Vagabonding packing list

Thoreau once said "Even the elephant carries but a small trunk on his journeys".

#1 You have heard it so many times before but it cannot be emphasized enough:

Pack light!

Packing too heavy can literally dictate and shape your entire trip experience. With that said, I considered myself a decent packer, having learned in the Army. Little did I realize that I would end up giving away and throwing away lots of things I had brought along, because only experience can teach you how to pack properly for travel!

I was always taught to be prepared. Unfortunately, extreme preparation equals extreme weight. It is inevitable that your pack will grow as you travel - gifts, souvenirs, local items of clothing...expect to be carrying double what you leave home with by the end of your trip. The logic is that, depending on where you are going, chances are you can purchase the same items as needed at your destinations...and depending on the country, they may be significantly cheaper too! So why haul things thousands of miles from home and risk getting them broken, stolen, or lost, when you can buy local and help an economy that probably needs it as well?

Basic Tips:

Keep in mind that whatever you bring may be stolen or broken at any time
Unless you are going to the middle of the desert, many items will be available there
There is a direct ratio between weight and how much you will enjoy your trip
You will not need as many distractions as at home because you will be in a new world
If possible, choose devices that all use the same battery type, like AA

Here are some examples to get your mind working in the right direction. Please use the following sections as simply suggestions that are proven in the field. Depending on your preferences and destinations, you will have to make changes to the list of course.

First aid:

I ended up using less than half of the first aid items that I brought along to Southeast Asia. Out of a box of bandages that I brought along, I consumed a grand total of 3. Instead of trying to prepare for every emergency, take only a few of the very common basics, and then purchase whatever you need if you ever happen to get sick or hurt. That means several aspirin instead of the whole bottle, 3 bandaids, no gauze bandage, etc...you get the idea.

Of course it is not your responsibility, but it is a good feeling to have something that a fellow traveler needs and to take care of their health.

Here are some basic first-aid Items that I found very valuable:

Liquid bandage - for painting on small scrapes and cuts to avoid infections which comes easy in backpacking environments

Anti-diarrhea pills - if you eat the local food it is almost inevitable because of the bacterial differences of different continents. Brands containing Loperamide are the most effective. Remember, only take them during travel moves or emergencies, otherwise use food to control your stomach.

Tweezers - the super pointy medical kind, for popping blisters, removing ticks, etc

Alcohol prep pads - for disinfecting skin, the tweezers above, bug bites, etc

Motion sickness pills - even if you don't get it often, offer them to other travelers that do. Dramamine can also double as an emergency sleeping pill because of the drowsy side-effects

Bandages - Bandaids, plasters, whatever you want to call them. Just bring a few, mostly to pro actively put on hot spots to prevent blisters

Ibuprofen - Good for fever, swelling, and hangovers

Benadryl - if you have any sensitivity at all, it is very possible you will come into contact with plants or new materials that will make a rash

Multivitamins - not required but nice to keep your immune system up in case you get stuck eating a lot of the same foods daily in a local diet.

Remember to bring enough of your prescription medication to last the trip. Keep it in the original, labeled bottles to avoid raising eyebrows, and keep a copy of the prescription with all the pills. If you wear contacts, bring your glasses along as well for backup in dusty areas.

Clothing:

Some pointers

If you want to travel light, plan to wash your laundry in the sink often. Use the "wash one, wear one" theory.

Swim trunks that are not too colorfully obnoxious can double as your second pair of shorts.

Socks and underwear can be washed and dried quickly in the sink so take less.

Choose polyester, rayon, nylon, and other materials over cotton whenever possible because they dry faster.

Blue Jeans weigh a ton and dry slower than Christmas, leave them!

Be just a tad more conservative in choosing shirts with messages than you would feel comfortable wearing at home, it may be easier to offend local people than you think.

One good shirt can be included for going out, but make sure it can survive without a proper ironing!

Tans, browns, and earth colors are always a good bet because they do not show dirt and stains, don't attract so many mozzies and insects, and you won't be as easily spotted by people that make a living hunting tourists.

Bring a thin, light rain jacket that can also be used as a cover-up on very cold air-con bus rides or at night if the temperature drops.

Jewelery

Leave that $300 Swiss Army watch at home. You do not want to attract attention to yourself by wearing expensive or flashy looking bracelets, rings, or necklaces. It will definitely get you higher prices from merchants or maybe worse! A good cheap watch with Indiglo and an alarm is very helpful. Women travelers might want to bring a fake gold wedding band along to wear in certain countries like India or Egypt because it takes some pressure off the advances from locals.

