As I stated in the introduction, Xenono's posting of his travel gear greatly aided me in helping to pare down excess crap that I had been dragging around with me. Although I will undoubtedly continue to change what I take with me on trips, I am getting my travel package down to a bare minimum that still allows me to live that life that I want to on the road. In the end, that's all that matters.

HP iPaq 910c – My primary cell phone, which is also a PDA, GPS and camera (the camera sucks though). The Windows Mobile 6 platform syncs easily with the Microsoft Office products we use at work. I have several programs on this which make it a workhorse. It's a little pricey, but I use it everyday and is probably the one thing I wouldn't considering leaving home without as it keeps my life in order.

http://www.amazon.com/iPAQ-910c-Business-Messenger-Professional/dp/B001CC1VGC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1242000093&sr=8-1

D-Link DWL-G730AP Wireless Pocket Router – This is a new purchase for me and I really like it. I hooked it up to the wired internet in my room at the Central Park hotel to create my own little wireless network and it worked like a charm. It's small and easily portable. Once you have it set up, you have can your own wireless network anywhere you have an internet connection. I've used this in 4 or 5 different hotels during my travels and it has yet to fail me.

http://www.amazon.com/D-Link-DWL-G730AP-Wireless-Pocket-802-11g/dp/B0002Z45DQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1242000218&sr=1-1

Belkin Mini Surge Protector with USB Charger – Helps me hook up all my electronics when plug-ins are scarce. A couple of USB slots available for use are an addition bonus. Don't forget the three-prong to two-prong adapter, although not using the ground plug will likely negate the surge protector portion of the plug.

http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Mini-Surge-Mount-Charger/dp/B0016IXEWG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1242002523&sr=8-1

iPod Nano 8 GB (3rd Generation) – Keeps me sane on the plane trip to and from Asia! I've upgraded to a pair of ear buds from the shitty Apple earphones, but nothing too fancy. I can't see spending the money for noise canceling earphones as I''m not an audiophile. All I need is enough noise to block out the screaming kids and create white noise so I can sleep.

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-iPod-nano-Black-Generation/dp/B000JO3N3S/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1242000686&sr=1-24

Kingston Data Traveler 150 32 GB USB Flash Drive – It's always in my bag. Usually I have files backed up from work just in case I need them. It's also handy to download some of your randier pics to slip them in your pocket on your way through US Customs – if you worry about that sort of thing which I don't. I think there's also a 64 GB version out as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-DataTraveler-Flash-DT150-32GB/dp/B001GCUTE8/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1242000894&sr=1-10

Exilim EX-S10 – My bar hopping camera (mines silver).

http://www.amazon.com/Casio-Exilim-EX-S10BK-2-7-Inch-Digital/dp/B0012BDFQW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1242001018&sr=1-1

Nikon D40 – My in-room and “tourist” spot camera

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-Digital-18-55mm-3-5-5-6G-Zoom-Nikkor/dp/B000KJQ1DG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1242001168&sr=1-1

Nikon SB-400 Flash – You know what this is for.

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-SB-400-Speedlight-Digital-Cameras/dp/B000KKPN5C/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1242001168&sr=1-12

Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 55-200 mm – The only other lens I've bought for this camera.

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-55-200mm-4-5-6G-AF-S-Nikkor/dp/B000O161X0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1242001168&sr=1-3

SD Cards 1 – 2 GB each – I've read that it's better to carry several smaller cards rather than one big one. In case one of your cards get corrupted, you won't lose all your pictures. With that in mind I carry four of these cards (2 for each camera.)

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-SDSDH-2048-901-Secure-Digital-Package/dp/B00065ANYC/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1242001330&sr=1-5

Most of this stuff is packed into a couple of bags. In addition to being a gear whore, I'm also a bag whore. Here are the one's I use the most:

Tamrac Adventure 7 Photo Backpack – I usually carry all my camera gear, sunglasses, passport, iPod and maybe a portable cigar humidor here. In the past, I've also thrown a book in here, but will probably not do that in the future due to a new purchase (see below.) I alternate this sometimes with the next bag.

http://www.amazon.com/Tamrac-Adventure-Photo-Backpack-Black/dp/B000EB7OTU/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1242001587&sr=1-15

LowePro Inverse 100 AW – There's slightly better storage for the camera in this bag than the Tamrac, but less usable space for other stuff. I like this bag when I have to do a lot of walking as it keeps all the camera gear close, but allows my upper body to breathe.

http://www.amazon.com/Lowepro-Inverse-100-AW-Black/dp/B0016JA2RK/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1242001793&sr=1-11

