10 Multi-Use Items You Should Consider Packing

Written by Rachel Turner

Next time you hit the road, pack these reusable, space-saving, and lightweight items.

It seems like airlines are placing new restrictions on luggage everyday. With bag space at a premium, consider packing items that have more than one use.

Reduce clutter and free up space with these 10 multipurpose items.

1) Shampoo

There is no reason to carry four or five bottles of cleansing liquids such as body wash or shampoo. When you get down to it, it’s all soap. So consolidate by choosing a mild shampoo for all your cleaning needs.

• Body Soap - In addition to using shampoo to wash your hair, you can use it to wash your body and as a facial cleanser.
• Laundry Detergent - Shampoo works just as well for washing clothes…and it smells better, too.
• Dish Washing Liquid - Use it to clean dishes in poorly-stocked hostel kitchens.

2) Dental Floss

This waxy string is not only great for getting food out of your teeth, it also has other practical uses.

• Clothesline - Double up a length of floss and string it across the room for a place to hang socks and undies.
• Thread - You can use this super-durable string as thread for rips and tears.
• Knife - Dental floss won’t cut through a steak, but it will nicely slice cheese and bread.

More details from TravelWithCare

3) 5-in-1 Survival Tool

Weighing in at just 50 grams, this superlight tool is great in emergencies. Check out its multipurpose features below:

• Waterproof Matchbox
• Safety Whistle
• Compass
• Signal Mirror
• Fire Starter Flint

4) Sarong

Sarongs are meant to be worn, but there is no limit to other ways this strip of fabric can be used.

• Use it to towel off.
• Hang it as a curtain for privacy.
• Tie the ends to make a bag.
• Use it as a beach mat or picnic blanket.
• Never rent sheets at hostels again.

Swiss Army Pocket Knife

5) Swiss Army Knife

This go-go gadget is a must for travelers. Swiss Army makes pocket widgets that range from a simple knife to a 34-use mega tool.

Attachments for travelers include:

• Corkscrew
• Bottle opener
• Thermometer
• Compass
• Scissors
• Flashlight

Note that airlines will not allow you to carry on a knife so throw this gadget in your checked luggage.

6) Safety Pins

These little metal clasps are a lifesaver when it comes to holding fabric together. But they have a few other uses as well.

• Clothespins - After stringing up your dental floss clothesline, hang your socks up to dry with a safety pin.
• Backpack Security - A safety pin won’t replace a lock, but use one to connect a pack’s zippers for a little added security.
• Needle - Turning a safety pin into a needle is tricky, but it can be done. Use smaller gauge pins to minimize the size of the holes you’ll leave in your clothes.

Trailguide Compass Watch

7) Trailguide Compass Watch

Do more than check the time with this handy gadget which provides additional features below:

• Alarm - Leave your alarm clock at home and use the wake-up function on the watch instead.
• Compass - The built-in compass will help keep you headed in the right direction.
• Thermometer - Helps you monitor the temperature to help pick appropriate clothing.
• Altimeter - Keep an eye on your altitude with the altimeter function.
• Timer - Just in case you need one!

8 ) Rain Poncho

Unless you’re heading to a rainy destination, you might pass up the poncho while packing. However, before you do, check out other ways it can be used.

• Tarp - Lay your poncho beneath your sleeping bag when bedding down underneath the stars.
• Picnic Blanket - Lay out the picnic spread over your poncho which will keep things dry and is a breeze to clean.
• Bag Liner - Empty your bag and line it with your poncho to keep wet clothes from seeping through.
• Emergency Rain Shelter - String it up and use it as a shelter during rainstorms.

9) Waterproof Pelican Dry Case

Read the Matador Goods Review

Pelican makes a line of cases to keep your valuables from getting wet. Higher end cases are tailor-made for cameras and electronics. Smaller micro cases are great choices for backpackers.

• Keep the Dry Things Dry - Put wet clothes or swimsuits in the case to separate them from dry clothes.
• Lunchbox - Store leftovers and snacks in the case for long bus rides or picnics.
• Organization - The boxes can also be used to organize things like socks and camera equipment in your pack.

10) Credit Card Survival Tool

Credit Card Survival Tool

The ultimate multipurpose tool, it is the size of a credit card, made of stainless steel, cheap as chips, and has 11 different uses listed below:

• Can opener
• Knife edge
• Screwdriver
• Ruler
• 4 position wrench
• Butterfly screw wrench
• Saw blade
• 2 postion wrench
• Key chain hole
• Bottle opener
• Direction auxiliary indication

Whether you’re packing for a weekend getaway or a year-long venture, travel lighter and smarter by packing items that serve many functions without taking up a ton of space.

