Gap Adventures Top 5: Jeff’s Packing Tips

Gap Adventures Top 5: Jeff’s Packing Tips

Posted on 15. Dec, 2009 by Digital Socializer in From the Field

The holiday season has arrived and travel is starting to ramp up so we thought we’d give you a few pointers on how to best prepare for your next adventure this season. Our own Mr. Duford answered the call when we asked for a Top 5 “packing tips” list, read on to find out what useful tips Jeff has in store!

What should I bring on my tour? Everyone is confronted with this dilemma to some degree before they hit the road. Of course it still holds true that less is better but there are important items you won’t want to leave home without!

#1 A Digital Camera – A great ice-breaker if you don’t speak the language. Get instant results and you can email photos to the people you meet along the way!

#2 Extra shoelaces - In case you blow out a hiking-boot lace on the Inca Trail, or anywhere else for that matter! Handy to have in case any buckles break or snap on your backpack too.

#3 Silica packages - (Yes, those moisture absorbing things that come in the box with your new shoes!) These take up no space and can prove to be life savers, or at least camera savers. Moisture got inside your camera? Put your camera in a zip-lock bag with a few silica packages overnight and voila, your camera works again!

#4 Zip-lock bags – See #3. Or use them to store toiletries, souvenirs, dirty laundry…whatever!

#5 Extra passport photos - Making a detour through another country and need a visa? You’ll never know when these can come in handy.

8 Responses to “Gap Adventures Top 5: Jeff’s Packing Tips”

  1. Mei

    15. Dec, 2009

    Awesome tips Jeff, I love the zip-lock bags (for liquids and toiletries) but never thought of the silica packages… thanks

  2. Daniel

    16. Dec, 2009

    In the same vein as tip #1 — bring props! A number of years ago, we spent a month backpacking though China, and found that the easiest way to break the ice with locals was to pull out a picture of our family—ours was a shot of our parents on the front lawn of our home. It was a great tool—and we’re glad that we had the foresight to have it laminated before we left as it was passed around a lot (usually at dinner time). It served us well beyond China, too—it’s not difficult to learn the words for mother, father, brother and sister in any language. Indeed, family serves as a common interest regardless of where you find yourself. Moreover, the picture had a very humanizing effect—transforming us from a ‘tourist’ to a ‘neighbour’ in a matter of minutes.

  3. Julia

    16. Dec, 2009

    Also, hair elastics! For one thing, I’ve found that a great way to keep wrinkles out of my clothes, is to roll them up instead of folding them, and put a hair elastic around them to keep them rolled up. It can also help save space to roll up several items together. It really helps me find the clothes I want – if I want a t-shirt, just unroll my t-shirt bundle.

    There are always other uses that come up for hair elastics, too, such as – cut one, and you have a makeshift shoelace, etc.

  4. Michelle

    17. Dec, 2009

    #3 & #4 are great! My GAP roommate brought extra ziplocs and they proved handy in sorting out dirty and clean laundry or I used them to compartmentalize other luggage items. I also love packing cubes for organizing my clothes. You can save a lot of space with those cubes and pack up in a jiffy!

  5. Michelle

    17. Dec, 2009

    I definitely agree with #3! My ipod fell into a river in eastern Laos 3 years ago and completely stopped working. Thanks to a silica packet and a ziplock bag, I still have the same ipod (and it works just fine!).

  6. Sharon Daly

    17. Dec, 2009

    Great tips! Wish I had known about the Silica packages, a year ago, when My Olympus Waterproof to 33′ camera leaked. Apparently, you have to have the seals changed every year. Wish i had known that, as well.

  7. Hackpacking: Hacks for travellers | Two Go Round-The-World

    26. Jan, 2010

    [...] Silica packages. Jeff Duford from Gap Adventures suggests saving silica gel packs (you know, those packs usually bearing warnings for the user not to eat the contents). He writes: “These take up no space and can prove to be life savers, or at least camera savers. Moisture got inside your camera? Put your camera in a zip-lock bag with a few silica packages overnight and voila, your camera works again!” Check out Jeff’s hack here. [...]

  8. Freddy S

    05. Mar, 2010

    Stupid question – where can one BUY silica gel packs? I have traveled for nearly 40 years and never heard of taking them. But what a great idea. Now, since I am not planning to buy another few cameras or shoes (shoes I buy here in China don’t have silica gel packs), I need to locate just the packs.

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