Rick Steve's Convertible Carry On – Although I have several different suitcases for clothing, this is the bag I keep turning to for shorter (1 – 2 week) trips. It is a soft-sided bag with no wheels. The lack of wheels allows me to bring more clothing than I can with a wheeled bag due to its lesser weight. (Wheeled bags weigh more thus cutting down on the amount of other stuff you can bring. This is getting to be an important factor particularly with Asian-based airlines who check the weight of carry-on bags.) It also converts to a backpack if I have a long trek through an airport. In this bag, I usually carry clothing for a week. my DOP kit and another small bag with miscellaneous chords for my electronics.

http://www.amazon.com/Rick-Steves-Convertible-Carry-Spruce/dp/B000PWNQCC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=apparel&qid=1242002195&sr=8-1

A couple of new purchases that will make my next trip::

Asus EEEPC 904HA – I'm typing this report on this netbook computer. In the past, I have not taken my laptop with me for a variety of reasons. I have used the iPaq 910 to check email and minimally browse the web. However, there are times when I wish I had a computer to do some stuff. This computer will probably change my “no computer on trips” policy. It's tiny, has tons of space (160 GB HD with an addition 10GB on-line) and the battery is supposed to last for 7 hours. I doubt I'll get that much, but I have got between 5 – 6 hours on one charge to date. So far, I'm liking it a lot.

http://www.amazon.com/8-9-Inch-Netbook-Processor-Storage-Battery/dp/B001GIPSAW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1242002783&sr=1-1

Amazon Kindle – I went WAY out on the limb with this purchase as it's pretty pricey. I am a voracious reader and bringing books takes up a lot of space. By using this, I hope to cut down on space and still be able to bring along several reading items. I've had this for about a month now and find it very usable. Kindle books on Amazon are cheaper than the regular variety, but of course, it will probably take me five years to recoup the cost of the machine.

http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Amazons-Wireless-Reading-Generation/dp/B00154JDAI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1242003018&sr=1-1http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Amazons-Wireless-Reading-Generation/dp/B00154JDAI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1242003018&sr=1-1

Case Logic E-sling – New stuff means a new bag for the bag whore. I should be able to carry the new computer, Kindle, plus all my other in-flight necessities in this bag. It's small enough to carry-on even with my camera bag and still be able to get away with bringing my carry-on clothing bag as well. I'll think of it as my “manbag.”

http://www.amazon.com/Caselogic-XNTM-3-Size-eSling-Black/dp/B001F7KXB8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1242003068&sr=1-1

For clothing, I typically bring a couple pair of pants (in addition to the ones I wear on the plane), three/four pairs of shorts, and several collared and collarless shirts. Throw in enough underwear and socks to tide me over, a bathing suit, a wash cloth (something I like but hotels never seem to provide), a pair of dressier shoes (if necessary), a pair of flip flops and that pretty much rounds out my clothing ensemble for AC. In terms of dress, AC tends to squeeze casual until it hurts (to paraphrase Tom Wolfe in “The Right Stuff”) so over-packing or bringing a lot of dressy clothes just doesn't seem to be worthwhile. Particularly when it is SO cheap to get your laundry done. Throw a ball cap (a necessity for us bald guys in tropical sun) into a pocket on the suitcase and you got my travel gear.

I know that a lot of guys feel like they have to pack for every contingency possible when on the road. I don't . If there is something that I absolutely need when I'm on the road, I'll buy it. Since I quit over-packing and just focuses on bringing the basics, it has simplified my trips enormously. Basically, if I fail to use something on a trip, it gets dumped the next time I leave home. It's been a pretty good system so far.

This is a great list of essentials. Thanks for posting. Should be some items here that I will adapt to my list of travel gear.

Hey El--am in AC now, read your listing, excellent, and ironic, I have almost all of the items you list--all I can say is great minds think alike. Missing though from your list is a special carrying case for lasagna. I usually take a big wedge of hot lasagna with me wherever I go, and have yet to find a suitable carrying case for it--any suggestions? THANKS!

Choc,

If your question is serious (and I am assuming it is not) use those throw away plastic containers made by Glad. As shitty as airplane food is, I can't figure out for the life of me why ANYONE would LASAGNA on a plane. The only thing I can figure is that you have some sort of love-affair/death-wish with bacteria.

Have fun in AC.

EA

If you travel w/ a lot of hand held electronic gear, I recommend this:

http://www.amazon.com/Everywhere-PS00252-0003-Universal-Retractable-Included/dp/B000PI17MM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=wireless&qid=1242754663&sr=8-1

Instead of carrying a lot of chargers, just one charger, a retractable cord, and a wide assortment of tips.

I have the same Eee PC as you and will also be bringing it to AC next month. At just over $300 this trumps any PDA, ipod touch or iphone as you can have everything a laptop or desktop has except a disk drive (which you don't really need on the road). But you can buy an external drive for $65 bucks and you're fully functional at that point.

I had stopped brining my clunky laptop because it's not worth it's weight in conveniences. The Eee PC most definitley is and I'm happy to have a full blown computer miniaturized in price as well as size.