Light traveler's dream car

The new $1979 Tata Nano is really light: 600kg. Of course for the moment you must live in India to buy one.  This reviewer likes it. No word on whether Tom Bihn is going make a bag to keep it in - for those who don’t have a garage.

Update on March 23, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

“A slightly bigger European version, the Nano Europa is due to follow in 2011, and is expected to cost nearer to £4,000.” - BBC

Reader packing list

OBOW reader Paul submits this packing list:

I wouldn’t ever wear synthetics on the plane — only cotton, wool, & leather.

Packed Clothing:
Coolmax polo shirt (2)
Long-sleeved shirt (1)
T-shirt (2)
Lightweight sweater (wear if it’s cold)
Coolmax undershirt (1)
Coolmax undershorts (2)
Long nylon pants that zip off into shorts
TravelSmith polyester dress pants
Willis & Geiger khaki vest
Flip-flops
Tilley walking socks (2)
Swim trunks (double as hotel shorts)
New Balance hiking boots (wear if traveling via other than air)
Patagonia rain shell

Worn clothing:
Cotton polo shirt
Cotton jeans or chinos
Cotton undershorts (wash ‘em when you get there, will be dry in a couple of days)
Dansko clogs (if traveling via air - easy to take off & put on)
Tilley Adventurecloth blazer (no, it’s not a natural fiber, but easy to shed in case of fire)
Tilley hat (y’all seem to hate these, but I love my T4 and hemp T5)

Miscellaneous:
Disposable Trac II razor
Antiperspirant
Prescription meds
Alka-Seltzer
Spare glasses / sunglasses / glasses leash
iPod
Cell phone
Palm TX (use as travel alarm where there’s no cell service)
Pocket digital camera
Wall warts for 4 above (certain things are essentials)
Book
Moleskine pocket notebook / pencil
Small backpack or largish lumbar pack (packed for use as daypack at destination)

All packed into a 2005-vintage Patagonia MLC

The only things I ever need to add to this list are a necktie, a fleece, and a laptop computer (and then only in specific situations).

Screened and re-screened

You’ve made it through the TSA checkpoint. Whew, you think, that’s over. Think again - you may be re-screened at the gate, as this slighlty smarmy TSA blog post reveals:

“Many travelers have noticed that strange things are afoot at departure gates across the nation. Should you pack your tinfoil hats? Nope… Save them for December 21, 2012 when the Martians attack.

Anybody who keeps up with TSA knows that static security is not our cup of 3.4 oz. tea. We’re constantly evolving in an effort to make things more difficult and unpredictable for those wishing to do us harm. And that’s the case here. Over 2 years ago, we started an employee screening program that included unpredictable gate screening. Just recently, we strengthened our layers of security by increasing the frequency of gate screening. Travelers haven’t seen this much gate activity since TSA rolled out in 2002, so people are taking notice.

In some cases, travelers have become concerned about the safety of their flight after being selected for gate screening. There’s no reason to worry. It’s not being screened due to any specific threats.

Gate screening allows us to screen anybody who has access to the aircraft. Oh yeah, and there are signs at the checkpoint or at the gates informing passengers they may be subjected to gate screening.”

Oh, signs - well that makes it all OK. And the TSA is shocked (shocked!) that these measures should raise the fear and stress index. Round up all the usual suspects, I say.  Here’s an AP story about the issue.

King of Shaves is king

My journey with shaving oil began with Pacific Shaving’s excellent product. It gave a very good shave. After a couple of re-orders I heard of Shave Secret, a brand you can buy at Wal-Mart. Good, I thought, an oil for those who don’t want to order a $5 item online. Not so good though. It can’t hold a candle to Pacific or to my new number one, King of Shaves. It gives the best shave of the three without question. An OBOW reader recommended it and, just as he said, it’s available at CVS stores. At 100 shaves for 15ml/.5 fl oz., how much lighter can you get? And I just found that Gadling likes it too.

