knows how many bars we frequented during that trip.

[Abyss]

Yah, it seems to depend on where you are, when you're there, and how hard you look.

Lately some new/good stuff (Mars, Hibiki) has been coming to Canada so i keep an eye out and get there before the 20 bottles evaporate. But there are always a few i never see here, even relatively low end like the Nikka Barrel or Coffey grain no-age blends.


Bottom line tho is if you're travelling long enough not to get tagged with import duty, the Japanese whisky is still cheaper in Japan and you're more likely to find something not available at the airport.

...also, nothing wrong with the Nikka, and their older blends are glorious.

[Cause]

This metrosafe ls250 bag is growing on me, enough for a water bottle, passport, wallet, my ipad (which I want to bring for entertainments and to document my trip) but still small enough for the plane and everyday carry.

I'm not sure if its enough, for the day to day exploring yes. But I may still need a bigger 35-30 litre backpack. I think its always a good idea to take a day of clothes carry on etc. Any suggestions welcome

[amphibian]

Do you travel for day trips or multi day trips in your home country often? If so, sticking to what works for you then with any weather based adjustments is probably the best idea.

[QuickTidal]

Cause, on 04 April 2018 - 03:09 PM, said:

This metrosafe ls250 bag is growing on me, enough for a water bottle, passport, wallet, my ipad (which I want to bring for entertainments and to document my trip) but still small enough for the plane and everyday carry.

I'm not sure if its enough, for the day to day exploring yes. But I may still need a bigger 35-30 litre backpack. I think its always a good idea to take a day of clothes carry on etc. Any suggestions welcome

As I noted, that is the bag that both my wife and I bought (about 4 years ago, both still going strong), and she loves her so much she decided to make it her everyday purse. The side bottle pockets expand or clip closed depending on your need of them (which is nice as it doesn't need to stick out with no bottle in it). It fits the things you've noted well, and will keep all your stuff safe to boot.

But yes, if you might need more space then a daypack might be more your speed in general.

For around 30L-40L backpacks, I'd recommend the following (all of which I've used and or do use and recommend):

This is the North Face Surge, it's 33L and is my day to day pack for travelling to work and back...handles extra clothes, devices (has a soft pocket for your kindle OR IPad) and even has a top soft pocket for sunglasses (so they don't rattle around and get scratched). I LOVE it. It's probably my fave of the backpacks I've bought over the years (I buy a lot of them, I have a problem...lol) as it's durable, with great strong zips and zippers with hidden lines or pull over flap lines. It's not as small as a daypack, but it's not overtly large either. And for a 33L pack that's impressive. It's comfortable, and has lasted me without any visible wear and tear.

The daypack is the Borealis, and it pretty much features the same things as the Surge (soft pockets, ect.) but is smaller. I went for the Surge over the Borealis because I wanted to make sure I could fit enough in it if I needed the extra space. You may not need those extra litres. Up to you. Both are great packs, and North Face is amazing at this game.

Patagonia makes the Refugio, and it comes in a few sizes, all very daypack-ish. This 28L is the one I have, and it was great as well. It's not AS filled with bells and whistles as the NF packs...no soft pockets (I LOVE those soft pockets), but everything else lines up well. They are mostly durable, well made and hold up decently well overall. I have two minor complaints about the Patagonia packs. 1. The colours are very nice...but they fade FAST. I've had my North Face for 3 years now and it's still as bright and awesome as the day I bought it....but my Patagonia Refugio began to fade after 6-8 months. The other negative tick is that the zips are just fine....but the toggles are not well built and snapped or came off with time and wear and tear. This just means that I grab the zipper proper to open it...but not having the toggles for ease of use anymore bothered me. So both issues are minor mostly aesthetic ones, but I'm a nitpicker. Still, a solid daypack by a trusted name. And it's cheaper than the North Face packs if the prices are freaking you out.

Osprey makes the Daylite packs as it's Daypack offerings but they are small (only 13L) so I won't recommend them specifically, but you can go have a look. The one I have and used is the Comet and it's 30L. It's funny, this is one of the brand people brag about as being the dogs bollocks...and while it's very good...it's not a scratch to me on the NF packs really for the price, and frankly at only about $20-30 cheaper, you're better off with North face or the Patagonia if you are choosing from all choices. But this is still a fine pack for the money and does the job it's supposed too. It's just that Osprey aren't about any extra bells and whistles, just straightforward getting the job done. It DOES have great toggles though (big loopy, easy to grab ones), and the zips especially are better than most other brands for durability and weather prevention.

