9 Tips: How To Live Out Of Just A Backpack?

One of the hardest things about living out of a backpack is trying to dig through your bag to find what you need. You don’t want to have to dump your whole bag out trying to find your toothbrush, especially in the dark after a few drinks.

To save yourself some hassle, use a backpack that has plenty of different compartments and organise your belongings properly. Keep your electronics and cables together, make sure your first aid kit is somewhere near the top, and separate your dirty and clean laundry unless you want to play in to the unhygienic backpacker stereotype!

Contributors: Joe Saw from JKGO

My top tip would be to pack your bag using packing cubes. These cubes compress your clothing so that they take up less space and also allow you to store the same items together without having to search through your entire bag for something.

I use three packing cubes when I pack my backpack. One for all of my bottoms – pants, shorts, and dresses and another one for all my tops. The third one I use for all of my undergarments, scarfs and swimsuits. That way if I want to change into a dress to go out to dinner I know which packing cube to grab, open it up and pull out a dress I want without having to unpack my entire backpack.

Contributors: Nicole LaBarge from Travelgal Nicole

Use space saving bags to store your clothes. Roll em up, stuff em in. The self-deflated bags let you remove the air using the old-fashioned methods. You can lay on it or sucking the air out with a straw, both of which are weight-free techniques that work. Be careful or your backpack will get overweight simply by using these bags. Pack only what you need and weigh your pack before you head out on the road.

Contributors: Miranda Brumbaugh from MirandaBrumbaugh

Take stock of everything you are carrying in your bag. Consider whether you can give it an upgrade using technology. What this means is not carrying any books but using e-reader apps, or not having maps since those are available online for download onto your tablet. Think about anything you have in your bag that you might want the inhandversion, like a travel guidebook or your airplane tickets. These things will be used once, if at all in the case of a travel guidebook, and are tedious to keep track of. Drop them in exchange for the digitized version for one trip, and see if you don’t like it better.

Contributors: Miranda Brumbaugh from MirandaBrumbaugh

For a year of RTW travel where I lived out of a backpack, I focused on packing things that were classic colors just basic shirts and pants that could be worn over and over again since they'd go with anything. This meant I could pack less while still having several outfits. I took two pairs of pants and four shirts in basic colors (navy, green, khaki, black). Plus, if I needed to buy something, there would be a high likelihood of it matching what I was already carrying with me.

I did the same with shoes a simple pair of brown boots for colder temperatures (my primary shoes) and a neutral pair of easy-to-pack flip flops for warmer temps.

Contributors: Shawna Newman from Active Weekender

Before you go off on your trip, spend a bit of time getting to know your backpack. Try different ways of packing it, find out what way works best to distribute the weight. Put the backpack on and adjust the straps. Make sure it is comfortable before you even have to think about walking any sort of distance with it. This may sound time consuming and like a lot of hassle, but it's better to do it in the comfort of your own home than on the road. Nothing's worse than that first time you unpack your bag and then can't figure out how to get it all again.

Contributors: NatTook from Natpacker

If you need toiletries for heaven sake get the travel sized they’re called that for reason. The first rule to packing light is not taking more than you need. If you can keep your toiletries to a minimum. If you don’t need it on the trip there don’t take it on the plane, buy it when you get there.

Contributors: Caleb Backe from Maple Holistics

The PackLite Max Phone Charger is a portable solar lantern and phone charger that packs flat to 1 thick, but expands to a full-sized camping lantern and solar phone charger. It's the smart tech that's the single solution for portable power, no matter how far you are from an outlet.

Normally, backpackers would need to pack separately: a solar panel, a camping lantern, and a rechargeable battery pack for equivalent use. The PackLite Max Phone Charger has all three in one compact unit, all in under 10oz.

Easy to use and durable, the PackLite Max Phone Charger recharges in the sun or recharges via USB input. It's IP67 waterproof, dustproof, and even floats on water. Nononsense, useful, and cleverly designed for rough trail use, no matter how long the trip.

Contributors: Celia Eckert from LuminAID

If you truly want to reduce your weight when living out of a backpack, become a minimalist. You don’t have to do it all of the time, just when traveling. Do your research regarding packing minimally for everything from your clothing to electronics. Also, double-up on the duties you give to everything you pack. Whether you are considering a sweatshirt or a pair of shoes—if you cannot wear it twice minimum, then don’t take it.

Contributors: Miranda Brumbaugh from MirandaBrumbaugh