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I do a lot of travel in third world countries where theft risk is a big issue. I'm not sure if a long train ride in first world country qualifies for such paranoia but here's what I do:

1) Padlock all the metal zippers. Anything with in a compartment with a fabric zipper can not be secured. There is little point in securing a bag if someone can simply open a zipper and remove the good stuff. A lock is pointless if someone an simply cut the handle with a pocket knife.

2) String a cable lock through one or more padlocks and wrap it around an immovable object, like a seat leg. I use a cheap bicycle lock much like this one: http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___56711?cm_vc=PDPZ2 but there are plenty of options.

Security doesn't have to be perfect, just good enough that isn't worth the trouble or risk to the thief.

That said, there have been times when I would have liked something a proximity alarm: not so much for theft but so that I don't absent mindedly leave something behind.

And at my job having a wristwatch is illegal (well, against OSHA regulations).

Just get the Casio F91W. It was my first watch in ... ~1988. Aka the terrorists watch. It's cheap and must be doing something right when it's been around for as long as it has.

I wouldn't want you driving me if you kept on fishing a phone out of your pocket to tell you the time.

I wouldn't want you driving me if you kept looking at your wrist, rather than the road, to tell you the time.

This is a very stupid argument.

A few observations:

1) We don't need constant updates on the time.

2) Clocks are everywhere, including cars. That wasn't always the case, some of us are old enough to remember when a clock in a car was a luxury item. But now they're built in to pretty much everything electronic, so watches are less necessary than they were a few decades ago.

3) Some people have an social/emotional attachment to wristwatches, apparently using them as some sort of status broadcast. I don't understand that bit of primate behavior, but the use of wristwatch as ornamentation by some subcultures should be noted and may account for some of the bizarre vehemence in discussions of this topic.

4) A clip watch is the best solution, anyone not using one is wrong -- I have spoken. :-)

How does a phone in your pocket tell you the time?

There's a reason wristwatches supplanted pocket ones.

On the other hand, a watch in your pocket or clipped to a belt loop doesn't irritate your wrist. Once I started typing on computers regularly, in my teens, I started to find wristwatches really annoying. (Yes, I'm old enough that computers were not found in people's homes when I was a kid. Get off my lawn.)

I use a clip watch on a belt loop. It's about as convenient to access a clip watch as a wristwatch. Also a handy place to keep a mini LED flashlight, or anything else small. When I want to bring the fancy,I have a nice pocket watch, which does take an additional moment to access, but won't get banged into things.

Anyone who has ever been camping in the back country knows that there's been several products on the market like this for quite a while now... such as this http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=37101015&memberId=12500226 one.

You'd probably be better off with a $5 or $10 compass in addition to the paper road maps you probably already have, than a GPS.

Knowing that you're at 41.771312N 103.886719W is a whole lot less useful than knowing which direction to walk in to get to the nearest road or town. I made the mistake of going into the woods once with a GPS and without a compass, and I spent more time wandering around in boxes, trying to get the machine to tell me which direction I was heading, than I would have if I had just brought a compass and walked out to the nearest road.

GPS units are darned handy, don't get me wrong, but they're no replacement for the basics.

Can't stand wearing things on my wrist. My Timex clip watch has, belive it or not, a "screen saver" mode and a built-in "magic 8-ball" yes/no question answerer (no competition for the real thing of course, though that site seems to be down). For dressing up I have a brass pocketwatch I got in Japan - battery powered, nothing fancy but nice.

Maybe it's time for another trip to NewEnough! All it should take is a nice long textile jacket, overpants, and a lil something to keep the neck warm. I basically drive my car to the airport, grocery store, on long trips, when I'm in too much of a hurry to gear up, and when it's snowy. Gas savings or not, I do it because I love to ride, weather be damned.

You'll want a sturdy set of work boots. Perhaps even steel toed shoes.

Absolutely - if you don't have any, check with local EMS/Police services to find out what they wear. You're looking for something safe, lightweight, good ankle support, and waterproof.

Bring one of these for yourself, and recommend that each group member brings their own.
Bring one of these.
These are great too, you'll want dry feet.

Some sort of protective glove. Leather/Kevlar etc are all good. Bring a box of nitrile gloves too.

