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In 2019, when I had done my first solo backpacking trip I came across a lot of challenges in terms of what I did not have and what I should've brought with me! It was my first trip so I didn’t focus on packing and making sure I had everything.
But later on, when I did more research I came across a few really cool little things that I thought if I had during my trip they would've been an absolute game changer and make my travel experience better! Today, I'll be sharing these neat little goods with you that you should carry on your next backpacking trip!
<1> Journal
I always used to document my journeys through my phone whenever I got back from a trip because writing about certain experiences that I felt at a specific point in my trip really helped me resonate with the feeling I felt at that point. Now, at that point, I never realized at that point how much physically writing with a pen on a paper had an impact until I did it myself on my trip a few years back!
Research done by the Journal of Mental Health URMC showed that physically writing your feelings helps you bring clarity, focus, and most importantly helps you really understand what you are feeling and why! If you are traveling somewhere you have always wanted to have a small handy notebook with a pen that would really help you in multiple ways!
<2> Capture clip
This is for all my photographer friends, if you have ever been on a hike or have traveled with heavy backpacks filled with camera equipment you know how difficult it can get on your body. Capture clip is a very neat little clip made by one of the most reputed manufacturers of travel photography equipment, whose goal is to reduce the amount of time taken to set your camera up and to make the camera handling process easier and user friendly!
This small little clip is used by almost all professional travel and action photographers to hang their most-used cameras and lenses to quickly change their lenses and not miss a single shot. Capture clip made by Peak Design has 3 different versions namely V1, V2, V3, and the price varies from around 3500 - 10,000 INR depending on the model you choose!
<3> Aeropress Go
Introduced by one of my favorite YouTuber and landscape photographer Peter Mckinnon, Aeropress Go is a small and compact all in one brewing tool which gives a freshly brewed coffee within minutes when you're on the go! If you are a coffee lover and you know how to brew coffee all you need is an Aeropress Go and your favorite coffee blend and you are all set to have your favorite coffee wherever you are in the world!
You can brew up to 8 ounces 237ml of coffee and it also has an inbuilt cup so you don't need to carry an additional cup! just because the entire package fits into a compact casing just as the size of your palm does not mean it compromises on anything, it has all the equipment used in a normal Aeropress!
Still, that is not the best part, with such a small frame and flexibility you can still make an espresso shot, an Americano, a latte, and a cold coffee! This Aeropress costs at around 32 USD OR 2500/- INR (+taxes) which I feel is quite affordable for what it offers!
<4> Compressible packing cubes
I can't tell you enough about how much I wished I knew about this before I left for my backpacking trip in 2019. The concept of compressible packing cubes is very simple but something super important and useful. Compressible cubes are all about storing your clothes in small and organized cubes and later on compress them using an additional compression zip provided in the cube that helps save space in the rucksack and additionally, it also helps reduce weight and organize your clothes efficiently!
Pro Tip:- Buy wrinkle-free clothes to make sure your clothes look fresh and neat when you take them out of these cubes
There are hundreds of brands that provide these cubes in various types of price, weight, and qualities. So you have a spectrum of options to choose from!
<5> Army Swiss knife
If you have ever watched Nat Geo Wild you know what I am going to talk about here but if you haven't heard about it let me tell you! Army Swiss Knife is basically an all in one instrument which contains small tools to help you out in almost "ALL SITUATIONS" as claimed. Army Swiss Knife comes in numerous different shapes and sizes, ranging from kits that have 1-2 tools to kits that have over 35+ tools and many more!
But you may ask how and why was this made? During the 1880s, the swiss army wanted to manufacture a pocket knife for its soldiers especially for the purpose of opening canned food while traveling and for disassembling the service rifles which needed a screwdriver, and hence the first Swiss made pocket knife "Model 1890" was made!
Here is the list of the most basic tools you would in the Army Swiss knife:-
(a) Screwdriver
(b) Nail clipper
(c) foldable scissors
(d) spoon/fork
(e) Knife/Blade
6> Inflatable pillows
As the title suggests, Inflatable pillows are small foldable pillows that you could blow up and use to rest when on the go. This is a neat little tool that you could technically carry in your pocket and go around without any problem! This has been used by a lot of travelers, backpackers, hikers, campers as a means to rest comfortably after a long day and to avoid any form of neck sprain or Injury.
Just like Compressible cubes, there are a lot of brands and companies which manufacture these pillows which you could choose from. Here are a few brands I would recommend so do check them out.
Quechua
<7> Amazon Kindle
If you are someone who loves to read and likes to spend their hours reading when on the go the best thing you could invest in is a Kindle! It's a one-shot solution to carry your entire library of desired books in a compact device.
Kindle by Amazon is a very affordable device that retails for about 8000/- rupees and has built-in wifi with a best 6" display so it won't strain your eyes even if you read for hours together! With that, you are directly connected to the amazon book library so you have millions of books to choose from! It is light, sleek, portable, and extremely efficient. An absolute must-have for all the readers out there.
<8> Refillable bottles and small containers
Over the years places like Ladakh, Spiti, Manali, and many other places in the north have banned the usage of plastic containers and hence metal reusable containers have become a must to carry. Refillable metal water bottles and small containers are used to store food/ointments/perfume's etc. Using these containers is one of the best ways to store your Liquids, food, etc in good quality containers that maintain the hygiene and safety of the items stored within. Additionally, it also helps in reducing space within the rucksack, they help save money, and avoid the problem of throwing waste again and again!
<9> Rubber Twisties
This is something very unexpected on the list and something that will come in handy to you more often than you think! If you are a photographer/filmmaker or any digital content creator who usually travels with a lot of cables/wires or any equipment which can become a bit of a hassle to handle then this would come in as a lifesaver!
Usually whenever I am going on a trip and I have my camera equipment, my laptop, my charger, and a whole bunch of other equipment I usually use these rubber twisties to tie those up and to keep in one place. This really helps me create space and to neatly keep everything tied up!
<10> Quick dry or waterproof clothing
When backpacking you can't really carry different outfits for different days, so in that case, you have to repeat your clothes. Here's where these kinds of clothing come into use. Quick-dry clothes are made up of 3 major fabrics Polyester, Nylon, or Merino wool. These kinds of clothes portray 4 major features: odor repellent, quick-dry, breathability, stretchable. This means that after you have worn a piece of t-shirt/shirt you can wash them and within an hour or so they would dry back and you can wear a clean and dry shirt again! These have helped me save so much weight in my backpack because on a trip of 4-8 days all I used to carry were 3 quick-dry shirts that were very thin and light but more than that they looked really cool too!
That is all for this blog, hope you guys found out some really cool little things in this blog, let me know your favorite item down in the comment section below! New blogs coming up really soon. Do stay tuned for that. Thank you!