4. Backpacking Essentials
The What & Why
Backpacking by its nature is very different to a regular holiday, meaning that you have to think about (and pack) a few things you wouldn't otherwise think about, or in the instance of Richard's first backpacking trip in 2005, weren't a thing! So based on this and the many more backpacking trips we have done, we have pulled together the list below of what we deem to be backpacking travel essentials.
We start below with the Practical items, then cover Health, Rest & Wellbeing items before finishing with other useful items.
Padlocks
When backpacking, padlocks are an essential item, not only for securing your rucksack in the hostel wile you go out and explore, but also for using to secure your locker in the hostel, where you will want to store your more important items, particularly when you are out and about as well as at night.
We recommend the version with a 4 wheel combination lock for added security. These also come in a pack of 3.
Scrubba Wash Bag - DIY Clothes Washing
Backpacking and living on a limited supply of clothes for weeks and months on end is part of the experience. But it also necessitates washing your clothes fairly regularly to make sure you have clean clothes to wear.
Hostels don't always have laundry facilities (and when the do, usually not enough of them), and local Laundrettes/Laundromats can be few and far between, hotel laundry services are expensive and usually on a per-item basis and washing clothes in a bathroom sink can be messy.
That said, We discovered the Scrubba Wash bag portable washing machine a few years ago, and has quickly become one of our essential travel items for longer trips, and was invaluable when travelling around Central Asia & South America (Sweat + dust is a messy combo!).
Small and light weight, its a really practical item to carry with you. Buying a small bag of soap powder in a local super market usually only costs a couple of pounds, and is a much cheaper alternative to Hostel/Hotel laundry service or local laundromats. Gets your clothes clean in a few mins, and after rinsing and drying, you are quickly good to go again!
Dry Bag (Ocean Pack)
When Backpacking, sometimes you never know what activities you are going to participate in. You will also be doing a lot of walking and potentially sweating a fair bit, especially in South East Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Tropics. So its always a good plan to have a Dry Bag to make sure that the essential items are kept dry at all times.
Wo we recommend the Ocean Pack, having been using them for many years. Great for storing clothes, you phone, Camera etc when participating in water based activities, but also for keeping important documents and tech in while travelling.
We recommend the Ocean Pack 10, but the size you get is entirely up to you.
Vacuum / Compression Bags
While we also use packing cubes, for backpacking we consider these better four a couple of reasons.
First of all, in a rucksack space is king. Vacuum/compression bags allow you to reduce the space your clothes take up, even without the vacuum pump. simply rolling the bag will remove more than enough are ti save you a good amount of space (This doesn't mean to should be tempted to pack more, as it still weighs the same!)
Second, the vacuum/compression bags are both waterproof and water resistant - Excellent if something breaks or leaks in your rucksack (toiletries etc).
And last but not least - They are air tight, and so for great for storing dirty laundry (especially damp and or sweaty items) that smell a bit funky, protecting the rest of your rucksacks contents.
Water Bottle
For backpacking trips, we always recommend taking a refillable water bottle with you. These are great for taking with you when you are out exploring, and really practical for long journeys between locations.
We recommend a 1L bottle, and use the FULDENT Sports Water Bottle.
We also recommend getting a Carabiner clip, to easily attach it to your backpack or day bag.
Head Torch
This one may seem a bit out there, but it is worth its weight in gold. This comes in really handy in Hostels in the evenings, particularly when you arrive in the early hours of the morning, and don't want to be the person that turns on the main light in the room to find where you are going (Don't be that Person!).
Also really handy when travelling on overnight trains or buses for finding things in your bags, or even just going to the toilet in the middle of the night.
We recommend the Blukar Head Torch, as it is rechargeable, super bright, but also has 6 Light modes.
Travel Cutlery
Sometimes, you really just cant be bothered eating out, especially when you are travelling for a while.
So sometimes making a sandwich, cup of noodles, or even ordering in from the local version of Just Eat or Deliveroo is just easier. For this reason, we throughly recommend packing a small reusable travel cutlery set.
This is the one we use. A 4 piece set, complete with carry pouch. Simple, easy to maintain, and most importantly last forever (Lance & Liam's are going on 6 years old now).
Travel Plate / Bowl
In the same vein as the above, this is agood one to have.
These are nice and easy to slip into your backpack/personal item packed into your checked baggage.
We use this Silicon Ellipse collapsible model that doubles as both a plate and a bowl and weighs next to nothing.
