After many years of traveling, I have honed down what I need to take with me. I try to travel as Spartan as possible, so there may be things missing that you would want, but this could serve as a good start.
Before going on any trip, I always glance over my list to make sure there is nothing I am missing. The one time I didn’t consult my list, I ended up forgetting my passport and had to pay 164 euros for a hasty taxi ride. I don’t always need everything, as most weekend trips to visit a friend don’t necessitate a sleeping bag and tent, but I find it’s better to scour through this and eliminate things I don’t need than trying to go from memory and forget something crucial.
The Basics
Backpack – Obviously. Make sure it’s the right size for the trip. I use my day pack for weekend trips. My big 60-liter backpack is for backwoods hiking.
Sleeping bag — I have a down one now. A compression sack can help pack it small, although I never got around to getting one.
Tent – I have a 2-person tent. If I am with a friend, we can both fit. If I’m alone, I have a lot of stretching room.
Sleeping pad — I used to use an inflatable one, but after it sprung multiple holes the first night in a multi-day trip, I decided to switch to an old-fashioned pad (which is unfortunately much bigger, but I prefer the assurance of it always working).
Other Stuff
Passport and tickets — Never forget!
First-aid kit — Better safe than sorry. I only bother taking this where immediate medical aid would not be possible. Luckily other than some Ibuprofen, I’ve never really needed it as of yet.
Dry bag — Helpful to keep very important things dry in worst-case scenarios.
Plug adapters — Make sure you can charge your electronics at your destination(s) (and make sure the voltage is acceptable; most of the world is on ~230v while North America uses 120v).
Smartphone with wifi capabilities, charger, power bank — Eternally useful, and the power bank helps a lot.
Optional: Camera, small alarm clock — back in the day, I needed these things, but my smartphone has replaced them.
Headlamp, batteries — I have a basic one. You don’t want to be hiking or setting up a tent in the dark.
Lighter — You never know when you need to start a fire, and it adds practically no weight.
Knife (Swiss-army knife) — Super helpful with lots of tools.
Duct tape — Great for emergency repairs. A whole roll is overkill; I wrapped up a meter or so around my pen so I can unroll it from that.
Notebook and pen — Just in case you run out of battery and need to write down something important. My notebook is small enough to fit in my pocket.
Books — I wouldn’t bring more than 1 or 2 since the weight can add up. Nowadays, I actually just use the Kindle app on my phone.
Sunglasses — I always forget them and then it’s blindingly bright at my destination.
Twine/rope — Also great for emergency repairs, hanging up clothes to dry, etc.
General map — You should know where you’re going. I used to take photos of my route on Google Maps. You can also preload maps on most GPS apps. Just be sure you can get to where you want to go.
Backpack rain guard, rain jacket — I used to use an umbrella instead of a rain jacket. Incredibly annoying. And you definitely want a rain guard for your backpack if you’re to keep all your stuff dry.
Small security lock — A lot of hostels have nothing more than a box with a clasp for your lock. Make sure it’s small but effective.
Day pack — When I travel with my huge backpack, it’s nice to have one of those drawstring gym backpacks for walking around in the city.
Clothes
I tend to pack all or most of the following, depending on the conditions of the year and the duration of my trip:
2 shirts, 1 pair of pants, 3 underwear, 3 socks, swimming trunks, bandanna, hat, gloves, jacket
The above is what I lived with in South America for 3 months. I initially had more, but it was heavy and I sent some back home. I had to wash my clothes more often, but it was worth not having to lug around 3 extra pairs of jeans…
Toiletries
I bring the following, and it’s enough for me. Particular hygiene products can be hard to find, so I would recommend bringing these before, especially feminine hygiene products, as I’ve heard some countries just don’t stock what one would expect to normally be able to buy. Remember to follow the 3-1-1 rule if you’re going on an airplane.
Toilet paper, chapstick, shampoo/soap, toothbrush & paste, floss, fingernail clippers, Q-tips, deodorant, brush, razor, bug spray, sun screen, travel towel
Water
I always bring one water bottle with me. I will grab another 1.5 liter water bottle if I am backpacking so I don’t have to filter as often.
Water bottle(s)
Water filter — Mine is from Katadyn. Only necessary for long backpacking trips where you won’t be able to get potable water on a regular basis.
Food
For backpacking, it’s good to go by a calorie-per-day basis. Some websites advocate for 3–4 thousand calories a day if you’re backpacking. I find that I barely go through 2 thousand, though, and I always had a ton of leftovers. It’s better to have too much than too little, but I found that packing 2k per day worked for me. I definitely expend more than 2k, though, so I end up losing some weight, but I could stand to trim my beer belly.
Cooking pot — If you want to cook. I usually don’t bother, as I don’t mind eating cold food for a few days, but a soup can be a nice treat. I only cook if I can make a fire, and I put my pot to the side of it. If you want to guarantee the ability to cook, you will also need to bring a cooking stove of some sort, but I personally don’t find it worth it.
Food container — If you’re in bear country, you have to have something that can be hung in a tree and is odor proof.
Bread (pita/tortillas don’t squish), cheese, peanut butter, nuts/seeds, dried fruits, crackers, Müsli, cereal, energy bars, ramen/soup packets (if cooking is possible, although I’ve eaten ramen packets right out of the package without cooking them—surprisingly filling as it expands in your stomach!)
***
As far as packing, I tend to use a method similar to the following:
I diverge in that I take the tent poles out of my tent and put them on the side of my backpack. I then put the rest of the tent near the top of the backpack, underneath where he put the pad. I like to keep the tent fairly accessible so I can rapidly set up if I need to pitch my tent in bad weather, but I don’t like things bouncing around near the back/bottom of my backpack.