what to take backpacking, backpacking equipment

Checklist of what you may need...(it's quite a long list, but there is a silver lining at the end)

...the silver lining...

My advice is, don't take more than you need too. You can buy almost anything you need locally. If you are following the travellers circuit then you wont be able to get away from clothes markets and cheap merchandise.

1. Lay out everything you think you need.

2. Take a step back and view the mountain of stuff. Then take a look at your 65 litre backpack - never in a million years will it all fit in, well not without futuristic space compression technology.

3. Arrange the mountain into three piles (and be honest!) - 'have to takes' (passport, first-aid kit etc), 'would like to takes' (that trendy jumper) and 'other' - for 'stuff' you should know better about (that £1000 Global Positioning System that also cooks a mean fried breakfast). Now comes the good bit with regards to streamlining... Throw away the 'other' pile. Throw away the 'would like to takes' pile. you should now be left packing about half of what you started with.

4. Jump to the [packing tips] section and if you're lucky you may be able to take a few items from the 'would like to takes' pile after all.

page last updated: 28/04/2008

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