LONG LIVE THE KING

Here am I floating round my tin can (smellng fine)

Can you hear me Major Wakata?Thanks to Frank in the forum for this link - odor-free Japanese space clothes (headlined ‘Koichi Wakata can ‘wear his trunks (underwear) more than a week’):

Wakata’s clothes include long- and short-sleeved shirts, pants, shorts and underwear. There are socks too, which in addition to being laced with odor-fighting polymers, are constructed so that there is a pouch for the big toes, similar to how a mitten fits a thumb. The design enables astronauts to use their feet like an extra pair of hands.

Taya is working with clothing manufacturers Toray Industries and Goldwin Inc. on a commercial line that integrates a nano-thick chemical layer into the materials.

“Many of the properties required for clothing worn by astronauts on board a spacecraft can be applied to ordinary clothes,” Taya said in a statement. - MSNBC/DISCOVERY

One wonders how much different this fabric is from commonly available ant-microbial materials (like VisaEndurance) which uses silver-impregnated fibers. A link in the story provides part of the answer: not much. This fabric has fibers encased in silver nanoparticles which may apparently be something of an ecological hazard. Of course my Stinkfighter laundry formula is definitely cheaper and maybe a little greener. Cocona may be greener still. I have some Cocona khakis which are a mainstay in my travel wardrobe, but they’re hard to find. 

VisaEndurance tech

Video Wednesday - More Zuca, en français

Minimizing multi-taskers rejoice - new iPhone OS

CUPERTINO, California—March 17, 2009—Apple® today previewed its iPhone™ OS 3.0 software and announced the immediate availability of a beta software release to registered developers. The iPhone OS 3.0 beta release includes an updated Software Development Kit (SDK) with over 1,000 new Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) including In-App Purchases; Peer-to-Peer connections; an app interface for accessories; access to the iPod® music library; a new Maps API and Push Notifications. Apple also announced over 100 new features that will be available to iPhone and iPod touch users this summer including cut, copy and paste; MMS;* landscape view for Mail, Text and Notes; stereo Bluetooth; syncing Notes to the Mac® and PC; shake to shuffle; parental controls for TV shows, movies and apps from the App Store; and automatic login at Wi-Fi hot spots. The iPhone OS 3.0 beta release will also include a new Voice Memo app and expanded search capability for all key iPhone apps, as well as Spotlight™ search across the iPhone or iPod touch. - more from Apple

Paradigm shift: 7 maxims of ultralight travel

The readers of OBOW are on the cutting edge of travel technique and technology, so it’s only right that they should help shape the manifesto for an emerging travel trend. I am increasingly convinced that our preferred mode of travel should not be called light or one-bag, but should henceforth be referred to as ultralight. Having only one primary, unchecked bag (with or without personal item) is not light travel if the bag weighs 30 pounds. To my mind even  a 22-pound bag does not represent ease - it’s lighter but it’s a chore to carry. So here are my draft ultralight travel maxims:

1. Ultralight travel is not for everyone.
    

2. Ultralight travel is not just traveling with one suitcase.

3. Ultralight travel means carrying 15 pounds or less.
    
4. Ultralight travel does not mean the traveler must look, smell, or feel bad.
    
5. Ultralight travel requires a certain amount of specialized gear and clothing.
    
6. Ultralight travel means the traveler must commit to doing a certain amount of sink laundry.
    
7. Ultralight travel means a traveler must make a conscious effort to minimize, miniaturize or eliminate electronic equipment.

I’ll flesh these out more later, but in the meantime I want your responses.

Update on March 18, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

On the 15-pound issue: here’s an old post that links to a story of interest. There’s a apparently an orthopedic rule of thumb (spine?) that says you shouldn’t carry more than about 10 percent of your body weight on your shoulder. If you’ve got a great pack, weight 225, or are in exceptional shape then obviously you can carry more. Personal experience tells me 15 pounds is the comfort limit for most of us.