Original here

SO WHICH WOMAN HAS THE PERFECT BODY?

OK ladies, prepare to be amazed.

We asked thousands of you to tell us what you think about your body – which bits you like, which bits you don’t, and what you’d change if you could.

Just to make things fair, we asked the men too. And when the results came in, shock waves rippled through Fabulous HQ.

It seems men and women have very different ideas about the perfect female figure.

While women yearn for the waspish waist of a size 8 model, men hanker after a curvy size 12 with hips. Oh yes!

And that’s not all. It seems all that time spent staring at the mirror making mental checklists of everything we’d change is a waste of time.

When we asked men what they would alter about their partner’s appearance, the majority said they were perfectly happy, thank you very much.

In fact, the only thing they’d wish for is that we’d all love our bodies as much as they do.

So, come on girls – what are you waiting for? Let’s hear it for love handles, muffin tops and big bottoms.

Let’s embrace our bodies and start loving what we’ve got.

And for an extra boost, read the rest of our body-inspiring results.

WHAT WOMEN SAY...

Hurrah for curves!

We asked whose body you admire most:

26%	voted for TV presenter Myleene Klass
22%	picked curvy Kelly Brook
15%	went for supermodel Gisele Bündchen

And what do they all have, girls? Yep, great boobs! PS: Nobody voted for skinny supermodel-of-the-moment Agyness Deyn, or curvy singer Beth Ditto.

56%	of women say their breasts are the most attractive part of their body
45%	say their stomach is the part of their body they like the least
21%	constantly worry about their weight
55%	worry their partner isn’t attracted to them because of their body
56%	would consider having cosmetic surgery – 41% want liposuction
32%	say their ideal dress size is an 8

Vital statistics

10st 1lb: the average weight of a Fabulous reader

79%	of you want to lose weight
37%	of you want to lose 1-7lb

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL RESULTS

What do you think about the results of our survey? Do you agree with the women or the men? Were you surprised? Were you pleased with what the men said?

Original here

Blood test could be cancer 'crystal ball'

By Roger Highfield, Science Editor A simple blood test that could act as a "crystal ball" to detect early signs of cancer could be tested on patients within two years. Scientists have shown the test works in picking up signs of prostate cancer and say it could potentially also be used for other cancers ranging from breast to lung. Although a range of teams around the world are developing tests for proteins that signal cancer is developing, a new approach is outlined today by scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre, Seattle. They have found that scraps of genetic material - called microRNAs - that turn genes on and off are released by cancer cells to circulate in the blood, where they can be detected more easily than proteins. The molecules have the potential to become a new class of "biomarkers" to reveal the presence of cancer at its earliest stages, which would make treatment more effective, reports the team led by Dr Muneesh Tewari in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr Tewari tells the Telegraph that these new diagnostic tests could start being studied in large clinical trials for cancer detection in two years. MicroRNAs have advantages over protein-based early-detection systems, including that they can be detected potentially in smaller quantities and that the technology exists to rapidly develop early-detection tests, said Dr Tewari, who has been studying how the scraps of genetic code sometimes fail to hold cell growth in check in prostate and ovarian cancers. "Current technology for developing tests to measure microRNAs in clinical samples is quite advanced, whereas the bottleneck for developing protein-based biomarkers is the slow process of generating assays for measuring specific proteins," he said. The next steps, now that a proof of principle has been established, are to identify specific microRNAs that can signal the presence of a variety of solid-tumour cancers - breast, lung, prostate, skin and so on - at an early stage, and to further develop the technology to detect minute quantities. For the study, Dr Tewari and colleagues tested blood from mice and humans with advanced prostate cancers, as well as that from healthy controls, and could distinguish which individuals had cancer based on blood microRNA measurement. "MicroRNAs, which weren't previously thought of as markers of cancer in the blood, are a worthwhile class of molecules to study for the purpose of early cancer detection," Dr Tewari said. MicroRNAs play a key role in a wide range of normal cell processes, including embryonic development and cell differentiation, and are often misregulated in cancer. During the course of those experiments, the scientists found that microRNAs circulate in the blood outside of cells and are remarkably stable. Original here