How do you decide what to take with you on an open-ended year-long trip to places not entirely known?
The answer is not entirely one-size-fits-all, nor should it be, but a clear adage is ‘less is more’. Another is most certainly, ‘no wheels’ – cobblestones, dirt paths, stairs, hills, and horse carts don’t always accommodate suitcases appropriately.
I will start by acknowledging that what you intend to do on a journey is of course a pertinent starting point for deliberation. The more specialized the activities of pursuit and the higher frequency of their engagement elevates the weight of consideration for packing along the requisite gear. Occasional pursuits can often be provisioned in route by renting gear in target destinations albeit at a compromise in systematic familiarity.
One of my earliest, most formative, and longest serving passions is that of long-distance backpacking. Since joining on a student-led backpacking trip to the Arctic Circle in Finland as a 19 year-old in college and witnessing the Northern Lights first hand, I was convinced of the special connection of exploring and living amongst the elements of the natural world as a hyper warranted means to have the most elevated experiences on this planet. Fortunately, I also quickly discovered it was one of the cheapest ways to travel, even in the most expensive countries (how else could you spend 29 days in Norway for an on-the-ground budget comfortably less than $1000?).
As such, 3/4 of my gear list below is directly tied to my passion for backpacking, which will underscore significant travel objectives of mine in countries such as Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and Nepal, among others.
The other 1/4 is a tidy essentials-only list of “city gear”. If I were not a backpacker, I would recommend this as a feather light set up for travel taking up no more space than a carry-on bag for even the strictest of airline limitations.
Lastly, I have grown more as a guitarist in the last 18 months of my life than perhaps the prior 18 years of aimless “noodling”, and now extract the utmost joy from my newly infused pursuit that it has grown indispensable. I also see it as an effective tool to combat travel fatigue through establishment of routine and structure as I advance my knowledge of theory and composition through a set of books written by a teacher I attended lectures of shortly before commencing this trip. I look forward to jam sessions with musicians along my journey as another language in which to converse and connect.
That said, here is what I am starting my journey with. It will most certainly be tweaked along the way.
Backpacking Gear
65l backpack (upsized from 55l to accommodate long form travel)
40l water proof stuff sack
20 F sleeping bag
Inflatable sleeping pad and pillow (can’t believe how compact these have become of late)
2 person lightweight tent
Sitting pad
3l hydration reservoir
1l titanium cooking pot
Titanium Spork
0.5l Thermos
Isobutane pocket stove
Butane pocket stove (increased fuel flexibility backup)
Salt, pepper, and olive oil compact containers
Small hand towel
Multi-tool Swiss army knife
Bear/animal proof food bag
(4) smell proof food sacks
First aid kit
Sunblock
Anti-chafe stick
Water filter (pump style)
Spot satellite beacon
Headlamp
Rain cover
Paper/print maps of routes
Compass
Tenkara Japanese-style fly rod + flies
Backpacking Clothing
Storm shell
Windbreaker
Micro puffy jacket
Puffy vest
Thermal underwear top and bottom
Liner sock
Hiking sock
Thick sleeping sock
Neoprene water sock (for cold water crossings)
Convertible hiking pant
Long sleeve hooded hiking shirt
Buff
Wide brimmed hat
Beanie cap
Warm gloves
Waterproof shell mittens
Polarized sunglasses
(1) Underwear
High top hiking boots
Minimalist sandals with strap
38mm Weiss mechanical watch w/ army green canvas leather strap
City Gear
22l water proof sack
(1) long sleeve shirt
(1) t-shirt
(1) long sleeve dressier shirt
(2) short sleeve button-up casual shirts
(2) pants/jeans
(4) socks
(3) underwear
(1) boardshorts
Compact full-size quick dry towel
Low-profile casual shoes
Laptop plus power cord
Cell phone plus headset and power cord
Bluetooth speaker plus cord
Battery pack
Dopp kit of hygiene essentials
18l collapsible daypack (also “drop bag”)
Drawstring sling pack (discardable upon a whim)
Two bungee cords
Parlor-style guitar and soft case
Books
(2) Music theory books by Will Metz
Lonely Planet to Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan
Guide to Nepal trekking
How to Speak Russian language book
Last Minute Additions Not Pictured
(1) Soccer boots
(1) Soccer short
(1) Soccer jersey
Where English fails, the most widely spoken language in the world is football (soccer).
The 18l “drop bag” listed above was also a planned addition that did not make it into the photo above, but will service day excursions as well as play a fundamental role as the bag I can fit all my city gear into for depositing at secure locations in a regional hub along with my guitar while I go adventuring into the backcountry at a given location.
The last non-pictured items were the pair of low-profile city shoes and hiking boots. I acquired both just prior to departure. Give your feet the tools to succeed.
Final Thoughts
How much does this all weigh you may ask?
I do not know. Perhaps I will find a scale along the way and update this page, but while I ground myself in minimalist and lightweight principles, I do not consider it an unquestionable dogma. Rather I invest in lightweight solutions, pack what I know will give me value, and fine tune along the way.
Books I choose to bring along will serve their purpose for given segments of the trip and be discarded.
The guitar and related literature, fishing rod, and soccer gear, are admittingly significant add-ons that I know I could do fine without. But as they all facilitate an important diversity in available activities over the course of a trip of uncertain duration, they will aide me with a bedrock of familiarity and hobby that will fuel me beyond just the stimulus of travel itself, and perhaps most importantly serve as conduits to greater personal and cultural connections along the way.
This exercise of distilling necessities for long duration living down to the contents of a single backpack is a form of baptism that I encourage to many for transcendental elevation. It can be shocking and ultimately liberating to recognize how little we actually need to go about a fruitful existence. One need not get it right on first try, and can often revisit the weight-to-benefit analysis over time, but once successfully deployed in the field, one often finds subsequent subconscious extensions of the practice to the greater domestic space and their overall relationship to material consumerism.
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