What to pack?
- Thread starter Matt Derrick
- Start date
Poking Victim
Well-known member
i copy/pasted this from a post i made in another thread
first off you're going to need a backpack. Any school backpack will do well and you can strap your sleeping bag to the outside of it.
as far as clothes bring 2 pairs of tough, long pants. you'll need pants that can last and if you want shorts just roll them up.
Bring 2 or 3 T shirts depending on what you want to carry.
the warmest hoody you own. It might take up weight in your bag but it'll be worth it at night.
3 changes of socks/underwear. these get smelly quick so it's good to have extras.
a jacket- something warm, windproof, and waterproof. It'll keep you warm and alive.
good, tough soled shoes-converse all stars work OK in short distances but if you're going to be walking cross country you're going to want a pair of boots that will be able to hold up.
a warm hat-most heat loss happens through your head. a warm hat will raise your body temperature by a couple degrees.
gloves-your hands will get cold on the road and eventually you're going to have to get something out of your pack. you'll be glad you have them
one or two big bandanas. they're super useful. You can wear it around your head to keep sweat/hair out of your eyes, you can tie it in front of your mouth/nose if it gets dusty, they have a million and one uses. I never leave home without one.
a pocketknife. not some single blade knife. try to get your hands on something that has a sharp blade, a can opener, a bottle opener, and maybe a screwdriver or two.
food. I don't know what sort of stuff you have available to you but when you head out take only things that need no refrigeration and that won't go bad too soon. Get used to scrounging for food because full meals don't present themselves too often. you need to find them.
at least a half gallon of water. I always carry 2 nalgene bottles when i'm out. dehydration is a bitch.
a deck of cards. you're going to get very bored and you'll spend endless hours playing solitare. if you don't know how already I suggest you learn a couple versions.
a sleeping bag. don't bring some pansy-assed sleeping bag. bring a good one. god knows you'll be using it enough.
some form of ID or another. hopefully you wont get picked up by the cops but having something to prove you are who you say you are will smooth things over for you greatly.
wallet. try not to travel with a huge ammount of cash on you in case you lose it or something but traveling with no money at all is just stupid.
You can choose for yourself but i keep a fork, a butter knife, and a spoon on my keys. I sawed them off so the handles are short and i drilled a hole and put all three on a key ring. this way i always am ready to eat.
the most important advice that i can give you is to tell your mom you love her. the first time i left home i did it and the last thing i told my dad was that i hoped he died. within 2 days i was miserable because the only thing that i could think about was the fact that that might have been the last thing I told him. I know shit is tense between you and your mom but she's still your mom and she still loves you. You've got an amazing oppurtunity to see this great, beautiful country in a way most people never will. Just because you're being forced to doesn't mean you cant enjoy the trip. This will be something that will give you stories to tell for the rest of your life. I wish you nothing but the best of luck in starting the first real adventure of your life.
may your feet stay ever warm
-TL
first off you're going to need a backpack. Any school backpack will do well and you can strap your sleeping bag to the outside of it.
as far as clothes bring 2 pairs of tough, long pants. you'll need pants that can last and if you want shorts just roll them up.
Bring 2 or 3 T shirts depending on what you want to carry.
the warmest hoody you own. It might take up weight in your bag but it'll be worth it at night.
3 changes of socks/underwear. these get smelly quick so it's good to have extras.
a jacket- something warm, windproof, and waterproof. It'll keep you warm and alive.
good, tough soled shoes-converse all stars work OK in short distances but if you're going to be walking cross country you're going to want a pair of boots that will be able to hold up.
a warm hat-most heat loss happens through your head. a warm hat will raise your body temperature by a couple degrees.
gloves-your hands will get cold on the road and eventually you're going to have to get something out of your pack. you'll be glad you have them
one or two big bandanas. they're super useful. You can wear it around your head to keep sweat/hair out of your eyes, you can tie it in front of your mouth/nose if it gets dusty, they have a million and one uses. I never leave home without one.
a pocketknife. not some single blade knife. try to get your hands on something that has a sharp blade, a can opener, a bottle opener, and maybe a screwdriver or two.
