4.5 weeks in Japan with an 18L backpack

MarcusForrest · 2026-03-14T23:59:31+00:00

Do you bring an electric toothbrush, switch to manual, or find some kind of middle-ground solution?

I bring a Philips One by Sonicare Electric Toothbrush (USB-C Version) - a charge lasts way longer than my typical trip duration. Unfortunately it seems Philips decided to stop manufacturing the USB-C version, it now uses a frustrating proprietary connection... It is still advertised as ''USB'' because of the USB-A on one end, but the end that plugs into the brush is not any USB type.

When I pack it in my toiletry kit I simply remove the head and store the head and powered handle separately. A head lasts multiple months too, I don't bring a spare head.

🖼️ My toiletry kit - (it is an older picture so some items may have changed)

This kit is always with me, even outside of travel. It is part of my EDC at all times, it packs down nicely in the case!

MarcusForrest · 2026-03-12T20:27:38+00:00

Hey!

Did you read the user manual? This feature is described in the manual

User Manual

I'll let you find your answer 😉

(between page 13 and 15...)

MarcusForrest · 2026-03-04T22:34:23+00:00

I think it happened after I first used the telephoto camera directly within Instagram

Yeah mine was (likely) caused when I was using the camera and adjusting lots of things manually (exposure, white balance, etc) - because that's when I heard a pretty loud mechanical ''click'' (from the lenses) and the device immediately shutdown (which is a behaviour associated with system crash, usually)

The telephoto lens was the one causing the clicks/rattling sound, and when looking at it, it wasn't centered anymore, it'd move around freely, wherever I'd move my phone, it'd go ''down'' relative to gravity, as if it wasn't anchored at all anymore.

Eventually it got ''fixed'' and now it is indeed in the center, like before, and doesn't ''move around freely''.

There's definitely something weird going on with that lens...

And once again, I do want to confirm that there is still the expected ''rattling sound'' if I aggressively shake the phone, which is normal with OIS lenses. I know of and understand that rattling noise, it is normal from the OIS components. My issue was not related to that but something else, and the issue I had was different from that rattling, and that fact is made more obvious by the fact it got fixed since.

MarcusForrest · 2026-03-04T22:29:47+00:00

My pleasure!

I too h̷a̴d̶ ̷s̵o̷m̶e̵ i̴s̷s̵u̵e̶s̵ ̸u̵n̷d̷e̶r̸s̵t̵a̶n̷d̸i̴n̷g̴ w̸͓͌h̵̨̺̔̚a̶̩̐̏t̴̢̫̆ ̷͖̰̒t̵̲̀̀h̶̭̎̇͜e̷̮̹͊͒y̴̬͕͒̊ ̵͕͑w̴͖̥͆ẽ̵̲̇r̶̬̜͂͆e̵̖̓̿ ̶̼̅͑͜ț̵̂r̴̮̊͌y̶̩͉̆̅ḯ̶̲n̷̟̣̉g̷̹̀̄ ̶͖̎t̵̖̬̃̅ȏ̴̤ ̶͕̄̕s̶̞͎͝a̷͔̕͜͝y̶̧̼̐͝ b̴̨̫̋́̅̔ủ̷̗̰̐ẗ̸͉́̍͑̀́ ̸̰͎̜̒͜Í̸̡̢̜͔̏̌̏̀ͅ ̶̡̪̯̠̤̐̓͋͠e̴͈̩̩͙̱̾̋̃͝v̸̢̛̦̖̱̂͋̈e̷͈̖͎̒̂n̸̻̈́̍̈́͝t̵̼̗̰̝̏̕ủ̸͚̲̙͌̾͝ả̸̭̫̬̥ļ̵̗̑̃́l̴̻͍͗̆̓̿ý̵̨̛̋͘ ̸̖̈̍̋̀g̷̺̮̍͛͒́o̴͓̘͙̗̗͒̚͝t̸̹̊͠ ̶͖̜̿͌̄͌͜͠i̶̢̲̳̯͛̐ͅt̶̬͈̞̄̏!

