Comments on: 6 Things To Leave Off Your Packing List

By: Jordan Sinclair

Jordan Sinclair — Sun, 06 Feb 2025 14:53:36 +0000

It’s only after your first travelling trip that you realise how little you really need with you. My first time travelling I think I brought every luxury under the sun. Now I realise all you essentially need is your clothes and a few small items.

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By: Anthony

Anthony — Sun, 06 Feb 2025 14:00:00 +0000

i would have to agree with some item but disagree with a few others. We carry around a half cut tennis ball as a sink plug and regularly wash smaller items like underwear and socks in a sink. The swiss army knife has also been used on countless occasions to open cans, bottles and also that damn plastic packaging you get electrical things in that are impossible to open. You can leave the silk liner I though, takes up to much space.

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By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Sun, 06 Feb 2025 02:21:05 +0000

Agree about the hanging toiletry bags – I have so many but now end up just using simple, no frills bags that I can shove more easily into spaces in my backpack.

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By: JB

JB — Sat, 05 Feb 2025 13:53:36 +0000

I also would have to disagree about performance clothing, though what is meant by that might vary. For me it means mostly shirts that are made of synthetic materials. Nike dri-fit is the most popular example but Champion makes a nice, much cheaper alternative and I have a shirt from Asics that I like as well. Didn’t pay much for any of them and I love them. People always talk about ex-officio underwear and I have two pair but I have found Champion’s C9 brand offerings just as good and likewise for Underarmour.

As for convertible pants, they seem to be a big point of contention but I personally love mine. I agree they make you look like a tourist, but I really don’t think I am going to ever pass as a local anyway so I don’t worry about it. Function and comfort first is my mantra. Plus, looking like a tourist isn’t always such a bad thing as you sometimes end up in some interesting conversations on the street as a result.

I like having a hanging toiletry bag, but if I had to choose again I would find a different model than mine (Rick Steves). I just saw a really nice one that a German guy had from Jack Wolfskin (?). The difference was really just how it was laid out – his used space more efficiently and flexibly.

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By: Erica

Erica — Sat, 05 Feb 2025 09:31:52 +0000

We’re trying to put together our travel supplies so it is nice to read other people’s reviews of items. It looks like I won’t be buying those silk sheets!

I was wondering about the Ex-Officio underwear. It looks like I will be investing in some of those!

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By: Kelly Harmon, HipTraveler

Kelly Harmon, HipTraveler — Fri, 04 Feb 2025 21:34:18 +0000

Enjoyed the post and the lunacy of packing for a long trip! It’s hard especially with diverse climate changes and unexpected adventures. The only two items on the list that I’ve actually enjoyed having with me are 3.) silk sleeping bag, and 5.) high performance clothing. You don’t have to spend a lot on either. I bought my silk sleeping bag in the Hanoi night market in Vietnam for $3 and it made my overnight rides on the trains down right comfortable. Throw in iPod speakers (for music that reminds me of home) and some cheap snacks before boarding the long-haul trains and it’s practically a slumber party! Seriously fun! you can ball up one of your shirts to slip inside the sewn-in pocket of the liner and voilà you’ve got a silk pillow to sleep on. Besides, as a female, the silk sleeping bag provided some minor sense of comfort while sleeping in a train cabin packed with strangers / men. With regard to 5.) high performance clothing, I always travel with one Patagonia / North Face style pull-over and zip-up. Again, you don’t have to spend a lot. I bought mine for $14 in Sapa, Vietnam and was told that many of these popular American brands are made there, so it’s cheap! But if you can’t buy your travel clothes in Asia, Old Navy makes cheap $20 alternatives in the states. I’ve seriously worn mine everywhere… on early morning game drives in Africa, to freezing mountain climbs, to walking around metropolitan cities like Rome or London. I also learned the hard way that cotton (when wet) draws heat away from your body, while synthetic high performance clothing helps keep you warm… even when you’re stuck sleeping outside in the pouring rain. In general though, I second the notion of light weight fast-drying clothing that’s easy to layer, depending on the weather.

cheers,
hiptraveler

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By: Jaime

Jaime — Fri, 04 Feb 2025 18:00:20 +0000

I am about to take off on my RTW trip in 25 days and thankfully none of these items are going to be in my backpack. I have read through so many packing list that many of the bloggers have made. I love reading packing list & i am actually taking a lot of advise from everyone. I will be traveling light & everything is going to fit in my 40L backpack!

