Vagabonding Packing – top 20 goodies to take
You never know where your feet might take you
Vagabonding Packing List
Since 2009 fell into my lap and travel plans are monopolizing most of my cerebral activity lately, I decided to start a series of posts about real travel preparation. (plus, I need to dangle some juicy linkbait out there).
In my opinion, budget travel is far too important to be left to the professionals. Ask 20 backpackers what they packed and the only thing they will have in common is the fact that they all probably brought too much.
These are just my personal essentials for a healthy, happy, journey.
Packing is personal just as travel is ultimately a selfish endeavor. So take it or leave it. If you see one good new idea, this read was worth it. I’ve picked up items over the years from books, travelers, and websites…but as you already know, experience is the best teacher.
So without further delay….this is Part 1 – my top 20 goodies to take with you on your backpacking trip!
My top 20 never, ever, ever, leave home without-its for vagabonding…
Sidestepping the boring, obvious stuff like “camera”, “toothbrush”, or “flashlight”……
- Silk Sleep sheet.
If you aren’t a backpacker, you’re probably wondering what in the hell I am talking about. Coming from a comfortable home where I never once met a bedbug or had to sleep on a sex-stained mattress, I didn’t know what a “sleep sheet” was either, but I can tell you it is my favorite purchase.
A sleep sheet is basically a very thin sleeping bag that protects you from the horrors of hostel mattresses that only an ultraviolet light could expose. It will keep you warm, clean, bug free, and happy. Many people make their own simply by sewing a bed sheet into a cocoon, but if you buy one piece of travel equipment, its worth investing in a small, silk one. Silk is light, warm, and some nasties can still bite you through cotton, not silk. I ordered mine from a very friendly company in New Zealand – http://www.jagbags.co.nz I also recommend that you get the double so that you will have more room to roll around in your sleep.
2. Travel Journal
It doesn’t matter if the last meaningful thing you wrote was in third grade, you need a small notebook. If you travel alone, it will keep you from the brink of madness and provide an outlet for your new thoughts. You need an efficient way to keep those memories and that Italian guy/girl’s email accurate for years to come when you are busy killing the same brain cells they are recorded on.
To make it interesting, I stick ticket stubs, bottle labels, and whatever else inside. You can have locals write things in their native script, have friends sign it, and even put some drops of blood inside from your first “motorcycle tattoo” (wreck) – which you will probably have in Thailand. If you decide to smash and keep an exotic flower, just don’t show the customs guys at the airport or you might be writing a new entry about quarantine.
3. Toilet Paper
Many, many developing countries still use one hand for eating (usually the right) and one hand for wiping their bottoms. Locals take care of business, wipe with the left, then wash their hand under the little tap (keep in mind there is rarely soap). If you wish to “go native” as some backpackers do, then no worries – just please don’t ever hand me anything.
I take the TP off the roll and wind it into a plastic ziplock baggie. It might not be a good idea to pack it at the bottom of your big rucksack either….keep it handy!
4. Extra passport photos
Inevitably, you will get asked for 2 every time you get a visa to cross a border. You can have your passport photo reproduced into sheets of 15 at a printing shop for cheap. Stick a few into your money belt so you won’t have to dig for them in front of perpetually grumpy border officials.
5. Photocopies of your passport
Some places want to hold your passport as collateral for staying in a hotel, renting a motorbike, etc. Don’t trust strangers with the most important travel item in your life – make them settle for a copy instead.
6. Duct tape
I know, very predictable and Macguyver-esque of me but it has saved me too many times not to list (including helping keep my shoes together in Portland). Break a pencil and wrap some around to save space.
7. US Dollars
Even after getting beaten into suicidal lows, the dollar still speaks loud and clear even in the most remote jungle. Bring some one dollar bills to trade with people as gifts, its a great way to make friends in China.
8. Sunscreen
My Irish DNA provides me the privilege of getting sunburned in 7 minutes or less. Even if you’re already bronzed to a cancerous, corrugated brown, keep in mind the sun is stronger in different parts of the world. Plus, if you go somewhere that the locals are brown, sunscreen will be very expensive and possibly expired already.
9. Small Sharpie marker
You can buy tiny ones at office supply stores. These are good for marking your belongings, writing on CDs of photos, and making cardboard signs in case you exceed your getting-home budget.
