Quote: (07-30-2013 09:58 PM)Alpha Mind Wrote:
I know there's this anti-backpacking sentiment on here
I don't think it's so much that there's an anti-backpacking sentiment; I think it's more that there's a anti-
backpacker sentiment. Meaning the types of backpackers who pretend they're different than "tourists" only to congregrate together at popular destinations around the world and act in many of the same ways as other tourists do.
Backpacking as a philosophy of travel is on point, in my opinion - depending on what you're looking for - and Vagabonding is still one of my favorite books about travel. A lot of guys here have settled into a more comfortable mode of moving around and tend to stick in one spot for longer periods of time, but I think most of us can still respect the idea of heading out on a journey with just you and your pack in search of adventure. I'm living out of just my one backpack at the moment in Cambodia.
My advice to you is that you probably think you need far more than you actually do. Trim your pile of stuff down as much as possible and then trim it down some more. Anything you're not 100% positive you'll use more than on a weekly basis (or maybe even daily), leave it home and buy it later if it becomes a must. I always make the mistake of packing dumb shit like medication, sunblock, aloe vera, and even a pocket umbrella this last time around. It's so easy to keep little things, thinking it really isn't that much weight, but it all adds up quickly when you do it with more and more items.
I almost always end up dropping that stuff off somewhere - even left an old ipod in my last hotel room because in 5 years of living abroad I've only used it maybe twice. Some poor Cambodian motel maid got a come up on that one; suppose I should have sold it but just didn't feel like putting in the effort.
I can't think of anything in my pack right now that I couldn't buy abroad except maybe my Kindle.
You can even cut down the clothes if you plan to wash them a lot and roll them instead of folding them in your pack like the military boys do. If you're going to be moving around a lot, you can probably get away with no more than a couple dress shirts and one pair of nice pants as far as dress clothes go, though it can be a headache - if you're staying in one place and going to the same clubs a lot, maybe a good idea to mix it up as not to look the same everyday. Then again, you can always pick up an extra nice shirt or two somewhere along the way if it's not enough.
One decent piece of advice is to color code all your shit. If everything matches, you can pack less clothes and still get quite a few outfits out of it.
One of the biggest challenges I find is dealing with shoes. Hard not to pack gym shoes, something I can wear in the club, and then something more casual. And they take up a lot of room. One way I've found you can solve that issue is forgoing the gym and instead working out in pools and other bodies of water - if you do that you can skip the gym shoes and just take shorts and a pair of swim goggles. And still do strength training in your room.
I have a lot more I could contribute here. I'll pop back in later.
Beyond All Seas
"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling