I Think Not

And here is a detailed list of things I traveled with, but decided to leave behind:

Eagle Creek bag for bed stuff ($10 - Recreation Equipment Inc): Keeping all bedding stuff together keeps things organized, but I decided I only needed a sleep sheet anyway...	Eagle Creek inflatable headrest ($26 - Recreation Equipment Inc): Really is a great thing. Even better than a real pillow, but ultimately a luxury item I didn't need...
Small Outdoor Research bag for first aid/emergency ($15 - Recreation Equipment Inc): Great bag with 4 separate compartments. Nice and small. I used it as the "emergency bag", containing the first aid kit, and that stuff you always end up needing like duct tape, and string, but realized I only need half the stuff I brought, which could fit in a Ziploc bag inside the pill bag...	Mombasa Tracker mosquito net ($27 - Recreation Equipment Inc): One of the things I'm not sure about leaving behind. We'll see in India I suppose...
Much of the stuff inside the "emergency bag" was excessive... Mozzy net hanging kit Thumb tacks Eye pillow (use bandana instead) Hand wipes Extra sting 1 of the 2 Duct tapes Most of the quick-ties 1 of the 2 tweezers Deet Insect Repellant - if I truly need it, I can get it anywhere... Tin mirror - never used it once in 8 months... Floss - sorry Dr. Vultagio; just wasn't using it...	Panasonic MP3/CD player ($45 - Best Buy): Cheap, light, plays MP3s for 37 hours on just 2 AA batteries, and sounds OK with a new set of ear bud phones ($9 - Circuit City). Great, if you don't upgrade to an even smaller MP3 player in Hong Kong like I did...
Sunglasses (already had): I mailed these home after I left Hawaii. These kind of sunglasses are distinctly American, if you didn't know.	Timbuk2 CD player case ($25 - Eastern Mountain Sports): Holds 12 CDs and the player. A bit bulky, but it was still the slimmest one I saw.
2 almost used-up travel journals (already had). Journal (already had): Well, I wish I could say I kept up on journal writing, but I stopped sometime after Hawaii. Besides, I have a laptop now...	Voice Recorder (gift): Actually very useful for recording sounds of the culture incognito, but now I have a video camera...
Mini lock (didn't end up bringing this) Swiss-Tech multi-tool (didn't end up brining this after my Leatherman got confiscated at the airport)	Extreme Water Technologies purifier water bottle ($42 - Bob Smith's Wilderness House): Just not worth carrying around. It's small, but not small enough, and bottled water is available everywhere.
Digital camera, media cards, and USB card reader (already had): I replaced these with a better solution, but this is what I was using. Olympus digital camera Two 64Mb, two 32Mb, one 8Mb, and a USB reader (2,100 pictures) were OK until Europe, where windows XP machines don't read the USB drivers (which meant no pic uploads for 3 months!)...	Timex Expedition watch ($28 - K-Mart): If you MUST have a watch, you've got to have a crap looking watch so it doesn't tempt thieves, but the watch has to have an alarm clock unless you want to carry a bulky one - which doesn't fit the light-travel schematic. When I got my mobile phone, however, I didn't need this watch anymore.
Suction cup hook for hanging/drying/3rd hand (already had): There are alternatives. This was a luxury item...	Sun Screen (already had): Used it a lot for a while, but now I'm tan, and haven't put it on for 4 months. Besides, I kept a small tin of zinc oxide...
Zip-Lock bags (already had): Another must, as any seasoned traveler knows, but I had way too many...	Cascade Designs Pack Towel ($18 - Recreation Equipment Inc): I got a sarong in Hawaii, which is much better because it dries faster, covers more of you (for decency at hostels), has tons of other uses, and takes up the same amount of space as this little towel.
Guitar (Free at Beijing Hostel): Wow! A free guitar! Some girl gave this to me at the hostel and I carried it around for 2 weeks until I realized how much of a burden it was. Gave it to Yang Jia.	Ukulele ($105 - Bandit Music, Hawaii): What a cool instrument to play with! Not a souvenir either! But ultimately it didn't fit the "one-bag" requirement of traveling light...
Knee Brace (already had): Got rid of this just months before seriously injuring my knee... probably would have helped....	Money Belt ($25 - REI): This is a tricky little belt that hides your money in a secret zipper. Broke the first one, and got this in Poland. Then decided, my passport money belt was enough...
DVD's ($0.25/ea on the street): Keep picking these up around Asia but don't like carrying them around... (hola if you want any)	Fleece Jacket (free at San Diego hostel): Great while I needed it, but didn't need it in China. Left it on the Trans-Siberian train for someone else.
Rain Jacket ($131 - REI): Wow was this a surprise! Is anyone else shady about buying store-brand "Gore-Tex"? You know - the phony stuff. I tried a bunch of stuff at the stores. I brought this, the Marmot PreCip, and the GoLite ultra-lite Gore-Tex jackets. The Marmot was the worst. Felt like a garbage bag. But to my surprise, the real Gor-Tex wasn't much better! This REI brand jacket was nice even when fully zipped up in a humid, hot environment. Go REI. And furthermore, the Landmark center REI in Boston has some very attentive, nice, and knowledgeable staff. A breath of fresh air after Bob Smith's Wilderness House! Obviously I enjoyed it, and used it a lot... I may regret ditching it...	T-Shirt (already had): Well, this was the first shirt to be worn out. Threw it away in Russia...
Pants (already had): This was the first pair of pants to wear out. Left them in Berlin... Left my second pair in Beijing, but no pic. Zipper always goes first!	Shoes ($75 - REI): This one is the most painful to leave behind. SHOES!?!? How can I get by without them?!?!?!? They just took up too much room in my bag. I hope I'll survive with just my sandals...
2 pr Socks ($20 - REI): Ditched the shoes, so no need for these...	Shirt (free from San Diego hostel): Gave this shirt a good run, but it met its demise when some jerk drew on my back with blue marker...
Lowa Boots ($105 - REI): THESE BOOTS SUCKED!!! THOUGH COMFORTABLE, THEY FELL APART IN SCOTLAND - ONLY 1 MONTH AFTER I BOUGHT THEM!!! I FIXED THE THREADS THAT HAD COME APART, BUT BY THE TIME I GOT TO TEXAS THE LACE HOLES HAD BROKEN OUT OF THE BOOT!!! BEWARE! I know Lowa is a great brand... but what happened?!?!?!?!?! I ended up returning them to the San Francisco REI.	Tooth Brush: No regrets here. This thing sucked. A finger tooth brush?! Who was I kidding?
Water "Bladder" (already had): Found I didn't need this. Bottles are good enough, and the hose kind of attracts attention..