10. Clothes Line + safety pins
Army parachute cord or “550″ cord is great stuff – you can order it from surplus websites or camping stores. I use it for laundry, camping, and even making the occasional “leash” to tie myself to my day bag in case I fall asleep on a dodgey bus or train.The safety pins keep your underwear from blowing down the beach.
11. Sink stopper
For doing your laundry. You can get the big, floppy rubber ones in home improvement stores or drug stores.
12. Camping mirror
The light, unbreakable kind are cheap in camping stores. Lots of bungalows and budget places (other than hostels) will not have a mirror….plus if you ever WANT to get off your isolated island you could always use it to signal a plane. 
13. Vitamins
New continents = new bacteria which will ambush your immune system – the same immune system that is probably still recovering from the long flight. Also, it is possible not to get all the non-carb/protein stuff your body needs if you only eat a lot of cheap street food every day such as noodles or rice.
14. Fishing Line in a sewing kit
Unlike thread which will rot or break, light weight fishing line (3-5 pound test) is thin enough to sew up straps on backpacks and fix shoes permanently. I’ve had to do both while backpacking.
15. A couple blank CD-ROMs
This is a great way to share photos with a friend on the spot (if they don’t have a small USB-drive) or you can also download photos and post them home in case internet speeds are too slow to upload all of them.
16. Headphones splitter
So many times I have sat on a long, dusty bus ride next to a new friend and wished that we could share the same music on an IPOD. Problem solved!
17. Liquid bandage
Infections are so commonplace in humid, jungle environments that I started carrying a small bottle of liquid bandage with me to seal them up. Good for putting over your mozzie bites and blisters too.
18. Small padlock with 2 keys
Great for securing lockers in hostels, footlockers in guest houses, and your bungalow door. The owners will usually give you a lock, but only 1 key. This way you can share with a new roommate or it guarantees that no one can get inside with a copied key without breaking something.
19. Compass
No need for a digital one, GPS, or the one that Army Rangers use. A simple ball style available in any camping department will work just fine. Now when someone tells you to “turn north” at the end of the road to find that cool temple, you won’t be looking at the sun and guessing.
20. A smile
It will nearly always get you better prices, out of trouble, and new friends along the way.
These packing lists are fun to build, but in reality Rolf Potts said it best in his book – “The simple willingness to improvise is more vital in the long run, than research.”
That contradicts the purpose of most of my travel websites, but I have to be honest – its true! Don’t overplan, overpack, and research yourself to death…chances are that anything you left at home can be purchased locally (for cheaper) anyway.
Cheers!
20 Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL
Kentucky, USA
Interesting about the carbs. The most difficult thing for me to deal with has been the difficulty in getting protein. High carb breakfasts, sandwiches with just a tiny sliver of ham, breaded meats. It wreaks havoc with my blood sugar and endurance. Luckily I’m in argentina so it isn’t extremely difficult to find meat, but it still can be a challenge and adds to the cost.
Hi David, I agree…I lost 20 pounds in 3 months of eating only noodle and rice based meals. Meat is expensive and can be a gamble if its not fresh….I usually go for beans, hummus, garbanzos, lentils, etc when I can find them.
Good list. To me, nothing still beats the trusty old Swiss Army Knife to solve a multitude of issues. Mine has travelled with me for over 20 years and managed never to be lost. Only problem now is that carrying a knife means your luggage needs to be checked in on flights but still think it is worth having with you.
Hey Mark, definitely…my Swiss Army Knife is actually a Gerber multitool I got in the Army…but same difference. I guess I didn’t list it because its one of my defaults..just like flashlight, toothbrush, etc.
Great list!
Your idea of a having a keyed padlock to lock a door is great! I’ll have to add that and the sharpie marker to my pack next time I travel.
Great list! Head phone splitter is a great one, thanks! I would maybe add some prayer beads to my gear, too! It cannot hurt!
I agree totally. I had never thought of fishing line. Have to purchase now, might do miracles to my backpack which is falling apart.
Also I didn’t know that the bugs don’t get trough silk – they seem to get through my cotton though. Bastards! Silk needed! (Although when I said this to my husband he rolled his eyes and mumbled something about a wife wanting to travel with her silks…) A head phone splitter might have saved us from some inter-marriage “negotiations” too.
What I would ad to the list is a few reclosable plastic bags in different sizes. Can storage stuff you want to keep dry (like passports inside your money belt when sweating like pig in the tropic), or prevent your bags from wet stuff (like swim wear after beach, or a leaking shampoo bottle in the plane)… multiple usage possibilities. Some have even used them as emergency relief-yourself packages in the long bus rides, or so the travel lore says…
Can I recommend two small alterations?