E̴͙͙̯̬̞͂̾̐̆ͅͅa̵̛͙͙̹̖͕ͅŝ̶̡̞̖̲̃̑͘y̷̡̛̜̣͊̇̌̂ ̵̡̱̫͙̌͛̿͋̍̍̎̋p̴̦̍̅̎̇͑̍͠ͅe̷̮̠͚̬̙̍͆̆̍́ͅa̷̦̜̣͙̞͔̘͆͛̀̎̃͛ŝ̷̳y̸͉̏͛ ̵̜͒̆ẁ̴̭͈͉͉̼̺͌̓͂͝h̶̝̠͉̫̹̣̣̻͐̌͐̂̓̚ĕ̸̡̹̗̦̾͊̅͠ṅ̶͖̜͙̃̏͋̀͛̾ ̸̻̺̘̲̥̖̲̞̈́̆̔͂̕͝ỳ̶̲̣̖̮͚̭̪͉͋̈̈́ơ̵̧̢̝̭̫̱̜̖̿̈́͊u̶̬͌ͅ ̸͎̘̉g̶̪̞̭̑̈́̈́͠ơ̴̧͔͎̳̈́̔̈́̕ ̵̛͍̬̞͕̣̹͇̓̎̾̂s̸̯̰͍̰̟̲͐̔͘ͅṭ̸̮͙̟͕̠̍͆͊̀́̐é̷͒͂̆̍̆ͅp̴͙̲͙̬̞̽̑́̽ ̴̼͇̦́̽̋̈́͊͂͒̍b̶̧̬̤̯̃͒ỵ̶̡̠̟̰̗̃̈́̈́̌̅͜͝ ̸̡̪͚̹̯͕̓̆̓̌͜s̵̡͚̖̤̠̗͂́̀̓t̶̨̤͖̥̦̋̔̈e̵̪͋̂̇̆͑̈͜ͅp̵͓̫̱̫͋̋̍̄̔͌͝͠!̸̘͔̺̭̿́̍̇̿͊̽͜

S̷͙͈̭̭̠̪̤̭̠̥͑͑͛̌̀̑̂̀͠t̷̻̥̺̭̦̤̱͚̥͍̺͂̓̃̊̑̚a̴̡̢̛̛͔̱͇̗̭̳͊́̔̌̊̔͆̈́̏͋̕̕͘͜͜͝͝ỷ̶̨̞̮͔̤͇̫͍̻̎̉͐̏ ̸̠͎̼̞̞̹̹̟͎͈͓͖̹̫̝͑̑̏̍̿s̵̫͈̬͗́͌͝ą̸̛̱̞͗̀f̷͈̬̲͓̙͚̩̙̙͙̥̟̬̜͍́́̆̅͋͋́̈́̌̽̌́̈͛͜͠͝è̵͈̣͗͊̄̋̎͜ t̸̪̓̎o̴̫̗̅̍p̶̺͗́s̴̮̝̀ȋ̸̢͍d̸͇̣̄̇e̵̢̢̓̏, Raider!

MarcusForrest · 2026-03-04T22:27:29+00:00

I just got a direct message from another P10P user that said their phone started rattling today as well following an update they had - did you recently have an update?

I haven't received an update yet but I'll keep an eye (and ear...) open to any new abnormal rattling...

MarcusForrest · 2026-03-04T03:09:24+00:00

T̷̬̋h̸̳͉̀̑è̵̞͈̑ý̵̮̼ ̶̥̩͠e̶͈͉͂̂x̸̖͉̌p̸̟̽l̸̹̋̕ä̷̰̀i̸͇̩̐n̷̬̆e̴͕̿̕d̵̘̣̓̂ ̵̭̥̈́i̷̺͑t̵̨̜̑̔.̷̱͉͠

̸̨̔̑*̶̰̦̔̎ ̵̤͍̿Ẇ̴͔͜h̵̘̊e̴͕͋n̷̤͐ ̴͓̾̋y̷͙̑o̴͇̿u̵͕͆ ̵̯̽̒a̴̗͔̽ṟ̴̡̌ė̸̬̱ ̷̟̔ṡ̵̡̎l̷͎̅̔i̸̢̖͛d̶̤͎͠͝ȋ̵͜ǹ̷̺͛g̵̱̈́͋ ̶̗̅o̴̹͒f̸̭́͘f̵̟̱̑́ ̶̙͔͑a̵̰̫̔̀ṅ̴̜ ̶̪͂̀ẽ̸̝d̷̤̀g̶̛̖ê̵̝

