What to pack?

[wokofshame]

bow drills are the shit. way more effective and easier than the hand drill for fire-making

 

[dreamingforfree]

backpack

knife

tarp

water bottle

everything you're wearing right now, plus two warm layers and extra socks and undies

rag

hat

coveralls

first aid && hygiene

tuna & ramen

tobacco

extra papers



have fun.

 

[Robot]

ever travelling and think to yourself, "boy i could use a cup of coffee"? never fear, if its the warmer months, you are in luck. dandellion roots have been used as a substitute for coffee for centuries. so now you have an early morning wake up.

 

[Dameon]

ever travelling and think to yourself, "boy i could use a cup of coffee"? never fear, if its the warmer months, you are in luck. dandellion roots have been used as a substitute for coffee for centuries. so now you have an early morning wake up.

Or you could just carry tea bags...Very light weight.

I've found aluminum foil very handy in the past. With a wire hanger and some tin foil, you can cook just about anything using a fire. Meat can be wrapped in the foil and cooked in coals, or you can use the hanger and the foil to make a disposable pot.

I've also found that a lot of things can have multiple uses. Lots of people wind up carrying multiple things for different purposes, and never really realize that something not specifically meant for any of those purposes might be able to serve all of them.

You should also keep a puppy with you to throw at anybody who bothers you. Nobody can remain violent after a puppy's been thrown at them. Kittens also work.

 

[jade]

what i pack:
sleeping bag
2 pairs of socks
tang top
2 t-shirts
large, thick hoodie
1 pair of paints
1 paint of thick under stockings
my moms long skirt she gave me
shorts
2, 2 liter water bottles
sketch book
markers
pens/pencils
tooth brush & paste
scarf
bandana
some food that'll last
a few good books to read
my camera
oil & chalk pastels
knife



i can't beliee some of the shit on people's list, how the hell do you carry it all? a stove, a tent, a tarp, i just make sure i have a flexible amount of clothing for all weather, something to keep my warm, something to satisfy my thrist, and hunger, and something to occupy me like a paper and pen, or a book or zine,

 

[bryanpaul]

ever travelling and think to yourself, "boy i could use a cup of coffee"? never fear, if its the warmer months, you are in luck. dandellion roots have been used as a substitute for coffee for centuries. so now you have an early morning wake up.

man, a jar of instant coffee is an absolute NECESSITY.....there's them days when i just aint gonna do SHIT unless i gots some caffeine in mah system..............................i dont think i saw anyone mention fishin line and hooks and lures on here.....depending on where you are that shits good to have,just handline it or use a long branch........"fuck them dumpsters, we's catchin dinner tonight"

 

[rootsong]

i've got it down to:

necessary:

lightweight sleeping bag
lightweight bed roll
few (dark) shirts
couple pairs pants
3 pairs socks
flashlight (i use a headlamp, actually)
a few first-aid things
emergency blanket
(would have a lightweight tarp but i lost mine in mississippi)
$1 disposable poncho (in lieu of the tarp)
tiny pair of binoculars (i don't have the best vision or glasses, helps me see in big yards)
rail maps/appropriate urban-recreatioin documents
enough water & food
a few yards of twine (useful for so many things)

optional:

trash bag or two, tightly wrapped
tobacco
a book
scanner (with earplugs & list of freq's for diff. companies)
notebook & pen
big black sharpie (in case i need to fly a hitching sign)
usually a couple beers, sometimes a little bud if i get my hands on it
& i bring a tiny little martin backpacker guitar because i'd go crazy without it. it is wrapped in a trash bag and stuffed in it's little soft case.
oh, & a harmonica.

that's pretty much what's in my pack. it's not that heavy & i don't find myself wishing i had anything else. i'm still trying to eliminate things... i've never used the emergency blanket, or the first aid stuff, & i rarely use the sharpie, but i think they're all worth having just in case. i don't know how you guys tramp with your 40+ item packs, but great so long as the weight is worth having all that shit.