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By: Madhu Nair

Madhu Nair — Fri, 04 Feb 2025 14:49:28 +0000

I have a swiss knife somewhere in my backpack … Have been on the road for about 18 months – haven’t used it even once

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By: RenegadePilgrim

RenegadePilgrim — Fri, 04 Feb 2025 06:03:56 +0000

I agree on the travel soap. I used the Sea to Summit soap on a trek across Spain on the Camino de Santiago and it just didn’t get my clothes clean. Later on in my travels, my sister brought me some Dr. Bronner’s and it worked better. Once I was able to be in more “civilized” areas, then I was able to have my laundry done.

As far as the “Tech” clothing, there are ways to get good deals on those kinds of clothes and there is NO way I would have wanted cotton clothing when I was in SE Asia. I was so glad to have my lightweight, quick-dry, synthetic clothing.

And, lastly, I took my Leatherman with me and it was indispensable. I am very glad I took it.

I liked this list though….it’s always good to share!

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By: Abbey Hesser

Abbey Hesser — Fri, 04 Feb 2025 05:09:01 +0000

Alright. Throwing my two cents in. I know a lot of people are freaking out about the silk sack. IMHO… I looove love love my sleep sack. It’s not silk. It’s not intended to fend off dragons or malaria infested mosquitoes or even bad looking men. It’s sole purpose is that I always sleep better in my own sheets. Hostel sheets are generally shitty and scratchy and I don’t LIKE it. For no other reason than that, I always and forever will keep my sheet sleep sack to go around me while I’m sleeping. In addition to that, it’s great for sleeping without pants on and for changing in if you happen to get bottom bunk but don’t have time to wait for the bathroom line to die down to just change. And did I mention sleeping without pants on? How often do you get to do that when you’re staying in hostels? The answer for me… every. night.

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By: Kim

Kim — Fri, 04 Feb 2025 01:45:34 +0000

Dammit. I already bought my silk sleep sack. At least you saved me for a few other unnecessary purchases.

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By: Amy

Amy — Fri, 04 Feb 2025 01:02:37 +0000

I think this is definitely a case of it depends on your personal preferences and where you’ll be. I have to disagree on almost every item, but others obviously feel differently. I agree on the special soap, because you’ll run out in a few weeks anyway, but the clotheslines is invaluable. Often there is little room to hang wet clothes. Although they aren’t perfect, I’m sad we lost our sink stopper behind in some random sink because many places don’t have them and a sock stuffer never works for me. I used my silk sleep sack every day in India because the levels of cleanliness in almost every place we stayed, from low to mid-level, were not the same as it home. In other countries I haven’t touched it, which is why I’m glad we went with the smallest and lightest version possible, even though the silk was expensive. I love my hanging toiletry bag – I find places to hang it and find it to be compact enough. We lost our multi-tool, so we’ve been living without it, but just yesterday we bought some fruit and had no way to cut it.

So with everything in travel, it just depends on your preference! Good article though – it gives rtwsoon people some food for thought.

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By: Kristi

Kristi — Fri, 04 Feb 2025 00:51:05 +0000

Agree on the power converter, I only needed an adapter for my electronics on a RTW trip and converters can be bulky & heavy. For a sink plug, I took a rubber grippy thing – you know those small, flat things you use to open jars? Takes up very little space, light, and can potentially be used for other things than plugging a sink. Haven’t used my clothesline a lot (it is a small, stretchy elastic one), but was really helpful a few times when I had to dry a lot of stuff due to the laundry situation or there weren’t any hangers available. It would be a good tip to find out the laundry situation in the countries/areas you’re visiting. For example, everyone (including the hostels) seemed to outsource their laundry to a service in the places I visited in Argentina & Chile so I wasn’t doing it myself. In other places, there are do-it-yourself laundry facilities everywhere. Same with towels. I took a travel towel – takes up a lot less space & dries much faster – and used it every day for months in countries where towels aren’t included at hostels and then didn’t use it for a month in a country where towels were included. I read a lot of reviews/blogs where people swore by them and others claimed they were unnecessary and/or smelled funky after awhile. For me, buying & taking one was the right choice, but it depends on where you’ll be. It was great in New Zealand because we had a car so I just hung it in the back seat after checking out of the hostel and it dried quickly as we drove to the next stop. That doesn’t work so well if traveling solely on public transportation… Washing it occasionally is a good thing.

In the cooler climates where I’ve hiked a lot, wouldn’t trade my synthetic or wool clothes for anything – stay warm even if wet and dry so much faster than cotton. They aren’t necessarily high performance TRAVEL clothes, but high performance outdoor activity gear. A little more expensive, but I’ve always watched online for sales and bought them over time so I wasn’t spending a fortune right before a trip and have had good luck with durability. And they don’t comprise my whole wardrobe – I’ve still got cheap cotton tank tops & t-shirts that are just fine for a lot of days. Zip-off pants (or trousers as my British friends would say) saved a lot of room in my luggage – I could wear them over a pair of long underwear in really cold places and then as shorts in the tropics. I’ve used the corkscrew on my knife more than anything. Tried to use it on salami while camping & realized the knife was too dull to cut anything – if you’re going to haul one around, make sure it’s sharp! Doh!

