What do you take backpacking?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m a bit of a backpacking geek. I’ve recently got a nifty backpack with a 70-litre capacity and a zip-off day-pack, but with lots of compression straps, so that it crunches down to a lap-sized pack that can (sometimes) pass as cabin luggage.

I was thinking about my travels-to-come and enumerating what I shall pack. I like to travel very light so that I have more space for books. Here’s what I plan to take for a year’s wandering:[ul][li]Shortwave travel radio & headphones[/li][li]1 pair long pants[/li][li]1 pair baggy shorts[/li][li]1 pair lycra shorts (for trekking - avoids chafing)[/li][li]2 pairs underwear[/li][li]2 pairs of socks[/li][li]4 T-shirts[/li][li]Fleece with detatchable rain cover[/li][li]1 sarong (to use as bathrobe/towel/sheet)[/li][li]2 compression sacks[/li][li]1 pair walking boots[/li][li]Tiva sandals[/li][li]Medicine case[/li][li]Inflatable neck pillow[/li][li]Padlock (for dodgy hotel rooms)[/li][li]Camera[/ul]That’s about it, I think. Keep all clean clothes in one compression sack and dirty clothes in another; if you’re in one place for 24 hours, wash the dirty clothes in the shower in the morning, so that they’re dry by the afternoon.[/li]
What I won’t be taking this time (thanks, Mr Bin bloody Laden)[ul]Leatherman Wave[/ul]What do you take travelling? Any glaring omissions to my above list? Any thoughts on unusual objects to take that you’d recommend?

2

My sketch journal is a must for any kind of long-term hike. And no way could I get by with just two pairs of socks–I think the last trip I did I took at least a half-dozen and still felt like I didn’t have enough. :stuck_out_tongue:

3

What’s in the medicine case? Plasters / bandages / savalon?
Scissors, safety pins, sewing kit & nail clippers are certainly useful but customs sure don’t like them anymore.

Sunscreen and shades a necessity? Gloves? A torch? Whistle? (depends on the extent/remoteness of your hiking).
Everything else looks pretty good.

Where are you off to, and when?
Way to make me jealous, BTW.

PS: I met Canadian girl in Fiji once who was travelling to Australia to go backpacking for a year. She had not one but FOUR huge cases wiith her.
She had even packed a formal dress in case she was invited to a dance whilst on her travels!
It took a wilte to set her straight bet I managed to convince her to post three of the bags back home and rethink why she was actually choosing to travel. :wink:

4

Oh, just thought of a wee gizmo that come in especially helpful:

I had a key-ring sized retractable clothes line (and some mini clothes pegs) which came in useful for hanging up smalls when there was nothing else available to rest them on.
I suppose just carrying a bit of string would do the same job, but its gets messy real quick.

5

Yeah, nothing sharp. Medical case will contain: athsma inhaler, band-aid, antiseptic cream, analgesics, bak-fah-yeow (all-purpose Chinese mentholated oil), insect repellant, and in the first third-world country I get to I’ll buy some black-market heavy-duty antibiotics just in case.

Where am I going? Everywhere. I’m planning to go off round the world in about 18 months.

6

Excellent suggestion, Aro. I’ll look into it. Actually, I might take an extensible active shortwave radio antenna, and the extensible wire from that could double as a washing line.

Oh, and I forgot of course my wash-kit: toothbrush, toothpaste, shower gel, Mach 3 razor and King of Shaves.

7

A limo.

8

That’d be one mighty big backpack. Get the chauffer to carry it.

9

Are you really?

That sounds absolutely FANTASTIC.
And I’m not remotely jealous.

(Outrageously, sickeningly and psychotically are far better adjectives)

10

All you have to do is flog la maison, cream a bit off the profit to pay your way, and you too can do something grossly irresponsible with your life.

[BTW can you email me (don’t have your email address) - want to ask you something about writing.]

11

I allways backpack from city to city being a very urban person.
I also have a bad back so keep weight to a minimum.
Back Pack contains
Electronic Phraise Book for likely languages I’ll need,
two t-shirts,
one thin long sleeved cotton pullover,
long shorts
2 pair underpants
4 pair socks
Medical box (must contain anti-histamin cream, antibiotic cream,
high quality blister plasters)
Sun Screan,
A reading book.

I will also carry a long walking staff, and whenever possible wear a long waterproof coat (it’ll go in the backpack or stay in the hotel if it is too hot to wear it).

I’ll expect to buy some sort of hat, and replacement underwear as I go allong.

Cheers, Bippy

12

Hmm, I’d take some Dr. Bronner’s, but you probably can’t get it in Ireland. And a journal. And at least a week’s supply of socks and underwear (they’re very light, and I hate laundry). And a bottle opener (surely this, at least, is essential?)

Otherwise, your list sounds pretty good (and add me to the list of those who are completely, insanely, jealous).

