There isn’t just one way in which you can pack successfully, however, the reality is that some people are more skilled at packing their backpacks than others. Or shall we say more experienced? The purpose of this article is to give you some useful pieces of advice and tips on how to pack a backpack that won’t let you down.
Where do you start?
The first logical step from which you should start is making your own specific backpacking list or a list of must-have items that you will need while you’re away backpacking. The following five groups of items are the essentials:
- Documents
- Clothes
- Toiletries
- Medical kit
- Electrical devices and gadgets
Depending on how long you plan to travel and where you plan to go (your own country or abroad) the items in these lists will vary, of course. It would be practical if you could have all the things, that you would like to take with you on a backpacking journey, in one place.
It can be your room or some other place in your house where these items won’t get in the way of other people living with you. So, let’s start. You would want to start packing in reverse – the things that you’ll need last should be stacked at the bottom of the backpack and the things that you want to use first or most frequently should go on the top.
This process sounds easy-peasy but in reality, it is not so straightforward since the items that you’re going to be packing differ in size and shape. It would be perfect if all the items would fit in with each other as some sort of a puzzle, but that is not the case.
The First Layer
Following the above-mentioned rule of reverse packing, your sleeping bag should be the first thing to be packed. However, it should be easily accessible since you will need it every night.
Therefore, if your backpack has a bottom pocket with a zip this should be the perfect place for you to pack your sleeping bag, sleeping pad, hammock or tent. On top of this layer, you should pack things that you won’t use or need very often. These are things such as an extra pair of shoes, jumpers and the like.
This will create a good support for the next layer which will consist of the electrical devices and gadgets that you will bring with you. We all have our preferences when we pack our gadgets but make sure to bring something to listen to music on and a camera or a video camera because you will want to capture unforgettable moments that you’re going to experience.
Make sure not to forget to bring the batteries and chargers.
The Clothes Layer
Your pants, underwear, and socks are the next layer. You may want to leave your Ts for the nooks or similar irregular-shaped empty places that need to be filled. T-shirts can be packed differently – like little coils or “snakes” or folded as you usually fold them and then rolled up depending on the spaces you are working with.
Clothes can be used to form the perfect shape of your backpack. Moreover, that is not the only way in which they make our backpacking experience more comfortable. Since they are soft, it would be wise to use them to form a layer that will be in contact with your back.
This way you won’t be feeling any bulges while you are carrying your backpack for a long time which can become a problem, as you can imagine. Finally, put a wash bag over and you are done with this layer.
Almost At The Top
Before you finish there are some items left that need to be placed properly. One of them is a cooking pot. Also, you need to pack a medical kit. The tip is to put the medical kit items in a bag with zipper and then into the pan together with eating utensils.
That way you can easily find them both. On one side of this layer, you can put toilet rolls and tissues and on the other some useful bits like torches, snacks, sunglasses, hat, sunscreen and other things which you might need to get out quickly.
Put a towel over this layer and you are almost done.
The Top Or The Final Layer
Taking the weather into consideration, you’d want to have some rainwear and a warm item of clothing on the top of your backpack. Having finished this, you are ready for what I hope is going to be your amazing journey.