A headlamp is a great thing (this one has a dual-bulb system).

All this stuff is for you.
If you're looking for stuff to bring for other people down there... bring money. Go there, find out what's needed, drive away, buy the stuff they need, and bring it back to them.

Also for you, bring some beer.

Good luck.

And the most bizarre introduction:
iPod Socks
Added with Mini Pocket Warmers you can go jogging in Faribanks, Alaska, with your iPod, and not fear frost-pod-bite. Probably not a real good idea

My criteria: 1) Around $50 2) Functional enough to be used after my trip as a generic backpack 3) Tough enough to survive hauling through airport, yet comfortable enough to endure wearing for hours 4) Enough pockets for my chargers, cables, etc.

That's a pretty tall order for a $50 bag. You should decide whether you want a regular old backpack plus some sort of padded case for your laptop, or a bag designed and built to carry a laptop. If the former, check out the REI Outlet for some decent packs at very good prices. Another source for the same is Campmor. You can add something ilke the Kelty computer sleeve for $20 more.

If you're willing to spend a little more money, check out the Timbuk2 Detour. We've go about five different Timbuk2 bags around here and every one of them is a winner. I've been using an El Ocho with a padded cell to carry a PowerBook for a few years now, and it shows almost no wear despite frequent use. The Detour looks like an even better solution with a carry handle, a courier-style shoulder strap, and a pair of backpack-type straps.

My criteria: 1) Around $50 2) Functional enough to be used after my trip as a generic backpack 3) Tough enough to survive hauling through airport, yet comfortable enough to endure wearing for hours 4) Enough pockets for my chargers, cables, etc.

That's a pretty tall order for a $50 bag. You should decide whether you want a regular old backpack plus some sort of padded case for your laptop, or a bag designed and built to carry a laptop. If the former, check out the REI Outlet for some decent packs at very good prices. Another source for the same is Campmor. You can add something ilke the Kelty computer sleeve for $20 more.

If you're willing to spend a little more money, check out the Timbuk2 Detour. We've go about five different Timbuk2 bags around here and every one of them is a winner. I've been using an El Ocho with a padded cell to carry a PowerBook for a few years now, and it shows almost no wear despite frequent use. The Detour looks like an even better solution with a carry handle, a courier-style shoulder strap, and a pair of backpack-type straps.

When I got my laptop from work I was provided with a crappy HP branded backpack. I knew there had to be something out there that was MUCH better so I looked around REI and found the Outdoor Research Powerpack. I bought mine at Campmor which has a better description then the Outdoor Research page does.

The backpack is awesome. It has a grove on the back that allows your back to breathe on those hot summer days. A cooling slit that allows you to leave your laptop on without taking it out of your backpack (this is nice when you are charging your laptop at the airport). As well as a pocket for everything I have ever wanted to carry with me (they are all labeled). Mouse, network cable, phone cord, mp3 player, CD's (Comes with a CD case, cell phone, power cord, cell charger, headphones and some other pouches.

I gotta say: This pack rocks.

I would highly recommend using an ordinary AA flashlight with a Jakstrap or similar headband. Its versitle, cheap, and damn handy. Its good for doing work in the dark on anything, whether you have your computer with you or not. I used one way back in high school to study on the bus (in the winter, school starts before dawn and no light on the bus) and when working on my car or doing plumbing under the sink. As a bonus, you will definitely look uber-geeky!

You can get a jakstrap here for $5. And you probably already have a flashlight. If not, you can try this LED headlamp from energizer for $7.50 instead. And if that's too rich for your blood, here's something similar for a whole $2

Just to clarify a bit, the Powerbook G4 supports 10/100/1000 base-T, not just 1000 base-T.

I also said that the Powerbook gets four hours of battery life, even though Apple claims five. I own a Powerbook G4, and four hours is a much closer estimate for real-world use (although you can get 5-6 if you turn the LCD backlight off).

Last but not least, there is another awesome titanium product out there -- the titanium spork!

Couple of more things...if you want good equipment on the cheap, I recommend Campmor. You also want lots of ziplock bags when camping...dryness is a necessity. Hypothermia == bad == complaining == crappy vacation.