phaedrus

Lots of good tips on this side of the site here.

What are some of the more obscure things that would prove useful on a long backpacking trip? Wanna get my pack planned out asap.

I'll throw out one that I wish I would have packed in Montana:

Odor Eaters

agriadam

so very true My feet stank I had to go to a Pharmacia in spain and buy what I could only guess was foot spray.... it worked.

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“Life is too short to spend it doing something you don't like... if your passion is selling surfboards by the sea, then that is where you should be.”
-My Dad

"Do we really want to travel in hermetically sealed popemobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only in Hard Rock Cafes and McDonalds? Or do we want to eat without fear, tearing into the local stew, the humble taqueria's mystery meat, the sincerely offered gift of a lightly grilled fish head? I know what I want. I want it all. I want to try everything once."
-Anthony Bourdain

“If you can imagine a man having a vasectomy without anesthetic to the sound of frantic sitar-playing, you will have some idea what popular Turkish music is like.”
-Bill Bryson

"The older I get the less likely I feel I will ever figure my life out... I think that might be okay though"
-Me

noke_travel

on that same note, gold bond works wonders

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"An inordinate passion for pleasure is the secret of remaining young. -Oscar Wilde

"I showed them...I'm still alive." Homer Simpson

Kevin-L

8'-12' of a light rope - close line, tying stuff to you pack
duct tape, black tape - priceless stuff
pillow case - its nice to lay down on a clean pillow and it can double as a bag
garbage bag- separate the nasty stuff from the cleaner stuff
extension cord - the outlets can be in the halls

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Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.
-Ernest Hemingway

kingcrazylegs

piece of nylon rope - 25ft
ear plugs
rain shell (jackett)

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all that is not given is lost

chelseafc05

a pen

when i was on my way to nam i didnt take one, and i had to fill ou all this shit at airports and borders and stuff and i was like oh fuck no pen....then i had to wait for some1 to finish usin theres

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http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Danieljh/ <--- pictures of from eastern europe trip

Where ive been: Cộng Hòa Xã Hội Chủ Nghĩa Việt , Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchea, Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Česká republika, Slovenská republika, Magyar Köztársaság, Republika Slovenija, Republika Hrvatska, Bosna i Hercegovina, Republika Srbija, Republika Balgariya, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, România, Rzeczpospolita Polska, Lietuvos Respublika, Latvijas Republika, Eesti Vabariik, Republiken Finland



MY NAME IS
Daniel

zylah

cuttelery. I bought a small pocket knife the first week, but then i had to steal spoons from all the icecream shops to eat stuff like yougurt with. a fork is also handy.

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lilwings

- head lamp or flashlight for late night returns when you don't want to wake your bunk mates
- one of those really light, super compactable mesh bags for your wet shower stuff
- waterproof compression bag for dirty, stinky laundry

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"Life's about choices, LT." (J. Tyskiewicz)
DON'T DRINK THE WATER. Fish have sex in it.

MartinR

I'm currently 4 months in to a 15 month round the world trip. Things I wish I'd packed...

Half as much stuff. I went to Australia first and after there I send a lot of stuff home, you dont need as much as you think! carrying 100L of stuff in 45 degree C Aint fun!

ohhh people say nylon to use as a clothes line, heres a better tip, take 10-15 foot of strong elastic it WILL save your life a million times.
- twist it and hang it and its a secure clothes line without pegs,
it can fix clothes, it can attach stuff to your bag, it can attach your bag to stuff, it can fix a bus(mine did!).

Packing light is by far the best way to go, nothing make you stick out like having a massive 80L backpack and a 25L day pack on you.

I'm down to a 38L pack with a seperate day bag that store in my main. i rarly use it as my pack is light enough to take everywhere.

Joker

A Petzl-styled headlamp. Woulda made that nightime mountain climbing a bit easier and freed my other hand for bracing against the ground when I slipped.

Better(read: heavier) hiking socks. My fox river socks weren't heavy enough for the tough stuff.

