I’ve written about packing light before. But backpacking takes this art to a whole new level. Zachary and I are in the process of finalizing our list of everything we need to survive comfortably for the next five months— and then figuring out how to fit it into two 65-liter backpacks.
We’ll be sending ourselves frequent resupply boxes, filled with dehydrated food and candy bars and gatorade powder and shoes and toothpaste, and buying things along the way, like toilet paper and potato chips and pancakes the size of hubcaps. But everything else— shelter, bed, media, clothing— will be on our backs.
This means I will be at least five months (probably more) without makeup, accessories, any sort of dress, skirt, scarf, or dressy piece of clothing. No haircuts or shaving at all. Seven or eight showers tops. And I sit and ponder: do I need a t-shirt, a button-up shirt, a polyester jacket and a rain jacket? Is one of them superfluous? Do I need more than two pairs of underwear? Do I really need a piece of foam for a pillow, or could I just get by with a lumpy stuff sack? How many pairs of socks do I actually need?
Once we figure out what packing actually looks like, I’ll probably post a full list of what we’re bringing. In the meantime, I will probably spend more time packing my backpack than I have in packing up my house.
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That that would be so hard for me...not a minimalist! Lol looking forward to your list. I have done numerous kayamping / paddling trips, but have never done an overnight on any trail...in my future though :-)
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