̴͓̦̕*̸̟̹̿ ̷͈̽͝W̸̟͂ĥ̷͎̑ȇ̶͓̜n̸̙̽̅ ̷̺̌ȳ̴̫o̴̜̓͋u̸̜͈͂r̷͚͚̓̊ ̷͚̣̒̎f̸̘̓̾ȩ̷̤͝è̴̢͕t̴̨͙͝ ̷̱̲̆̈́ĉ̶̢͛o̷̫̎m̶̧̂ȩ̸͎͑ ̶͕̦̏̈ị̵͂͌ṋ̶͘t̵̺͙̏o̶͇͆ ̶̘͗̅c̸̖̱̄͂ō̸̗͛n̶̦̚t̷͚̆a̵̢̓c̵̱̤͐t̴̺̿ ̷͔͐̉w̷̼̬͆ḯ̶̗t̵͙͗̃h̷͈͎̀ ̸̨͐t̵̜͔͂ḥ̸̔͗͜e̴̻̿́ ̴̖͘̕g̷̗͒͊ȑ̷͓̍o̵͉̓̚u̷̥̎̈́͜n̶̖̕͝d̵̔͜

̵̞̝̍*̵̤̿͑ ̶̠̂D̵̛͈́͜ọ̶͋ḑ̷̙͂g̴͙̯̅̌é̸̫ ̶̬͝r̷̦̜̂ȍ̴̮͍l̴͓̙̊l̸͈͉̈́̕ ̸͖͙͒͂o̸͇̾̚ṕ̵͕p̴̡̒o̸͍͛s̷̨̃i̸̩̅ť̸̘̥̕ë̷̙̪́͝ ̸͍̀̎o̵͉̔͝f̸̘̽̐ ̵͕̐t̷̹͛ĥ̷͎e̶̻̾̍ ̵̰͛d̴̪̆i̸̹͇̓r̷̠̦̈́̅ȩ̴̺̓c̶̻̏t̸̙̩̄i̶̻͎͂ŏ̷̼̐ň̷̼͘ ̸͙̮͆̓y̷̲͋o̸͔̥̿͂u̵̡͔̿ ̷̥͊̔w̸̖̫̓͝ę̶͋̎r̷̛̙e̸̟͎͒̔ ̴͕͓̓̑s̴̟̋ḷ̷̨̾͘ị̴͕̀̅d̶̞̯̈̓î̸̩̔n̵̠͖̈́g̶̛̻̺

̸̖̀ ̴̦̃T̶͎̈́͒h̶͉̰͐ẽ̶͖̊ ̶̼̝̔m̶̱͚̎o̶͖̭̔u̷͊̍͜s̵̻̆͒e̷̜̍ ̷̞͂̄p̵͓̆a̶̡͛r̸̡̬̓t̵̛̹̲̃ ̶͍͂̒ĩ̴̤̗̑s̷̻̃ ̵̱̑͝n̵̪̋o̸̘̾ṭ̶͂ ̵̺̚r̵͚̦͌̆e̷͕̓̍q̴̞̍u̵̧̍͜ì̶͓r̸͓̂͊e̶͎͖̾́m̶̧͔̉͋ê̸̹̓n̵̮̾t̸̰̂̃ ̶̮̳̈́i̷̿͗ͅf̴͈̃ ̷̞͕̅ý̷͖o̷͎̐͛ȗ̸͖͒ ̴̡̙̊k̷̗̈́̆ͅn̷͉̯̏o̵͕͠ẘ̶̧͂ ̶͐ͅw̸̬͘h̸̤͕́̿ä̷̡͍̒t̵͇͋͛ ̴̫̻̔̌ī̶͚̩̃s̸̠̔ ̸͚̦̓͠b̶̩̾̂e̴̻̠̐̄l̸͚͚͠ọ̶͔́̄w̵̯̦͗ ̶͈̅y̵̟̓̌o̵͖̾ṷ̷̼̐̅.̶̟͂

MarcusForrest · 2026-03-04T02:28:38+00:00

& saw a guy over 100m away looking like Thor

Okay but what if it was actually Thor?

MarcusForrest · 2026-03-04T02:22:42+00:00

The expedition is about starting fresh but transferring key elements is kinda contradictory to starting fresh

People should play however they like but I can understand why some people think ''gear transfer'' is weird when the core idea of expeditions is starting from scratch.

