Things We Carry Archives - Coconut Compass

June 22, 2015 by Eeva Routio 2 Comments

Osprey Sojourn Review – Our Trusty Luggage!

His packing list. Photo: Eeva Routio — Steve’s ‘family of bags’. The Osprey in the background. Photo: Eeva Routio.

Osprey Sojourn 80L/28″ Wheeled Convertible Luggage

Choosing the right type of luggage for a long trip is quite an art form. You need to think about the size, type, weight and features of the bag. And the cost too – good luggage is not cheap. But investing in a good travel bag is SO important. You don’t want to be that traveler dragging your luggage – complete with sparks and accompanying sound effects – with a missing wheel through the airport. Or the one trying to carry a backpack with a broken strap. What you do want is a bag that’s durable, easy to maneuver around and light – qualities generally not found in cheap bags. Your luggage also needs to fit the type of trip you’re planning to undertake.

We were initially thinking about getting backpacks for our 15-month trip. But since we knew we had to pack quite a decent amount of stuff (see my Tips for Packing: How and What to Pack for Long-term Travel post for all the stuff I have in my bag!) we started leaning towards wheeled luggage as the idea of carrying around heavy backpacks wasn’t that appealing. We did a fair bit of research online, and Osprey seemed to be one of the brands that kept popping up in many travel blogs. We then discovered their wheeled convertible luggage and were intrigued – a wheeled luggage that could be converted into a backpack, as needed? It seemed perfect for us and after seeing the bag ‘in person’ we went ahead and got two identical Osprey Sojourn 80L/28″ bags (in hindsight we probably could have gone for different colors…).

Osprey Sojourn Review

This trip has so far taken us to cities, beaches, jungles, mountains and pretty much everything in between, on all sorts of terrain. There’s been lots of unpacking and repacking throughout the trip, as well as plenty of wheeling around the luggage. But the one thing we actually have not used is the backpack conversion… There have been a couple of times when we were thinking about whipping out the backpack straps, however messing around with your bag in the middle of a street in Paris just [Read more…]

May 15, 2015 by Steve Owen Leave a Comment

His Packing List – For Long-Term Travel

I put too many things in my bag. The thought occurred to me as I dragged my small backpack, my laptop bag and my large backpack, about 20 kilos (or about 44lbs), on wheels through a train station in Paris. And down a cobble brick road. And on the stairs to subways and various accommodations along the way.

When we packed for our career break trip, we thought about everything we might need and put it in the bag. After the first two months, I dropped a few things along the way. After six months, I dropped even more items. What I was left with is what I am going to list below for my packing list so you don’t needlessly haul around things you may or may not need.

If you stick to one region or climate, then you can leave even more out of your list. We were hiking in various parts of the world that required heavier jackets and heavy hiking boots, that you wouldn’t necessarily need in Thailand or Nicaragua.

Our first six months included heavy travel and we were reluctant to do laundry every day (more undies, etc). You may get away with less, including toiletries, if you stay longer in one area like we did in our last six months.

I expect that everyone will have different priorities when it comes to packing for long term travel, so these are only suggestions based on our experience. Hopefully you will find the list helpful.

His packing list – for long-term travel

Footwear:

1 pair of thongs (i.e. flip-flops)
1 pair of Nike Free Trainers – lightweight trainers for walking and gym
1 pair black leather light dress shoes (for dining out with friends)
1 pair of Merrill hiking boots
1 pair of walking sandals (which I lost and haven’t replaced)

Clothing

Shirts: [Read more…]

April 11, 2015 by Steve Owen Leave a Comment

Pacsafe Metrosafe 300 GII Anti-theft Laptop Bag – Review

Choosing a laptop bag has always been a challenge to me. Previous bags I have owned have either been too big, too small, or didn’t protect the contents well. For an extended trip like ours, my laptop bag of choice is the Pacsafe Metrosafe 300 GII anti-theft laptop bag. It’s a spacious laptop bag that comes with clever anti-theft and other handy features. I chose this bag as I needed something that could fit all my tech gadgets, keep them safe and was easily accessible for going through security or just generally throughout the day.

I chose the Pacsafe laptop bag for our trip because I wanted the security features of the locking zippered compartments, the mesh lining, as well something comfortable to carry. I also didn’t want to worry about someone doing a slash and grab on the bag or pulling it from my arm. The locking shoulder strap and the slashguard wire mesh built into the bag help prevent any of those types of theft. The bag comes with RFID blocking material in [Read more…]

March 14, 2015 by Eeva Routio 1 Comment

Her Packing List – For Long-Term Travel

This is a bare-bones version of my packing list in the ‘Tips for Packing: How and What to Pack for Long-term Travel‘ post. If you want more detail, helpful tips and also a list of things I missed when packing, check out that post! If you just want a simple packing list for her, then keep on reading.

Her packing list – for long-term travel

Footwear:

1 pair of thongs (i.e. flip-flops)
1 pair of black Nike training shoes
1 pair Merrell Walking sandals
1 pair black leather ballet flats
1 pair Salomon hiking boots.

Clothing

Tops: [Read more…]

March 14, 2015 by Eeva Routio 7 Comments

Tips for Packing: How and What to Pack for Long-term Travel

nHow and what to pack for a gap year or long-term travel? What a dilemma! In this post I give some tips for packing and a detailed account of how and what I packed for our career break traveling through Europe, North America, Central America and South East Asia. I hope my packing tips and steps will get you started and organised, and also give you some idea about what (not) to pack.

You would think that it would be kind of fun, packing, as you’re all excited about getting ready for your trip, but really – most of the time it’s a pain. Just as every person is unique, every trip is unique as are the contents of your suitcase/backpack/wheeled luggage. There is no ‘one packing list fits all’ solution. Steve and I read some great travel blog posts and watched many a Youtube packing tip video before starting to pack for our trip. Even with all those great [Read more…]