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Unsolved and solved Ultra Compact Travel problems.

Any MacGyver, "the makeshift gadget god", types out there?

An example

One evening I was sitting reading in the bed of my cheap Singapore hotel. I felt I got bitten by something. I assumed it was a mosquito but didn't see any. I switched off the light to sleep. Got bitten again. I looked. Bed bugs! I was bitten over and over again and could not fall asleep.

I happened to have a roll of double sided tape. I thought I could sleep on the floor and use the tape as a barrier around me. Hopefully the bugs would get stuck on the tape when they homed in on me.

It worked. No more bites and in the morning the was some five bugs stuck on the tape.

Unsolved problems

"Makeshift neck pillow" for night flights

(Google Image search turns up no results.)

Maybe using things you find on the plane: blankets, pillows...

I have been thinking of wrapping a blanket around the neck and securing it with a string.

Hand fan, preferably foldable

I would like to be able to easy and quickly make a hand fan from items easily available on the road.

In hot conditions a fan often means the difference between feeling miserably hot or being comfortable.

Newspapers and magazines don't work well - not rigid enough and too heavy respectively.

I have tried some designs using wooden chop sticks, "available everywhere", and a news paper. The chop sticks I put together two and two overlapping and wound with tape. Then I tried to stiffen up a news paper with them - no luck so far.

The radius of the fan must be some 18 inches, 45 cm, for good effect.

Any suggestions?

Thinking of it a piece of corrugated paper, fold-able lengthwise in the middle, may do - I will test! Goes into a big leg pocket.

Eye mask for flights

E.g a strip of cloth. I would like it to have some other function(s). Tie could be one - but I never carried one when traveling.

Do you have any unsolved problems to suggest?

Solved problems. Do you have some better solutions?

Not yet complete

I have on the (town) road makeshift solutions for the following functions. Only using items found on location. Zero volume/weight in luggage! See the reports.

A bit in volume and weight saving order.

Extra trousers and shirts, except for the one set carried.

Warming vest

Door knob alarm

Travel guide book

Boxes for sun and reading glasses.

Universal hotel cupboard locking device.

Phrase book

Dictionary book

Diary

Note pad

Parasol

Reflecting warming vest

"Look normal" cloth bag for air line check in.

Sink/bath plug

Washing line

Comb

Wallet

Ear plugs

Clothes compressor

Nailbrush

Dental floss

I have on the (town) road makeshift solutions for the following problems using items found on location, in my pockets and in my iPod Nano size luggage. See the reports.

Locking hotel cupboard

Rain protection for the tropics

Tooth brush

Magnifying glass

Nose hair trimmer

Unlike MacGyver I don't carry a Swiss Army knife.

But I have five functions in a compact .2 oz, 6 g, item! (Not rocket science! but still.)

I have: A wind sock that doubles as....

The equivalent of a nose hair cutter that doubles as.....

A map that doubles as....(certainly no rocket science.)

Last modified Mar. 22, 2010.