So there are no more days left in my countdown.  Just hours.  I fly out tonight for home to visit my family for a week before meeting up with Cass and heading off to Thailand.  I haven’t packed yet.  That is today’s chore.  I meant to do it before now but somehow it just didn’t happen, what with exercise, lunches, dinners…. Well I’m sure you get the idea!  Even today in-between packing I’ve got to do the washing, though I haven’t planned anything else for today.

Think I must have known that I wouldn’t get around to that packing thing.

I’ve got my pack out and checked all the straps, buckles and seams.  The old pack is still good but I think I will have to replace it in the next year or so since I’d rather replace it before the straps break and the seams give way.  I’ve seen travellers out in the world with tape holding there pack together.  That so just does not look like fun!

So tip number one.  Check your pack before you go.  If a buckle is cracked, your seams look like they are bursting and/or the straps look like they are about to break or just plain separate from the rest of the pack I’d seriously think about getting a new pack.

I’ve also chosen my day pack for this trip.  I’ve chosen the Tamrac Adventure 9.  It’s a little large for my liking but we’ll see how it goes.  I was thinking about Crumpler’s offering the Sinking Barge but they apparently no longer make that bag and are going with the slightly bigger version, Customary Barge.  It may not be that much bigger but that little bit makes a difference.  Also there is nowhere to put a water bottle.  A small thing but on my last trip the lack of a pocket to place the bottle really bugged me after awhile.  Still for those looking at the packs one advantage of the Barge is that it has more room in the pack, for ‘other stuff’ mainly due to it’s design.  So if you need more room in the pack itself the Barge is probably a better option.  On the other hand if you have more equipment then the Adventure 9 is probably better since while the compartment for ‘other stuff’ is small the compartment for your camera gear is more than big enough for the ‘enthusiastic amateur’ like me.

On the subject of gear make sure all your equipment is in working order and the batteries charged, film and other media brought if you need it, chargers and accessories that you need with them.

Well my coffee is finished so I guess I’d best stop delaying and actually start that packing thing.