Today was one of the most important days of any trip : the packing day !
Yaaaay !
I’m not sure anybody likes packing. I’m always afraid of forgetting this-very-imporatant-thing. For a long term trip, I look at every item and think “hey, couldn’t this be useful ?” – and then “hey, is this really THAT useful considering I’ll carry it for 6 MONTHS !?”. Especially for a trip such as Ludi Vojago, considering I also have to carry some rather unusual (and somehow heavy) stuff. So, how am I organized ?
The big backpack : here goes the heavy stuff
The main backpack is a 70+10L “Forclaz” from Decathlon. It is an old friend of mine, as I did almost all my trips with it.
It is also a heavy friend. Some travellers prefer 60 or even 40/50L backpacks to carry things as they are lighter, which counts a lot in these kind of trips. Also, 70L is an overkill for most trips as most usual things can fin into a decently-packed 50L. If you take more, it is probably unnecessary things.
…unless it’s a bunch of board games. You can see them in the bottom part of the backpack. I carry 12 games. Most of them are obviourly quite light (especially Tête de linotte and Pile poil) but bags tend to fill rather fast.
Plus, I’m carrying this.
So I believe this big backpack isn’t actually THAT big !
What’s inside the bag ? It’s rather usual actually : a sleeping bag, a mattress, a small pillow (this is actually luxury…), a survival blanket, a lock, a gourd (I dislike plastic bottles), some stuff to write, a mug, a knife, a fork, a small plate, a tupperware (if I manage to cook something – lots of money saved here !)…
The small bag for the clothes
This is a technique I’ve learnt from fellow travellers such as Ludovic Hubler (who hitchhiked around the world during 5 years and also created Travel with a mission) : carrying a second, small backpack in front of you. This lighter bag is used to carry light things such as clothes, as well as some things you’re glad you can access easily (i.e. my camera).
I’m taking a rather large amount of clothes to my tastes, but I prefer carrying more clothes and be absolutely sure of being CLEAN for my workshops for obvious reasons. I’m taking 2 T-shirts, 2 shirts, 2 trousers, 1 bermuda, 6 pants, 5 socks + 1 pair of heavy socks + 1 pair of Merinos socks, 1 light sweater, 1 swimsuit and my trusty heavy rainjacket (with a large sweater included).
What about extra material ?
I obviously can’t carry material for my whole trip. Fortunately, I have a very lovely and helpful mother back home who is eager to send me material packs during my trip. So I prepared some small packages ready to be sent, so I’m sure to have the right amount of material at every moment.
Work in progress (this picture misses the WINK games)
Ludi Vojago 