Backpacking Packing List

Backpacking: What to Pack?

Pack Light!

Its an old cliche and you have heard it so many times before but it cannot be emphasized enough!

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 in the ARMY 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.

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?

Backpacking Packing List 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

Here are some examples to get your mind working in the right direction. Please use the following backpacking packing list as simply a suggestion. Depending on your preferences and destinations, you will have to make changes to the packing list of course.

Backpacking First Aid Kit:

I ended up using less than half of the first aid items that I brought on my first backpacking trip 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. That means several aspirin instead of the whole bottle, 3 bandages instead of the box - 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 long 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, you can also use them to put on hot spots to prevent blisters
Ibuprofen - Good to stop swelling and hangovers
Benadryl pills - 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 non-varied 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.

For more details about medicine and pills you might want to carry, read about travel first aid kits.

Clothing:

Backpacking Packing List 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 messages on shirts. 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 a light and an alarm is very helpful.

Female 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 or buy some locally! In Southeast Asia shoes have to be left outside whenever you enter a public place and it is very common to have them disappear if someone was needing an upgrade.

Backpacking Packing List: Toiletries

Liquids are heavy, so bring small bottle sizes of everything, then buy local.
Travel bottles are a rip-off. Buy the full size equivalent and then fill small bottles.
Put ALL liquid items into a Ziplock bag and then into a waterproof toilet bag. Airplane pressure changes make them ooze
Don’t bring glass perfume bottles.
You WILL want some kind of body spray or cologne for those missed showers.
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.
Men, leave the electric razor and charger at home - just bring along a good razor with some replacement blades - or do as many travelers do and just let it go! The Mach 3 razor 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.

Before you send bewildered comments, please realize that this backpacking packing list pertains to international travel, not “backpacking” the Appalachian Trail, etc.