13

At the risk of sounding like a nokia salesperson, I would advise you to get yourself a smartphone.

This will allow you (apart from having a phone for emergencies) to have numerous e-books (including maps and phrase books), to check your email or write your “travelblog” on the go, check up stuff on the net while en-route to your next destination, or get emergency number for the local police or doctor or whatever, play the odd game, etc. Mine has a camera/camcorder built in, so I would take little mini-videos of some of the places I went, and send some pics to my friends while traveling. If you are going off-road, you could also have benefit of the gps functions, get lost and you just send a mail to mommy saying “lost, but at XXX, please send a helicopter!”. :smiley:

You then buy one of these jobbys
http://www.auto-unique.co.uk/products/windup/
so that you aren’t dependent on a power source.

Iteki - slowly becoming a one-trick-pony

Oooh, yeah, deck of cards. Must have for making friends with fine looking foreigners on the overnight train :wink:

14

I’ve found food and water to be pretty handy, too. :slight_smile:

15

A small thermos flask for tea/coffee/soup/hot whiskey/cold beer/iced water might come in very handy if you plan any long hikes or train journeys. Certainly a beaker or cup of some kind will be useful, you can get collapsable ones.

Likewise a knife, fork and spoon set is handy, even if they are only a plastic picnic set.

If I were you I’d buy a new pair of socks and underoos every 4-6 weeks or so. They get grungey VERY quickly, especially if you hand wash them and they don’t dry properly.

You might want a long sleeved light-weight top as well as the t-shirts, some religious places don’t like short sleeves, and the fleece might be too heavy, while the t-shirts would be too light.

Consider Immodium for the medicine kit. Diarrhoea is not fun on a 12-hour train journey. Also some ORT powder and a good allergy med like Clarityn; new places, new allergens.

(Can I also point out that unless you know EXACTLY what you have, and that it is DEFINITELY bacterial and sensitive to the antibiotic you’re taking, there probably isn’t much point in getting any…certainly not dodgy (possibly out-of-date or contaminated) black market ones.
I’ve sat through many micro-biology lectures about the dangers of over-prescribing ABs, or prescribing the wrong ones…
If I were you I’d be more worried about parasites than bacterial infections…in which case Flagyl is your man…probably)
If Guide books are your thing, the only possible one to get is a Lonely Planet.
But you knew that already, right?

A deck or two of cards. Instantly you can make friends, everyone knows Poker or Gin Rummy. If you get bored, amuse yourself with patience, or learn to shuffle like a Vegas dealer.

You’re taking good sleeping bag and sleep sheet aren’t you?
You might want a padded ground sheet, or piece of plastic sheeting too. Protects against nasty biting things if you’re suspicious about the hygiene of your digs, allows you to sleep outside too.

So sez irishgirl who is planning a trip with irishfella through Spain, Morocco, France, Belgium and the Netherlands this summer…having seen the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Greece and Italy two years ago…sorry about the lecture.

16

Hmmm…I definitely was confused by this thread. It took reading several posts to understand…

I have never heard of “backpacking” as something you do as traveling with stays indoors. To me, backpacking is something you do in the wilderness.

Anyone else as clueless as me, or have I just lived out in the sticks too long?

Anyway, I don’t know how much this will apply to your travels, but I always (wilderness) backpack with plenty of socks. I’m a big fan of wearing nice thick hiking/trekking socks (like thorlo) with thin liner socks. And a spare shoelace. Used that with duct tape on my last backpacking trip when the boot separated from the sole 4 full hiking days from civilization. :smack: I believe in keeping my feets happy.

17

I’d take the backpack, too.

[sub]well, you didn’t list it…[/sub]

18

Lily: I’m with you. I think this is one of those “cultural/language” differences.
My definition of “backpacking” is like “self contained camping” - that is, away from civilization. So there were some pretty glaring omissions from jjim’s list like water purifier (which could be handy for his type of travel as well) and stove. Also stuff like flashlight (or headlamp) and compass. Not to mention sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and maybe a tent or bivy sack.

19

Ah no, Backpacking is that thing where people get a big ole bag, a big ole loan and travel around the world. It involves staying in campsites, hostels, pensiones and cheap hotels, possibly doing some casual labour to help pay for it, possibly never coming back after finding the perfect beach.

It’s a national past-time of the Antipodeans… fulfills the same purpose as national service.

A thing people do in the year between high-school and college or after their degree, or like jjimm, whenever they damn well want to.

Any tour of western Europe has to include Amsterdam, it’s traditional.

20

A sleepsheet. You can buy them in stores (most camping stores will have them and many recommend the silk ones) or you can make one by folding a sheet in two and sewing up the sides. They’re great for the dodgy hostels/hotels. I don’t know if you want to lug around a sleeping bag. It can get to be a pain in the butt.

Check out http://eurotrip.com and http://chatarea.com/Backpackers for packing list info and help for planning and things. The message boards are full of good advice.