This a thoroughly field-tested packing list that is proven to be effective. It is a solid baseline for anyone who’s planning a medium to long-term backpacking trip.
In 2016, I quit my job, sold everything I owned, bought a one-way ticket, and went on a backpacking voyage. The following 18 months were an adventure, and some of the most amazing days of my life. I traveled from hostel to hostel, crashed on couches, slept on planes, trains, and automobiles, learned how to surf, met friends and lovers, got into trouble, and saw a great deal of the world along the way.
During this journey, I learned many things, and one of them was how to properly pack a backpack. I spent a year and a half living out of one, so you better believe I obsessively optimized this part of my life, as it was central to everything.
And now, I’m sharing this knowledge with you, dear reader. This guide is a valuable guideline for anyone who’s going on a long-term backpacking adventure.
Cameras
Your first question might be, why get a backpack instead of a suitcase?
That is a valid question, because suitcases are great. They come in all kinds of capacities and their form-factor allows for an efficient way of packing, plus they won’t wrinkle your clothes the way backpacks do. I am a big fan of suitcases for city trips, business trips, and any voyage where a car is the main form of transportation. When you go on a adventure-type trip, however, you will be walking on trails and rocky roads, taking buses and trains, and riding scooters and motorcycles to get from A to B. Those little wheels on suitcases aren’t built to cart behind you when you do all that.
The table below is a good “rules of thumb” overview in terms of practicality, combined with your own common sense. Note: the “backpack” in this table is a big backpack that goes into the checked luggage, not a day-pack.
Main camera: Sony A7R III
Your first question might be, why get a backpack instead of a suitcase?
That is a valid question, because suitcases are great. They come in all kinds of capacities and their form-factor allows for an efficient way of packing, plus they won’t wrinkle your clothes the way backpacks do. I am a big fan of suitcases for city trips, business trips, and any voyage where a car is the main form of transportation. When you go on a adventure-type trip, however, you will be walking on trails and rocky roads, taking buses and trains, and riding scooters and motorcycles to get from A to B. Those little wheels on suitcases aren’t built to cart behind you when you do all that.
The table below is a good “rules of thumb” overview in terms of practicality, combined with your own common sense. Note: the “backpack” in this table is a big backpack that goes into the checked luggage, not a day-pack.
Sony RX1R
Your first question might be, why get a backpack instead of a suitcase?
That is a valid question, because suitcases are great. They come in all kinds of capacities and their form-factor allows for an efficient way of packing, plus they won’t wrinkle your clothes the way backpacks do. I am a big fan of suitcases for city trips, business trips, and any voyage where a car is the main form of transportation. When you go on a adventure-type trip, however, you will be walking on trails and rocky roads, taking buses and trains, and riding scooters and motorcycles to get from A to B. Those little wheels on suitcases aren’t built to cart behind you when you do all that.
The table below is a good “rules of thumb” overview in terms of practicality, combined with your own common sense. Note: the “backpack” in this table is a big backpack that goes into the checked luggage, not a day-pack.
Canon G9X
Your first question might be, why get a backpack instead of a suitcase?
That is a valid question, because suitcases are great. They come in all kinds of capacities and their form-factor allows for an efficient way of packing, plus they won’t wrinkle your clothes the way backpacks do. I am a big fan of suitcases for city trips, business trips, and any voyage where a car is the main form of transportation. When you go on a adventure-type trip, however, you will be walking on trails and rocky roads, taking buses and trains, and riding scooters and motorcycles to get from A to B. Those little wheels on suitcases aren’t built to cart behind you when you do all that.
The table below is a good “rules of thumb” overview in terms of practicality, combined with your own common sense. Note: the “backpack” in this table is a big backpack that goes into the checked luggage, not a day-pack.
Apple iPhone 11 Pro
Your first question might be, why get a backpack instead of a suitcase?
That is a valid question, because suitcases are great. They come in all kinds of capacities and their form-factor allows for an efficient way of packing, plus they won’t wrinkle your clothes the way backpacks do. I am a big fan of suitcases for city trips, business trips, and any voyage where a car is the main form of transportation. When you go on a adventure-type trip, however, you will be walking on trails and rocky roads, taking buses and trains, and riding scooters and motorcycles to get from A to B. Those little wheels on suitcases aren’t built to cart behind you when you do all that.