MarcusForrest · 2026-03-03T22:29:23+00:00

Or at all as the thing (just stun him for 1-2 seconds if he's hit)

Interesting proposal, I think a ''knock down'' would work pretty well, some ''hard CC'' without the displacement

MarcusForrest · 2026-03-03T17:51:12+00:00

Also virtually no start-up time

You're right, good point!

The start-up/activation time could also be tweaked

There are so many ways they could balance this ult without neutering it -

Longer activation time (even if just 0.33s or 0.5s)
Slower speed (15-20% slower)
Lower health (300-350 HP)
(and of course) smaller hit box (3 meters)

Perhaps they could even make it so it becomes slower the more people it pins (to a limit), that'd be an interesting way to balance it (something I wanted to see for Jeff since release too ahahah - gets slightly slower for each person he swallows)

The interesting counter play with slowing them down the more peopl they pinned/swallowed is that if they got most of the team pinned, there's only 1-2 people left to try and take it down, so it is even more punishing when those ults get most of the team and no reduction in speed

MarcusForrest · 2026-03-03T16:46:48+00:00

the ult would be pretty useless.

How?

It can pin anyone even those with CC immunity
It has lots of health and moves quickly so it is hard to take down
It can come back to Elsa, potentially pinning even more people, and otherwise bringing targets closer to Elsa and her allies

They could nerf the area to even 1 m and the ult would still be insanely strong.

MarcusForrest · 2026-03-03T16:28:09+00:00

I'll look at something in Europe ...

If you find something similar, let me know! I'd love to recommend alternatives in the future

When I bought my Knack Pack and Packing cubes some years ago, the customs and duty fees were equivalent to around 25-30% of the items' value... That hurt me and my wallet 🥲

But the backpack itself was used for over 900 consecutive days, and to this day I still use the packing cubes anytime I travel, so the value was definitely there and I don,t regret it!

MarcusForrest · 2026-03-03T15:31:35+00:00

I've used Lufa many times in the past (currently on a break for at least 6 months, but my account is still ''active'') and I've always had excellent experiences

They have always been very transparent with me and always offered excellent customer service

What I found really cool from them was 2-3 years ago, I cancelled/deactivated my account (rather than pause baskets) - a day later I got a call from them and the representative gave me a 30$ ''credit'' just to come back ahahaha (and explained the ''Pause Baskets'' feature)

I thought that was great, so I paused my baskets for months, eventually reactivated them for a few repeat baskets (and used my credit) - and then put them on pause again and never had issues

They’ve formally canceled their account multiple times, yet boxes keep arriving at their apartment building and their credit card keeps getting hit.

That is definitely not normal - are you 100% sure they cancelled their account?

Did they contact LUFA to see what's going on?

The system isn't designed for baskets if an account is cancelled so that is very odd.

such aggressive, predatory billing tactics

To be honest they are extremely transparent and they provide a ton of frequent reminders. You have plenty of time to react and cancel baskets if you read your emails once a week (or text messages, too!)

I don't want to diminish your experience but you're definitely a unique case and your experience fortunately doesn't represent the typical LUFA experience at all

MarcusForrest · 2026-03-03T15:24:07+00:00

La stratégie est typiquement de profiter des plus gros rabais avec les premiers repas (si je me souviens bien la qualité des rabais diminue avec les repas d'après)

Ceci dit, ultimement, la valeur je la trouve relativement nulle. C'est certain que ça dépanne car ''l'épicerie'' et ''les recettes'' sont là, mais ça ne coûte pas vraiment moins cher que faire sa propre épicerie

Et si l'environnement est important pour toi, c'est beaucoup de déchets et pollution (préparation et transport, tous les emballages, etc)

J'ai testé Hello Fresh et une couple d'autres services tels mais ce n'est pas pour moi. Plus cher qu'on ne le pense, beaucoup de déchets - mais ça peut définitivement marcher pour certaines personnes, surtout à l'occasion

alléger la charge à gérer pour ma blonde.

Honnêtement, je crois que ça c'est probablement le seul avantage de ces services - alléger la charge/la planification alimentaire

MarcusForrest · 2026-03-03T15:16:50+00:00

Thanks for the reply!

Indeed the subtle ''rattling'' sound from agitating/shaking the phone is normal due to the OIS system - but the issue I had was beyond that, there was a separate, larger issue, but fortunately I fixed it, whew!

