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Preperation

 

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GyozaQuest is a non profitable site,

Preperation

So I'm off on my GyozaQuest again. I guess I should give some background. As I rethink this from my trip to LA.

When I graduated from college, I'd bought an Atlantic 24" rollerboard. The standard black suitcase which you see everyone on airplanes using. This one was particularly large, the limit is now 22" and I found it stuffed into the overhead bin a lot. Since the wheels stuck out a bit too much it didn't really fit correctly in the overhead bin, and I'd lost the briefcase clip and the zippers were beginning to fray. Thus after almost ten years, I'd used it for most of my trips, and probably 200K miles. I'd finally decided it was time to get somthing else.

Currently at right is what I'm traveling with for the next month or so.

On the far right is the big bag. A couple years ago in Taiwan I'd bought the Jack Wolfskin, rolling frame pack. It's actually reasonably comfortable, however given it's size, it's a bit too big as a backpack, and easy to overstuff and allow it to get very heavy. I've been kind of dissapointment. Big and decently functional. But for the most part it's been a bit too bulky for my travel needs. I have to check it when I travel on planes and I worry that all the straps and the buckles won't survive the rigors of baggage handling systems.

So I knew I should get somthing else, and went out with my dad during the first stay in LA, two weeks ago. I guess my requirements this time was:

  • I'd rather have carry on sized frame pack, than a rollerboard.
  • Has to fit into the overhead bin (of course)
  • Big enough for a full sized notebook computer (the front daypack of the Jack Wolfskin is a little bit too small unfortunatley)

A backpack versus suitcases, makes me look a lot less like a business traveler, is just as maneuverable, and if you're sprinting around airports, or just trekking around town, it could be useful

Thus I picked up the one shown on the right. Let's see if this bag lasts me through my trips, it fits two of my requirements. It's big enough to lug all my stuff, and fits both in a standard overhead compartment, and if the front pocket is empty and the compression straps on the sides are tightened down, it'll even fit in the overhead compartment of a regional jet (an important little fact, that even eliminates the need to gate check bags)

However, so far, this pack has proved to be a little bit bigger and heavier than I would have imagined, maybe I should have gotten then 2200ci one instead of the 3100 ci bag. But I need the spaced don't I?

So I booked the LAX-SFO, then to Seoul on Singapore Airlines.

The flight to SFO was quite full, strangely, it was almost completely full in the normal economy, the front cabin (Economy Plus they call it) was about two thirds (most of the middle seats were empty. Since I hadn't quite checked in with my elite status correctly the ticket agent put me in the back, where it was completely full. After complaining to the gate agent (twice) he just said "Just take anything that's open" meaning he was so busy that he didn't want to go about changing seats.

I ended up sitting next to a soldier, she'd been in the military nine years. Being the daughter of a soldier, and joining right after high school. Surprisingly she hadn't been to Iraq or Afghanistan yet, and was just getting off of deployment (which had been in various locations around

The flight to Seoul was completely empty. I was issued an entire row of 3 seats towards the back. I stretched out in the lounge in Singapore, had a few glasses of wine, some small sandwiches, chips, and synchronized my e-mail. Since there was nobody sitting next to me, I was particularly anti-social. I just watched movies, read, and ate. Singapore Airlines if it's not crowded, is so much more pleasant than United. the food portions while kind of sparse, were adequate. and the Indian vege meal always surprises me. United's fligths recently have been quite full.

Edited March 28, 2006