The table below is a good “rules of thumb” overview in terms of practicality, combined with your own common sense. Note: the “backpack” in this table is a big backpack that goes into the checked luggage, not a day-pack.
Lenses
Your first question might be, why get a backpack instead of a suitcase?
That is a valid question, because suitcases are great. They come in all kinds of capacities and their form-factor allows for an efficient way of packing, plus they won’t wrinkle your clothes the way backpacks do. I am a big fan of suitcases for city trips, business trips, and any voyage where a car is the main form of transportation. When you go on a adventure-type trip, however, you will be walking on trails and rocky roads, taking buses and trains, and riding scooters and motorcycles to get from A to B. Those little wheels on suitcases aren’t built to cart behind you when you do all that.
The table below is a good “rules of thumb” overview in terms of practicality, combined with your own common sense. Note: the “backpack” in this table is a big backpack that goes into the checked luggage, not a day-pack.
Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM
Your first question might be, why get a backpack instead of a suitcase?
That is a valid question, because suitcases are great. They come in all kinds of capacities and their form-factor allows for an efficient way of packing, plus they won’t wrinkle your clothes the way backpacks do. I am a big fan of suitcases for city trips, business trips, and any voyage where a car is the main form of transportation. When you go on a adventure-type trip, however, you will be walking on trails and rocky roads, taking buses and trains, and riding scooters and motorcycles to get from A to B. Those little wheels on suitcases aren’t built to cart behind you when you do all that.
The table below is a good “rules of thumb” overview in terms of practicality, combined with your own common sense. Note: the “backpack” in this table is a big backpack that goes into the checked luggage, not a day-pack.
Sony 85mm f/1.8
Your first question might be, why get a backpack instead of a suitcase?
That is a valid question, because suitcases are great. They come in all kinds of capacities and their form-factor allows for an efficient way of packing, plus they won’t wrinkle your clothes the way backpacks do. I am a big fan of suitcases for city trips, business trips, and any voyage where a car is the main form of transportation. When you go on a adventure-type trip, however, you will be walking on trails and rocky roads, taking buses and trains, and riding scooters and motorcycles to get from A to B. Those little wheels on suitcases aren’t built to cart behind you when you do all that.
The table below is a good “rules of thumb” overview in terms of practicality, combined with your own common sense. Note: the “backpack” in this table is a big backpack that goes into the checked luggage, not a day-pack.
Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 2/35 (35mm f/2.0)
Your first question might be, why get a backpack instead of a suitcase?
That is a valid question, because suitcases are great. They come in all kinds of capacities and their form-factor allows for an efficient way of packing, plus they won’t wrinkle your clothes the way backpacks do. I am a big fan of suitcases for city trips, business trips, and any voyage where a car is the main form of transportation. When you go on a adventure-type trip, however, you will be walking on trails and rocky roads, taking buses and trains, and riding scooters and motorcycles to get from A to B. Those little wheels on suitcases aren’t built to cart behind you when you do all that.
The table below is a good “rules of thumb” overview in terms of practicality, combined with your own common sense. Note: the “backpack” in this table is a big backpack that goes into the checked luggage, not a day-pack.
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About Diederik Hoebée
Diederik Hoebée is a Dutch photographer that specializes in landscape, street, and portrait photography.
Living out of a backpack with a camera with one 35mm lens for 18 months fortified his passion for beauty and adventure. His photographic portfolio spans across Europe, the United States of America, Asia, and Oceania. Diederik is always working on photography projects and regularly takes on assignments.
Besides photography, Diederik has cocreated an app for travelers with food allergies, that generates a flash-card for the 14 most common food allergies in 44 different languages without requiring a data connection. He also launched a podcast that reaches thousands of listeners across the globe every month. Guests of the show are entrepreneurs, rock stars, rappers, painters, scientists, writers, world travelers, photographers, and other esoteric life-explorers.
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