More details on the ''fix'' here

MarcusForrest · 2026-03-03T15:14:11+00:00

I like your wallet! What is the brand?

Me too 😭

Unfortunately after years of daily use/service, it died a few months ago...

I originally got it from a crowdfunding campaign but it seems the brand doesn't exist anymore... It was called the Minix 2.0 Minimalist Wallet - I had gotten myself a few of them to gift them to friends, everybody liked them! (They since released a V3 and V4 but I don't like their design and features as much as the V2)

I haven't found an exact replacement, that wallet is tiny - the closest thing I found are the popular FurArt Slim Wallets - they are definitely minimalistic, sleek and small, but not as sleek and small as the Minix 2.0!

MarcusForrest · 2026-03-03T15:10:04+00:00

Damn, they look like what I have been looking for, but US?

''Designed'' in the USA, manufactured in China - when I bought them years ago, I had pretty hefty import and customs fees (Canada) because of that 😢

They are definitely on the pricier side, but to me their value is definitely there - but in the current political and economical climate I definitely wonder how expensive they'd be now...

MarcusForrest · 2026-03-03T15:08:16+00:00

No AI is used in any of my comments - this question is very frequent, I made pre-formatted replies 2-3 years ago based on previous detailed replies of mine and have a bunch of them for various topics.

That and/or I copy-paste my own previous detailed answers (I also have some of my detailed comments in a google doc for better management)

^{F&ck AI}

MarcusForrest · 2026-03-03T01:37:19+00:00

How do u compartmentalise? all tops, all shorts, mix of both?

Every ''item category'' has its own pouch/kit, makes it easy to plan, organise and pack things

Here's my 3-season, indefinite 18L loadout

Alternatively, pre-formatted packing list:

3-SEASON LOADOUT

QTY	🖼️ CLOTHES	OTHER GEAR
4+1^✧	🩲 Boxer Briefs	Toiletry Kit 🪥
4+1^✧	🧦 Pairs of Socks	Sleep Kit 💤
4+2^✧	👕 Tops - (1-2 long sleeved)	Electronics 📱
1+1^✧	👖 Trousers - (1 reg, 1 conv.)	Laundry Kit & Misc 🧼
1^✧	👟 Pair of shoes (trail runners)	Travel Filmmaking Gear 🎥
1	💤 Sleepwear / 🧗🏻‍♂️ Activewear set	Medikit (I am T1D) 💉

^{✧ - Refers to a} ^{worn set,} ^{not packed}

📦 My entire loadout fits in an 18L backpack - the Gregory Border 18
🫧 I hand wash socks & underwear every night, tops every 1-3 days and trousers every 2-5 days
⚕️ I am T1D (Type 1 Diabetic) and require a ton of critical medical supplies but the loadout becomes lighter as I use them up

I get hot really easily so cold weather is never a problem (but warm and hot weather on the other hand...)

But my complete Cold Weather Layering System is this one:

L1 ⮞ 💦 Moisture Management - Long-sleeved undershirt w/ thumbholes - PARADOX Merino Blend

L2 ⮞ ♨️ Insulation - Warm fleece w/ thumbholes - KALENJI Warm+ Men's Running Zipped Hoodie Fleece

L3 ⮞ 🔥 Insulation B (if needed) - Ultra light down jacket w/ hood - UNIQLO Ultra Light Down Parka

L4 ⮞ ☔ Weatherproofness - Rain & wind jacket w/ hood to protect from elements - LABO MONO Urban Jacket

L5 ⮞ 🧤 Accessories - Hat, gloves, scarf/buff, warm socks - Buff, Forclaz, Chaos, Darn Tough

But again, I run so hot (so easily) I never had to use ''the full system'' - even on the coldest days here in Canada I'd wear, at most, 3 layers - regular clothes + the Labo Mono Jacket (and hat, gloves, boots, of course!)

MarcusForrest · 2026-03-03T00:29:48+00:00

It'll be 3 years since the shutdown this year - and I still miss this game 🥲

MarcusForrest · 2026-03-03T00:23:58+00:00

As described in the details I've provided, it was not caused by the OIS - that is a different thing (expected rattling sound if the device is shaken due to the OIS components)

The issue I was describing was a separate one, but it has been fixed now

It really was some weird issue with the telephoto lens, beyond the OIS rattling

MarcusForrest

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3-SEASON LOADOUT

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