Shoes:

One pair of "proper" shoes and flip-flops is all you need. The shoes should be good enough for trekking and scrambling, and be dark enough to wear out in case you go to a club that requires proper shoes. Your flip-flops will work for everything else. Leave the $60 Teva's at home, take CHEAP flip-flops - in Asia they have to be left outside whenever you enter a public place and it is very common for other travelers to swap with you, either by accident or on purpose.

Toiletries:

Some pointers:

Liquids are heavy, so bring small travel-bottle sizes of everything, then buy local.

Put ALL liquid items into a Ziplock bag and then into a waterproof toilet bag. They will most likely get broken or squeezed!

Don't bring glass perfume bottles. You WILL want some for those missed showers so put it in a plastic travel bottle.

Shampoo can double as soap and also laundry detergent in a pinch, so choose a clear one without too strong of a fragrance if possible.

Take anti-bacterial soap to keep bug bites and scrapes in check. Choose a bar of soap that does not smell too strong.

Men, leave the electric razor and charger at home - just bring along a good razor with some replacement blades. The Mach 3 is popular all over and you can probably find blades for it, otherwise it is hit or miss once you run out of blades.

Soap can be lathered into shaving cream if necessary. Any body wash or shampoo that smells sweet or fruity will make you an insect's dream come true.

Individual face wipes or handy wipes are very useful for times when you have no access to water.

Bring a small, non-breakable camping mirror because many cheap bungalows and guest houses do not have one in the bathroom.

Misc:

Book - for inevitable delays. Just bring one, it can be traded with other travelers or in bookshops for something new. If its new, leave the price tag on it for a bargaining advantage later. Put a rubber band around the book to keep the cover from being bent inside your bag.

Journal - for recording your adventures of course

Small notepad - separate from your journal to keep in a pocket for recording other travelers' emails and also writing bus schedules, directions, and things you don't need in forever in your journal.

Sink stopper - for doing laundry, get the big floppy universal kind from a home goods store like Lowes or Home Depot. A thin piece of rubber could substitute.

Alarm clock - If your watch alarm isn't loud enough, get a small travel one to help you avoid running to catch early buses and trains.

Toilet paper - take it off the cardboard roll so it takes up less space. You will DEFINITELY need this in all parts of Asia. Put it inside something waterproof.

Anti-bacterial hand gel - Public transportation and airports are germ-havens. Also, a majority of places in Asia will not have ways to wash your hands after using the toilets.

Sewing kit - good for repairs. Stick some fishing line in it for making serious backpack repairs. The safety pins are good for keeping things together and your clothes on the dry-line when its windy.

Clothes line - parachute or military 550 cord is available from surplus stores, its light and works great. It will be used for hanging up laundry, and maybe for hanging items off the ground.

Torch - flashlight, LED, headlamp, whatever you decide to bring should be reliable, water-resistant and use regular batteries (nothing proprietary or hard to find).

Sleep sheet - Silk is lighter and protects you better than cotton - bedbugs can still bite you through cotton. This is invaluable for dodgey beds and to keep warm at night. It should be wide enough for two.

Hat - It doesn't have to be stylish or Derby-quality, just something to keep the sun off while on the beach or in the field. Comes in handy to sleep under too. A bandanna can substitute.

Duct tape - No explanation needed for this one. Break a piece off of a pencil and wrap some duct tape around it to save room.

Compass - You do not need a huge survey-quality one, just something small and simple for knowing which direction to turn at an intersection when you are looking at a map. The small round ones with the pin found in the camping section of department stores work great.

Knife - You don't need a 37 option Swiss Army knife, just something small, light, and sharp for cutting tape, cord, fruit, etc.

Small Waterproof bag - Put your electronics and journal inside of it in your daybag in case you are caught in the rain. It can be used temporarily for fruit, garbage, laundry, etc as well.

Guidebook - only buy and carry the one for your first destination. The others can be obtained from travelers or shops for cheap once you are there. Feel free to rip out huge sections for places you will never visit to save weight and room.

Sunscreen - The locals in many hot destinations usually do not use it because their brown skin is conditioned to the sun already. Sometimes the only sunscreen available away from very touristy areas will be much more expensive than you can buy it at home, and maybe past the expiration date. Because it is heavy, research your specific destination, but it may be helpful to carry a small bottle just to hold you over until you find a cheap source.

Lip Balm - hard to find locally sometimes and a must for hot places. Don't get the round kind that requires a dirty finger to be stuck in it!

Insect repellent - bring a small bottle of 100% Deet. Any additional spray can be purchased for cheap at almost all destinations. The 100% Deet should be used very sparingly, and only on clothes, never the face. You can also spray some around holes in your mosquito net.

