What 3 'unnecessary' items could you not leave home without?

So you are almost ready to go, and the rucksack is full to bursting with all those come in handy travel accessories.
But, if you had to be mean and remove everything bar the minimum amount of clothing necessary (which would be a whole new topic in its own right) and your passport, small washkit, and first aid kit - what 3 items could you NOT bear to leave at home or travel without? And why?
A special photo? A penknife? Wooly knitted monkey? Camera? A certain food - a taste of something familiar if you are ever at a low ebb?
No matter how ridiculous or quirky they may be perceived to be by others, what are your top 3? After all, some may scoff, but then maybe they are missing out on something! Enlighten us!

www.ubertramp.com

 

I would never go on my backpacking trips without my camera, and at times my guitar when it was feasible.

But you say 3 items... hmmm...

Nahh, I could deal with the true minimum.

 

all-purpose soap

 

my notebook, a quality pen, my amethyst, lip balm, and eyedrops.

 

Compass, map, and a sharp pocket knife of the type acceptable anywhere I might be traveling. Accent is on the sharp, I'd rather have a tiny sharp knife than a giant Swiss Army knife with dull blades.

 

A water bottle, notebook, pen. Everything else could go. I frequently change my "lineup" anyways, but those items always stay.

 

I always overpack, ridiculously overpack...

People used to call me the 'walking library' because I had so many books lol So a decent book is one.

I love writing, i'm always writing especially when travelling. So it's essential for me to have a pen and paper because it's such a release if i've had a bad experience and nice to have handy if something or someone inspires me!

Last but not least, my music. Ipod/cd player whatever. I regretted not having enough music last time around on those srinagar-leh leh-manali epic 36+ hour bus journeys...After 36 hours of ...and you wil know us by the trail of dead and bob dylan I was going completely mad lol

harmonica is also up there , even though i suck it's still pretty amusing annoying the shit out of everyone when the bus has broken down and we're all stuck in the middle of nowhere...

 

My knife... most useful tool in the world.

My camera, im a photographer =)

Cant think of a third... mobile to keep contact maybe?

 

worry beads, music, books, tweezers

 

iPod, camera, geetar

 

well, assuming marijuana and a pipe are necessities...

iPod, notepad, pen

 

Book Of Shadows, Bandanna anddd my tarot cards

 

My music & a jar of marmalade and some decent teabags.

 

i forgot..tin of beans! I travelled for miles in Japan just to get some beans

 

somekind of computer, laptop, palmtop, programable graphing calculator at least, something to play with. pens and notebooks i would consider necceities. other then those two items, food concentrates and acouple of chainges of cloths, a warm coat and something to sleep in/make shelter out of, that would be about it. and the last would be if i was going on a hiking/out door trip. if i was packing for a bus/road/public transportation where i was going to stay in motels and such if i could afford that, i'd probably leave the camping supplies at home. unless i was driving in which case they'd be stored in the vehicule as a matter of course, that would be their normal home as was always the case when i had one. and in that case, or of a cross country hike, additional shelter building supplies would come along, a folding pruning saw, a hand drill and bits, one of those eggbeater kind of hand drills with the crank on the side of it, a spool of wire to tie things togather with and even one of those folding shovels, sometimes called trenching tools. also messkit and LITTLE camp stove.

really depends on what kind of trip. but some kind of something to write my thoughts/sketch on/and with, and some kind of tecno amusement in all cases and in all cases nonessential, other then psrinqilogicly. one of them little musical keyboards or perhapse a wooden flute alternately or even in addition to computer/programable calc.

programable calc and a multimeter with an interface that let them talk to each other would be really cool to play with. what i've seen of gamboys and pocket portable dedicated game machines i'd tire of and get bored with quicker then a graphing calc. just the wierd way i am. and i'm not a math rocket scientist either. just easily amused by things that didn't exist when i was in high school.

you know now a days, if i could afford one, a decent digital camera might be on that list too. with additional memory cards for it. yah that, and then if the palmtop could read and view them too, that would be great. still like to have the multimeter and interface to palm/lap top or calc to go with it, just so i could feed my ego and pretend to feel more nerdish then i really am.

oh and to go with the music makers, some interesting sheet music to practice on them. some kind of fairly thin and light book of it something like filk or light melodic rock.

believe me, if i were walking/hiking or taking public transportation i would NOT try to take ALL of that. just that the pens and notebooks and at least one kind of tecnotoys i almost certain would.

=^^=
.../\...

 

Pen and paper, my dog and....hmmmm....probably my tarot cards.

My dog is really small so she would fit in my back pack, with her little head poking out the top!

 

Notebook, deodorant (I loathe the feeling when I'm not wearing it), and the two necklaces I got from my aunt and mom (I have a travelers safety symbol necklace and one with St Chris on it [the patron saint of travelers]). Aaaand prolly a camera since I can fit that because I'd be wearing the necklaces and I'm a cheater

 

hmmm...
my handy dandy camera (i plan to have a picture of EVERYTHING one day)
some sort of notebook and pen
and some hemp and beads to keep me busy on rainy days... and really that's only cause i needed a third thing.. i don't really NEED it i suppose.

 

Oooh good topic. It took me a minute to catch the "Unecessary" part!

Hmmm laptop, camera, and jewelry. (By jewelry I mean my usual hemp jewelry, wedding ring, etc things I am so used to wearing I feel naked without them).

 

well some things i cant do without, like my waterfilter, knife . .. . but the ones that i can do without but always bring are my coffee percolater, mandolin or guitar, and . . .. nope, thats it. although youre wooly monkey reminds me of the times when i carried my knitted turtle for a pillow. damn turtles been to 46 states and much of canada.