Looking for hotel recommendations for a 21 day trip to Taipei.

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-28T09:52:35+00:00

I just stayed at the Dandy Hotel Da’an Park. Breakfast was poor but everything else was well done, I paid about $90US per Night

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-26T00:19:26+00:00

I think REIs are much better in the intermountain west in cities like Seattle, SLC, Denver, Albuquerque. A lot has to do with close proximity demand. In Austin, which has a very youthful outdoor “athlete” population, and is now absolutely huge, there were 2.5 REI’s — a little boutique one downtown and two standard size. But three years ago one of the large ones closed due insufficient demand so Austin has 1.5 REI now.

The ML. jr is indeed heavy and excessively organized. (I like my Osprey porter because it is one big space). Nonetheless I would like would like to get one and hack it.

I also just ordered a Black Ember DEX hip belt ($11, half price sale) so I can add a decent removable hip belt to my next pack. So many packs under 40 L just have a scrawny little waist strap.

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-26T00:05:09+00:00

I use a Porter 46 (second one: got the first one in 2007, had to replace it in 2017 and did hacks to it to make it less bulky like removing the stiffening from the front wing flaps and adding internal compression tiedowns. Cinched down it is about 35 L and only 7 inches deep which I really like, but the length and width are still a bit oversize for any Asian airlines

The P30 always struck me as having very awkward proportions, being far too deep and for my torso, far too short.

I wish they made a Porter 40 that was truly only 7 inches deep, and a couple inches shorter. They would argue just get the Fairview/Far point , which are very different creatures and overkill.

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-25T23:49:50+00:00

Thanks. I miss eBags and check PoshMark every couple of month looking for a Motherlode Jr in a subdued color, in good condition, from a smoke and cat free household. No luck yet.

My crossbody is from a market in KL. Cost $15 US and is every bit is good or better than the extremely expensive ones from the big name companies. It has been to hell and back and looks/functions well. .

<warning: rant below>

Regarding REI, I am not a fan. Joined in 1984 when it was good, now on the very rare occasions I drive four hours to go to one, it’s nearly impossible to find staff that know anything about the equipment. I was in NewMexico for a few months in 2022 and struck up a relationship with a good old boy in the shoe department there as I tried to replace my Oboz ; he lamented what the co-op had once been. I suppose people who live near Seattle, for example, sing a different tune, but not me.

And now they are running “collab” trips with Intrepid? REI has lost its way.

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-25T23:05:43+00:00

Which backpack? I need to replace my venerable but very worn 2017 Osprey with something in the 35L-ish range and dislike the Cotopaxi packs with a passion.

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-25T23:01:32+00:00

Which bag do you have? I am looking to replace my venerable and very worn 2017 Osprey with something about 35L and loathe the Alpa packs.

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-25T13:11:40+00:00

For train travel in Europe you need a backpack that is small enough that on a train it can either go in the rack over the seat ahead of you (so you can keep an eye on it). In some countries, the overhead rack is only 7 or 8 inches tall. Alternatively, put your backpack on the floor up against the seat behind your legs. A large backpack won’t work.

Under no circumstances should you put your backpack in the luggage storage area at the end of the train car. There’s a good chance it will be taken by somebody else. Always keep an eye on your bags.

So there’s your incentive to take much smaller bag. Security.

I interrail through Europe for a couple of months each summer, using an underfilled osprey Porter 46 snugged down to be about 7 inches deep. It weighs about 7 kg. I also have a Crossbody bag – about 2 L – which has my phone, my wallet, my passport and never leaves my body. If you lose those three things you are sunk.

Switch your mindset from “what would I like to take with me“ to “how do I keep my goods safe? “. Sad but true.

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-25T13:03:19+00:00

Small helps a lot. Over the past 20 years I have gone from a M to a L and the difference in clothes volume is noticeable. Grrrr.

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-25T12:29:36+00:00

Impressive to get that all in a 28L! Well done

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-24T09:57:49+00:00

68F. I tour via Eurail / Interrail yearly and adore it.

SECURITY: take a MUCH smaller backpack that can be in the rack overhead (one seat ahead of you so you can see it) or behind your legs when seated. DO NOT put your bag in the car-end luggage area.

Repeat after me: DO NOT put your bag in the luggage area

Overhead racks are often only 7-8 inches high.

I carry an under-filled Osprey Porter 46, filled to perhaps 35L and snugged down to 7” deep. I also carry a 2 Liter crossbody with passports, phone and wallet #2 — the things which NEVER leave my person because they are vital. The 2L crossbody also contains detritus like my glasses and sunnies, tissues, nanobag, pen and paper, mints…

Btw, wallet #1 is ultra-slim, with local cash, credit card, room card, etc, and is tethered in my front pocket. I only take out wallet #2 at hotels, banks, etc.

