The days of poop-behind-a-rock be gone - a Nepali climber has recently started promoting the use of a packable toilet for hikers up the world's tallest mountain. Tired of the 965 kilos of waste he picked up during an expedition in May (including a corpse dating back to 1972! wtf!), Dawa Steven Sherpa is determined to make Mt. Everest a cleaner place.

His solution is the Luggable Loo – a portable bucket-cum-toilet that stores waste in a gas-impervious bag. This way, hikers will have a potty to sit on (plus!) but poop to haul out (not so much plus). The bags do their job to keep unwanted aromas from reaching expeditionists while they hike.

Still, if hauling your own waste out seems like too much trouble, what the hell are you doing climbing Mt. Everest anyway? Any good hiker knows that the first rule of messing with Mother Nature is to leave her exactly as you found her. That includes poop, too.

The loo retails from Cabela's Outfitters for $15 – not too shabby – and 6 of the "Doodie Bags" (as they are so named) will cost you $12.99. If I were Mr. Sherpa, I'd be handing these things out at the base camp. Who wants to clean up someone else's 20-year-old, iced-over poo anyway?

Ladies and Gentlemen, behold the Flipbac.

The "Flipbac Angle Viewfinder and LCD Screen Protector for Digital Cameras" is a little mirror on a hinge that attaches easily to any digital camera to make it possible to "shoot from the hip," as they say. Snapped shut, it looks nice and tidy, and protects your LCD screen from scratches, smudging, and lipstick from your purse.

This reminds me of the kinds of toys I had for playing "spy" as a kid, only it's for grownups, it's useful, and it's totally respectable-looking. You can use the FlipBac to take photos from the ground or around a corner, and if you hold your camera upside down, the Flipbac enables you to take photos from high overhead! Useful in airport bathrooms. Wait ... no. Forget that.

You could get this for your next vacation to Banff or your next trip to the pub. It would also make a good gift, especially for someone who's about to travel somewhere (and has an LCD display camera - most are compatible, list here). It's only $19.99 and $5 shipping to anywhere in the US. Get one for me here.

I mentioned last week that I was getting ready for a trip to England -- and I was a bit panicky about the fact that I hadn't finished packing. The truth is, whenever I pack for an international trip, I pack with two "me"'s in mind: Me The Tourist (who, at all costs, needs adequate underwear and hair products) and Me The Photographer (whose head would explode if she forgot her camera charger or, God forbid, her camera). So since I've already written about what I pack on any trip abroad, today, I'd thought I'd talk about how I prepare from a photographer's standpoint.

In two days, my husband, 4-year-old daughter and I are going to be leaving for a two-week trip to visit my in-laws in England. And I am panicking: not because I don't like my in-laws (I do) or because I don't like the cold (I don't, but I'll deal) ...

... I'm panicking because I haven't finished packing.

I know some of you are thinking, "Dude, you have TWO DAYS. What's the rush?" And, in fact, you do have a point -- two days should be more than enough time to pack for a two-week trip. But the thing is, with a four-year-old little girl and a 39-year-old husband, who, if "Being Forgetful" were an Olympic sport he'd handily take gold, all of the "remembering what to pack" rests on my shoulders. Luckily, (1) I'm a list-maker, and (b) I like to share. So as I make my packing list right now, as I type, I thought I'd share with you the Top 10 Things I Pack First Before Going Abroad:

In these tough economic times, we can't always afford to fly first class, or on those airlines that bring everyone hot towels. And we want those hot towels. We want them hard.

Well, now you can bring your own, and in pill form! These crazy pills from Japan work just like those little foam dinosaurs you used to "hatch" as a kid. Submerge them in warm water and they become 11" x 9" hand towels.

The pills, or "towel seeds," as they are called, are harvested every year from the Towel Tree Plantation just outside of Tokyo.*

Know what else becomes a hot hand towel if you submerge it in hot water? A hand towel. But that wouldn't be nearly as much fun.

You can get a vial of 10 pills on ThinkGeek.com for just $7.99. It'll be the most fun you've had in the airplane bathroom since you joined the mile high club! Seriously, these would also come in super handy for camping and backpacking.

*false

How to take as much as you like in your hand luggage from Matador Network on Vimeo.

Packing is a one of the subjects we watch closely here at Gadling. This time last year we posted a series "What's in Your Pack?" dedicated to the art of carrying belongings from the people who know a thing or two about schlepping goods.