Update on March 18, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

And be sure to see our luggage weight poll (or see right hand column) to see how close most OBOW readers are to the 15-pound mark.

Five iPhone travel apps

“Five Reader-Approved Travel Apps for the iPhone” - Wall Street Journal

Reader tip: shave w/conditioner

OBOW reader Peter M. shares this on shaving:

“I read the article about shaving with “shaving oil” which takes very little volume and is easy and light to carry. I have not tried shaving oil myself, but I would like to recommend another idea: Hair Conditioner!

Many hotels include shampoo and conditioner, so you usually don’t have to carry any (except for a small emergency reserve, if you think your destination won’t have any). The hair conditioner seems to have both lubricating and hair softening qualities, which makes for a GREAT shave.

I first tried shaving with hair conditioner out of desperation many years ago, and have been so happy with the results that I shave this way all the time, even when not traveling.

Oh, I should mention that I usually shave in the shower, but I think this method would work just fine at a sink.”

I’ve used clear gel hand soap (which I also use for travel laundry) for the same purpose. Olive oil would probably work great too, might give you that Italian look. If you do want to try the oil and you don’t want to mail-order then you might try Shave Secret which is available at Wal-Mart and probably lots of other places.

In touch, cheap

The Eurocheapo blog has a nice post on staying connected abroad for small change.

Video Wednesday - Zuca in motion

A video look at the unusual Zuca roller:

TSA's birthday card list

A new TSA program - Secure Flight - will require more personal info from you. And don’t just tell them you’re, er, 29 - again…

You may have been patted down at airports or suffered the indignity of having your dirty laundry from a vacation searched at screening checkpoints. Now prepare yourself for security to get a little more personal.

Passengers making airline reservations soon will be required to provide their birth date and their sex in addition to their names as part of aviation security enhancements the 9/11 Commission recommended. The information provided at the time seats are booked must exactly match the data on each traveler’s ID.

The new program, called Secure Flight, shifts responsibility for checking passenger names against “watch lists” from the airlines to the Transportation Security Administration. Only passengers who are cleared to fly by the TSA will be given boarding passes. - chicagotribune.com

Secure Flight is set to begin soon (“early this year”) for domestic flights, late this year for international.

From the TSA:

The initial implementation phase of Secure Flight will result in the complete transfer of responsibility for passenger watch list matching to TSA from aircraft operators whose flights operate within the United States. The second phase of Secure Flight will result in the transfer of responsibility for passenger watch list matching to TSA for flights into, out of, and over the United States to TSA.

By assuming watch list matching responsibilities from the airlines, TSA will:

• Decrease the chance for compromised watch list data by limiting its distribution
• Provide earlier identification of potential matches, allowing for expedited notification of law enforcement and threat management
• Provide a fair, equitable, and consistent matching process across all airlines
• Reduce instances of misidentified individuals
• Offer consistent application of an expedited and integrated redress process for misidentified individuals via the Department of Homeland Security’s Travel Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP)

Update on March 11, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

And there are now one million names on the watch list.

Pay to pee/swipe to wipe on Ryanair?

DUBLIN — Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary insisted Thursday he’s serious about making passengers pay for the right to relieve themselves on flights — and is flush with interest in the idea of mounting credit card-operated toilets.

O’Leary, whose Dublin-based airline has pioneered the practice of filling air travel with extra charges, divided opinion last week by suggesting that his next target would be coin-operated toilets. Aviation analysts and the traveling public alike couldn’t tell whether O’Leary — a cut-throat operator with an entertainingly bombastic style — was poking fun at his own reputation.