I love my hanging toiletry bag! Occasionally there hasn’t been a good place to hang it, but I’ve found more often there isn’t a place (at least a clean place) to set things down. Especially in hostel bathrooms that are a little dicey and covered with water, toothpaste, and who knows what, but I might be more picky about bathrooms & where I sit my stuff than most. More often than not, I’ve been glad to have the hanging bag which is the same one I use if I visit my out-of-town family overnight.

Wow, I didn’t intend to address nearly every point of the article, but that’s my two cents based on my experience traveling round the world through drastically different climates. Even if I didn’t agree with everything, I think the completely valid take-away is that you don’t need every travel gadget or to spend a lot of money on unnecessary stuff just to take a big trip. Do a little research on your locations and introspection on your needs. It’s great to have everything you need on the road, but not if it makes it too difficult to be on the move and actually travel!

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By: Dustin Main - Skinny Backpacker

Dustin Main - Skinny Backpacker — Thu, 03 Feb 2025 23:57:46 +0000

Agree with it all, except the clothes. I’m a big believer in proper clothes = good times. All my shirts besides one poly T are merino and I think they’re awesome. Warm when wet, cool on warm days. I will agree that they’re not fantastic 100% of the time, +40c jungle or Egyptian summer was a little much. I can’t stand wearing cotton T’s.

My couple pairs of pants (besides one pair of gore-tex climbing pants) are zip offs. I don’t care if it makes me look like a tourist though.

Brought a really basic swiss army knife, and barely use it. The mini scissors once in a while only.

A lot of the things really depend on where you’re traveling though. Travel soap is handy when you’re camping, and a lightweight sleep liner (of one sort or another) is good for couchsurfing so your host doesn’t have to keep washing the sheets all the time for each guest.

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By: Warren Talbot

Warren Talbot — Thu, 03 Feb 2025 23:43:38 +0000

I just love to see our favorite bloggers together teaming up with this post and the list of people who inspire us peppering the comments. Obviously what to leave behind is a popular topic and one we wish we had listened to more before we left.

For some unknown reason we continue to carry the sink plug (which we have never used) and the silk sheets which were used once in the jungle to effectively fend off a puma in the middle of the night (at least that is the story we are both using as to why we keep carrying them). In truth, your article may be the final kick we need to donate them to the population here in Lima.

My personal favorite about the expensive travel shirts we bought is the smell. Every time we go on a hike Betsy reminds me that my shirts stink (thanks to all the chemicals they put on them to resist sunlight, bugs, meteors, and screaming children) but I just can’t seem to part with them.

Thank you for the intervention. I am going to pour a second glass of wine and reflect on my backpack.

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By: Melvin

Melvin — Thu, 03 Feb 2025 23:32:29 +0000

I agree, but not with the knife… that’s something I really like on my trips. It’s not that you use it daily, but it was good to have it a lot of times already.

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By: Erin

Erin — Thu, 03 Feb 2025 23:12:51 +0000

Completely agree with all of these. We do like our long sleeve merino tops as they are warm, don’t smell and are long lasting, but we could manage without them. On the other hand we could do with some quick drying socks -it was a real problem in colder climates.

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By: Liv

Liv — Thu, 03 Feb 2025 22:25:42 +0000

I like to think of myself as very good at NOT overpacking but I have to confess sink plugs are not always easy to find in countries in the middle east, so I often take one of those. Wouldn’t bother if I was going to America, Australia etc though!

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By: Dalene

Dalene — Thu, 03 Feb 2025 21:04:18 +0000

My ex-officio stuff did not last long at all. Bra had massive hole in it within 6 months, and pants wore through pretty easily. Perhaps I needed to bring more clothes and stop re-wearing so much…hmmm. Won’t buy that line again.

We brought our silk sheet liners and were so glad we did. Yes, we stayed in those sketchy hostels but even if the sheets probably were fine, sleeping in the sheets just made me feel a little safer. I am one who gets munched on by all hungry bugs within a 10 mile radius, so any bit of protection is welcomed by me!

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By: ayngelina

ayngelina — Thu, 03 Feb 2025 17:29:05 +0000

I had a pair of ex officio and agree they were awesome and I was devastated when I lost a pair of $15 underwear. Without getting too personal I wear $1 thongs that I buy along the way and they don’t take that long to dry. I certainly wouldn’t pay $14 more for ex officio again unless I wanted full briefs

@Evi agree with you on the power converter and if people are thinking of getting an expensive plug adapter they may want to wait as here in Latin America they are 1-2 bucks

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