food. I don't know what sort of stuff you have available to you but when you head out take only things that need no refrigeration and that won't go bad too soon. Get used to scrounging for food because full meals don't present themselves too often. you need to find them.
at least a half gallon of water. I always carry 2 nalgene bottles when i'm out. dehydration is a bitch.
a deck of cards. you're going to get very bored and you'll spend endless hours playing solitare. if you don't know how already I suggest you learn a couple versions.
a sleeping bag. don't bring some pansy-assed sleeping bag. bring a good one. god knows you'll be using it enough.
some form of ID or another. hopefully you wont get picked up by the cops but having something to prove you are who you say you are will smooth things over for you greatly.
wallet. try not to travel with a huge ammount of cash on you in case you lose it or something but traveling with no money at all is just stupid.
You can choose for yourself but i keep a fork, a butter knife, and a spoon on my keys. I sawed them off so the handles are short and i drilled a hole and put all three on a key ring. this way i always am ready to eat.
the most important advice that i can give you is to tell your mom you love her. the first time i left home i did it and the last thing i told my dad was that i hoped he died. within 2 days i was miserable because the only thing that i could think about was the fact that that might have been the last thing I told him. I know shit is tense between you and your mom but she's still your mom and she still loves you. You've got an amazing oppurtunity to see this great, beautiful country in a way most people never will. Just because you're being forced to doesn't mean you cant enjoy the trip. This will be something that will give you stories to tell for the rest of your life. I wish you nothing but the best of luck in starting the first real adventure of your life.
may your feet stay ever warm
-TL
rememberusername said:
Well, yeah man I can understand that.
I too love the pictures that come along with it.
All I'm saying is that this beautiful scenery going by... I don't know how good I'd feel if my first thought was, "PICTURE".
It's so goddamn beautiful and serene that... I just get lost in everything, like a view like this is impossible. I'm just saying make the most of your time, take many pictures, have a lot of fun, but honestly apprechiate whats around you and passing by you , where you're at and waiting. Sleeping on a secluded bank of the James River beside the CSX tracks was such a beautiful moment for me, like I accidentally stumbled upon a part of Virginia that wasn't even mapped, that nobody could ever find or bother me, and the absolute best catch-out spot for that particular yard. . . it took me hours before I even remembered I had a camera. Know what I mean man?
Everything is so beautiful when you're doing this, enjoy it.
=)
rememberusername said:
are we still talking about riding trains or just traveling in general? if youre doing rideshares off craigslist or something, yea a tattoo machine could be fun and interesting to have. if youre riding trains...not so much. theres a lot more to a tattoo machine than just the "gun". you need a power source, inks, needles, tubes, sanitation stuff etc.
it would be a pain in the ass especially when youre getting ready to tattoo your friend and you realize that you forgot all your ink because you got bored and played with it on the train or something.
just get really good at stick and pokes!
Maybe not a tattoo gun. That could get a bit in the way, try just a needle you use for yourself & can sterilize with just a small bottle of india ink if you want to do that sorta thing, just to make it more convenient.
Maybe if you just want some to do to yourself while you're out and about I shoved a bunch of different rings & jewelry into a match box every size from 14 - 00 and different types - rings, verticals, etc. and a needle to pierce anything my mind wanders too.
That's always fun.
Maybe if you just want some to do to yourself while you're out and about I shoved a bunch of different rings & jewelry into a match box every size from 14 - 00 and different types - rings, verticals, etc. and a needle to pierce anything my mind wanders too.
That's always fun.
Durning the summer I tend to travel with only an extra hoodie, extra pair of pants, sleeping bag, water purifier, water bottle, and a tarp/tyvek ripped off a new house (I tend to ditch the tarp out west). Always keep the hoodie and sleeping bag in a trash bag, if there's even the slightest chance of rain (better yet, just do it anyways). This leaves lots of room to pick up random shit you're inevitably going to find. As far as food goes, a pound of beef jerky and a pound or two of peanuts can keep you going for god knows how long (I walked highway 1 from LA to carmel with this and still had most of it left by the time I was in GG park), if nothing else, I always have a can of peanut butter, you can always dumpster bread/bagels. In the winter my pack doesn't grow that much except for a fleece blanket (line your sleeping bag with it, it'll keep you warm even when wet), a longsleeve or two, lots of DRY socks (this is extremely important!!!!), and a ziplock bag full of fire starting materials (matches, lighter, lint, dry birch bark, flint and magnesium ect..). Of course, if you really know what you're doing, all you need is the clothes on your back and balls.
