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Published: February 11th 2009
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I've added my route back to Siem Reap for the sake of completeness, but it was yesterday, not today.
Today I met with representatives from Angkor Hospital for Children and Threads. Since I'll be wrapping up my Siem Reap visits tomorrow with Green Gecko, I'll wait to describe them.
In this entry you'll see photos of some of my travel gear. I'd like to evaluate it for you because I think it will be useful, and because as I've aged, my unhealthy obsession with office supplies has generalized to include luggage and travel tools.
The three products I'll describe are all from
PacSafe. The link is to the REI site because their prices are usually comparable and you can have items shipped free to the store for you to pick up.
1.
The shoulder-bag. This purse is a pretty useful size. It will hold a couple of books or a micro-laptop and a camera, phone, pocket knife, and a small roll of toilet paper. The exterior is durable and cleans up well even after, say, hiking in a swamp. The bag has several reinforced panels that are slash- and tamper-resistant and a wire-reinforced shoulder strap. The strap has
PacSafe shoulder bag clasp
More secure zipper closure two other nice features: A clasp that makes it harder for someone to ease open the zipper, and a detachable side so you can run the strap around a chair arm or a heavier piece of luggage to make kit more difficult to snatch. The strap length is adjustable. Mine is black but I admire the red.
2.
The waist pack. I've never liked the typical hidden money pack. The stretchy nylon waistband seems easy to cut and the buckle opens very easily with a little pressure. I've also had a few that weren't big enough for an airline ticket. This one is big enough, has a wire-reinforced non-stretchy belt that adjusts with a slide, a recessed buckle that's easy to operate but protected, and a Velcro tab that holds the zippers closed. All waist packs are warm, but this is no worse than others. It's a little stiff, but this helps keep your documents and money from crumpling. Ive found it very easy to shift from inside my waistband to outside when I've needed to, without having it unclasp and fall off and without giving offense by having to fumble around in my pants.
3.
The mesh cover. I think mine
PacSafe waist pack
Non-elastic waistband, more secure closure is actually a small. This is a slash-resistant wire mesh bag that fits over your backpack so it can't be cut open, and locks to a stationary or larger object, so it can't easily be taken. I add a lock on the bag itself, since otherwise a person still can extract smaller items, but having one of these effectively turns your backpack into a security box. I was very happy for this in Thailand, where my room "security box" was a wooden drawer in the wardrobe that locked with an easy-to-duplicate key. Instead, I locked my electronics in the backpack, locked the mesh over it, and locked the cable to my suitcase, which was cabled to the wardrobe hanger bar. Yes, an industrious person could have unscrewed the bar, but still would have had to schlepp a backpack locked to a suitcase away, so I assume that my set-up has the power to dissuade casual theft. The mesh is also good for locking your backpack to the luggage rack on a bus or train if you'd like to take a nap.
Please note in the photo my now very dusty leather
Tevas, which are holding up very well.
I said I was obsessed, right?
This is too heavy and perhaps not roomy enough, but I yearn for it nonetheless.
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