While a padlock is essential, consider a combination lock rather than one with a key. It’s too easy to lose the key(s) forcing you to find someone with a bolt-cutter to get into your back. Yes: speaking from experience.
Instead of US$ carry euros. They’re worth more to exchange and are fast becoming the new international currency. The only problem people have with them is that they’re harder to counterfeit…which is great for you too.
The notepad is a definate must as far as entertainment /recording goes. I have spent so many countless hours on QRF in iraq and Afghanistan that if I didnt have something to put my ideas down on Id go insane. One suggestion on the notepads is get “rite in the rain” brand, they are a little more expensive but in a humid environment and if they get wet they will never run ink or fall apart and you can still right on them.
Great list and excellent blog!
Additional items for your packing list:
1. MOST IMPORTANTLY – Electrolyte powder. Really.
2. Dental Floss – is VERY strong, comes in a handy little dispenser and works well as sewing thread or for lashing. Works as a suture thread for those long nasty cuts.
3. A few sail making needles. They have great curves useful for many, many applications. Trust me here.
4. Bright colored packs, daybags, etc. are easier to chase when stolen.
Been There, Shit Happened……Island Tim
Great list..Some I’ve always used and some are new to me. I;ll include them on my trekking thru Central America soon…
Greg, after having spent quite some time reading through your blog, I’d like to say that I’m truly amazed by your travels. You are doing exactly what I dream of doing, and for that you have my deepest respect. I think what you do is awesome, astonishing, incredible… well, I’m out of words, but you get the point.
In regards to your “Top 20 things to take backpacking”, I’d like to ask you how much clothes you are carrying around with you. I’m doing a 4 month backpacking trip next year to South America, and I’m wondering how much I need to be carrying around, so by asking you, I hope to get an answer from a true expert.
Keep doing what you’re doing
-Jonas
Denmark
Dude, you may *think* the sleepsheet is protecting you from cooties, but in reality, it just turns you into a taxi service for bedbugs. If you use your sleepsheet in just ONE bedbug-infested bed, the bugs (and their teeny-tiny invisible-to-the-naked-eye eggs) will climb aboard, and you’ll become a bedbug Typhoid Mary, leaving infested hostel beds in your wake.
And if you play your cards right, you’ll even bring bedbugs home with you. Enjoy the multi-thousand-dollar pest-control bill.
Just say NO to sleepsheets. Instead, inspect your room for signs of bedbugs (peel back the sheets and look at the mattress seams for bugs or their reddish droppings), and REFUSE to sleep in a bedbug-infested room. Using a sleepsheet just makes the situation worse for everyone.
If your a sleepingbag travler a sleepsheet is the best purchase you could get. Espacially in countries where the temp. changes alot during Day’N'Night.
It keeps your sleepingbag more or less fresh and smell-free, and its easier to wash a sleepsheet then a sleepingbag. Trust me
But to the pest problem I dunno what to say really, sanitise it if possible and take out our aggressions on it with a stick or a rugwip.
I love your blog it’s awesome i’m planning on an around the world trip no home stops and this has helped i’m going to be camping most of the time (i don’t have to worry about bed bugs) i’m hoping this trip will be my life long fullfilment what about short jobs to take for one or two days i may need some extra cash……..:)
Protein problems? Take along a bag of Quinoa. It is a complete protein and was the staple food of the mayans. A quarter cup simmered for 15 mins in a half cup of water is all it takes.
I am planning on leaving from Oaxaca, Mexico, and backpacking on foot down through Central America into South America. I will stay out of hostels as often as possible. For the most part, I will be in the wild, and away from cities. That being said, a survival knife and machete are commonplace items in the jungles and rainforests. Will I have any trouble with customs when crossing borders on foot? I will be taking no air travel. Only foot. These are not items I would like to have to purchase over and over, as that I have purchased some rather good ones that have cost me a lot of money already. Also, what vaccines are required to enter which countries? Is there a list?
[...] the past two weeks, I have been stalking the internet on “how to” YouTube videos, detailed blog posts and whole websites on how one should pack their backpack for a backpacking travel endeavor. I found [...]
How do you get your passport photo reproduced at a printers? I’d love to save some money and reproduce my quite favourable passport photo.