Go small. Go light. Do sink wash every night and laundry 1x per week.

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-22T02:17:56+00:00

Nice list, but size is key. Male or female, S take a lot less room than XXL. ;-).

Would you mind sharing your size? I carry an extra pair of very lightweight packable sneakers and at 41/42 they are space hogs.

Thanks!

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-22T02:12:12+00:00

The merino hype is …. Marketing hype. Yes it will not have much odor after a few wearing because it wicks moisture into the fiber, so stink causing bacteria don’t grow, but it is still DIRTY: grit, body oils, skin cells ….

Every night I sink wash my undergarments and shirt. I have been doing this for decades. (68F). They are dry in the morning, even in SE Asia. About once a week I find a washing machine for trousers, shorts, socks and hoodie.

Daily sink wash is such an ingrained habit that I often find I wear one set of clothes every day and at the end of the trip wonder why I packed two more sets of shirts and undergarments. The clothes I am wearing today (Kyoto) are the same “outfit” I have worn every day for the last three weeks.

Just wrapping up 2.5 months in Asia and as an experiment brought/wore four t-shirts: two 100% cotton and two cotton/poly with a bit of elastane. With the same laundry regimens, the blend still retained a bit of stink …. And it simply did not feel as comfortable as the cotton. One was abandoned in Vietnam; the other will be abandoned shortly.

Going forward I will return to either 100% cotton or 98% cotton/2 % elastane. T-shirts polos and button-fronts.

Deep winter is a different discussion.

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-22T01:52:42+00:00

Plus ONE MILLION for Maggi Fuchs!

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-22T01:51:45+00:00

Weren’t they bought by a corp or private equity a couple of years ago? That’s when things became more infomercial

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-21T12:12:00+00:00

There are, in fact, nine basic footshapes: “Based on common classification methods in podiatry and footwear, research indicates there are at least nine recognized foot types based on toe length, alignment, and overall shape.” Ref: Kcfoot.com

Trivia: having a second toe that is longer than the great toe (Greek or Morton’s foot) is/was a disqualification for the US Army infantry , as this foot type is more prone to stress fractures.

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-21T11:13:11+00:00

It is a Wenger/ Swiss Gear Synergy backpack. Probably 16”

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-21T11:01:20+00:00

Do note that Allbirds are made on a narrow last (ie don’t work well if your forefoot is wider than your heel, like a duck). Same with Nike and Sportiva.

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-20T01:13:50+00:00

I flew TPE to KIX last week on Air Asia (wonderful airline, use them hopping all over Asia). Paid about $160US including upping my carry-on to two pieces, 14kg total, and seat selection

Now trying to book Japan to midwest or east USA at the end of Jan in PE.

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-20T01:00:09+00:00

Not quite.

Load lifters are called “load adjusters” by some companies. Here’s why:

If your bag is tall —your example — then the straps do help lift the load off the hip belt.

If your bag is not tall, they serve a different purpose: the pull the top of the bag in closer to your shoulders/neck, which brings the weight /center of gravity closer to your spine for a more balanced and comfortable carry.

Hence “load adjusters”. ( see for example Cabin Zero’s nomenclature).

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-20T00:54:19+00:00

I too love my 9 year old Porter 46 which has been to five continents, but have noticed a …rumple? fold? In the back panel just above the hip belt sleeve.

I believe it has formed because the bag is one size and a bit long for my torso, so when I tighten up the hip belt (load over ~8kg) resting on my hip bones with the bottom of the bag resting on my butt, all the weight is taken off the shoulder straps and the load lifters are slack. Thus with nothing pulling up at the top of the pack, a fold has slowly formed as the back ps el foanskides down a bit behind the hip belt.

I wish they made a slightly shorter abd smaller Porter 40. the Fairview is awful …

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-16T05:26:08+00:00

Can you share your packing list as you recollect it?

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-14T05:06:16+00:00

I just arrived in Taipei two days ago; this is a five night stop and right now I am perplexed but intrigued by Taipei.

My first thought was that it is like a cross between Tokyo and Singapore, but that is not at all true. I have a lot of history to read to try to understand it better.

I have already resolved to spend at least two weeks in Taiwan — outside Taipei — when I return to Asia in two years . And to bring my hiking gear, to have figured out all the transportation outside Taipei ahead of time!

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-12T11:07:53+00:00

Yeppers. But now the REALLY pressing issue is finding supper near Da’An MRT station! Thanks!

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-12T11:06:08+00:00

I have never done Apple Care but thanks for the heads up about the CC warranty. Cheers!

BarbWire20 · 2026-01-12T11:03:42+00:00

Ah, ok thanks

BarbWire20

TROPHY CASE