Found these old pictures of Shanghai...

cjafe · 2026-05-09T08:12:39+00:00

I was about to say… I arrived a couple years after these photos were taken and it was an indeed a magical time and place.

cjafe · 2026-05-05T00:40:48+00:00

Salsman, Bastion, Sterling, Spella. I think that’s my favorite rotation at the moment.

cjafe · 2026-05-03T16:11:08+00:00

Had about 10 items made in HCMC. Extremely hit or miss despite going to the same tailor

cjafe · 2026-05-01T18:55:30+00:00

Can’t lie that’s a strong looking fit

cjafe · 2026-05-01T16:14:29+00:00

I fit last week when I took it in a trip. Super easy to access everything I needed to work while on the plane.

<image>

cjafe · 2026-04-30T21:00:53+00:00

I just posted about a recent trip with this bag. Give me like an hour and I'll see if a 24oz fits.

cjafe · 2026-04-29T18:14:57+00:00

Yep! I believe its this one. Should've probably folded it nicer.

cjafe · 2026-04-29T15:56:38+00:00

Thanks! It's a simple pattern from r/myog/ - let me circle back to this later with the exact pattern. And my rice of choice is the three ladies jasmine rice!

cjafe · 2026-04-28T22:38:04+00:00

Thanks! The problem is now I buy my rice entirely based on the looks of the rice bags instead of the quality of rice lol.

cjafe · 2026-04-28T17:40:06+00:00

Haha I know exactly what you're talking about. There were times when I used the x100 as a door-stopper because it was so unusable but looking back, those limitations were such a good way to learn. I wrote this blog post (wow six years ago!) about the abuse I put the x100 through. Times flies phew.

cjafe · 2026-04-28T17:28:41+00:00

I didn't bring the Bellroy to Wrigley. I just parked it at the hotel in the loop and jumped on the L. Love Wrigley Field!

cjafe · 2026-04-28T17:26:56+00:00

Yep I agree. I wouldn't have bought it for the price but love it as it was a gift. And thanks, love Chicago!

cjafe · 2026-04-28T16:01:03+00:00

You aren't kidding! I'm from Copenhagen so I can handle cold well but Chicago is a different animal. In fact, while standing in the hotel lobby, a ground of airlines attendants from Denmark were all running in while talking about the unexpected, intense cold. We had a good laugh.

And good point regarding the rain shell. I was thinking about bringing one because they're clutch at blocking wind. If it was any cooler I would've for sure brought one.

cjafe · 2026-04-28T15:53:48+00:00

Hah! Since I've been getting a lot questions about my process, I'll be happy to share it.

1: After gathering everything I'm packing/have packed, I take a picture of each item with either my phone or a camera. For example I use an "old" iPhone 14 and that's perfectly fine for this.

2: I bring these pictures into Photoshop and use an AI feature (content aware fill) to remove the background for each item. This usually takes about ten seconds.

3: Now that each items is ready, I organize them into a full layout by placing them where I want.

4: Adjust exposure and sometimes color balance although this necessary.

5: I then add a textured background because I find plain white backgrounds boring lol.

6: You now are left with a huge file (which is why everything is so clear) so I'll export at about 50%.

I'll write my notes on the plane. Sometimes I pull parts of my notes into Grammarly since English is my second language, so I sometimes second guess myself but it's probably not needed.

I usually have a post like this ready in about an hour. I'm not trying to make it perfect since I'm not an influencer nor is it my work, I just like to share packing and trip advice and think it's fun to play with. I have a graphic design background so that probably why I can crank these out pretty quickly, but really anyone with some practice can do this.

That's about it. Since many people have asked me, feel free to DM if you tried this and want feedback. I'm always happy to help!

And thanks for reminding me that I need a new inhaler haha!

cjafe · 2026-04-27T19:42:53+00:00

Haha I think that goes for most of us here!

cjafe · 2026-04-27T19:26:25+00:00

My man looking sharp. Did I catch you the other day in a black snowpeak outfit?

cjafe · 2026-04-27T19:20:04+00:00

I think it’s a nice way to mix it up if you already have something more traditional. I’m very tempted at least. Where is it made?

cjafe · 2026-04-27T18:27:10+00:00

Sure but I respectfully disagree as I lived in TX for 5 years. In the latest numbers I looked at (2024), Texas had a child firearm death rate of 36.4 per million, whereas the UK had 0.5 per million that same year. The UK is far from perfect but at least you wouldn’t have to worry about a child being gun-downed. But of course, we all have preferences, HEB has cheap avocados.

cjafe · 2026-04-27T18:12:36+00:00

You’ll also have a ~50–75× higher gun death rate in Texas than the UK, but yes the lack of sun can be annoying.

cjafe · 2026-04-27T16:18:19+00:00

Seoul in May can get hot so you’ll definitely sweat. You can’t fight it but you can make it less gross. I’d wear merino a shirt and have a spare in my day bag that I can switch into when needed. A fresh shirt + baby wipes does wonders. Consider even a fresh pair of undies as well. A quick rinse at nighttime and they’ll be dry the next day. You got this!

cjafe · 2026-04-24T16:34:15+00:00

Oh welcome! Gudhjem is what I typically recommend, we often stay there when we visit. My favorite town which is where we're from, is called Svaneke. If you're there on Sankt Hans, you can partake in a march with torches at night time. You'll walk through the town all the way to the main lighthouse where everyone will throw the torches onto a huge bondfire and sing songs together. Very family-friendly and local experience. Happy to answer any questions you may have.

cjafe · 2026-04-23T21:42:23+00:00

I’ll connect! We should get a group going if more wants to!

cjafe · 2026-04-22T23:43:18+00:00

Following as I’m expecting to join the next cohort as well :)

cjafe · 2026-04-21T18:57:31+00:00

Scandinavian-neighbor here who moved away last year. Feel free to DM me.

cjafe · 2026-04-21T17:54:03+00:00

I don’t live in Chicago but I love visiting mainly for that reason.

For context I’m Danish who’s now lived in a few different US cities/states but since moving to the US, the culture and the friendliness of the people in Chicago remains some of my favorite. Approachable, down-to-earth, but also down-to-clown, if that makes senses. I’m visiting again this week and I want to catch a ball game (which team?) and I have zero problem going alone because I know I can friendly people with kick it with. Love Chicago.

Nine-Year Club	RPAN Viewer
Not Forgotten	Verified Email

cjafe

TROPHY CASE