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preparation: discount cards
· choosing a pack
· packing
· travel insurance
passports
· travel documents
· visas
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Backpacks enable you to carry all your gear comfortably while leaving your hands free to do other stuff and are one of the most important items you can take with you and what separates the backpacker from the tourist. A good backpack can make the difference between a good trip and an excellent trip.
The capacity of backpacks are measured in litres which would make a lot more sense if you were carrying milk or ice cream around in them. However you can guess how much you can fit in if you imagine that your sleeping bag is made from ice cream. In the US they still measure their packs in cubic inches, although most good backpack manufacturers should quote both normal and US measurements. Generally you can comfortably travel in summer with a 35 litre backpack, this is big enough to hold a sleeping bag, a week's worth of clothes, a book or two, camera and a few other things. If you're going to be travelling during winter, you'll need a bigger pack (about an extra 15-20 litres) to hold extra warm weather gear. If you're planning on camping you'll need about an extra 20-30 litres to hold your tent and camping gear. If you're planning on working, you'll also need a bigger pack to hold work clothes and work stuff like a computer, professional camera, etc. Most travellers find a 50 litre backpack the best size, although some people are able to cram everything into a day pack.
There are several different types of backpacks. There are the suitcase-backpack hybrids known as travel packs, there are regular backpacks and there are daypacks. Each have their pros and cons.
Travel packs are backpacks with a handle on one side and a zip-up cover which lets you cover up the straps on the back and use it as a suitcase. These packs have become increasingly popular and airlines and baggage handlers love them. Because they zip up it's easier to find things and you can lock them up with a padlock, however you're really buggered if the zip breaks. Another draw-back is the fact that travel packs are generally much wider than regular backpacks making it extremely difficult to manoeuver through crowded buses and trains without hitting half the other passengers - for this reason many people hate travel packs and will duck for cover when they see you coming. Unless you spend a lot of money on a top-of-the-range travel pack you'll find genuine hiking backpacks more comfortable, especially if you're planning on carrying them all over the place.
The genuine hiking backpack is tall and narrow, making them ideal for train or bus travel. The major disadvantage over travel packs is that you sometimes have to unload everything to get at your stuff at the bottom of the pack. Also the inability to lock your pack up raises some security concerns, although all backpacks are fairly easy to slash with a razor, so that a padlock is hardly very good security anyway. With a small backpack it's not such a problem getting stuff from the bottom of your pack, especially if you get in the habit of rotating your dirty clothes to the bottom of the pack, so you always have what you need at the top. Stuff you use frequently can be keept in handy side pockets or a daypack.
Many travellers also take a day pack. Although many people manage to travel for months living out of a daypack, a day pack is mainly used for carrying stuff around town while your backpack is left in a hostel or the baggage locker at a station. A day pack needs to be big enough to hold important stuff like a guidebook, camera, a raincoat or sweater and a few snacks. Some travel packs come with zip-off day packs, however this is a big security problem since most travellers keep their most valuable stuff in a daypack and then zip it on the back of their backpack where it is out of sight and easily opened by pickpockets. Make sure that your backpack is big enough to hold a fully packed day pack.
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