More Moleskin for the blisters

Water bottle that could clip to the outside of my pack (think Nalgene Trail sorta thing...)

BTW: Phaedrus, Montana, eh? Sounds a bit punny

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"Steve is the prototypical cool American male. Y'know, I'm talking about Steve McGarrett, alright? Steve Austin, Steve McQueen. Y'know, he's the guy on his horse, the guy alone. He has his own code of honor, his own code of ethics, his own rules of living, man. He never, ever tries to impress the women but he always gets the girl."

@dam

What I found really handy are those cheap little "not for climbing" carabiners. I used them to clip my bag to other bags or to stationary objects to prevent "snatch and grabs", I used it to clip shoes and gear bags outside my main back, I used it to hang gear bags for easy access on trains and in tents, and I used the little tiny ones to keep the zippers closed on my daypack so nobody would rifle through it when my back was turned. Little twist-ties come in handy too.

I brought a notepad, which I used twice. I brought those airtight compression sacks, which I didn't use at all. Didn't use my nylon string. Used my duct tape once, but I was glad I had it.

Slacker

Heres a question:

I was thinking of NOT taking my nalgene. I was figuring I would be buying bottled water from time to time and just using those as a waterbottle.

Good or bad idea? Should I just take my nalgene?

Joker

Well, I guess that works better. I think having a Nalgene requires washing it, and if you don't wanna drink the local tap water that may be a good bet. YMMV. (es la agua seguridad para gringos? :D

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Misadventures of a Crazed Kitchen Pirate

"Steve is the prototypical cool American male. Y'know, I'm talking about Steve McGarrett, alright? Steve Austin, Steve McQueen. Y'know, he's the guy on his horse, the guy alone. He has his own code of honor, his own code of ethics, his own rules of living, man. He never, ever tries to impress the women but he always gets the girl."

@dam

Yeah- the Nalgene bottle isn't necessary, unless you have no bottle pockets on your pack and want a bottle with a little loop you can use a clip on.

I have a ton of Nalgene bottels. However, I normally only use them as a nice, reusable bottle to take to work or to the beach or whatever. When I'm actually traveling, the disposable ones make more sense for me, because there is usually not many places to refill a waterbottle anyway. When there are, just refill the disposable bottle. A lot of ultra-light backcountry backpackers don't use Nalgene anymore simply because disposable bottles and camelbacks are much lighter.

Somnambulation

A bottle opener. I dont know how many times Ive had to open a beer in the side of a metal railing (or whatever) in Europe because I didnt have a bottle opener. Get a Swiss army knife.

eunike

Hand sanitizer! Napkins, paper towels, and access to soap and a sink are sometimes priviledges instead of rights.

Scissors, unless you're bring a Swiss Army knife anyway.

For girls, a large scarf or a "pashmina" type shawl, one of these cotton numbers -- something nice, but sturdy. It can shade your head, add variety to your outfit, be used to bundle up stuff to make a pillow, and also become a light blanket. That's a fashion accessory for you!

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eunike

...and a sharpie! Like those new small ones you can keep on keychains. You just never know!

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This is a jetsetter music letter from me to you.

The Monsignor

"Pack light and carry plenty of cash" - Grandpa Boris

My trip to mexico, I wished I had brought a small tube of Neosporin and some band-aids (spilled my motorcycle and damned if they didn't become infected)

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"A bad carpenter always blames his tools!" - Grandpa Boris

Make war, not love! It's safer!

MeTurk

I hate when people tell me I brought everything but the kitchen sink, I always forget it! It's impossible to get a good kitchen sink in foreign countrys they never seem to have an english peaker on duty for some reason.

So don't forget.

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"It's nice to have a nun around. Gives the place a bit of glamour." Fr Ted
Couchsurfer (:_irritainment_

tumblezweedz

REI sells a nice portable kitchen sink - folds up and runs on rainwater too. Very convenient. A bit on the heavy side, but as you said, you can never find one you like when you're travelling.