stick and poke is good but having a machine isn`t too shabby either, it`s all preference, do you want to carry extra stuff or just a small pouch. I think if you were good with a machine and had some colors and talent having it with you would pay off the extra weight...doing cheap tattoos (provided you could find people) for people would pay better then flying a sign (although in these cold times walking that meridian is awfully nice when you get all that warm exhaust heat!). If you aren`t carrying a guitar already or some other instruments or something big, you could get one of those red metal tool boxes and put a lock on it even and pad up the inside, not very good for getting off on the fly but neither is a guitar and lots of people carry those.
rememberusername said:This Jacket is a MUST HAVE when trainhopping. As soon as you get into a yard put it on.. it will help you tremendously.
If you dont have one.. you are a LOOOOSER
I always wear that EXACT jacket!!!
Best investment I've ever made!
=)
condemnedtodrift
Well-known member
dirtyfacedan
Well-known member
A small camera, you never know who you might meet, what you might see, and want something to help the mind remember. I used to hate camera's, but am now staring to see the use in having one. If you get a digi, just have some spare memory, so you can stash your good pix away from pig's, etc.
wokofshame
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in the summer: s bag
8 by 10 tarp and usually a few stakes
few pairs of dry sox
fusee or other firestarting stuff-birch bark, lighter, cedar inner bark, bow-drill
headlamp
scanner
2 shirts
pants, sumtimes long johns
shorts
sunglasses
toothbrush and toothpaste
dental floss for sewing
alcohol stove- life is so much better with hot food
fuel
spoon
coffee mug
pot,w/ lid
pot-gripper
sillcock key for opening water faucets (makes life much, much easier. most old-school riders carry these and it's fuckin' useful as shit)
large knife- it's nice for me to actually have something i could use in self-defence if it evers came to that, luckily i've only came close once
warm hat and baseball cap
sewing stuff
some first aid stuff (guaze pads and alcohol wipes)
medical or duct tape for both 1st aid and general repairs
length of parachute cord
rainjacket
warm jacket
1 gallon water capacity
salt
easy cook dinners like ramens aand those supermarket brand noodle dinners, just add canned chicken or roadkill and dumpster veggies and you're good to go
granola- the hippies had it rite on this one
as much other high-cal food as possible
journal w/ contact list and drawing paper
appropriate drugs/alcohol
some shit i haven't carried but i think is good is cards and small boltcutters
just started carrying a camera last year but i always end up not taking pictures when i'm having fun
8 by 10 tarp and usually a few stakes
few pairs of dry sox
fusee or other firestarting stuff-birch bark, lighter, cedar inner bark, bow-drill
headlamp
scanner
2 shirts
pants, sumtimes long johns
shorts
sunglasses
toothbrush and toothpaste
dental floss for sewing
alcohol stove- life is so much better with hot food
fuel
spoon
coffee mug
pot,w/ lid
pot-gripper
sillcock key for opening water faucets (makes life much, much easier. most old-school riders carry these and it's fuckin' useful as shit)
large knife- it's nice for me to actually have something i could use in self-defence if it evers came to that, luckily i've only came close once
warm hat and baseball cap
sewing stuff
some first aid stuff (guaze pads and alcohol wipes)
medical or duct tape for both 1st aid and general repairs
length of parachute cord
rainjacket
warm jacket
1 gallon water capacity
salt
easy cook dinners like ramens aand those supermarket brand noodle dinners, just add canned chicken or roadkill and dumpster veggies and you're good to go
granola- the hippies had it rite on this one
as much other high-cal food as possible
journal w/ contact list and drawing paper
appropriate drugs/alcohol
some shit i haven't carried but i think is good is cards and small boltcutters
just started carrying a camera last year but i always end up not taking pictures when i'm having fun
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