Packing List

Laundry

universal (flat) sink stopper

You'll often encounter sinks without drain stoppers. As washing your clothes is difficult under such circumstances, carry your own. Even if you're not planning to do laundry, it can be used when bathtub drains don't hold water, and to convert a shower stall into an emergency footbath.

A stopper can also substitute as a jar opener; conversely, a flat rubber jar opener can be used as a sink stopper. Other drain-plugging possibilities (depending on the type of drain) include duct or packing tape (if you dry the flange first), a film-cannister cap, and a squash ball (which can also provide entertainment and exercise when you're not washing clothes). In lieu of anything else, try a rolled sock.

detergent, spot remover

I bow to tradition here: individual foil packets of Woolite® cold water laundry detergent. I carry them in doubled Ziploc® bags. There are other options (though I'd avoid those that require carrying bottled liquids), but Woolite has been the traveller's standby for years, and for good reason. Should you take along a conventional detergent of some sort, remember that very little is required to do a sinkful of laundry ... or plan plenty of rinse cycles! If you're in Germany or Austria, or live in a city large enough to support a good German deli, try a tube of Procter & Gamble's Rei in der Tube ("cleanliness in a tube"), a handy toothpaste-consistency detergent. If you prefer to use a favourite powdered detergent, a plastic 35mm film canister (if you can still find one in these days of digital photography) is a good way to keep a reasonable quantity dry.

The extra-fastidious might also want to pack a spot remover of some sort (StainEraser™ — which Magellan's carries — works well).

(surgical latex braid) clothesline (carabiner?)

This is one of those items so perfectly designed for its purpose that you wonder why we're not issued with them at birth. If you've never seen/used a good travel clothesline, you're in for a treat; it may well change your (travel) life. Get the right type, though ("Flexo-line®" is the brand I recommend), one made from three strands of surgical latex rubber tubing, braided (not twisted) to form a clothesline, with reliable attachments at the ends. It packs small, stretches l-o-n-g (if you need it to), and holds your damp laundry all by itself (no clothespins needed: you tuck edges of the clothing between strands of the braid, and the latex rubber grips them firmly). Plus, every laundry night, you get to exercise your creativity by discovering the two optimal line attachment locations!

Beware: there are many "travel clotheslines" of poor design and/or mediocre quality. Some have suction cups (these don't work on wood and concrete, and are usually not strong enough to hold wet laundry in any case). Some have simple twisted strands, or are not made of surgical rubber (these won't support your clothes properly, or keep them separated effectively). Some are insufficiently long (these won't reach as many attachment points, or hold much laundry). Such products work poorly, if at all. And you will forever wonder why seasoned travellers consider the travel clothesline to be one of their most treasured "secret weapons". So I repeat: get the correct type.

Latex rubber does eventually deteriorate with time, so one of these won't last forever, but I've found them to last for a good dozen years or more. You'll be able to tell when they're reaching the end.

An inexpensive carabiner — you don't need a heavy-duty mountaineering version; the type sold for keyrings (as illustrated at left) is fine — will increase your clothesline's attachment options. And when you're not drying clothes, it will effectively tether your keys!

Some people include these clotheslines with their medical supplies, as they also make ideal tourniquets.

inflatable hangers

These serve multiple functions: they augment what may be a meagre (or nonexistent) supply of clothes hangers in your room, and they provide an ideal way of hanging shirts for drying (keeping the fronts and backs from touching, thus aiding air circulation). Less obviously, on the type pictured at right, you can temporarily remove the metal hook (best done at home prior to your trip, as the task will require a pair of pliers to "unbend" it a bit), and discover that the remaining piece serves as a fine lumbar pillow to support your back on long flights; the hook slips back on easily once you reach your destination. And when you're not using the hanger, the hook can be used as an additional attachment option for your travel clothesline.

Magellan's sells a different version (shown at left), which you may prefer. I am aware of additional types, but these are the two I prefer; both are extremely light, and pack very small, so you needn't feel guilty. I carry two.

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