Preparing to go on an RTW (Round-the-World) Trip is daunting as you weigh the pros and cons of the gear that must carry your essential belongings. I knew I need a backpack that could withstand the rigors of travel, have a good organizational design, and be comfortable to wear. Enter the Brain Bag from Tom Bihn.
The Brain Bag is one of the largest capacity backpacks I could find that still fits in the overhead bin of most airlines, and could fit under the seat if not overpacked (like mine usually is). It has comfortable shoulder straps and waist belt. The waist belt is 1.5 inches wide, and very comfortable.
The water bottle holder is the only design feature that is awkward. You need a very tall, skinny, bottle with a carabiner loop on the top. The only way to access the water bottle is to take the backpack completely off. Also, the lower water bottle straps are not adjustable, and seldom keeps the water bottle from sliding down.
Despite this negative, this is the best backpack I’ve ever used. The only real issue I’ve found with the bag is that it is easy to overfill, and becomes really heavy as a result. But if you need a bag to keep all your essentials (things you wouldn’t check with other baggage, then this is the bag for the job.
Backpack by Tom Bihn
Back Main Pocket: 13 inch MacBook Air
Thule Sweden soft case: the front pocket fits a charging cable and a few other items. As a lifelong Mac user I knew I would need some computing power while on the trip. It is a great way to save files, download and view movies, type longer blog articles, and organize pictures for our blog.
Freudian Slip: That is the name of the portable office organization pouch I use designed by Tom Bihn.
It literally just lifts out of your backpack and you have all your essential papers, pens, etc right where you need them. No more digging into pockets to access your office supplies. We had to start the trip will a lot of tickets, confirmation documents, etc, so my bag was much heavier at the beginning of the trip.
Two Ebag Pouches: Ebags can be found in every piece of luggage we travel with. While we could have slightly lighter organization packs, these are sturdy enough to withstand the vigors of travel.
Pouch one
Two tennis balls in a sock for back massage: A physical therapist showed me how to use a couple of tennis balls in a sock to massage my back/body while laying on the floor. I used these more at home when I was at my computer desk more often. Since we move around so much while traveling I have not had back issues. It’s almost as though human bodies weren’t made to sit at a computer all day at work and home! Go figure
JBL portable speaker for iPhone: We use this to listen to audio books, including the Harry Potter series. Next time I would purchase an AUX cable for car drives. Thankfully Paula purchased one so we are set for the rest of the trip.
Pepto: Thankfully, I’ve only needed these miracle pills a few times on our trip. But I keep them in my essential carry items just in case.
Story cubes: We had not used this travel storytelling game yet, so I left them at home in April when we were in California.
Pouch two
Extra set of clothes: shorts, tshirt, underwear, socks. I should probably include a lightweight pair of pants and long sleeve option in this packet, but this is really the bear minimum I would need if my luggage was lost for a day. I also keep my night guard (to protect my teeth from grinding) and snore guard (to protect my marriage from snoring!). Thankfully Nicole has been kind enough to wear earplugs at night so I can just wear the night guard most of the time.
Middle Main Pocket
First Aid Kit: We keep a small REI kit with us. Airport security in India confiscated the small scissors. We should have put more bandaids in this kit as that was the most used item. We also keep some oral rehydration salts in the kit. This is essential for dealing with super hot weather.
Medications: While we travel with a “pharmacy” bag in one of our large pieces of luggage, we shipped our anti-Malaria medication ahead to our friend’s home in Germany. Once there, I transferred this bag of essential meds to my backpack for easy access, and to make sure we don’t lose them in transit.
Inflatable neck pillow: My inflatable neck pillow has been great for long flights.
GPS InReach: This was an “insurance” purchase for our trip. It gives us the peace of mind that we can send an email/text message to Global Rescue in the event of an emergency. We signed up for Global Rescue, a service that provides emergency medical and political evacuation in case of emergency.
Snacks: While we encourage everyone to fill up at meal time, having some protein bars, fruit bars and peanut butter packets have helped us out when someone really needs some calories. As we say in our family, “When we get hungry, we get grumpy.”
Marino Wool long sleeve sweater and/or performance fabric long sleeve pullover: Having a lightweight layer is essential for fluctuations in temperature. We especially need a long sleeve item to compensate for the air conditioning on most flights and in many restaurants.
