Friends and family love coming to me for advice on how to pack, what to take, and to shake down their pack. Meaning, to look through what they want to take and advise them on what is a total waste of space and what they should consider taking instead. But not only that, I also try to teach them what it means to carry your own baggage. Everyone is unique, and that means that the item I take might not necessarily be an item you want to take.
Some like to carry light, others like to carry heavy. Some of us learn along the way, while other master the art of packing from the start. Items that we think are absolutely important to us, can turn into a waste of space within the span of 2 weeks. On the other side, we can also realize that the item we left at home is now urgently needed to provide comfort on our trip. There is no right and wrong when it comes to packing. As long as you have the necessities and items that will provide your safety, everything else is up to you. I want you to understand that we are all on our own individual journey. Don't ever let anyone shame you for taking something that is important to you, don't ever let anyone judge you for taking something that you need to feel comfortable, and don't ever try to roll your ideas onto someone and tell them this is the only and right way. Gear shaming is up and coming, and I am not here for it. Even if in the end we notice that they were right by telling us not to take that extra deodorant, book or teddy bear. It is your journey and your weight to carry. As long as you are happy carrying it, go for it. It is your journey and your path of learning.
Friends come to me now for advice, but I also had to learn and go down the journey of packing mistakes, mishaps and adjustments. My packing was adventurous to say the least, and still I was happy.
This photo was taken in the year 2012. I just finished packing for my departure to Australia and felt incredibly proud of how "little" I was taking. Every single ultralight traveler would probably shoot me to the moon for that statement. But at this point in my life, I was happy with everything I packed. There was a need for everything. Yes!
- 5 pairs of shoes
- 6 bottle of shampoo, lotion and body soap
- 1 whole tub of crème
- 1 massive folder for all the printed out paper work
- 3 jeans, 4 dresses, hoodies, 6 t-shirts...
...were all necessary to me. I had no one guiding me through the "How to pack 101" and felt incredibly proud and happy to have managed such a minimal set up. Looking back on this now, I smile every time. Not only for the memories made, but also for the lessons learned. Because of course this set up did not stay this way, it got worse. A few months after my arrival down under I would have added a skateboard, hammock and big journal to the mix.
I hope you feel better now, thinking about all the things that you want to take. It can't be worse than my pack from back in the day. But I was happy. Everything I had with me at the time made me feel good. It was heavy, and I struggled to close the zipper of my backpack at times, but it was my weight to carry, and I carried it with a smile. When I was hiking the PCT, with a backpack 3 times smaller, I met a fellow hiker who carried a pack so heavy I could not even lift it off the ground. He carried a proper pan, a few cups and a luxury outdoor kitchen, a tent and an extra tarp. And he hiked, as far as I know, the entire thing with it. He was happy carrying it all because it was everything that he thought was necessary for his own comfort, safety and mind. You all remember the backpack "Monster" from the movie "Wild"? It is your journey, and you will learn along the way, make adjustments, leave it the way it is or even add to it. As long as you are happy to carry it, it does not matter what's inside. Only take advice, but never let someone shame you into specific gear choices or packing set up. We are all on our own journey.
Even though I have now mastered the art of packing, there are still a few luxury items on every trip I go on. I carry a medium-sized teddy bear with me, a journal
and a tennis ball. Call it a waste of space, but those items are important to me and the extra weight is something I am glad to carry. The bear makes me happy and provides a pillow at night, the
journal is for my thoughts and memories and the tennis ball to roll out my sore feet and muscles at night.
Little Pro Tip: You never have to justify items to anyone ;)
If you are interested in everything, I took on the PCT where I hiked for 5 months, check out my blog post. If you would like your own little free print out version, on what to take on a long hike, you are more than welcome to use this list I created for you.
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