How to Pack for Adventure Travel

Despite your preferred style of packing — whether you create a list days before or wait until the last minute — packing for an adventure trip requires a bit more planning than a normal vacation. The activities you decide to participate in will largely dictate what you should and should not include in your getaway bag or backpack. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when prepping for your next adventurous travel experience.

Make a list. If you’re not a list maker, you might want to consider becoming one. If you forget your toothbrush on a normal vacation, you will most likely be able to pick one up at the store around the corner in your destination. But certain items cannot be found as easily when camping, hiking or spending multiple days in the wilderness.

Survey your bag. Adventure travel packing requires both organization and engineering skills. When you’re walking for long stretches or participating in an endurance-heavy activity, you’ll want to know exactly where your adhesive bandages are located for blisters, and how to reach behind you to grab your bottle of water. Before you start packing, analyze the space you have in your backpack and devise a way to use it wisely so the vitals will never be too hard to reach.

Minimize. Normal packing rules say you should make piles of what you want to pack, and then cut it in half. For adventure travel, you may want to decrease it even further as there may not be a central spot where you can unpack, such as in a hotel room. You may also find yourself repeating outfits much more often than you would on a regular trip. Investing in clothing made of fabrics such as merino wool or Polygeine is wise as they can be worn multiple days in a row.