Backpack Rain Cover
This one is a no-brainer. When backpacking, particularly as these trips are usually over a longer period of time, you will encounter rain. If your Rucksack doesn't come with one, we recommend buying a Rucksack rain cover, to make sure the contents of your bag remain dry even in the most torrential of downpours or tropical storms.
Make sure you get the right size for your rucksack, particularly if it is expandable for additional capacity - Get a cover the matches the maximum capacity of your bag!
If your rucksack doesn't come with one, we recommend the Alephnull Waterproof Backpack Cover, as it has a reflective stripe for safety, and has sizes to cover almost all rucksacks.
Carabinar Clips
We thoroughly recommend packing a couple of Carabiner clips with you, so that you can attach some of the smaller items you will need to the outside of your rucksack without taking up valuable internal storage or external pocket space, such as your water bottle, plate or even sandals/flip-flops.
We recommend the clips with a locking ring to keep things securely attached without the clips accidentally opening. You don't need heavy duty climbing ones, and we specifically recommend those rated as 'not for climbing' to reduce the weight of them, as the climbing ones are heavy!
Document Wallet
We always recommend taking a study A5 document wallet to keep important documents in while backpacking, such as passport, itinerary, visa information, vaccination record etc.
We recommend the heavy duty Vicloon Plastic Wallets with zip closure. Keeps all of the documents together and safe while travelling, and means you know where all of your important documentation is, and can access them quickly.
Health, Rest & Wellbeing
Travel First Aid Kit
No matter how careful you are, accidents do and will happen.
We always recommend having a travel first aid kit with you, especially if you are going to be travelling for a while. This light and compact kit is idea for packing in your check-in bag and throwing in your back pack when you are out and about.
Ear Plugs
Seriously. You need these. For both Hostels and night Train/Bus usage. There is nothing worse than trying to sleep in a dorm room where there is someone snoring like a Russian T-34 tank driving roughshod over rubble (Or a drunk frenchman that drank 3 bottles of wine!).
We recommend the Howard Leight Laser Lite soft foam earplugs, rated for up to 35Db, plus for £4.95 you get 30 pairs of them!
Far better to have them, than to need to go hunting for an alnight Phramacy!
Sleep/Eye Mask
Trains/Buses and Hostels are all part of the experience, and are generally great fun, but can be really annoying when you are trying to sleep. People will turn lights on in hostel dorms, especailly if they dont know you are there. And overnight trains often dont turn off the lights. So an Eye Mask is a cheap and simple way to make sure that your sleep isnt disturbed.
Mosquito Bite Treatment
Alex and Richard swear by this.
This is a nifty wee tool that takes the itch out of mosquito bites. Great for everyday use, and ideally sized to slip in your pocket. Small enough to keep on you as well as one or 2 in other bags so that you always have them within easy reach.
Other Useful Items
Swiss Army Knife
These are incredibly practical while backpacking, as you never quite know what you will need. We recommend the Victorinox Super Tinker, Swiss Army Knife, Medium, Multi Tool, 14 Functions, as it covers most of your bases including bottle opener, scissors, screwdriver and more.
Richard didn't have one of these when he started his first Inter Rail trip back in 2005, and ended up buying one in a local shop in Cologne after 5 days.
Again we recommended it because of the number of tools it provides in a single small and lightweight device.
Sewing Kit
Wear and tear of clothing happens, particularly when you are in a perpetual cycle of wearing, washing, drying and rewearing. So we recommend packing a small travel sewing kit for any small repairs you may need to make during your trip (We ALL learned the basics in Home-Ec!).
We recommend this mini portable sewing kit, as it gives you everything you will need in a small, compact & lightweight case.
Bulldog Clips
Ok yes, 'why would I pack outdated office supplies?!?'.... hear us out.
Well, they are actually really useful when backpacking! They can be used for everything from keeping a half finished bag of crisps sealed, to keeping an open packet of washing powder sealed in your rucksack, to hanging up items of clothing to dry after washing.
Simple, practical, light weight. And genrally come in a pack of 10.
Notepad & Pen
Regardless of if you are into drawing or journaling, we recommend packing a notebook and pen. you can write down your experiences, plan out the next stage of your trip, or note down places and activities recommended by fellow travellers you meet along the way.
We generally recommend having a couple of pens on you, just in case you need to fill in an arrival card or a small via form at a boarder. As for the notepad, we dont recommend wire-bound pads, as they end to get bashed and fall apart over time, and we would generally not recommend taking a notepad larger than A5 in size.