Extra zip pouch for gum, tissues, lip balm, etc: Instead of small items landing in the bottom of my backpack, Nicole found these little tri-zip pouches to help keep us organized.
Stress ball: While I didn’t start the trip with this item, it came in “handy” while rehabilitating from a broken finger.
Children’s football: I didn’t start the trip with this item, but found it in an airport along the way. It has been a great way to involve Joy and Hope in playtime throughout our journey. Since it is made of wire coated plastic it has been fun to use in pools around the world.
It has been helpful to pack a small collapsible day pack in this section with items I need every day. But the small nylon bag I originally purchased quickly broke down. I upgraded to a Columbia day pack that was much bigger. I can jam it into my large backpack if necessary, but it has been easier to put it in a large suitcase. It I had it to do over, I would consider getting a smaller day pack or change to a backpack system that has a zip off day pack.
Front Left Pocket: Tom Bihn cinch bag for bedside items, earplugs, nail clippers, sleep mask, etc. I saw this concept on the Tom Bihn website and decided to give it a try. It has proven itself time and time again. This is the perfect “nightstand” container for those little items like spare change, earplugs, and a flashlight while traveling. This little cinch bag is a great catch-all for those items. While it certainly needs to be cleaned out from time to time, it has helped me avoid losing small items as we frequently change accommodations, plus it can be pulled out quickly to facilitate an easy bedtime.
Front Right Pocket: Tom Bihn technology zip pouch. Another Tom Bihn bag. I keep all my tech items such as an external battery and charging cables in this bag. You are not allowed to put an external battery in checked bags on flights, so this double-sided bag helps to keep me organized.
Hydro Flask: I used this every day at the beginning of the trip, especially when I could fill it with ice. Even in the hot climate of Israel, the ice would keep the water cool most of the day. It does have a few downsides. The metal container adds to the weight of my backpack. Also, throughout Europe it never failed to get me pulled to the side during airport security checks. A large metal tube was suspect because they couldn’t see into it on the x-ray. So, they would make me unscrew it to verify it was empty. Also, in countries where water quality is poor, every hotel would supply us with plastic water bottles for drinking and teeth brushing. We got into the habit of just bringing these with us in our day packs.
Belkin travel charger with 3 electrical outlets and 2 USBs that also charge an iPad: This travel charger is also a surge protector. I use it every night to charge my cell phone, and occasionally to charge my computer. Having a mini-surge protector gives me peace of mind that my computer will be protected as it charges. We also have several travel adaptor sets for the countries we visit.
Belkin braided USB to lighting cord: I use this every night and so far it has not frayed like my Apple cables (not pictured).
Front Top Pocket
RayBan polarized Sunglasses
Quick access: my Sunglasses are an essential part of my everyday carry. I wear them with a head band called “hides” which doubles as a simple protective case and eyeglass cleaner. But to really keep my Sunglasses safe I put them in the RayBan hard case in this quick access Pocket. I broke my first pair of Native brand sunglasses (my favorite) when I swung my backpack onto my shoulder and it snapped a sunglass arm that was sitting on my neck.
Blog cards: we continue to hand these out to new friends as we travel.
Leatherman bracelet TSA compliant: I thought this would be an essential item, but as it turns out the only tool I’ve used on it is the small cutting tool. I still travel with it for those “just-in-case” repairs.
Monkey tool: I have only used the small screwdriver to fix eyeglasses/sunglasses.
Paracord bracelet and extendable key chain: only used this a few times at the beginning of our trip so Hope would have something to hold onto in large crowds. But it was easier to just hold her hand. And she quickly became used to seeking out a hand to hold to feel safe and secure.
Spoon/fork: We used this a few times when we didn’t have any utensils for cutting food.
REI locks and cables: I used these sparingly, hooking my bag to tables in hotel rooms. But that was mostly early on in our trip. I used them again on the She Kou Ferry from Hong Kong to Mainland China to secure our bags by linking them all together like a luggage island.
In a future blog entry I’ll share my EDC (Every Day Carry) items. These are the items in pockets, belt, etc that I carry with me everyday of our trip.
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