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Preparations for Guatemala #3 - Camouflaging my backpack

​May 21 2021 | Tagged: Guatemala, Border Crossings

Camouflaging my The North Face Base Camp Duffel using a rice bag for travel in Guatemala.
Nomadic Backpacker testing THE NORTH FACE BASE CAMP DUFFEL XS
I am slightly fearful of the road ahead. The thought of being robbed fills me with dread. It is the reason why I put off comings to Latin America for so long.

It is not helped that I was attacked by 2 guys with knives upon arrival in Cape Town after 7 uneventful months travelling 19,000km down through supposedly more dangerous Africa without flying.

Although personally, I can't even attempt to blend in Latin America, my bag can.

This is my main bag, a THE NORTH FACE BASE CAMP DUFFEL XS:
The North Face Base Camp Duffel xs
​My cunning plan is to camouflage my bag for when travelling on chicken buses in Guatemala.

Guatemala ain't Kansas!

Back in 2000 when I was preparing for a trip (that never materialised) to this part of the world, reports of theft were common. One story that always stuck with me was the one where the traveller placed his backpack in the overhead rack, behind where he was sitting and at some point, it got offloaded out of the window at the back of the bus.

​I am keen to avoid my bag being singled out. Period!

Locals travel with their possessions in rice bags. I am going to do just the same.

I found a slightly grubby rice bag for 3Pesos, just big enough for my The North Face base camp duffel:
Rice bag
Rice bag
I made some slots which I reinforced with Gorilla Tape, a much stronger version of Gaffa Tape:
Gorilla tape
I then threaded the straps through the slots:
Base camp duffel modifications
And here is the result:
Rice Bag Guatemala
I bought some cable ties but decided some para-cord would be more practical:
Cable ties
Para cord
Close-up of the top:
Rice bag Guatemala
I think it turned out pretty well. Feeding the straps through the slots wasn't as easy as I was thinking as the slots are quite small. I won't be travelling every few days. The Guatemala visa is 90 days and I only plan on 6 places so no big deal.
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Getting a Covid SARS-Cov-2 Antigen Test in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas Mexico

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​Travelling from Ko Lanta to Penang - how we did it back in 2001

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  • HOME
  • SITE INDEX
  • About
    • ABOUT Me
    • Where I've Been: World Travel Page
    • Notable Experiences
  • ADVERTISE
  • BORDER CROSSINGS
  • DONATE
  • Travel Advice
  • ATM fees
  • CONTACT
  • destinations
    • United Kingdom
    • Panama
    • Belize
    • Honduras
    • Costa Rica
    • Nicaragua
    • El Salvador
    • Guatemala
    • Mexico
    • Africa
    • Turkey
    • The Balkans
  • Top 3 Fav Countries
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