One of the most common mistakes first time backpackers make is being over prepared. It doesn’t take long to work out what you do and don’t need. What you have in you bag really comes down to where you’re going and at what time of the year. Pack for the climate and take the bare minimum. If there’s anything you need you can always buy it on the road. If you’re travelling in both cold and warm climates, pack light and pack smart. If you travel to a cold climate before a warm climate, you could simply mail your gear home or if its not worth much leave it behind. One the flip side (going from warm to cold) you could just buy warm clothes once you arrive. If there’s anything in your bag you haven’t used for a couple of weeks, mail it home or throw it out. The more you travel the more you realise how little you really need.
7 Reasons to Travel Light
- Convenience to have everything with you all the time.
- Take your backpack carry on.
- No waiting for your bag at airports.
- No putting your bag under the bus or on the roof.
- No putting your bag in the trunk of a taxi.
- Your backpack fits in any locker.
- Your backpack is small and light enough to be on your back all day long.
Minimalist Packing
Clothing
- Beanie/hat
- Boardies
- Hoodie
- Jeans/Pants
- Raincoat
- Shoes/Boots
- Socks
- Tees/Shirts
- Thermal top
- Underwear
Electronics
- Camera & Charger
- Phone & Charger
- Power adapter
Toiletries
- Clippers
- Deodorant
- Shampoo
- Shaver
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
Misc
- Daypack
- Diving Licence
- Drivers Licence
- Dry Sacks
- Padlock
- Pen
- Passport
- Wallet
Extras
- Book
- Bottle Opener
- Earplugs
- Flippy-floppies
- Hand sanitizer
- Journal
- Laptop & Charger
- Meds
- MP3 Player
- Sunnies
- Tablet & Charger
- Tripod
- Vaccination Logbook
7 Things YOU SHOULD NOT Pack
Sleeping bag: Unless you’re planning on camping out, a sleeping bag is the single most useless thing you can possibly bring on your trip. Not only does it weigh a lot but it takes up a huge section of your backpack. You’re probably going to be a hostels most nights right? Most hostels do not allow the use of sleeping bags for hygiene reasons. That sleeping bag is going to become a huge burden. My advice if you need a sleeping bag is to buy one when you need it. You can find budget outdoor stores almost everywhere selling cheap sleeping bags for the price of a dorm bed. After your festival or few nights in the wilderness, ditch your bag. If it seems like a waste of money, just tell yourself; if I stayed at a hostel for three nights and it cost me EUR60, I made that back buying a sleeping bag for EUR40 and using that for three nights so even though I and loosing EUR40 on a sleeping bag, I’m still EUR20 ahead of if I had stayed at a hostel.
Towel: Not much can be more of a waste of space than a towel. Every hostel provides towels; at some you have to pay a few bucks, some you pay a deposit which you get back, and some provide towels for free! If you’re in a warm climate you can just put your clothes straight on and you’ll be dry in no time. If you don’t want to pay for a towel and don’t want to carry one, why not use your pillow case, how eco friendly is that!! If you insist on having a towel, take a microfiber towel; they’re quick drying, they pack small, and they’re light.
More than one pair of trousers & jumper/hoodie: If you’re travelling lightweight, there is no reason you should have more than one pair of trousers or jumper. Both take up quite a bit of room and a lot of extra weight and for what? One pair of trousers and one jumper should be more than sufficient. Once you wear them out or grow sick of them, buy a new pair and throw you’re old ones out.
First Aid Kit: Why on earth shouldn’t I bring a first aid kit do you ask? Do you take a first aid kit when you walk down the main street of your hometown? If you answered yes, then you should definitely take a first aid kit with you. If you answered no, then ask yourself why you need to bring one. Sure it’s good to be prepared but if you’re a lightweight traveller, why take something you’re probably never going to use? Chemists and pharmacies are everywhere. Buy whatever you need when you need it. I met an American backpacker once who carried a two litre bag with close to two kilograms of first aid supplies and meds for every possible scenario. That’s just a little excessive. The only first aid supplies / meds I’ve ever taken with me are antihistamines and nurofen.
A small library of books: What better than a good book to kill time at airports, on long bus rides, and on lazy days? But you know what? You’re probably not going to read half as you think you will. Backpacking is about exploring, going out, and socialising. If you’re doing it right you’ll be out late most nights and you’ll need those long bus rides for sleeping. Don’t get me wrong, a book is definitely a good thing to have in your pack, back you don’t need a small library, try just one book. Once you’ve finished, you can book-swap, give it away, leave it behind, or simply mail it home. Another option is ebook readers, but that’s not really my thing, I love physical books.
Wheelie bags: Please don’t.. Almost nothing screams inexperienced traveller louder than an wheelie bag. Largely the vessels of glampackers – you know, those glitzy socialite princess types – they are enormously impracticable. Imagine wheeling your bag down a cobblestone street, up four flights of stairs, and not being able to even fit it in your locker. That is exactly why you always see wheelie bags clogging up the floorspace of dorms. Wheelie bags have a purpose (people who stay in one place), if you’re a backpacker they are not for you.