The Ryanair boss told a dumfounded Dublin press conference Thursday the days of the unlocked potty are indeed numbered. - AP via USA Today

A commenter points out that Saturday’s Irish Times reports that the above was a PR (?) stunt. It’s at least obvious that they were thinking about it. The whole thing smells if you ask me…

Gadling's 5 days/5 bags

Gadling’s Scott Carmichael runs down five:

• Timbuk2 Patrol convertible
• Skookba Checkthrough brief
• Arc’teryx Blade 30 pack
• Zuca business backpack
• Tom Bihn Aeronaut

Also from Gadling, the industrial-cool-but-rigid Zuca Pro roller - definitely not one you want falling out of the bin, helmet recommended.

Minimalism, being there

Here’s a re-post from 2007 - more relevant than ever given the turmoil of 2009.

There’s a fair amount of cultural buzz about a New Minimalist approach to art, fashion, design, and lifestyle. The new minimalism may be viewed (and promoted) from a variety of perspectives including spiritual/religious, sustainable/green, pragmatic/functional, artistic/aesthetic. Light travel is surely a minimalist approach. It won’t save your soul - or the earth - but it might save your back, your neighbor’s toes, some money, some time, and some sanity. Let’s call it common sense minimalism.

A lot of people think of minimalism as very modern, but there is little new under the sun. I’m reminded of a certain teacher of some antiquity who was a light travel proponent: “Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff…”

While we have our can of philosophical wax open, why not muse on ways that light travel skills and strategies can affect our everyday, non-traveling lives? Here goes: It’s just possible that lessons learned (about luggage and layering?) might help us live more simply any time and anywhere with less reliance on things, possessions, stuff. Accumulation is a Western way of life. Traveling light encourages its opposite. We all have security blankets of some type. Some we drag behind us; some we carry on our shoulders. Light travel teaches us to leave them at home. And go somewhere and do something…

Mega missed flight meltdown

Update on March 6, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

Hong Kong - A Chinese woman passenger whose temper tantrum when she missed a flight from Hong Kong was watched by 5 million YouTube viewers has been given an apology and a free upgrade, the airline said Thursday. An airline employee who filmed the middle-aged woman throwing herself on the floor in a three-minute screaming fit when she arrived at the boarding gate too late to board a flight to San Francisco has also been disciplined, Cathay Pacific said.

New eReaders from Onyx, 3 sizes

How many years (or months) until netbooks are made obsolete by eReaders? From iReaderReview:

“The key highlights of the Boox are -

1. The specifications page lists 6″, 8″ and 9.7″ screens. 
2. The web browser uses WebKit customized for the eInk screen. Using WebKit is pretty impressive - both Safari and Chrome use it too.
3. They have a pretty good looking folders system, and use thumbnails etc. well.
4. Its a touch screen with a pen included and handwriting recognition.
5. Support for  Wi-Fi, CDMA, EVDO, and GSM is listed as optional.
6. It supports a wide variety of formats including ePub, PDF, and Amazon’s own Mobipocket (.prc).
7. There’s no keyboard and there’s an iPod scroll wheel type control on the front….” - more

Update on March 4, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

Update on March 4, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

And while we’re ebooking, 25 Kindle hacks from the same site.

Update on March 5, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

And a trade pub says “more than a niche”

3.4-1-1

TSA’s confusing issue that just keeps on giving. Don’t bet your life (or hair care product) on all the TSA officers getting the memo.

TSA & politeness - mutually exclusive?

MSNBC’s Harriet Baskas says the TSA is trying to wield a new weapon:

Don’t be surprised or alarmed if the next time you go through the security checkpoint at the airport you find TSA staff handing out smiles and warm greetings instead of barked orders, mean looks and stern commands. There may even be some TSA-approved hugging and high-fiving going on back there behind the X-ray machines.

It sounds farfetched, I know. Especially if you’re one of the many travelers who regularly ends up feeling demeaned and harassed at airport checkpoints and believes that the TSA only hires sticky-fingered miscreants who are missing the genes for courtesy and respect. - read the entire article here

Has anyone experienced one of these not-so-random, result-of-training acts of kindness?