I carried a raincoat, very thin plastic, a bit "one time use", volume like a hand. I used it one time when walking in rain. My windbreaker had been enough.

I borrowed from others

A bit serious We made an unplanned stop in a city just to sleep, and arrived late. I didn't have copies of the travel guide for that city. My friend had the whole guide and we easily found a hotel. I could have had a problem finding a budget hotel without the guide book. Locals naturally don't have much knowledge about hotels.

Not serious

• Ahead of a trip and dinner on the train I bought a can of sardines. It turned out I needed an opener. I borrowed my travel companions Swiss Army Knife. Also his plastic tea spoon to fish out the sardines. Without my friend I would have asked fellow passengers if they had a knife.

• I wanted to lower my inner trousers so I could tuck them into my socks keeping my ankles warmer in cold weather. I borrowed, a piece of string, tape and scissors from may travel companion to lengthen the suspenders of those trousers while on a train. Otherwise I could have got the string and borrowed scissors at an accomodation.

  • When the Siberianskaja cold wind struck I had to borrow two kittens from my landlord to keep my ears warm. If I wasn't allergic to cats I would have kept them there also when sleeping. :)

    • If you been in the Danube Delta on a cold autumn day you may also have experienced this very cold strong wind, the Siberianskaja, coming from Siberia, picking up speed over the steppes of Kazakhstan then accumulating moisture as it crosses the Black Sea. Finally doubling its speed as it is compressed into the channels of the Danube delta.

    • The chill factor is tremendous. It is so chilling, even in 60 F, 15 degrees C plus, that when we put a cup of water outside it froze in minutes! :-)

Pick pocket attack went well - for me. Defense systems worked. Their intelligence seemingly OK. Surprised by my defense?

A guy with some 15 pocket should be a bit of a challenge for pick pockets. But they managed to go for the right pocket. Good intelligence or luck?

We were waiting for a bus at the railway station of the city Brashow. The bus came, I lined up to enter, a woman (good sun tan, wide skirts!) stopped at the door in front of me, didn't enter. It rung no bells in my head - latest encounter with pick pockets was years ago. Some people pushing from behind. A big hand grabs my money, passport etc from outside my pocket. I have a defense system against this type of attack - hidden zips on the pockets. I look back, it is the usual set up, a person, this time a man, with a coat on his arm shielding the proceedings. I shout "Pick pockets, pick pockets" as the doors closes and the bus starts. If the pick pocket had got my stuff I could not have run after him. Timing good! Maybe organized with the driver.

After this I adjusted my money, passport etc to make it slimmer - less noticeable from outside.

Next trip in same climate I go again in my vest only

Maybe to Crimea, in Ukraine, with Yalta etc on the northern Black Sea coast coming spring. See Test Runs with Ultra Compact Luggage

Next trip in the tropics

I am just now planning to go with still less. Big trouser pockets. No vest, no extra trousers, maybe one extra shirt. See Test Runs with Ultra Compact Luggage

What may travel companion carried altogether, in a backpack weighing 40 lbs, 17 kilos,

I don't know in detail. But he reports one pair of long trousers, two shorts, five shirts or T-shirts, one fleece jacket, four footwear from heavy trekking to bathroom slippers, three pair of socks, one umbrella, one SLR camera outfit and one digital camera in a camera bag. A Swiss Army Knife and a tea spoon. Also one radio with short wave and one immersion heater for boiling e g coffee water in the morning. A toiletries case with a volume of about one and a half liter. A Eastern Europe travel guide, about one kilo.

Any tips, suggestions or comments?