Whether you’re going on an extended hike through the woods or exploring multiple foreign countries, your backpack will be your ultimate resource during your trip. A well-managed inventory of necessities can help you survive tough environments and navigate to your next destination. Your backpack should be organized so that you can quickly assess supply refills at various checkpoints. Keep these three things in mind during your trip to ensure your safety.
Weigh Your Base Pack
The heavier your backpack, the more difficult your expedition will be. Ideally, you should be able to travel with minimal weight while still carrying survival essentials. Let’s take a look at the various types of backpacking. REI notes that ultralight backpackers strive to carry 20 lbs. or less of gear. You might find it easier to accomplish this weight by traveling with others who can share resources. Lightweight backpackers will travel with 30 lbs. or less of gear. Generally, your backpack shouldn’t exceed 30 lbs. unless you’ll be able to secure items at rest points, such as hostels or in a car. Make sure that you can handle your pack load before you embark on a trip. Before your adventure, load up your backpack to full capacity and carry it with you during short hikes and day trips. This can help you quickly identify whether the load will be too unwieldy.
Vacuum Seal Food
When you go backpacking, you’ll want to find ways to reduce the amount of space your supplies need. Vacuum sealing serves two purposes. It allows you to preserve foods over a longer period of time. Vacuum sealing also helps you conserve important pack space, by removing pesky air bubbles in food containers. Pre-plan your meals and vacuum seal them into individual bags for easy organization.
Leave Some Room To Spare
If you’re backpacking to popular tourists sights, you might want to leave a bit of room for extra purchases. Of course, you don’t want to overindulge and dramatically increase your pack weight. But it can be nice to have enough pack room for a souvenir, which you can ship to your home address at the next post office you stop at.
Label Belongings
If you will be spending time in communal settings, such as hostels or campgrounds, you might want to consider labeling your belongings to prevent theft. Someone is far less likely to walk away with your gear or supplies if they feature a high quality, durable label.
Backpackers with organized and manageable loads can enjoy what the world has to offer, during trips through nature and foreign locations. Start thinking about where your next trip will take you and carefully weigh your backpacking load. Organize and label your supplies to keep them safe throughout your journey.
