The Ultimate Backpacking Tips to Make Your Travel Easy

Some prefer a good backpack to take on trips whether they are traveling for a few days/nights or just a daily backpack to have all your essentials with you. Before you go backpacking, you need to make sure that you have the pack that you like the most. Packing a backpack that you don’t particularly care for will be annoying to you and you may feel that no matter how hard you try; you can’t get the backpack organized and ready to go. Once you have the right backpack, here are a few tips to make your travel easy.

Tip #1: Medications should be packed at the Beginning

If you are on any type of medication, you want to make sure that you don’t leave it behind. There are a few ways that you can pack medication. You could go to the store and purchase a weekly medication container, or you can find some smaller containers to place the medication in. A weekly medication container is small and flat enough to fight in several pockets throughout your backpack. Once you have your medication packed in the container, put it in a pocket that you can get to quickly. Take one of the sections that are empty in the container to add a dose of headache relief medicine and allergy medicine, just in case you need it.

Tip #2: Packing your Outfits

Before you begin the task of packing clothing, you need first to decide what you will need the outfits for. Are you bringing a suitcase as well? If not, you will need to get as much in as you can inside the backpack. If you are bringing your suitcase, you may not always have access to it, so you want to put an extra outfit into the backpack to change into if you spill something on you.

First, before you pack, make a list of the outfits you will need. Lay them out on your bed and put each outfit together, underwear, socks, shirt, and pants. You will want to roll them up or fold them in a direction where they are one unit and they fold or roll up as one.

Choose clothing that you can wear more than one time on different occasions so you can pack less. Keep it as basic as possible. Pack the clothes in the big pocket. If you don’t take up all the pocket. Place a folded pillow case on top of the clothes to separate them so they won’t get dirty from other items in your backpack.

Always pack a towel and a washcloth. Even if you are heading to a hotel, these are essential because you can use them for many things; to wipe up spills in a hurry, if you get caught in the rain you can dry off, if your neck hurts during the ride, you can roll up the towel for more neck support.

Fold the washcloth up neatly and use it to house two safety pins, a sewing needle, and wrap basic black or white thread around the washcloth before placing it in a sandwich bag and carefully placing it in the bag. You never know when that button will pop off your clothes and you need a way to secure it. Having a thread and a needle in your bag will be convenient.

Tip #3: Don’t pack water bottles

When going out of town, it's easy to cram three or four water bottles inside your backpack. Instead, purchase a reusable water bottle with a clip on it to attach it to your backpack and take it off with convenience as needed. Water bottles can weigh your backpack down and they also take up space you can use to pack other items. A refillable water bottle can be refilled at different areas on your trip. If you don’t want to drink water at different locations, then purchase a bottle of water and fill up your reusable water bottle.

Tip #4: Personal Items Should be packed immediately

Go through all your personal items and decide which ones you will need for this trip; the ones you cannot go without, such as your deodorant, comb, toothbrush/toothpaste. Pack them as soon as you get your clothes packed because they are important, and you don’t want to forget them.

Tip #5: Keep Cords Together

Charging cords are great but they are hard to keep up with when you are not using them. To keep up with your cords, find a zip pocket in your backpack that will be used exclusively for cords and nothing more. The zipper will keep the cords from coming out, the pocket won’t be stuffed with everything else you will need to sort through, and you will be able to find the cord when you need it the most. While you may have a few cords in that one pocket to use for your portable devices, you will know exactly where to go to find the cord you need. You can also consider a backpack with a charging port as they are perfect to charge your mobile device without hassle.

Tip #6: Pack Your Shoes First

If you need to take an extra pair of shoes with you on your trip, get a shower cap, you can find them cheap at any dollar store, and place the shower cap on the ground with the cap opening facing up. Place your shoes in the shower cap so that the bottom of the shoes is in the shower cap. Then place the shoes and shower cap inside the backpack first. Your shoes may be clean now but, on your trip, they may become soaked or muddy. Placing the bottoms of the shoes inside the shower cap will protect the backpack from getting muddy. Placing them in the bottom of the backpack is also the best way to pack everything neatly.

Tip #7: Pack All the Must-Have Items First

Once you have everything you must take with you, then you can fill the empty spots up with things you want to take with you but can go without. It's not just clothes and personal items that are important; it's also a book, your favorite pajamas, nightly skin routine, and things that you need to have or do every night.

Tip #8: Prepare for weather – it changes quickly

It doesn’t matter where you go, the weather is something you can’t change but it can change your entire trip. You should prepare in advance by checking the upcoming weather report for that location. Purchase a raincoat and fold it up in an outside pocket to keep on hand in case you get caught in the rain. You will also need to keep an emergency blanket with the raincoat. Both are foldable and pocket sized until you need them and will fit perfect in the mesh water bottle pockets on the backpack. In the other pocket, you will want to put together a small first aid kit so you can quickly

Finally, most backpacks come with a built-in credit card slot inside of a pocket. These are handy when you are on a trip but don’t put all your credit cards in that pocket. Backpacks on your back are easy targets for thieves who may be walking behind you. They can unzip that pocket, take your card, and leave before you notice. Instead, put your favorite tea bags in these pockets, a laminated copy of important phone numbers you don’t want to forget in case of an emergency, or photos of loved ones you are leaving behind while you are on your trip.

Having a neatly organized backpack will give you a positive feeling of balance and control. You know what you have, you know where everything is at, and you are ready for anything.