Oh, and while we are on the subject of bags but not backpacks....and apropos of nothing...for carry-on/luggage I have (and have bought for 4 other people so far who have requested it after seeing mine) the North Face Base Camp Duffel (comes in different sizes). Literally designed to withstand being at base camp on Everest...it is the finest, most durable piece of travel luggage I own. I NEVER travel anywhere without it. It's like storing/pakcing your stuff inside a brightly coloured, impenetrable brick.

Anyways, hope some of that helps you.

Best advice I can give is not to skimp price-wise on a pack. You can get a pack for $40-50 that might last you for a trip or two...but if you spend $100-120 you will get a pack that can last you for a decade or more that will keep your stuff in order, and safe.

~This message has been brought to you by a backpack-aholic.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 04 April 2018 - 04:14 PM

[Macros]

Jesus.

That's an awful lot of thought put into a purchase.

I generally, see, click, get delivered, then judge my purchase a failure.

[QuickTidal]

Macros, on 04 April 2018 - 04:09 PM, said:

Jesus.

That's an awful lot of thought put into a purchase.

I generally, see, click, get delivered, then judge my purchase a failure.

LOL

My dad is responsible for this. His OCD (and by offshoot my OCD) taught me to research the shit out of EVERYTHING. It can be terribly exhausting, and my wife hates it when I'm the one who has to pick/buy a household item because it takes me a long time to do it.

TL;DR: I overdo everything.

[Abyss]

Which one will allow him to securely bring back the most bottles of whisky for me?

[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 04 April 2018 - 05:42 PM, said:

Which one will allow him to securely bring back the most bottles of whisky for me?

Surge.

[amphibian]

I travel with a 35ish liter backpack. It is a North Face, but of a kind I think is not made anymore. I bought it ten years ago to carry my laptop and books around for law school and now it's aged well into a two day three day pack.

What I find is having a very tiny bag for putting jacket/charger cord/book/water bottle is handy for the actual day to day stuff. Mostly I use a shapeless stuff sack for this and it's helped us during things like museum trips or hanging out in city places that can be hot and cold. It's big enough to fit two rain jackets or a couple towels, a couple small things, fits into a jacket pocket, and weighs almost nothing.

That stuff sack with shoulder cords then goes into the backpack I first mentioned when we want to move rooms. Both are able to be carry-on and fit under seats.

It might be good to mix that with a luggage for the overflow clothes and to hold the gifts you'll bring back (whiskey actually being a great idea bc Japan's whiskey is often incredible).

You're not going camping or going to dangerous territory, so you don't need a huge backpack or fancy stuff keeper. But if it makes you happy, go for it.

I tend to travel a bit more like Ford Prefect, although I always bring a jacket in case of rain, my jackets always hearing aid batteries, and I like carrying water plus a book.

[Mezla PigDog]

This is a large amount of bag discussion. I am both amazed and appalled. Being a woman I carry a bag with me every day containing stuff for many eventualities.

[Mentalist]

Contrary to everyone here, I carry a backpack everywhere.

I have a SwissGear (not sure what model) that was big enough to fit a 17-inch laptop in it (I actually squeezed my 19-incher in it for years, but it was designed to carry a 17-inch one). So it's big.

I use it for any travel (but I've been carrying an oversized backpack with allMy books home everyday since Grade 1, so I don't do back complaints), as well as camping/beach/any other type of trips. Only reason I don't currently use it for work is because on of the zippers is busted and I can't find the time to bring it in to get fixed.

I've been to Europe with it multiple times, carrying it everywhere (I also generally have a map or a guidebook, so it's blatantly obvious I'm probably not local), but that didn't cause any issues with thieves/pickpockets. So YMMV

[Cause]

The bag I was going to buy suddenly went out of stock!

[Itwæs Nom]

München!

I'm driving there to a concert tommorow and will have a free afternoon and evening (concert starts at 11) and possibly the following morning to look around the city for a bit. I'll leave my car in one of the P&Rs and will probably proceed on foot from there. I'm sleeping in the car - hopefully the P&R won't have any problems with that - and I'm not yet exactly sure how will I get back after the show but I can always walk. I've heard enough about the conservatism of Bavaria to not risk taking/getting any weed there so that is settled. Sooo I'm looking for reccos of interesting places that are either free or cheap, and any tips regarding getting around the city and all that stuff

Regarding Backpacks, I've been carrying my Dakine Detail(27l) around basically daily pretty much everywhere I go(school, many trips to nature, on bike and motorbike, concerts, parties etc) for the past year and a half and it's still almost as good as new and it's the most comfortable backpack I've had(obviously never had any of the high end ones)

[Macros]

ok. I've been home for a week now, but have been hella busy

so

China.

