5 weeks wth a rucksack, what to pack?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I’m off on holiday soon with irishfella.
Morocco, Spain, France and Amsterdam.
It’ll take us 5 weeks, and the weather should be warm to boiling.

I’m trying to find a balance between not enough stuff, and WAY too much stuff.

Here’s the provisional list, I’m sure I’ve forgotten some things:

Toiletries; toothpaste and brush, razor, shampoo, soap, deoderant, moisturiser, baby wipes, 3-in-1 makeup stick, lipbalm, concealer.

First Aid kit; the usual, plus sun cream, insect repellant, Ventolin inhaler, birth control pills, travel wash.

Bits and pieces; corkscrew/bottle opener, cutlery, foil blanket, Buff, LP guide to Europe, playing cards, novel, sleeping bag, sleep sheet, camping pillow, sunglasses, camera, fake wedding ring, phone charger and conversion plug.

Clothing; 1 pair nice shoes, 1 pair Dr Marten’s sandals, 1 pair trainers
2 pairs long, wide leg cotton trousers
2 long dresses, 1 short dress, 1 long skirt, 1 sarong, 1 shawl, 1 pair shorts, 1 short skirt
1 bikini, 12 pairs knickers, 3 bras, 3 pairs of socks
1 long sleeve t, 3 short sleeve t, 4 tank tops, 1 short sleeve shirt, 1 long sleeve shirt
1 fleece top, 1 waterproof top, 1 fleece hat.

What else do I need?
What should I leave behind?

I’ve brought things to cover up with if it gets too hot/cold or for modesty in religious sites etc.

I know the makeup is unnecessary, but I want at least one nice meal in a restaurant, and one night out in a club!

2

A few thoughts (I’ve done this several times, but never in really hot weather):

– Shoes take up a lot of room in a pack; can you ditch one pair? If the “nice shoes” are both dressy and comfortable, take them and toss the trainers, otherwise don’t bother with the “nice shoes.”

– You’re taking way too many clothes. I can see one long-sleeved shirt for modesty / heavily air-conditioned places, but I can’t think of any reason to take two long-sleeved shirts and a fleece, and eight short-sleeved shirts and three dresses is way too many. Wouldn’t bother with twelve pairs of underpants either, but at least they’re lightweight compared to the other stuff.

Leave behind 1) anything that won’t launder easily and dry quickly; 2) anything you can’t bear to lose; 3) anything you’re taking on the off chance you “might” need it. (You probably won’t, but if you do, they sell clothes in Morocco.)

– Cutlery: Any hostel / hotel that has a kitchen will have some for guests to use, and if you don’t have a kitchen, why bother? Take the plastic stuff if you really feel you need it.

– Sleeping bag and camping pillow: Only if you’re going to camp.

3

You may want to think about bringing a couple more pairs of shorts. If the weather’s going to be that hot, and you’ll be gone for five weeks, you may not be able to wash them as often as you’d like. I’d bring at least one more pair just to be sure. Besides, shorts shouldn’t take up too much room in a bag.

I’m assuming you’ve included a hairbrush in your bag as well. I don’t think the makeup is unnecessary, it’s not like you’re packing Estee Lauder’s entire line of products. As a matter of fact, when I read that I was thinking I’d pack some mascara too.

4

Tampons/pads if your period or any spotting is a possibility.
It’s the only thing that jumped out (to me) as potentially missing from your list.

5

I lived out of a backpack for 3 months in Greece. This was back in 1990, but the principles are the same.

I’d cut down on the clothing. Pick two or three shorts or skirts and 3 or 4 tops that will be your “everyday” items, and one nice outfit for fancy occasions. Make sure that the everyday items are easily washed - it’s worth it to buy stuff made out of newer fabrics that dry quickly. Bring a small container of laundry soap, and wash things in hostel or hotel sinks as required.

Make sure the everyday items include at least one warm weather outfit and one cold weather outfit. You never know what you’ll run into.

I think knickers=underwear, right? 12 pairs is too much. Bring 5-7 and wash as described above.

3 pairs of shoes are a lot. Can you get by with 2? Or are they lightweight shoes that pack easily? I think I had one pair of walking shoes, and one pair of sandals that worked with both casual and dressy clothing.

Remember, you can always buy something that you really need if you forgot or didn’t think you’d need it. Better to pack light and acquire new stuff than to trudge around for 5 weeks carrying stuff you never use. You’ll also find that you can live with a LOT less stuff than you think you can live on - somehow, wearing the same outfit 3 times in a row doesn’t matter when you’re staring at the Eiffel Tower.

Books: Bring paperbacks, and leave in hostels/hotels when you’re done. Buy a new one, do the same. Don’t carry around the books you’re done reading. Another good technique is to trade books with other travellers.

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Oh, one thing you should consider adding is a refillable plastic water bottle. The tap water is perfectly safe everywhere you’re going except Morocco, but even if you prefer bottled, it’s cheaper to buy a two-liter bottle and use it for refills than to keep buying small bottles.

7

A couple more things:

Don’t worry about tampons/pads. You can buy them as needed.

If you’re staying in places with bathroom down the hall, do invest in something like this. It makes live MUCH easier.

Once you get everything packed, put on your pack and go for a 30 minute walk. That’ll give you a much better perspective on things that you absolutely must bring vs. stuff you can leave at home.

