Home >  The Gap Year >  The Kit > Small Items Home The Gap Year New Travels Ask Simon Other Bits Contact Me The Kit Large Items Small Items Clothing Wash Kit First Aid Kit Important Bits Here's a list of the bits & pieces that I carried in my backpack that don't really fit into any of the other categories. Basically useful, miscellaneous gadgets and other such things. Item Description Info Swiss Army Penknife. Everyone seems to have one, but most people rarely use them. It did come in helpful a few times, and it's nice to have 'just in case'/ Remember to pack it in your checked luggage when flying though! Torch. I bought a small Maglite that turned out to be really useful. Good for reading when others want to sleep, for sneaking into your hostel room after lights out, and for safely avoiding pot-holes and dogs when walking down Cambodian roads at night. Note that a Maglite torch is a good choice because they are reliable, resilient and very bright. Torch Head Band. My friends laughed when I wore this, but being able to wear your torch on your head makes life much easier. I could easily read a book while they struggled with trying to hold their torches in their mouths. Some people just bought caving style torches that are specifically meant to be worn on your head, and are equally as good. Portable Door Lock. It sounded like a good buy, it was meant to allow me to lock any door from the inside if I was worried about the safety of a hotel room. Unfortunately, it only fitted some doors, and I never really used it. Plus it broke when it was in my bag after about 3 months! You don't really need this. Sewing Kit. Came in quite useful when some of my clothes got torn and the strap came off my sandals. These are small & compact, so you might as well take one. If you can't remember sewing lessons from your school years then don't worry, there's always someone around who can. Like me. Yes, I'm a saddo. Small Alarm Clock. If your watch doesn't have a loud alarm, then this will be essential to wake you in time for early flights/coach journeys. Travel Clothing Cleaner. I found this to be really useful, but I find that my clothes are like a magnet for food. I can't even eat a small mint without getting mess on my clothes. Although generally useful, if you're a messy pup like me, it'll turn out even more useful. Important note, store it inside a plastic bag in case it leaks. Mine got squashed, and it leaked, luckily the plastic bag saved the rest of my things from getting icky. Mess Tins. Only really of use if you're cooking for yourself, for example, when you're in Western countries. Some people take plate and bowls, but I found 2 mess tins, which fit inside each other to minimuse storage space, to be more suitable. You can store things in the mess tins when they are packed in your bag. Mug. I took a medium-sized, robustly made, green mug. Simple and does the job. Again, only really of use if you're cooking for yourself. Cutlery Set. Once again, only really of use if you're cooking for yourself. I bought a set that clips together for easy storage. 1 litre water bottle. Useful for trekking and walking, but generally I didn't use it very much. I ended up selling it in the middle of Asia. Iodine for water purification. This didn't come in useful at all. We bought it in case we needed to use it in an emergency, but unless you go really off the beaten track, there's clean, fresh water everywhere. Mini-bungee cords. Although I though they'd be useful, I didn't use them at all. (Although, what would they have been useful for?!) Matches. Useful for cooking when camping but not a lot else. Remember you shouldn't take these on a plane. Metal Match Container. Useful to keep your matches dry. Mosquito Coils. Although a good way to deter mosquitos, everywhere we went already had some burning, or there was a net. So we didn't use them at all. Suncream Essential. Especially if you're British and you're going somewhere where the sun is a common sight Eye Mask/Ear Plugs Useful when trying to sleep when there's a lot of noise and/or light. Which will end up being a common occurance when you're travelling! But if you're travelling on your own, try to avoid using both at the same time. It's probably not a good idea to shut yourself off from the outside world. Among other things, it makes you an easy target for thieves. Stuff sacks Medium sized bags for seperating and sorting your things. Good for keeping organised. Plus they don't rustle like plastic bags, so good when you're searching through your stuff while others are sleeping. Padlocks Always carry around a couple of these, at least one big one. They always come in useful for locking your bag. But don't lose the keys! Cable lock with Combination Good for securing your rucksack to something if you need to leave it unattended for a while. Guide Book(s) I always had a guide book for each country to help me get started when I arrived. Obviously, carrying 9 guidebooks would be a bit impractical, so I got my parents to post them out to me got before I went to each country. I pre-addressed and stamped them before leaving home. I also sent home the books after I'd finished with them, but most people sell or trade them. I also had a small South-East Asian phrasebook which proved invaluable. You will meet people who don't speak English, plus making an effort to learn a local language is always warmly received. Reading Books(s) You will have some dull moments and some long journeys. Carry a book or two to read, then when you're finished, it's easy to find a book exchange to get a new one. Notepad & Pens Always useful to record thoughts, ideas, experiences or just to doodle. I actually had 3 different notebooks for all my stuff! Address Book For all those new people you'll meet. Small calculator To convert between currencies, make sure you're getting a good price and to check your budget. Camera One of the most important items. A good camera will help you keep some fantastic memories. Waterproof Camera Bag Although I thought it would be good for taking photos on the beach, in water-fights, in rainstorms or in swimming pools, I only actually used it once. And the bag fogged up, so it was no good. Not really worth it. Take a waterproof camera or resign yourself to not getting any wet shots. Spare Films You can never have too many. I bought loads from home, but still needed to buy more! CD Player & CDs Everyone always starts to miss their music when they've been travelling for a long time. Especially good for those times you're on your own. Balloons A last minute buy that turned out to be a great gift to give to children that I met in Asia. Blowing up a few brightly colour, weirdly shaped ballons always brightened up their faces. Toilet Roll The star item. Absolutely essential, especially in Asia. You'll only really appreciate it when you get caught without it! Toilet Roll wins the Most Useful Item Award! To know the road ahead, ask those coming back GoGap.com is created and owned by Simon Hooks. (mail@gogap.com).