For future travellers here's a quick list of thing to get and avoid etc. *NOTE this is only for Beijing and Shanghai, I intend on hitting western China later this year or next year*

- DO NOT TOURIST ON LABOUR DAY WEEKEND
- If you suffer from allergies at all even in a minor way bring some anti histamines with you, the pollution is nowhere near as bad as it used to be, but some days you will find it
- Before you leave download a VPN onto your phone, I used ExpressVPN, it costs like $10 for a month. there are free ones as well, but bear in mind that if it craps out on you or max out on a data limit when you're there, you wont be able to get onto your gplay store to download a different one! (can't speak for apple store)
- Download the App OFO and/or MoBike. This lets you use the bikes parked all over the cities (more so in Shanghai than Beijing) and they are so cheap (like $0.10 for few hours of cycling) *note for when picking bikes, take a few seconds to check brakes and the like before unlocking, also check that the seat adjuster actually locks properly, most of you will have to jack the seat way up * *DOWNLOAD THIS BEFORE YOU GO you will need to receive a text to activate
- Google CTRIP ENGLISH and bookmark it on your phone, it is so handy for booking trains
- Roaming charges are (for UK networks anyway) fucking horrific in China, so do yourself a favour and get a Chinese sim card, there's some great deals with China mobile for internet only cards (like 11G for $20). NOW. if you are confident you can get to your first accom from the airport without google maps, do not buy a sim card at the airport, you will get twice as much data for half the price in the city.
- Good, comfortable walking shoes, if you're touristing Beijing you will need them. if you're one of those weirdos that wears sandals everyday on holidays make sure they're industrial walking grade
- couple of small packets of tissues in your backpack, or a roll of loo roll with the cardboard tube out, plenty of places have the old hole in the ground toilet going on.
- Get on the stairmaster 3000, the summer Palace and Great wall are sore on the calves
- Beijing - Stay in Quanmen its bang central of imperial Beijing and a lot of the stuff you will want to see is walk-able (if Hosteling HIGHLY recommend 365 Inn) and its beside 2 of the main Subway lines
- Google Maps are your friend, and will (if you want) save you buying tourist maps for every attraction
- Download the subway maps
- In my opinion, this is not a place to take young kids with you on holiday, push chair pram buggy thing friendly most of Beijing is not. And you will be doing a lot of walking if you want to see everything
- The Wall (from Beijing). there are 3 sections that are set up for easy visiting. Jinshangling, Badaling and Mutianyu will have daily bus tours etc going. But there are plenty of other stretches that are easily enough reachable. Mutianyu is the one that is jammed with people everyday, but is only an hour out of the city. Badaling is not as busy but can be at certain times (DO NOT TOURIST BEIJING ON LABOUR DAY WEEKEND). I went to Jinshangling, which is 3.5 hours north, and involves hiking a solid 3.5/4 miles of wall. it is tight going and only go for it if you are sure you can fit for it, as you get dropped off at one end and lifted at the other, with a time limit, they will leave without you.

things you should know :
- they have different values in different countries, what you perceive as rude is generally not, its just different cultural mores. For example queuing, if there is a gap someone will push into it and move up the line, don't bother getting irate about it because no one else will be and you'll look like an asshole.
- Tipping, is generally not a done thing in China
- personal space, is a lot smaller in China, you will be jostled and bumped, there's no point getting annoyed about it, no one else will be and you'll look like an asshole
- Not so much in Shanghai but in Beijing anyway, westerners are still a curiosity. People will stare and rubber neck as they walk by. People will try and take photos of you, some more subtly than others, and some kids will just point. You can rail against this and scowl, give them the finger when they take a picture, basically look like an asshole, or you can embrace it and wave. If you catch them trying to take a sneaky photo offer to pose with them, its great craic. I think Beijing is worse than Shanghai because a lot of people in Beijing (in central anyway) are also tourists and are probably in from the west of china and so have even less exposure to westerners (DO NOT TOURIST BEIJING ON LABOUR DAY WEEKEND)
- Shanghai - if you want to go clubbing, do a bit of googling a lot of the big clubs will do deals if you enter at a certain time you get in for free and can drink the house drink (usually a vodka/mixer) all night for free

[Macros]

just found my little Moleskine travel book/ journally type thing.
given that I will probably lose it next trip (just booked Barca/Madrid for september anyway) and my handwriting would baffle even the most accomplished of cryptographers, I've decided to type it up for myself for posterity. I may or may not post my ramblings (and by god do I ramble at times) here when done