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Also, I’m not sure about how much time you plan on spending outdoors, but you may want to consider bringing a small bottle of insect repellant with you. It should take up too much room or add to much weight, and if it stops you from itching it would be well worth a few bucks.

9

I spent 11 days in Italy, and I packed thusly, which could have sustained me for much longer:

-Two pair of pants (one linen, another cotton/poly)
-Four button-down short sleeve shirts
-One long sleeve shirt (formal)
-One tie
-One belt
-One pair of brown leather shoes, which were both comfortable and semi-dressy
-Five pairs of socks
-Five pairs of underwear
-One bathing suit
This worked great for me. My day to day clothes were not extremely casual, but also not too dressy; I didn’t feel over or under dressed most everywhere I went. Also, you should know how often you’re going to get to do laundry. I knew I would be able to do it once mid trip, so 5 pair of socks/underwear was the right number for me.

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Tea towels. Take as many as you can. Same for plastic bags. Same for the Baby Wipes. Take spare boot laces as well as bungey cords and string for strapping stuff to your pack with.

11

The “nice” shoes are essentially a flip flop sole and 3 fabric straps. They weigh NOTHING! I need the trainers in case it rains, and in case I get blisters and need to change the pressure from the sandals.

Running packets of pills together, no pads or tampons necessary. I love modern medicine!

Cutlery is for lunches, bread, cheese and tomatoes. I have a camping cutlery set which locks together like a penknife.
We’ll be traveling overnight on trains a lot and it’s cheaper and less likely to result in food poisoning to bring our own packed food with us. There’s nothing quite like eating fresh bread and cheese washed down with wine in a town square, while you watch the world go by.

I don’t want to wash clothes too often, it’s unlikely we’ll stay anywhere more than 2 nights, and shared dorms with clothes hanging out to dry is asking for theft. Also, we might camp (irishfella has a tent), and in Morocco hanging clothes up to dry without ironing afterwards is unwise…I don’t want anything laying eggs in my underwear!

I backpacked 2 years ago and took roughly the same amount of gear, AFAIR, but we went everywhere from Poland to Greece, and I had to pack for lots of different weather.

Knowing Europe, we’re bound to get rained on at some point, and Morocco will be cold at night when we’re in the desert, so I’ll be layering.

I don’t have the money to buy loads of stuff, I’d rather take too much and ditch half of it, than spend money buying more stuff which will get ditched when I get home.

I also had the misfortune of traveling with a guy who packed too light, his 2 pairs of underwear and socks were never quite dry, and he smelt AWFUL after 3 weeks. He also only brought one pair of shoes because of the smell he left them outside his compatment on a train and someone threw them out the window because they were so offensive!
He ended up walking barefoot in Venice, looking for a shoe shop, and at this stage he had nasty blisters and fungal problems from wearing damp socks everyday!

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I’ve found one of those large, flat, flexible drain stoppers very handy. Hotel and hostel sinks often have no plug, and this baby fits anything. Takes up almost no space, and doubles as a Frisbee!

13

Bring money. With a rucksack full of money all other material items are superfluous. Clothes can be had, food can be had, cars, rooms, whatever. If you use large denominations, you can pack for a 2 month trip in the space of a couple of decks of playing cards. It’s all about efficiency.:smiley:

14

I find when I travel I always take a few things I never ever use - it’s easier to grab the closest shirt that doesn’t smell too bad than rummage around for that last clean one. So don’t take anything but ones you know, for certain, you are going to wear.

I suggest a lock, you never know when you’ll need one.

And leave space for souveniers - very important - I brought almost nothing back from Brazil because I didn’t have the room.

15

Didn’t see these after a quick scan:

Flashlight (a torch to you, probably)

Single use camera

Lighter (always carry a source of fire)

Pen

Identification

Small notebook to write down names of people you meet and addresses you’re trying to find.

Finally, one of my favorites:

I always bring along some postcards from my home area (preferrably ones that say, “Wish you were here!”) and mail them back to my friends from exotic places with strange stamps on them. Always good for a larf.

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Money belt for your passport and all your money (save loose pocket money). Can’t stress that enough.

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Don’t have all your money in a moneybelt, just in case it gets stolen: have some of it in the backpack, some in a pocket and some in a pouch on your chest (hanging from your neck).

It may be worth staying in a better class of hotel now and then if they have laundry facilities. Alternatively, one of you could spend an hour or two in a laundrette (alternate).

18

Actually, you’re far more likely to find laundry facilities in a hostel than a “better class of hotel.” Usually with a dryer. Yeah, doing it on the road is a nuisance, but not half as much of a nuisance as carrying around twice as many clothes as you need.

19

Spats. White , formal spats for your shoes are a must.

As is a whalebone corset.

A pith helmet, preferably one with the insignia of a defunct regiment is always a way to make a good first impression. Retrofit your pith helmet with a solar cell, a small electric motor, and a propeller mounted on top of the helmet. Not only does it look very natty, and keep you cool on a hot day, but if you get a good tailwind, you will be able to get airborne, thus avoiding expensive toll bridges.

A large polo mallet has a million uses, as does a stuffed capybara. (Under no circumstances should you travel with a live capybara–people will think that you’re unlady-like).
Finally, do not leave home without a good, 26 volume, encyclopedia.

20

You might want to consider buying some pairs of pants with the zipped-on lower part that you can remove and you end up with shorts. That way you carry less clothes, and you still have pants AND shorts.