I usually take 3 or 4 soft cotton tee shirts (half and full sleeve) in basic colors from the Gap clothing store, rolled up and they don't need ironing. Wear my full sleeve hoody on the airplane so I'm not carrying it plus its cold in there! 2 or 3 capris, sandals, sneakers, 2 dressy skirts in chiffon (rolled up), a hat, sunglasses, plastic poncho roll, my small SONY digital camera, tiny Ericsson phone that has an Int'l carrier plan and my SONY viao laptop which is 10.5"x7.5" and weighs about 2.5 lbs. plus a converter. I usually pick up local maps at the airport or train station when I get to my destination, but bookmark all necessary url's on my laptop before leaving home. Some tide detergent in a ziploc bag, basic toiletries in small travel size bottles from Duane Reede. I've even used the black plastic cases which came with film rolls to store my face cream and powder. A hot pot depending on the country I am visiting. Oh and some protein bars for the road. If you are ever in India, buy a bath towel called 'panchaa.' Its usually white with a colored border, long, and made from thin muslin cloth. Very inexpensive at the local market, folds to a napkin size and dries in 10 minutes.
What happened to the minimal packing thread. I've been off line for a few days and something's happened. Heard there's been bannings and abuse. Trust the really interesting posts to happen while I'm not here.
Anyway you all know my thoughts on packing and HERE I agree with Road Warrior. My books and books I buy along the way are heavier than my clothes.
Regarding charging - I have a Voltaic solar backpack - a solar panel built in with a battery module inside so you can store energy and use it when the sun's not out. The real beauty is it comes with a mains charger - with small light international adapters, and a 12v car charger lead. So you can plug it into the mains or a car and charge your devices rain or shine. It come swith loads if charging "tips" or adapters. The bag is not the lightest - you have the solar panel weight plus the small battery storage unit, but if you eliminate a few chargers you would notmally have with you you soon start saving weight and space.
From my bag I can charge my Digital SLR, my compact camera, my phone, my wife's phone, my Nintendo (:-p) my camcorder, and pretty much anything else up to about 10v.
I've used it in Vietnam, but no serious travelling yet - that starts next year - when I'm seriously considering reducing the amount of gadgets I lug around!...
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