Packing list for Malacca Trip 2014

I'll be going to Malacca for a sketching trip on Friday. Like my previous trips, I've drawn up my packing list.

It's always fun to draw the packing list. I use previous lists as reference on what to bring or what not to bring.

Alright, let's take a look at what I'm bringing.

Escoda Versatil Watercolour Brush size 8
So far, I've only used the Escoda Versatil at home. It's a portable brush so this time I'll bring it out for some actual outdoor sketching.

da Vinci Maestro Voyage Watercolour Brush
This is the Maestro Voyage, one of the many watercolour brushes from da Vinci. Mine's pretty worn after the Cambodia trip. Parts of the shiny metal have came off. The sable hair is still functioning well, and that's all that matters.

Twsbi Vac 700
The sketch above was drawn with the Twsbi Vac 700. This is the first time I'm bring this fountain pen out for intensive sketching. Its ink reservoir is huge so I don't expect to refill it during my 5D4N trip.

Twsbi Diamond 530
The Twsbi Diamond 530 is the backup pen. I'll review both of these fountain pens when I come back.

Twsbi Vac20 ink bottle
That's the ink bottle made for the Twsbi Vac 700 fountain pen. Probably not going to use it so it's a backup.

Staedtler Mars 780 Technical 2mm lead holder and eraser
I'm bringing this instead of the Pilot H-325 mechanical pencil. It's only recently that I found out that there's a inbuilt sharpener on the cap behind the Staedtler lead holder. With a thicker lead, I won't be tempted to add details for the draft so that will save quite a bit of time.

Small portable stool
It's a stool I bought on eBay. It's a very important item for sketchers.

Sennelier 12 half pan watercolour set
I bought this months ago and haven't use it much. My friend told me to bring lots of red to Malacca and there are three reds in this set. Great. Hopefully, I'll be able to use it to the extent to write a detailed review.

Empty Nutella bottle
That's for cleaning the brushes.

Cheap backpack
It's a brand-less backpack that I bought at Harbour Front Centre for only SGD $28.

Nexus 7
It's a very compact tablet for going online while overseas. It sustained some scratches on the screen as I dropped it once on the ground in Cambodia. It's not too expensive so I don't feel too bad about it. Still works great, and fast.

Camera and tripod
I'll be shooting video for the trip so the tripod is a must. The camera's the GH4 that I bought recently. The video quality is amazing.

LensPen
This is the very convenient lens cleaning kit that I've been using for years. I should probably get a new one. It's cheap and effective.

Arches 300gsm Coldpress watercolour paper
I've decided to stop using sketchbooks for travel sketching. I don't really like the gutter when sketching across pages. So if I'm going to use a sketchbook (such as the Moleskine A4 watercolour sketchbook), I'll be drawing on single pages instead. The big advantage of not using sketchbooks is you can choose to bring really quality watercolour paper, such as the Arches watercolour in this case for my trip. Using watercolour on cellulose paper versus cotton paper has a significant difference.