Backpacking Packing

         Packing for Seasons

     A small flyer made its way into my hands in 1992. Ms Martinez, a professor of Spanish at MidAmerica Nazarene University was planning an eight-country, three-week trip to Europe. And, it was for those who were interested in learning how to backpack. "Buy a backpack and come to our first meeting."  I bought a backpack and went to the meeting. 

    Travel changed for me after that adventure, and it influenced Jim, too. In 1993, he bought a backpack and we started out simple: a backpacking trip to Canada.  We managed with little, so we considered it a great success.  Still, there was much to learn about traveling with little!  In 1994, we graduated, bought Eurailpasses, Hostel passes and backpacked for three weeks in Europe. It was getting easier because we traveled during the summer months and only had to pack for one season, the hot one.

  

  Fast forward to forty countries later, and we have upgraded from JanSport to Ospreys - Porter 46L for Jim and Fairview 40L for me. The larger the backpack, one begins to pack their fears. So we settled on perfect sizes for us and packed only the necessities. I pack like I want and Jim packs what he wants.  :)

    The biggest challenge is always shoes. Summer travel is easy - sandals and Tevas, which don't require much room inside the canvas. On several recent adventures, we faced weather and temperature changes that required enclosed shoes and several pairs of them. 

    For example, on the two pilgrimages we did in Spain and Italy, we wore our hiking boots on the plane there and packed our Altra's or Solomon's for the change.  However, we broke the rule in Patagonia. We wore the hiking boots on the plane, trail runners for there and Tevas to air our toes! 

   

     Secondly, traveling in several countries with climate differences during the trip, is challenging. We were slow learners here but eventually learned that layering is key. We can't take it all, so we have accumulated over the years a lot of merino wool clothing. They layer nicely and don't smell. Seriously! They wash easily (if they get washed) and dry out overnight. When we travel on public transportation in some countries, hands down, we blend in quite seamlessly. 

    Finally, laundering. Some countries make this easier than others. In warmer climates, we need a laundromat...just to avoid offending!  Now, in Europe, these "laundromats" are available outside supermarkets, service stations or beside phone stores (great marketing strategies...all). We take laundry sheets, pop them in and smell delicious for a day or so. If we can't find a service like this, it's laundry in a sink at night and pray the radiator heats up! Otherwise, wet clothes travel in ziplocks.

There is a skill to backpacking, and we are still learning how to do it well and how to pack tightly. We try to take as little as possible because we must carry what we pack, which is why investing in a line of clothing that dries quickly, warms or cools during weather changes, and keeps us dry is important. 

    There are so many advantages to backpacking independently. It opens up opportunities to meet the locals, to struggle with the language, and to experience up close traditions and cultures of other countries.  It makes us realize that we don't need, but we can do with what we have...which is a way of life in many countries where we have traveled.  It's actually a good lesson of living with little for a while.

Keep Looking Up!

J:m and L:nda