As any backpacking trip can last for a few weeks to months, or even a couple of years if you are able to truly get lost in the discovery of new places then it’s no surprise you’re going to want gear that will last you through your journey as there’s no telling what wear and tear will happen.
The main item anyone needs when backpacking is obviously a backpack or a rucksack as it will hold everything you need throughout your trip but one issue is finding a durable bag that has the capacity for your needs and is also comfortable to wear. As there are a number of brands around that make varying kinds of luggage for a number of travel activities it can be time consuming looking through specifications and reviews to see which best meet your needs so here are a few key points to look out for. Rucksacks made for outdoor activities like mountaineering; expeditions and even armed forces tend to be the most resilient and are ideal for prolonged daily usage, some come with numbers that indicate the amount of hours worth of gear you can store in them to give you a good indicator of how long you can go before needing supplies if you’re away from civilisation for a short time, plus you have numerous compartments to store your things. A number of them are made from rugged nylon, even ripstop in some cases which will last for a long time and won’t develop tears or cuts if it gets caught on anything sharp, brands like Snugpak, The North Face and Dakine are particularly ones to look out for.
Another essential you may not think of is hydration which if you’re backpacking and regularly coming across towns and cities odds are you will have access to water and nutrition, but on those times you go camping or hiking into the wilderness finding a safe water source can be difficult if you find one at all, so why not consider a hydration pack or a specialist water bottle? Hydration bags like ones made by Camelbak have different capacities so you can plan for how far you can go before you need to refill and they often easily slip inside certain types of rucksacks for easy hands free use. Other specialist water bottles like the Camelbak All Clear gives you the option to carry around an empty bottle that you can fill from a clear water source, simply turn on the UVC light and it will eradicate any nasty microbes instantly.
Camping is something that you will do often when travelling as it can be much cheaper than staying in hostels and it gives you more of your own space and with tents that are lightweight to carry around and make use of waterproof polyurethane and 500D nylon like ones by Snugpak do so no matter how much wind and rain is battering the tent you’ll be warm and dry inside. As for sleeping bags then anything by Snugpak or The North Face will be up to the task, especially cold weather bags that can keep you warm even to temperatures as low as -20 degrees.
So if you’re planning a backpacking trip these are musts to consider to make your journey much easier so you can enjoy it much more and for more information about backpacking and walking check out www.walking.org.
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