Thursday, December 30, 2010 - Blog on a Log

Backpacking Basics: Which Packs Should I Take?

One of the most common questions I get from first-time travelers is some variation of "how do I deal with all my stuff?" It's not always clear what combination of backpacks, luggage, daypack and safety accessories will combine for the most lightweight, logical and adaptable means of carting your gear while travelling. Should you take a backpack or suitcase? A separate daypack or one that attaches to your main bag? Is that strange-feeling moneybelt really necessary?

Everyone's packing needs differ slightly, and there's no a one-size-fits-all answer, but in my experience a combination of 3-4 pieces of ‘luggage' (for lack of a better inclusive term) is all that's necessary for the most backpackers to undertake anything from a 12-day to a 12-month adventure.

The backpack wall at Wilderness Supply Thunder Bay

Backpack

First and foremost, a travel backpack is your most important piece of luggage. The right bag will depend on your height, size, gender, gear, and capacity needs - all factors too specific to cover well in a blog. Ideally I like to travel with a women-specific pack around 50L, but that's far from a universal recommendation. Suffice to say that if you are planning a trip (especially a long one) you should invest in a quality travel backpack, and come in person to a store specializing in travel bags to get fitted before buying.

Backpacks don't have to break the bank, but you'll be happier with a bag fitted specifically to your needs than a pack salvaged from some relation's decades-past expedition. I learnt the hard way - the cost I saved re-using an old family pack did not make up for weeks on the road with sore back, shoulders and legs lugging around an unwieldy, poor-fitting pack. (Support systems have come a long way in the last few decades. Just saying.)

I've had people insist a good suitcase is preferable to a backpack, but having travelled both ways I still come down solidly on the side of a backpack. A suitcase may work fine if your trip only takes you from plane to taxi to hotel, but not every travel location will present the smooth, even floors and handy escalators of an airport, and when you're dragging your gear up a hill to the hostel or across a ragged, cobbled street the ‘ease' of a wheeled suitcase begins to pale. If you must travel with a suitcase, at least be sure it is rugged enough to stand up to the challenge. Test that the handle is long enough that you can stand up comfortably while pulling (to prevent back strain) and that the full suitcase isn't too heavy to manoeuvre.

Your main piece of luggage should be large enough to hold every item you're bringing on your trip. This will vary according to the length, style and destination of your trip. I promise to do a video soon on the best way to pack the internals of your bag, but for today let's just state your pack should be big enough to hold all of your gear, and leave it at that.

So you've got a bag full of your stuff, but you aren't going to carry around your entire rucksack every time you leave the hostel. You're better off to lock up your backpack securely in your hostel and use a smaller bag for your daily excursions (A packsafe to lock up my backpack when I'm not around is one of my favourite travel accessories, and has rendered me the target of much hostel room and bus-stop envy). Enter your second necessary bag: a daypack.

Daypack

A small backpack makes a good daypack, but as a female traveler I prefer to take a large, functional purse. I feel and (also important) look less like a tourist, making me less of a target for potential pickpockets and thieves. If you're going this route make sure your bag is an appropriate size and design to accommodate a traveling lifestyle, and ergonomic enough to protect your shoulders and back from strain (Ameribag is my personal preferred brand).

Some travel backpacks come with removable daypacks - just make sure if you go this route you can fit all your gear into the main compartment of the bag minus the daypack. Otherwise when you want to make use of the smaller bag you won't have anywhere to put the leftover gear.

Moneybelt

A moneybelt (or variation thereof) comes in as our third necessary bag. Not classified as ‘luggage,' per se, safety accessories still play a crucial role in transporting your gear while traveling. Moneybelts have been a staple of travelers for years, and for good reason. No matter your feelings on the fashion statement of carrying the equivalent of a thin fanny pack down your pants, they remain the most relied upon method of keeping important and valuable documents and money protected.

NEVER leave your passport, credit card, or money in a hostel or hotel, even in a ‘secure' room. Someone always has access to such locations, and it's better to be safe than sorry. Carry a moneybelt, and get used to keeping it on at all times (yes, even when you sleep). I've known various people who were robbed while traveling (it's an unfortunate reality) but without fail none of them were using their moneybelt when their valuables were stolen.

One of the biggest frustrations with moneybelts comes from an inability to easily access your cash or cards when you need them. One fix is to keep a small amount of cash and a few non-vital but often used cards, such as a student ID, in a small wallet stored in an internal pocket of your day bag/purse. You may lose this wallet to a swift-fingered thief (though I never have) but if so you won't have lost enough to cause you much pain. Most importantly, in your day-to-day activities you can buy some lunch or get into a museum without digging around in your pants, once again contributing to not feeling or looking like a good ‘mark'.

The combination of backpack, daypack and moneybelt is enough in most situations. However if you are venturing into an area of the world you deem less safe, you might be wise to add one more safety piece to your ensemble. In higher-risk areas (and even in low-risk areas, if you're of a worrisome personality) it's a good idea to have a backup safety accessory in case you are targeted by a particularly thorough thief.

A single safety accessory is good, but it you do end up in the unfortunate position of being robbed or mugged most thieves expect you to be carrying a moneybelt. A secondary safety item may escape their notice, especially if stored somewhere unexpected such as a belt, bra, or sock. Use this backup location to hold minimal resources for a worst-case scenario: local currency for a taxi, the address of the nearest embassy, and a backup credit or debit card. Don't be tempted to store all your valuables (passport, etc) here - to find such items missing from your moneybelt would likely clue thieves you have a secondary location, and set them searching. The purpose of this backup is to provide for a worst-case scenario, not to hide your valuables; that's why you protect your moneybelt.

Specific needs will vary when your traveling, but this 3-4 item method is a good starting point for first-time backpackers. The combination is simple, but effective; a travel backpack, a daypack, and a safety accessory (or two) is all most backpackers need to handle all manner of personal "stuff."

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