Condoms - Brands are extremely limited and the local ones have a failure rate that is frightening due to the hot weather and poor storage techniques.

Ear Plugs - Get the small kind that you stuff in your ears. They come with a case to keep them clean. Good for noisy rooms above pubs and bus rides

Sunglasses - Don't take anything over $10! They will most likely get broken along the way and you do not need them ruining your chances at negotiating.

Optional luxuries:
Things that you can live without but are nice to have along sometimes!

Sharpie marker - Use it for marking CDs of pictures that you burn, gear and bags, declaring your ownership, making signs, etc.

Lithium batteries for your camera - If your camera uses AA style batteries, the life-span of the more expensive Lithium batteries is definitely worth it when compared to regular alkalines.

Playing cards - It is likely that someone you are traveling around will have some anyway, but these are a great way to make friends at the hostel or guest house.

Headphones splitter - Great if you carry an MP3 player. You will be surprised how many times you will be sitting with a new friend on a bus, train, or on the beach and wish that you could share the same music together. They will provide the headphones.

Chem light - glow sticks, light sticks, whatever you want to call them. Can be used as a lifesaving light source if you are caving and your light fails. Also can work as an emergency signal in the dark, and might even come in handy at a rave or party. Get the 12 hour kind from a surplus store.

Memory stick - (USB flash drive) Good for grabbing pics quickly from other travelers, as well as MP3s, and maybe backing up your own pictures on the fly.

Whistle - carry in your pocket for peace of mind when walking dark beaches and streets. It gets attention which is exactly what an attacker does not want.

Bandanna - the Army ones are large enough to use as a sweat rag, emergency bandage, cleanup rag, filter over your mouth for dusty roads, you name it.

Travel towel - the small ones roll up very compact and although it takes a while, will dry your entire body. NOT good for running down the hostel hallway because it won't cover your bum!

Item for hiding emergency cash - don't buy a false rock. Get creative and make your own from some common item like a dental floss box or makeup container. Fold up currency and hide it inside, then put it in your regular backpack in an unexpected place in case your daybag is lost or stolen.

Additional passport photos - will save money, time, and headache when you cross borders and apply for visas on arrival. You can get an entire sheet made at printing shops for cheap.

Things you DONT need:

Travel pillow - An empty pillow case can be stuffed with laundry or whatever to form an instant pillow rather than carrying a bulky "travel pillow". You can also put it around dodgey pillows that are provided in guest houses to keep the bugs out of your hair.

Camping gear - You don't need camping gear unless a big part of your stays will be camping. Gear can be bought or hired at almost all national parks, or from other travelers that are finished with their camping.

Water bottle - Although SIGG bottles are nice, just refill plastic bottles once you are finished with them. You will not cry as much if it gets lost or left behind.

Water purification - Water is a necessity of life, so it is guaranteed that wherever you are going, the locals have already figured out a way to make water safe. You can purchase very cheap bottled water almost everywhere, pumps and filters are unnecessary.

Stove - Expensive, takes up room, and it can be difficult to fly with the fuel, or to buy it at your destination. Even on an extended trek, your guide will provide a way to cook food.

Snorkel gear - You can hire it at your destination for cheap on days that you want to use it. This is a much better option than sacrificing the space it takes up in your pack all the time, even when you are no where near a place to snorkel.

Laundry detergent - use shampoo or buy it at your destination for cheap.

Hammock - these will be available almost everywhere that you go to use or to buy for cheaper than they are available in the West.

MP3 player speakers - Nice but not worth the risk and weight of carrying them.

Laptop - unless you plan to do some serious daily travel writing, this will be a heavy and expensive liability that could be mishandled and maybe stolen. Internet shops are abundant, you will have no problem finding access.

Mosquito coils - In any area that is heavily populated with mozzies, you will be able to buy coils and repellents cheaper than at home.

Weapon - including pepper spray, will only get you busted at some checkpoint or screening when you least expect. Dont risk it.

Electronic language translator - forget about it.

GPS - it is tempting, but leave this expensive gadget at home. They eat batteries and sometimes part of the fun is getting lost anyways!

Mosquito net - in any troublesome mosquito area these will be available for a fraction of the cost in the Western world.

Travel underwear - expensive and makes very little difference anyways. Do you really want to squeeze a couple extra days from those undies you are wearing?

Conclusion:

As usual, all these things are just suggestions based on my experiences as a long term backpacker. You will have other comfort needs I am sure, but remember the basics and before you pack anything, ask yourself these three questions:

1) Can I live without it?
2) Will I cry if it gets stolen tomorrow?
3) Can I buy it local?

This is a living document and will continuously be updated as I remember new things and receive suggestions from readers!

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