Main Gear

Every good backpacking trip needs to have reliable, durable gear to keep you going on the road. You’ll be carrying pretty much your whole life on your back for anywhere from a few months to a few years. You want to know what to bring and how to pick quality gear that won’t let you down in the middle of your trip.

Some of the main gear you will want to consider for your trip will include: your primary backpack, a daypack, sleep sack, mosquito net, water filter, etc.

It can be hard to plan for the unknown and unexpected across the world from back home, but that’s when you will be purchasing most of this gear.

See what worked for us on our multi-year backpacking trip through Asia and what we recommend to bring or not bring and why.

Read the reviews of the Main Gear You Need for a Backpacking Trip to Asia

Clothing

A common misconception about a long-term backpacking trip is that the longer you go, the more clothes you’ll need to bring.

In reality, you don’t need any more clothes for a long trip than for a short one. The fewer the better, and if you choose the right type of clothing, you can get by with very few clothes quite comfortably (and much more cleanly than you might think).

We did exhaustive research before we left and have had a lot of time on the road to figure out where we went right and what we didn’t need after all.

Read the reviews of the Clothes to Bring on a Backpacking Trip to Asia

Electronics

It used to be that backpacking the world meant having little money, few accessories, and minimal technology. For some people, it still does.

But for others who grew up with computers and emails, iPods, Facebook, Twitter, IMs and blogging, electronics are a bigger part of the packing list than they used to be.

As writers, photographers, bloggers, and webmasters, we definitely fall under this “Flashpacker” category. We know what tech has been worthwhile for us and what just may be worthwhile for you.

Read the reviews of the Electronics to Bring on a Backpacking Trip to Asia

Useful Travel Items

It’s not your main gear, but it’s no less useful or good to have on the road. As long-term backpackers through a region with crowded buses, touts ready to prey on overloaded tourists, and where you just generally want to be focused on the things around you rather than overstuffed bags, we wanted to keep our load as light and minimal as possible.

Even so, we have found some “accessory” items to be not just worthwhile, but sometimes even instrumental in lending to the enjoyment of our trip. We can tell you which of those extra items you should bring and which you should leave on those “Travel Accessory” shelves.

Read the reviews of the Useful Travel Items to Bring on a Backpacking Trip to Asia