Princess on the Road

In my last post I mentioned my turtle.  Just in case you didn’t figure it out, my turtle isn’t really a turtle but actually my backpack.  After my iPhone, my turtle is the coolest thing I have ever owned.

 

 

My turtle is a Cross Roads 25 convertible wheeled backpack by Eagle Creek.  He is just over 60 litres but can expand to 77 litres.  He doesn’t look real big but I can sure stuff some serious shit into him.  I call him my turtle because that’s what he looks like – he’s green and curved like a turtle shell and when you wear him as a backpack, you like look a bit of turtle too.  

 

I had never owned a backpack before – I usually have a suitcase – and I wasn’t sure I really wanted one instead of a suitcase, as backpacks always look heavy and cumbersome.  However, I did learn something very important about suitcases when in Germany – they are bastards to carry up stairs when there is no lift/escalator.  So a backpack would come in handy in a such a situation.  But I didn’t really see myself lugging 20 kilos around on my back.  Perhaps you can get a backpack with wheels?  So I did a bit of research (because I’m a nerd and I like to research, ok?) and I found my turtle.  He wheels just like and suitcase and you can zip the backpack straps away when your not using them.  Although I have seen a few people with wheeled duffel bags (amatuers), I haven’t seen anyone with anything nearly as cool as my turtle.

 

One thing I have seen though is some people with shit loads of stuff and/or big arse suitcases and packs.  I have seen people with packs twice the size of my turtle AND a suitcase around the 70 – 90 litre range.  Then they have like a few plastic bags of shit as well as like a carry-on/daypack.  I mean, wtf do they bring with them?  Check out these bad boys from my dorm room:

 

                                                   

 

At check-in, my fully loaded turtle weighed in at 19.8kgs.  Not bad considering the stuff I packed:

Clothes

5 pairs of pants

7 shirts

2 dresses

7 pairs of knickers

1 bra

5 pairs of socks

2 singlets

3 cardigans

Wrap/sarong extra large

 

Shoes

1 pair of walking shoes

1 pair of wedges

1 pair of thongs

 

Toiletries

Shampoo and Conditioner 375ml each

Cleanser 100ml

Toner 100ml

Moisturiser 50ml

Exfoliant 50ml

Eye cream 15ml

Lip balm 7g

Toothbrush

Toothpaste 60g

Mouthwash 50ml

Deodorant x 3: 2 x 30g spray, 1 x 50ml roll on

Body moisturiser 400ml

Shaving gel 50g

Razor and blades

Body wash 100ml

Hand sanitizer x2 50ml

Wet wipes 15 pack

Microfibre face cloths x2

Exfoliating towel

Shower cap

Alcohol swaps minis x 30

Band aids x 10

Nail polish x 1 clear all-in-one

Nail file

Cutical pusher

Cuticle nipper

Corn blade plus blades 10pk

Pedi paddle

Nail polish remover 50ml

Tweezers

Hair dryer

GHD hair straightener plus comb and separating clips x 4

Tissues travel packs x 4

Amolin

Towels extra large x 2

 

Make-Up

Foundation

Blush x 2

Finishing dust

Brushes x 3

 

Laundry

Washing liquid x4: 3 x 50ml satchets, 1 x 100ml bottle

Stain remover 100ml

Pegs x 6

Lingerie bag

Clothes line 10 metres

Safety pins various sizes x 15

Air freshener 50ml

Febreeze 50ml

 

Other Stuff

Netbook plus adapter

Digital SLR and 1 lens plus charger and USB connector

iPhone plus charger and earphones

USB drive x 2

USA/AUS plug adapter x 2: 1 x single, 1 x double

Raincoat

Sleep cocoon

Sleeping bag

Pillow

Duffel bag foldable as spare

 

So, if I brought all that stuff, what the fuck did the owners of those suitcases bring??

 

Peace out.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 22nd, 2009 at 9:44 pm and is filed under USA Trip '09. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.