Thread: Backpacking equipment? ?

If any one out there has been travelling/backpacking ect is there any equipment that you think is vital? or if you went travelling again you would take with you? i will be spending about 3 months in china and 4 months in america.

I lived and traveled in Indonesia for six months and my vital equipment included nylon travel pants, a lightweight button-up polyester shirt, lightweight, quick drying hiking shoes (not boots), a cap, sunglasses, my ATM card, a credit card, a guide book, a battery powered travel fan (because it's oppressively hot and humid 24/7), Imodium AD, and bug spray, which is my answer to your question.

If you bring your cell phone you'll have to buy a new SIM card over there and switch it out to get it to work, but I got by without one, using internet cafes to stay in touch with friends and family. I didn't need GPS, water purifiers, knives, mosquito nets, battery powered shower pumps, security belts, or any thing else. I also never carried more than $100 of the local currency in cash, most of the time much less, using a credit card to pay for things like groceries in larger stores, hotels, and restaurants.

If you are a female I would say a moon cup, but I can not tell by your avatar etc if you are. A wind up torch. Aquatabs to purify water.

This kind of depends how you want to do your back packing? If you really want to rough it, then I would first get a book on survival in the countries you are going to visit + the Scouts survival book which gives hints and tips on fire building and the best way to errect a tent. An essential item though would be a top of the range Swiss army knife and a small sharpening stone which you can pick up on e-bay.

Definately a torch, backpacking utensil kit, blister cream, stomach antacid, sunglasses, high intensity sun cream, anti hisamine cream and a peaked hat. theres nothing worse from a back packers point of view than exposure to the elements. A rain mac would also be an essential item + plenty of currency - dollars and yen in your case.

Whatever you do, though before you go, study the countries your going to visit first, decide where you are going to go, make a plan or itiniary and stick to it. Also, be prepared to spend a little more on your back pack items. the rule of thumb is that the lighter an item the more expensive its likely to be! But weight is your key factor when back packing. The less weight obviously, the less likely you'll dehydrate in what is probably going to be strong sunlight in both those countries. In the Chinese mountains during the summer, the sun can become absolutely intollerable!

Oh one last thing, get yourself a decent solar powered GPS unit you can strap on your wrist. I think Black's do them, but theyre available on e-bay once again?

Good luck

This kind of depends how you want to do your back packing? If you really want to rough it, then I would first get a book on survival in the countries you are going to visit + the Scouts survival book which gives hints and tips on fire building and the best way to errect a tent. An essential item though would be a top of the range Swiss army knife and a small sharpening stone which you can pick up on e-bay.

Definately a torch, backpacking utensil kit, blister cream, stomach antacid, sunglasses, high intensity sun cream, anti hisamine cream and a peaked hat. theres nothing worse from a back packers point of view than exposure to the elements. A rain mac would also be an essential item + plenty of currency - dollars and yen in your case.

Whatever you do, though before you go, study the countries your going to visit first, decide where you are going to go, make a plan or itiniary and stick to it. Also, be prepared to spend a little more on your back pack items. the rule of thumb is that the lighter an item the more expensive its likely to be! But weight is your key factor when back packing. The less weight obviously, the less likely you'll dehydrate in what is probably going to be strong sunlight in both those countries. In the Chinese mountains during the summer, the sun can become absolutely intollerable!

Oh one last thing, get yourself a decent solar powered GPS unit you can strap on your wrist. I think Black's do them, but theyre available on e-bay once again?

Good luck

This kind of depends how you want to do your back packing? If you really want to rough it, then I would first get a book on survival in the countries you are going to visit + the Scouts survival book which gives hints and tips on fire building and the best way to errect a tent. An essential item though would be a top of the range Swiss army knife and a small sharpening stone which you can pick up on e-bay.

Definately a torch, backpacking utensil kit, blister cream, stomach antacid, sunglasses, high intensity sun cream, anti hisamine cream and a peaked hat. theres nothing worse from a back packers point of view than exposure to the elements. A rain mac would also be an essential item + plenty of currency - dollars and yen in your case.

Whatever you do, though before you go, study the countries your going to visit first, decide where you are going to go, make a plan or itiniary and stick to it. Also, be prepared to spend a little more on your back pack items. the rule of thumb is that the lighter an item the more expensive its likely to be! But weight is your key factor when back packing. The less weight obviously, the less likely you'll dehydrate in what is probably going to be strong sunlight in both those countries. In the Chinese mountains during the summer, the sun can become absolutely intollerable!

Oh one last thing, get yourself a decent solar powered GPS unit you can strap on your wrist. I think Black's do them, but theyre available on e-bay once again?

Good luck