I've just invested in a backpack to hold practically
everything during my travels, and the one thing I'd love to
know now is how to pack it properly...
Can any experienced backpackers out there give me some
advice?? (eg. how can I max out the space, what should I
put in first, etc)
I'd love to hear any suggestions - thanks for your help!
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You can get the most in if you roll your clothes.
Particularly T shirts and shirts etc. Things do end up a
bit crinkled. BTW: Don't fill your pack right up when you
leave home as you will buy more stuff along the way and
will need to put it somewhere.
I always bring a few Ziploc bags. They're great to hold
things that might get a little wet along the way, or groups
of things like film or toiletries. Something else I like to
bring is a washing machine bag. They are small-to-large mesh
zippered bags that you can put your clothes in and run
through the wash. A lot of people use them for their
delicates at home. On the road I find one very useful as a
place to put my dirty clothes. Also, if you find someone
willing to throw it in the wash for you it all stays
together. If you need an extra pack, the mesh bag can also
double as a storage back that you can easily strap on to the
outside of
... www.theartoftravel.com . It has excellent information
about everything from pre-trip planning to post-trip
recovery. The packing info not only gives advice about
packing methods, but also recommends what to pack and what
not to.
... is that heavy things have to be packed the nearest
possible to your body into the rucksack and into the area
your hips are, it gets more easy to carry. Sew some loops
on the rucksack so you can hang&strap stuff on it if there
is too much inside.
Get travel articles that are compact, like this super
absorbing towel (small and efficient), the foldable tooth
brush, small tubes of products you need, an extra light
mosquito net, .... Share loadings with the friend you
travel with.
more tips for packing.
If you can afford to buy clothes made of silk, do it.
They are ideal for travelling, they take very little room
in the pags and when you wash them they dry quicly
If your backpack has sepearated parts....
I put the items I need very often ( small water bottle,
guide book, sun blocker,...) in the top-part; most of the
clothes in the down section, big and heavy things into the
main part ( near the back).
I didn't see anything like what you describe at theartof
travel.com. Just religious/spiritual retreats.
this is a little hard to visualize but its worth doing. its
very compact and NO WRINKLES.
START:place these items on bed / floor:
- start with long sleeved shirts/sweaters etc
- next fold long pants at waist and place pants on top w/
the waist of long pants at the neck of the shirts
- next short sleeved shirts (again line them up with those
underneath)
- shorts
- underwear
NOW:
fold the long shirt arms up and over the bundle
fold the long pant legs up and over the bundle
YOU HAVE:
a compact package that holds itself in place, and only one
fold per clothing item
I like rolling. Socks and undies fit nicely into shoes. Bo
bring zip-lock bags and rubber bands. I rubber banded my
dirty clothes to know what was dirty and what was clean
during the trip. Bring things that will mix and match with
everything. I brought 4 shorts for a 5 week trip and my 4
shirts could be worn with any of the 4 shorts or skirt I
brought. For example, bring things that all go with blue
maybe.
First lay everything you want to take out on your bed, then take away half of it. Now you should be left with the essentials - take away half of that too. Remember: you have to carry your pack - you don't want it to be too heavy!
When I went to India I spent a long time rolling all my
clothes in to tiny balls and then putting an elastic band a
round them. This definately made the best use of the space
and things were surprising unwrinkled. Only problem was
that after I got there I never had the patience to roll
everything back up again and had to start to wonder if my
clothes were breeding as they seemed to be much more every
time I repacked until they hardly fitted into my pack. Next
time I go I am going to chuck all my clothes in any old how
first just to see how much space they will really take up
before repacking things rolled up.