Maxx. wrote:
> JamesStep@gmail.com wrote:
> > >> food (This can be kinda volumous)
>
> > Some folks -- including me -- carry food for medical or dietary
> > reasons....
> > It's often easier (and safer) just to bring your own food.
>
> A full carry on size bag full of food?
No one - - besides you - - ever suggested such a thing.
The problem with "excessive" carry-ons is not one single item, but the
sum accumulation of many items that are being deemed 'necessary'.
For example, you can go through oconnel's list...
food (This can be kinda volumous)
drink
utensiles
camera
tripod (this is fungible but it's kinda fragile to be in packed
luggage)
film
extra cushion upon which to sit (old tail bone injury)
some clothes
travel papers
book
newspaper
magazines
toiletries (limited selection)
compass
maps
headphones
....and apply estimated volumes for each one of these items:
A standard liter of water occupies 1000cc's, which is 61 cubic inches.
A standard paperback book is 4" x 6.5" x 1.5" = 39 inch^3.
A pack of shortbread cookies is around the same size as a paperback:
~40 inch^3.
A standard guidebook is generically a bit larger...call it 50 in^3.
My personal "has everything" toilet kit is 3" x 8" x 8" = 192 in^3.
A pair of men's shoes...roughly 14" x 4" x 7" = 392 in^3.
One pair of rolled up socks: Pi(r^2) = ~13 in^3.
One change of underwear: another "paperback" - appox 40 in^3
One rolled up pair of pants: around 50 in^3
The shirt to complete the change: approx 40 in^3
Right here, we're at 61+39+40+50+192+392+13+40+50+40 = 917 cubic inches
A camera can vary widely...the minimum's a P&S that's the size of a
paperback, plus another "paperback's" worth of volume for its battery
recharger and digital wallet or film. Figure 100 in^3
If you have a cellphone/blackberry, PDA, and/or MP3 player - - these
all have rechargers. Assume just two of these, at around 25 in^3 each.
For your laptop recharger, they're usually much bigger &
bulkier...3/4's the size of a pair of shoes, or around 300 in^3. And a
set of noise cancellation headphones for an MP3 player are pretty
bulky; figure 100 in^3.
And to our running total, we now get: 917+2(25)+300+100 = 1367 inch^3
Skip the ones you don't like, but in the end, add them all up.
Then, you're going to pick what you consider to be a "reasonable" sized
carry-on. Say a 25" x 14" x 8". Theoretically, that's a volume of
2800 cubic inches, but the reality is that those are outside dimensions
and you won't get that much stuff in it because its not 100%
volumetrically efficient anyway. For a wheel with bags, I'd guess only
around 50%-60% efficiency, which means with just the stuff listed above
right now, this bag's probably already close to being full.
You'll notice the absence of:
- sleepwear
- business suit
- laptop / business files
- spare paperback
- newspaper/magazine
- expensive items (jewelry, etc)
- specialty items (custom perscription scuba mask, etc)
- perscription medications
- oconnel's camera tripod
- etc
And if you were to upgrade the P&S camera to a basic (d)SLR w/2 lenses,
its easily a +450 in^3 increase...and double this if you're using high
quality Canon "L" glass or equivalent.
I'm not disputing that there's not some people who overpack and/or
otherwise push or abuse the carry-on's. Its just that a lot of little
'with me' stuff does very quickly add up to a bagfull.
-hh
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