Every once in awhile, someone drops us a comment about a packing tip we haven't thought of before. That's what happened when Benny Lewis's video "How to Get as Much as You Want into Your Carry-on Bag" posted at Traveler's Notebook captured our attention--at least it did mine.

Lewis, "an Irish polygot and a freelance translator" demonstrates his packing techniques, a couple that I've used to keep down luggage weight. Wear your heavier clothing, for example. Heck, wear most of your clothing. As he points out, body weight does not count as extra weight, so go for it.

My most favorite tip is the one Lewis presents at the end of his video. He has a creative, although a kind of weird way to bring your towel along. It has something to do with superheroes.

On second thought, Lewis's method could come in handy for doubling up as a blanket since it's becoming harder to find one of those on an airplane.

If you're as bored at work as I am, you've already discovered the joys of Fail Blog. This little gem popped up a few days ago. I knew that the TSA was strict about what items make their way onto planes, but when did we crack down on pants? What did pants ever do to anyone? Pants are one of the five most docile articles of clothing you can pack. I blame the proliferation of cargo pockets. Of course people are going to be fearful of your pants when they contain any number of secret compartments hiding mysterious items like wallets, passports and hard candies.

So next time you're heading to the airport, leave your pants at home. The TSA is sure to appreciate how easy it is to search you while you're in tightie whities and your baggage won't be flagged. And don't get cocky by trying to smuggle gas in your pants. As you can see above, that would be a double-whammy.

If you've traveled to a tropical country, you've probably heard of Mefloquine. It is the most popular prophylactic against malaria, and is often sold under its trade name, Lariam. Lariam can have some serious side effects such as depression, anxiety, paranoia, nightmares and insomnia. You might say, "having nightmares is better than catching malaria and ending up in a hospital or worse." I'm sure everyone would agree with that.

But when you wake up in a strange foreign land after a Lariam-induced nightmare...and you aren't quite sure if you are really awake or if your waking state is just another extension of your dream, it can be pretty unnerving.

After such an experience, you might ask yourself if it is really necessary to ingest Mefloquine every time you enter a tropical region. I've known people who pop the little pills once a week when they are in Hong Kong or Singapore where the chance of catching malaria is akin to the chance that you will win the lottery. I guess some travelers choose to err on the side of caution when they enter any unfamiliar place.

Around this time four years ago, I was preparing for a semester abroad by frantically packing every item of clothing I'd ever worn, along with hundreds of CDs (remember those?), and a four month's supply of toiletries. Can you say overkill?

As with all packing, less is more. Over at Matador, Jenny Sherman lays out everything you need for your upcoming trip. Among her suggestions? A travel diary:

"Even if you don't keep one at home, you'll be glad to have it there. Get a nice one like a Moleskine and you will be more likely to write down your experience with the crazy waitress or the local slang you just learned."

And don't forget an extra duffel bag for transporting all those touristy souvenirs home. And yes, you will buy them, so don't act like you won't.

Also, you don't need a four month's supply of toothpaste*, deodorant, razors, and shaving cream. Unless you're studying abroad in Antarctica, these items will be available.

Finally, think hard before bringing anything you can't afford to lose. I can tell you from painful personal experience that expensive items can easily be stolen from dorm rooms, left on trains, stepped on, and otherwise rendered unusable. Don't let it happen to you.

Read the whole thing here.

*Offer not available in the UK.

Time has published a list of 25 "must have" travel gadgets. The list contains some of the usual suspects, like the Apple 3G iPhone, the Amazon Kindle and a Canon digital camera.

Then there are several "gadgets" you wouldn't immediately think of, like this UV water sanitizing pen or a wine "skin", which is nothing more than a piece of bubble wrap for carrying wine bottles in your luggage (I find using a sock and a plastic bag to be a cheaper solution).

The list covers everything from an ultra thin notebook (the Apple Macbook Air) to the Kensington battery pack for).iPod and iPhone, (reviewed here on Gadling last week.

All in all, it isn't a bad list, but it might be a little too rich for some travelers. Some of the items missing from the list (in my opinion), are the Asus Eee PC or a similar $400 ultra portable laptop and a real handheld GPS unit, like one of the many Garmin handheld mapping devices which allow you to navigate while walking through an unknown city, or off the beaten path.

Of course, different travelers will have different needs, so let me ask you; what are you missing from this list? Do you own a "must have" product you'll never leave home without? Leave a comment, and in the coming weeks I'll put together a list of the Gadling top 25 high-tech travel gadgets.