Backpacking Travel Essentials

 

Entrepreneur Spencer Schar has visited every continent bar Antarctica, having traveled to 24 countries in total. This article will look at backpacking, providing an overview of backpacking travel essentials to help travelers make the most of their overseas adventures.

When lugging your belongings from one destination to the next, packing light is a primary consideration. Seasoned backpackers recommend keeping the backpack’s weight below 15 kg, and ideally below 10 kg.

Long-term travel requires preparation for all kinds of weather, including rain. Even when visiting warmer climes, it is sensible to use a rain cover and dustbin liner inside your backpack to avoid getting caught out by an unexpected downpour.

Experienced travelers warn the uninitiated not to place all their eggs in one basket, avoiding storing everything in a single piece of luggage. It is prudent to store passports in a neck bag and technology in daypacks, using backpacks to store luggage and photostat copies of important documents. If the traveler is parted from their luggage somewhere along the way, taking this measure can help to mitigate disaster.

The three most important items for most travelers are their passport, wallet, and phone. For those venturing off the beaten track, a Lifestraw can come in very handy, with the powerful filter bottle making any water drinkable, potentially saving money in countries where tap water is best avoided. In addition, purchasing bottles of water also generates plastic waste, making Lifestraw both a cost-efficient and eco-friendly choice.

Potentially walking for hours each day carrying all their belongings on their back, the last place where backpackers should cut costs is buying their backpack. There are a variety of different factors to consider, including size, comfort, quality, and purpose. For a longer trip, a 55 to 75-liter backpack is advisable, although a 40 to 50-liter capacity model may be sufficient for a shorter trip. The more space the backpacker has, the more luggage they will be tempted to bring along. Backpackers therefore need to be ruthless, keeping luggage to an absolute minimum and maintaining realistic expectations of what they can comfortably carry.

The heaviest element of a backpacker’s luggage is likely to be their clothes. They must ensure they bring along only the essentials, aiming to wash their clothes every seven days. If it is going to be cold, a fleece jacket and thermal layers are more practical than a large bulky coat. A travel towel is vital, and backpackers should invest in a light, quick-drying version, bringing along only the bare essentials in terms of toiletries.