You know me, I've always been besotted with the backpacker dream. Yet when time came to go travel the world for a longer stretch, I found myself lugging a desperately overstuffed suitcase from port to port. Weighing it at over 30kg, much to the airline's delight, my suitcase hoisted around any imaginable, useless item. My back paid the price, and my packing skills really were that much better thanks to the whole experience.
Still, I'm not sure I'm down to the one backpack just yet, when it comes to longer travels.
It depends where you're going.
I think life out of a backpack could be feasible (for me) provided I was going to one place, or at least places with a similar climate. My 30kg suitcase accommodated everything from summer heat waves to the dead of winter, which might explain the weight problem.
For my upcoming trip to Spain, I added an extra trolley, in the hope of bringing my laptop so I can get some writing done. Were it not for that, I think I could reasonably survive out of a backpack for a month, in a warm, sunny place.
What would be in my backpack?
I'm someone who, afeared of ye old Communist days, hardly ever throws things away. Most of the clothes I've got hanging in my closet, I was wearing ten years ago. Despite having amassed a small hoard of items in various states of disarray, I've noticed I tend to wash and wear the same couple of things over and over.
I honestly think I should give the wash a rest, so I could get a chance at digging other clothes out. That being said, packing for a month would be fairly easy.
- Couple of bathing suits - remember, traveling somewhere warm, and for a beach-fiend like myself, swimsuits are non-negotiable;
- Loose overalls or cotton pants;
- Denim shorts and a pair of jeans;
- 3 tank tops, 3 t-shirts;
- dress;
- a wrap or shawl - multi-purpose, practical, elegant;
- hoodie and leather jacket - while not ideal for places that get proper cold, it's my understanding that you can survive quite a bit of temperature drop with these.
Honestly, the clothing bit would be pretty minimal. I could survive the next month here out of a backpack. What wouldn't be so light would probably be the personal care bag. Aside from the traditional deodorant and dental care, I'd want some
- retinol for my face;
- some salicylic acid;
- couple of facial moisturizers (one oil-based and something more light-weight);
- body lotion.
I'm sorry, if there is one area where I couldn't compromise for a month, it would be this. I don't go for expensive or luxury products, but my skin's always been tricky, and I've seen what a difference it makes when you take care of it vs when you don't.
Let's see, what else?
- Kindle - Much as I love a traditional book, if I'm packing light, a Kindle's simply the more practical choice;
- Laptop - I need to write.
Okay, how about a whole year?
While I'm fairly sure I could survive a couple of months out of this backpack, I'm not so sure about a year. It depends heavily on the type of survival we're talking. If we're talking out in the wild, by myself, nah I'm dead. Just leave me behind. I'm sure I could work out those portable stove thingy-s and sleeping bags and all that, but at my core, I simply am not a survive in the wild person.
If we're talking, could I survive a whole year out of a tightly packed backpack? Maybe. Again, provided I was in a place where the weather didn't change that much. And I had someplace to sleep and buy groceries and cook and stuff.
- Probably add my Moka pot if we're going for a whole year. Can't compromise on good coffee for that long.
Also, survival gets easy if you're in or near civilization, since most things are available for purchase, like hygiene items, first-aid and such. That seems the most problematic item in year-long survival. I mean, presumably your shirt's still gonna be your shirt in a year. Same can go for your toothpaste. you don't need that many teeth, anyway.
What do you truly need to be comfortable for a whole year? That'd be my guiding thought. I'd pack items I feel good in and that are practical, rather than something that just looks good.
For me, it'd be some comfy clothes, a laptop to write on, bit of skincare. That's about it, really. Oh, and a cuddly toy. I'm not leaving without a cuddly toy. It's who I am.
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What about you?
This was not actually my initiative, rather my haphazard take on this week's #KISS prompt from The Minimalist Community, asking could you live out of a backpack for a year if you wanted to?
