After years of travelling with carry-on only, I could drastically reduce the weight of items I take. Especially for backpacking, where you have to wear it all on your shoulders, moving around a lot and the soil is not always good for the suitcase wheels.
CONTENTS
🌍General tipps before the trip
🌍What backpack to choose
🌍Shoes
🌍Cloths
🌍Liquids
🌍Items I was happy I packed
🌍DONT take it on your backpack trip:
🌍General tipps before the trip
- inform the bank you go abroad. Have all numbers in case you need to block your credit card.
- take enough cash (you can exchange by arrival), be sure you have some cash in different places/ pockets in case you loose your wallet
- install MAP.ME or similar offline map, because online maps might not work
- how often you think you will use this or that item? Pack items first that you will use often, the rest you can reduce.
- if its "just in case" item, can you buy it on arrival in case you will need it?
- check every piece you plan to take and ask: is there any light weight or smaller version of itp?
- check weather shortly before your trip
🌍What backpack to choose
Don't take the biggest you can find. It will add you extra weight and size might not be suitable for taking on a plane. Max 45L. Look for light weight. I had some heavy one on my trip to Thailand and was not happy with it. This backpack for 30L looks nice.
Here is my trolley-hybrid, I use it, when the trip is not backpacking but sometimes I have to be fast, so I wear it as a rucksack.
- for good organisation use packing cubes. Mine are here. I could quickly find anything in my bag thanks to them. This pic is the original one from my Thailand trip. I had packed tops / bottoms / bikinis/shoes separately.
🌍Shoes
- light weight and easy to press (to save weight) sport shoes. If I travel from a cold winter destination to tropical countries, I just put additionally warm socks while heading to the airport. So no need to take any extra winter boots.
- Light weight water shoes (you can buy in Thailand by arrival if needed)
- flip flops
- sandals,
- or, I had these crocs, that were great for city walks and for the beach
🌍Cloths
- General rule: pack for 1 week, even if you stay longer. You can wash and repeat.
- Take more bottoms than tops. Same pants/shorts you can wear multiple times with different tops.
- Dont take bulky heavy pieces: pack layers.
- Can you wear/ use it multiple times? For example: if you take extra comfy outfit for a flight, maybe you can pack such pieces, that you can wear also on hikes and city walks?
- pack basic colors (black, white, etc) they are easier to combine
- pack some old cloths: after some hard core hikes you will be dirty and sweaty anyway, you can throw away used tshirt and: win more space + reduce weight in your backpack.
In Thailand you can buy many cheap tops! Make sure you will have space for it (one more reason to pack some old cloths and throw it away after usage). For me sleeveless tops worked better than t-shirts (too hot and sweaty in tshirts). I packed 6 sleeveless tops and bought additional 2! I was using literally max 4-5. So dont overpack like me :)
Do you see that blue packing cube on the picture? I could fit all the pieces into it.
I was so happy I took my light weight "yoga pants", I was literally wearing them everywhere: sometimes you need to cover your legs, entering Temples or some sightseeing places and there pants were just always right to wear.
White shirt! Breathable, light weight, not too tight. I could wear it on hikes and when visiting Temples in Cambodia. You have to cover your shoulders and in black tshirt is too hot.
Sarong /Skirt /towel I was using it at the beach, as a skirt at temples, sometimes as a scarf to cover shoulders.
or for more professional hikes to pack light weight zipp off hiking pants, that you can also wear as shorts.
🌍Liquids
- as we are limited with 1L bag
🌍Items I was happy I packed
packable bag from Decathlon
kanat
veshalki
light weight rain jacket
balaklawa
shoe protection
kanat
veshalki
light weight rain jacket
balaklawa
shoe protection
daypack for city tours, shopping, or packable bag
🌍DONT take it on your backpack trip:
jeans
high heels
high heels
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