Travel Abroad With Your Backpacking Gear

If you’re an experienced backpacker, the world presents an endless ocean of opportunities for heading into the backcountry and seeing some truly spectacular wilderness. But there’s the pesky issue of actually bringing all your camping and backpacking gear on the plane and transporting it halfway around the world without anything getting damaged.

Backpacks with loads of straps and buckles are notoriously tough to transport. Airlines may damage your bag, or a strap can accidentally get caught in a conveyor belt.

There are several great duffel bags on the market that can solve this issue, and the good news is most of them are pretty cheap. Major outdoor retailers may carry one or two in their travel section; this Outdoor Products option is one good choice.

And then there’s the issue of your camp stove and fuel bottles, both essential pieces of gear for your trip. There are TSA guidelines on this topic and airlines themselves may have individual rules they’ve published on their websites. You won’t be able to bring your fuel with you, and you’ll need to clean your stove of any fuel residue. Make plans to buy fuel when you land..

Otherwise, you should be good to go, as long as you pack things like your knife and tent stakes in your checked baggage.