When some people think of backpacking, what immediately comes to mind 50+ pound packs, wild nature or urban encounters, and long walks suitable only for fit men and women. While that might be true in certain aspects, there are ways to hack your backpacking journeys to make life a bit more convenient.
Here’s a list of measures you can take for improved wellbeing – handy for both vets and novice backpackers alike.
1. Pack Some Ziplock Bags
These work extremely well for storing things that you want dry. Put your smartphone, tablet, and other devices in before you head out to keep them from drowning if you get stuck in a downpour or drop the pack in a pond. Put your toiletries in a ziplock before getting on board to avoid security checks and prevent the spilling of toothpaste and lotion on the other contents in your pack should they spill. Slip a muffin in one for the 5-mile walk. The uses are many and endless.
2. Take Koolaid/Gatorade Along
Consider packing a water-disguiser of some kind along with the other liquids you’d be carrying. Water is, without a doubt, a great thirst-quencher, but there’d be some situations where you’d be cursing your own water on the backpacking journey. For instance, you might not always like the plain taste of bottled water. So it’d be nice to have something different…a different flavor to give you something to enjoy and talk about as you wander in Europe’s busy streets. Incredibly, it’s the little things such as these that’ll keep you going.
3. Download Offline Maps
Lost your SIM? Out of cell coverage? Unfortunate, but you’d still require a digital map to help you get around. For a handy reference, create an offline map using an application like Google Maps. Open the app and search for the location that you want to store offline, tap the button that says “menu” and select offline areas. Tap the + button at the bottom right and then zoom in on the exact place you want to save offline. Lastly, tap download to save it on your handset. Offline maps are extremely handy in big cities like Rome and Paris.
4. Buy Duct Tape
Duct tape can be a blessing in disguise if you decide to skydive, snorkel, and take part in other similar activities. It can also be wrapped around lighters and water bottles for making additional space. Backpackers can apply duct tape in a variety of ways; use it as a band-aid, take out tips, repair shoes temporarily, braid tiny pieces to make a light rope or address blisters. You can even get a glow in the dark model to help you avoid tripping over garbage or fixed stones during the night.
5. Pack a Larger Puffy
Backpackers don’t usually say “I wish my fleece wasn’t so puffy and comfy.” Around Sep/Oct, you’ll most likely be donning a mid-weight jacket in the hostel, but outdoors, you’ll have to put on your puffy to bring the temperature down and get into relax mode. If the anticipated weather falls between ideal temperatures for more than a single jacket, go puffy. Comfort vs weight debates is always present with puffier picks. Hence, you might as well get a big puffy jacket if you’re going to be spending the majority of your time outdoors.
6. Get Garbage Bags
Garbage bags are as handy as Ziplock bags (if not more). All it requires is a few tears to create a poncho out of one during rainy weather. Put another over the backpack and you’ll be preventing it from getting weight. Visiting town for a day but don’t want to book a hotel? Put your belongings in a garbage bag and leave it out in the bushes near a park or RV van area. Others will see them like garbage and they’re going to stay dry in case it showers. Garbage bags are also quite useful for packing that muddy footwear in the same pack as your clean innerwear.
7. Make a DIY Stove
Got our creative juices flowing or don’t have the budget to purchases a stove? As fun and affordable alternative, learn how to make a DIY stove with a pocketknife, can, and other reusable items. You can make one of the many designs (see YouTube), so test things out and see what works for you. Other than that, save weight on utensils like spoon and fork by taking a spork along. If you’d be consuming freeze-dried meals on a regular basis, get a long-stemmed spork; it’s perfect for ensuring that you’re able to reach deep into those pouches.
8. Carve Out a Button Hole in Your Bandana
A bandana offers multiple benefits to backpackers. They can use it as a pre-filter for purifying contaminated water, a scarf for protecting against the UV rays, a hair band for a party, and more. Sewing a button hole into a bandana is a great way to keep one handy. Do this by using a razor blade or box cutter to take out a small area on the bandana’s corner; cut a few centimeters from the corner. Make sure it’s big enough to latch onto a tiny button. Then, sew around the opened hole in tiny loops for sealing the opening. This bandana can then be latched onto something buttoned for convenient use.
9. Consider an Extra Pair
A great pair of boots (like ones from Nike or Under Armour) would come in handy on trails, but let your toes breath in lightweight sandals after you come back from a long walk. Flip flops are also handy when you get up at night with a full bladder because you’d be living in places like hostels and you wouldn’t want to lace boots up just for a quick jaunt in the pee land. On the safe side, take along biodegradable soap to keep things clean.
Get going!
On occasions, backpacking will force you to identify a new use for an essential. Hopefully, you’d be covered after going through these hacks.