Have you seen the beginner backpacker? They’re easy to find near the luggage carousel at any major airport. The first-time backpacker is the one struggling to get a much too heavy (but shiny new) North Face from the ground to its rightful position. They are under-prepared and overpacked.
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A real talent for packing comes from experience, but there are certain truths which all wise backpackers can pass on. I was once the tiny pair of legs sticking out under a backpack filled with almost my whole wardrobe, and I don’t want to put any prospective traveler through this torture unnecessarily.
It’s easy to pack for a weekend away. Throw every outfit you’ll need in your backpack, then one more “just in case”, and zip it up. But if you’re going to be on the road for a few weeks, the process gets a bit trickier.
Mom Said: Pack Light
The nature of your trip is the first consideration when you’re planning your packing.
Long walks to train stations, constant checking in and out of hostels, bringing your pack to a gallery before you move on to the next city: you might be surprised just how often you’ll carry around your backpack.
The nature of your trip is the first consideration when you’re planning your packing.
If you’ve done enough planning to know you’ll be spending a week or so in the same accommodation, and changing location using convenient transport, then perhaps you can afford to pack heavier. But I wouldn’t.
Even the best plans go awry — that’s what makes traveling fun — and that’s why packing light is right. All the old adages are actually true, especially the one I always repeat when I’m on my bedroom floor with a full backpack and another pile of maybes: “If in doubt, leave it out”. I promise that this has to be your basic packing principle.
An important corollary to packing light is making sure your clothes mix and match. It is much more important to get to the end of the day without breaking your back than it is to follow all the latest fashion trends. Besides, you don’t even know yet what’s actually fashionable where you’re traveling.
Four Seasons in One Day
Research the likely weather at your destination. And then remember that the weather is one of the most unwieldy weapons of nature and you simply can’t trust her.
For me, this means including clothes that layer. I’m not strong enough to haul around thick pullovers or fancy raincoats, but I can get warm by putting an extra T-shirt on under my sweater, and stay dry with a thin fold-away rain poncho. When a heap of rain is likely in my destination, I do usually pack a small umbrella, because walking in and out of museums or cafes with a soggy raincoat and wet feet tends to wear thin fast.
At the other extreme, heat and sunshine make me carry a cap and swimsuit wherever I travel. They’re both small, lightweight items that have been useful much more often than I’ve expected. A cap can keep the sun or even the rain off your face, while a swimsuit could help you get into a lake or sea or even into a heated spa in a creaky old Eastern European town or the mountains of Japan. It’s good to be prepared.
A Trip to the Ballet
It’s worth keeping in mind the huge variety of activities that you might undertake on a month-long backpacking trip.
If you plan to do a lot of walking, then a decent pair of hiking shoes is one of the most essential items. But wherever possible, travel with them on your feet rather than carrying them in your backpack. Road test your socks first to avoid the situation of having to stop every few hundred yards to retrieve them from halfway down your boot around your heel. That’s a tip from my bad experience.
Most backpackers sport the grunge look, but try to include some combination that will dress up your appearance a bit. Female travelers can roll up a thin skirt for special occasions; men could try to include a collared shirt that looks presentable without ironing. Thinking ahead like this means you won’t be sitting in the front row at the Bolshoi ballet in Moscow looking really scruffy. Yep, my bad experience too.
Techno-Packing
Gone are the days when travelers need to lug around a Discman and a bundle of CDs. Today’s tiny MP3 players are a godsend.
But be careful that you don’t fill up the extra space with digital camera gadgets, cables for “what if” situations, heavy battery rechargers or anything designated as “spare”. Technology is often heavy, and you probably won’t need anywhere near as much as you think to entertain you: remember, you’re going to be experiencing all these great new things instead.
Last Word: The Three Biggest Backpack Blunders
Books: Nobody needs more than one book in their backpack. Yes, you’ll need something to read on flights or bus trips. But books add weight, so you need to follow the experienced backpacker’s strategy: finish a book first, then go looking for the next one. You can swap it with another traveler for theirs, find a swap shelf in a hostel or simply leave it somewhere and buy a new one.
Hair dryer: Backpacks should come with a large label saying “no hair dryers allowed”. They’re bulky, the voltage might be wrong, you might not even have a power outlet, and above all, your hair will dry naturally. And half the time you’ll stay in a place that includes a hair dryer anyway.
Shoes: You don’t need six pairs of shoes. I promise. Shoes are heavy, shoes are bulky, and nobody sees them. Most of my long trips have been made with hiking shoes (on my feet) and a pair of flip-flops in my backpack. The flip-flops work great for grotty bathrooms, beach trips and a drink out in the evening. Comfortable walking shoes are the key for the rest of your traveling moments.