 

[RandomRaccoon]

Keep your pack below your shoulders and above your ass!!!
Pains me to see so many travellers with SOOOOOOO much shit they might not ever use... pack light find what you need along the way as the seasons change. Exta clothes??? why not just stink! who likes hitchiking anyway? make stashes in differnt towns, pick up greese and a tin can from behind a resturaunt instead of luggin cannisters of fuel for cooking, cardboards everywhere, fuck bulky mats and therma rests... If ya cant climb a fence with your bag on or throw it over the fence while running towards it hit the auto flail and lose some wait... IMPROVISE be creative, make what you need out of something you'd never thought it could be... Even try being cold somtimes, thicken yer skin... liberate from the wait. feels good to be able to belly crawl out of a yard through long grass WITH your bag on... or hop really fast freight on de fly... not miss a ride. run from cops an not lose yer shit... Just a rant...THink about it...

 

[bryanpaul]

Ahh, an uppercruster aye, nice...

HA..... NO SUH..... DIS NIGGA'S AT DA BOTTOM O' DA BARRELL

 

[wildmAn47]

fusee or other firestarting stuff-birch bark, lighter, cedar inner bark, bow-drill

you prefer a bow drill to a hand drill?

i prefer the hand drill...its alot harder...but if u have done it b4..then its less material and can be more compact and faster to make...but thats just me

 

[dirtyfacedan]

....Don't forget the ear plugs!!! I hate that ringing that lasts for hours from riding the highline. Makes sleep possible even!! Flange squeal can't be all that good for the ears.

 

[Speedy]

Whats with the cut down sleeping bag, if you dont mind me askin? Also, im gonna be headin out this winter, around january. Never traveled in the winter and lookin for suggestions

 

[Dameon]

Really, I think traveling in the winter is just a matter of having more layers of clothes and a sleeping bag that's rated for the kinds of temperatures you'll encounter wherever you're traveling. Well, don't just get a sleeping bag rated for those temperatures, because I've had sleeping bags rated for 0 degrees that are more like 30 degree bags. Read reviews and such, and find a sleeping bag that people have actually used in the temperatures you expect to encounter.

A four season tent is nice to have for winter, too, but they can get pretty heavy.

 

[Speedy]

I figured that, but its always good to have a second opinion, thanks.

 

[immoralstinkyfish]

Whats with the cut down sleeping bag, if you dont mind me askin? Also, im gonna be headin out this winter, around january. Never traveled in the winter and lookin for suggestions

Bring newspaper to wrap your feet in before you put on your socks, it will keep your feet warmer than any woollies they make, also keep your water and shoes in your sleeping bag with you so they dont freeze, pee in a bottle and throw it in your bag to recycle body heat, you can also crumple up news paper or cardboard chunks and use them for extra insulation inside your sleeping bag, get into starbucks to take advantage of there free cream and honey deal, hit them coffee counter hard and load on the fat! FAT FAT FAT FAT!!! never enough in the cold, o ya one more thing, if you get snowed on (as long as its not on the wet coast) leave it be, I got burried in snow several times last year and it blocked out the freexing wind and practically made me sweat!!!

 

[Koreywithak23]

What would be a good place to pick up things?... like a army surplus store...or ranger surplus or something like that?

 

[pryn]

summer: i have the most fun when packing light. dragging around a lot of stuff is really a downer to me. ear plugs! i didn't have ear plugs the first time i hopped a train and it was painful, eye drops---eyes, especially contacts get incredibly dry, water! water!, head lamp! bandana (s)

there is a quote in zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance about cameras, "once you put a border on it, it's gone."

 

[pryn]

(i can't really remember it, and it is his story to tell---but---my buddy has a hilarious story about catching a train on the fly with this heavy-set girl with a massive pack, she almost didn't make it, had to be shoved up (however that worked, i guess it endangered him). he was furious and went through her pack, that she couldn't handle and threw out all sorts of random stuff, including juggling pins.

 

[Dirty Rig]

Am I the only one who wears a toolbelt, along with my pack? You'd be shocked at how much you can fit in those things, and leave valuable room in your packs for the bigger shit you may need!

 

[Ravie]

if your a female remember to bring some feminine wipes, pads, tampons, and more than one bra(if you wear em) because those fucking underwires break and piss me off when thats all i have and its fucking stabbing you everytime you move. a small music player is nice to have too.