Backpacking: What to bring

After researching recommendations for what to bring to a several months long backpacking trip and having been on the road for 9+ weeks, I hereby want to present you with a list of items that have made my life easier.

I’m trying to optimize for cost-efficiency, adhere to minimalist principles (e.g. eliminate anything non-essential) and low volume.

(Don’t worry about not bringing everything with you on the first try, any major European city offers all of the articles below and then some. Experienced travelers know, that it’s better to start light and purchase items that you really need later on. Flying, walking through new cities in the scorching heat and packing all get easier with less to carry.)

The links are affiliate links to Amazon, if you make a purchase I’ll get a small (~10% of purchase price) commission to finance my journey.

Great backpack: A sturdy, spacious and comfortable backpack is tremendously important. That’s one of the items that’ll last for a long time and that I explicitly wouldn’t try to save money on. Both during my trip to India and my Journey through Europe, this 65 liter Deuter Model has served me extraordinarily well.

medium sized microfiber-towel: In my experience, most hostels provide towels, yet some don’t or charge extra. Apart from getting dry after a shower, these also come in handy for any swimming-related activities or in the gym. Initially, I made the mistake of bringing a terrycloth towel. This turns out to be a mistake because those take up a lot of precious space and don’t dry quickly enough (carrying wet towels is a bad idea, mold and bad smells awaits). Microfiber is the way to go. Take this model as an example; I have to admit though: these have to be washed frequently and they don’t feel particularly great on the skin.

Bags for clothing. I’ve brought one bag each for my underwear, t-shirts, socks and dirty laundry (the last might be the most important of them). For me, simple tote bags for the clean clothes and a plastic bag for the dirty laundry worked well. Some people swear by specific clothing bags, but I don’t think that’s necessary.

A smartphone (+ microSD) aka navigator, translator, entertainment machine, communication platform, lexicon, camera, diary …

Everybody reading this already owns one of these. A selection of apps, ways to conserve energy, having a useful device without being connected to the internet and staying safe are such big topics that I regarded a whole article on it, find it here.

External battery back: I brought my laptop in order to be able to work, it doubled as a battery pack for my smartphone. Without a laptop, get one of these. True lifesavers.

Clothes: I started out with 6 sets of summer clothes (+ one pair of jeans and one wind-blocker type sweater). If I were to go out again, I would probably lower that number down to 4 or so. That means more washing (or freezing) of clothes but also a tremendous decrease in terms of volume requirement. Microfiber clothes dry more quickly; if you’re really hard-core minimalist you’d be able to get through with two (!) sets of clothes for an indefinite amount of time.

Flip-flops: Very versatile, as they can be used in for protection in public/hostel showers, to walk around on a sunny day and at the beach. These are light-weight and useful, don’t sacrifice quality here.

Padlock: Having to borrow those can be expensive, padlocks come in handy in many situations. Get at least one sturdy model.

Sleeping mask: Especially in big dorms, people come in late at night or have to get up earlier than you. If you want to nap on a long bus/plane/train/car-ride, the sleeping mask & earplug combo provies a welcome escape. Protecting your sleep from these interruptions can be achieved by wearing a sleeping mask.

Earplugs: I made the mistake of purchasing 50+ pairs of single use earplugs, multi-use would have been the better choice, it saves space, is better for the environment and cheaper to get one good reusable pair.

Headphones: Great for watching a movie in your dorm or listening to some music. I’ve recently switched to a Bluetooth headset and had mixed results: a frequent need to recharge, incompatibility with some devices, occasional yet extremely annoying connection losses. For workouts, both in the gym and when running, Bluetooth headsets are great though. I’m considering to get a second pair that blocks background noises and is connected via a cable (maybe even a noise-cancelling model):

small backpack: For day trips I use a small backpack to carry around water and my laptop. Very simple models will do.

Sunglasses, sunscreen & brimmed hat: Excessive sun exposure leads to faster aging of the skin and is the leading cause of of skin cancer (also: for the love of god, please don’t use tanning beds). Most skin cancers occur on the face and neck, thus extra protection is needed. Evaluate whether a temporary tan is worth cranking up your chances of dying early.

Lunch box: I’d advise bringing two of those, ideally ones that can contain liquids safely. That way you can cook for several days in advance and save money along the way.

knife & spoon: (I’ve been able to get along well without a fork …) One of the cornerstones of my frugal & healthy travel approach is to purchase food in the supermarket and cook a lot. Protip: You can open cans with a sturdy knife.

Shorts for running/exercise and swimming: It’s important to stay fit while traveling, going to local gyms (many-offer one-day passes), swimming and running have served me well in this regard. I recommend getting one pair of shorts that can be used both for swimming and exercising (combining the two lowers volume requirements and increases per-item utilization).

Toiletries; I basically just brought what I’d use at home anyway. Bug-spray, sun-screen and blister-plasters (most awesome word ever?) are extra.

Clothing line, mobile detergent (shampoo might also do the trick)& sink-plug (so you can wash in any sink): Washing can be annoying and expensive (I’ve paid up to 10 Euros for one full-washing cycle). Doing it yourself can be a nice way to save money. I’m currently conducting an experiment in which I freeze my clothes to kill bacteria and prevent bad odor (the Levi Strauss CEO doesn’t wash his Jeans). Might turn out to be a money-saver (or major turn-off)

If you can think of additional items that belong on this list, please let me know