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Our Top Ten Must-Have Gear for Travel


Jenni and I don’t have any of our wedding plans set yet, treatment but there is one thing we both agree on: we’re registering at REI. We’re both gear geeks who believe that less is more, viagra order especially when traveling. That being said, viagra sale we do have ten absolutes for our backpack that we wouldn’t travel without for a long term trip. You can check out our full packing list with a video here.

*** Disclosure: We don’t receive any endorsements for these companies (though we wish we did), so you can trust that we just really love this stuff ***

10) Quick-dry Everything: As you can probably tell from our photos, we’ve chosen practicality over fashion. A friend who works for Brooks mailed us quick-dry t-shirts that we wear all the time. We also have quick-dry shorts and underwear (highly recommend these ones from Ex Officio). One of the biggest mistakes I made was to pack cotton t-shirts. They get moldy in humid weather, and when you sweat they stink like nobody’s business.  


9) Keens footwear: When Jenni and I first started dating, I had a beat-up pair of Keens sandals in my closet that she made me donate to Goodwill. Always more fashion-forward than me, she convinced me that I should never be one of those Keens-wearing lesbians. Now, I cannot take Jenni’s Keens off her feet. The ideal footwear for long walking in humid weather, we may not be winning any awards for fashion but our feet sure are happy.

8) Canon G12 Camera: We bought this camera because it is the best point-and-shoot on the market today and it takes HD video. Best yet, we can travel with it in our pocket or small purse without drawing a lot of attention. We also have the Nikon D5100 DSLR for our documentary work, but the G12 is best when you don’t want to be caught with a huge theive-attracting camera dangling around your neck.

7) Laundry line: One of the annoying things we’ve had to adjust to with long-term travel is hand-washing our own laundry. And given our small inventory of clothing, we’re washing something everyday. Best laundry lines are the ones made out of braided elastic that don’t require you to use clothespins. Our favorite was a gift from my sister: The REI laundry line

6) Silk Sleeping Liner: This thin sleeping bag of silk which rolls up into the size of my fist allows you to bring your own sheets anywhere in the world. This is a must when staying in backpackers hostels. Plus using the silk liners help us feel a sense of consistency in our bedding which is a nice thing when you’re moving around so often. The only thing is that these liners aren’t exactly good for “romantic” time since each person is in her own sack…

5) Laptops: Yes, they can be a pain to lug around. And yes, there’s aways concern about getting them stolen. But honestly, I cannot imagine traveling without our Macbook laptops. While there are many internet cafes available, the computers are seriously two decades old with AOL-era dial-up internet. With your own laptop you can use wifi (often free in hotels and restaurants) or buy a modem to hook into 3G (which I am currently doing from the beach in Mombasa, Kenya). Plus, when you need a break from travel, you can turn your laptop into an entertainment center and watch movies and TV shows to stay sane.


4) Kindle: Nothing wows other tourists more than our Kindle e-book readers. It’s not always easy finding a good selection of english books when abroad (and when you do, the prices are pretty jacked up). With the Kindle, we can reference our Lonely Planet guides, catch up on news with the latest issue of Times, relax with our novels – all from a device that fits into my travel pouch. Best thing is that the batteries last forever which is very important when you’re trekking in the Himalayas for weeks at a time.

3) Portable Audio Speaker: Another one of our devices that attracts attention is our little pink Music Angel speaker (a $20 find in a Taiwanese electronics superstore and also available on eBay). We’ve stayed in some bare bones hostels where the owner’s idea of ambience is taping a plastic flower to the wall. One way to feel better about crappy lodging situations is to play music. Plus, the speaker drowns out the sounds of traffic, annoying neighbors, and any insects buzzing around in the room that we try hard to ignore.

2) A Head Lamp: Never ever leave home without one. In developing countries, you never know when the electricity might cut out. They’re a must when we are walking home at night through poorly lit streets. In addition, they are an ideal reading light when one partner dozes off early.

1) A Scarf: The best multipurpose apparel, scarves are great for staying warm on flights and trains and buildings where the A/C is on full blast. They’re also easy to take on and off depending on the weather while trekking. Scarves are good protection against foul smells, polluted air, and hot afternoon sun. Plus, we’d like to think they add a bit of flair to our otherwise dowdy travel outfits. Our most creative use of a scarf – when we were stuck overnight in Agra without our luggage, we wrapped our scarves around our legs and turned them into pajama bottoms.

 

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3 Responses

  1. Love this! You know, I had Keens once, and I think I still own a pair of Birkenstocks. You can take the transsexual out of the lesbian, but you can’t take the lesbian out of the transsexual… that didn’t really make sense, but I’m sure you get the gist.

    Keep going Rainbow Sisters to infinity and beyond! xoxoxox StormMiguel

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