How To Pack Small For Backpacker-style Traveling

While you are young and before you go over the hill into old age, it is imperative that one makes use of their strength, stamina and agility to reach these prime destinations that would prove a task for the elderly as most come hand in hand with a rough drive.

For most youngsters these days, travelling is their forte, as it helps them discover the beauty that is laden across this country as well as the part of exploring themselves. Thankfully, this our country bears such geographical diversity, that is has enough to satisfy the desire of any kind of traveler.

The essentials for backpacking

What remains to lug are the absolute essentials. Nowadays, there’s so many improved travel equipments that you probably don’t already have, but this isn’t a bridesmaids-dress situation where you need an expensive thing once only to never used it up again, improved travel gears tends to just be better-designed versions of things you do use in your everyday life.

Do this right and you can achieve a style of travel called flashpacking. Bring only hard-to-find-on-the-road essentials. This will saves you a lot of weight and space. Take a sort of Marie Kondo approach to your packing style:

Each time you’re about to put something in your bag, think of the destination where you plan to use it and ask yourself if the item is something you’ll be able to buy, cheaply, once you’re there.

If the answer is “Yes” then buy it there. Most of the stuff you reflexively pack for traveling you don’t actually need while you’re traveling. You only need it when you’ve arrived.

What’s the best Backpacks ?

This is will be one of your biggest purchase, so make it deliberately. You’ll want a bag to comply with great dimensions, have waist-support straps, have a pocket or inside strap that’ll hold your laptop in place, and sport external clips where you can hang bulky stuff like jackets and sleeping bags, add to external rain-cover would be a bonus. It’s also enormously helpful to get a bag that can opens from the bottom side, that way you don’t have to everything out, then repack, when you need something down at the bottom.

For me, I went for  Osprey Atmos AG 50  a travelling backpack which satisfies all my requirements, great appearance tho. I bought it for $200ish back in 2015, yes it’s kinda pricey. However, it fits all my traveling gears with its good-design compartment , and since buying it I’ve never needed anything else. I use it any time I’m going somewhere, even it’s not for hiking / mountaineering trip.

 

 

Electronic Gears & Health

The first thing you need to do to make room for in your backpack is you should decide whatever electronic gears you’ll need on your trip, a laptop or tablet, camera, phone, chargers, powerbank, and any special equipment you might need for work.

The other high priority you should consider is any personal medicines for your specific needs as an individual that would be a hassle to pick up on the road, like antibiotics, malaria pills, or even prescription medications. 

 

How about the Shoes ?

I don’t pack flip-flops, but if you’re traveling to mainly places where sandals would be your primary walking-around shoes and you’d comfortable with that, then go for it. For me, I’d rather pick a random swallow sandals for less than IDR20K for pair on my way to the beach.

I always aiming to pack two pairs of shoes: one pair that is your most comfortable walking shoes, mine is Hoka One One Arahi Women Series and another heavier pair for hikes & trekking. I choose Hi-Tec Altitude V I WP Women  that extremely lightweight and versatile hiking boot that can be used in a wide variety of conditions from the trail on the street. You don’t have to buy a specialty hiking shoe because you need “proper footwear” for your trip. However, if you’re doing intense hiking & trekking, you probably already have a good & comfortable pair, but if you’re not, then you’ll be just fine with what you have.

The only key to pick the best traveling shoe is just bring whatever that comfort your feet the most.

How many Jackets do I need to bring?

Jackets are the shoes of your body. It depends on where you are going. If you’re going to someplace cold or even snowy for most of your trip, indeed, you need a proper jacket for very cold/snowy places. Otherwise, you’re going for an absolute maximum of two jackets: one light jacket and one slightly heavier. When you’re packing the lighter jacket into your bag, roll it up instead of folding it, and you can clip the heavier jacket outside your backpack to save the space.

If you’re going to the beach, or some kind of tropical islands, you might need to bring a light wind-breaker jacket.

I recommend a foldable light jacket, just in case you need it for a night walking, or for your skin protection from sun burning when you’re riding motorcycle in daylight.

Travelling Pants

I usually pack one pair of jeans for any special (or emergency) occasion such as if you suddenly need to attend some kind of ceremony , or formal event. Jeans still be my perfect choice for long flights, but not that kind of ripped jeans or skinny jeans with high waist. Choose the most comfortable jeans, the one that you love the most.

I usually pack a legging or whatever that equivalent for my body. Basically whatever long pants you’d wear in the house.

Sure, they’re eminently more comfortable than jeans, good for outdoor activities or even lying around.  They’re also lighter and faster-drying. During the trip these are my daily pants, jeans are now special pants.

How about the shirts ?

It all depends on how comfortable you are wearing dirty ones and how long you travel time. For 5 – 7 days travel, I would say pick maybe three shirts that are comfy and  pretty light. Unless you’re going to only warm places, you’ll also want one long-sleeved base layer. If you’re sweaty person, avoid cotton; you want shirt that dries fast and doesn’t smell. But normal people would pick a cotton shirt which is fine. In some areas you might find any one day service laundries with reasonable price.

Have you ever try Travel Underwear & Travel Socks ?

The next time you need to bring any socks, buy a pair of Travel Socks, yes, they’re quiet expensive than regular socks you might find on department store, but trust me you don’t need it more than two pair for at least 7 days traveling. They’re also smell better and be more comfortable and it save your money in the long-run.

And have you ever try disposable travel underwear? You can find it in some supermarket, or even minimarket. Oh, you can buy online too through Tokopedia . Ever been camping and struggled to put a fresh pair of underwear on in the tent? Did you ever try to put on a clean pair of undies in the airplane bathroom? NOT EASY STUFF, right? Most travel underwear are also more breathable than your typical pair since you are likely to be more active while exploring new destinations.

Last but not least..

You’ll want a second, smaller backpack or when you’re just out for the day and leaving most of your stuff in a hotel/hostel. The best backpack would be foldable bag ,  I went for Kathmandu Packable Bag , and since buying it more than four years ago I’ve never needed any small backpack. My 13″ laptop just fits perfectly along with its charger, single pocket notebook, and all my daily stuffs. The best thing about foldable bag is it always there whenever I need it, and I can pack away compactly when you’re done, and what makes my Kathmandu Bag irreplaceable is it’s water-repellent coating sheds a light rain!

A thing you probably do need, though, is a travel towel. They’re light and compact, which is helpful for obvious reasons, and they’re fast-drying, which is crucial because you’re going to be in a lot of situations where you can’t air out your wet/dirty stuff and then it immediately gets all mildewy. You can find it in outdoor gears / travel gears store, mine is Decathlon Travel Towel   which pretty helpful and fast-drying as well!

So don’t worry about not having enough stuff. The rest of the world has stores for them now. Happy traveling !

“It is the experiences, the memories, the great triumphant joy of living to the fullest extent in which real meaning is found. God it’s great to be alive! Thank you. Thank you.”

– Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild