What You Need to Take a Backpacking

First, you must forget the scare about taking this or that essential for fear that if left behind it could not be bought abroad...Many products are recommended in the packing list, but abroad are cheaper.
You should remember: The happiest traveler is who can fit their bag/pack under the seat of a bus or take it as hand luggage on a flight. You can have everthing into a 30-40 litre pack in order to travel with freedom and happiness.

"everything is essential, only some things more than others"

Following, we suggests a list of travel in order to obtain the best ratio size/weight, but this list is not designed to cover every situation or circumstance and the destination is a relevant factor.

Essential Clothing: Is the best to buy in the developed countries (Argentina and Chile). The essential clothing should be made by outdoor companies.

• No more than two T-Shirts or similar. One of these could be a nicer moisture wicking polyester/dry-flo type or similar. Depending for the destination, it can be a polo shirt, that offers sun, mosquito and cold environments protection.
  
• If you are going somewhere cooler, you should take a jacket (wool and leather jacket with frontal zip are the best). If you will have a long trip through many regions over many months, then don't worrie by packing many clothing, you can buy in the route.
• Two pair of pants. One should be such you can wash and dry overnight, with internal secure pockets. For the second pants, the material shoul be havier, especially if you expect cool weather.
• The underwear is a complicated topic. Everyone have their own hygiene standars. The underwear should be very easy to wash, comfortable in a hot climate and extremely fast drying. Remeber, you can buy in the route.
• No more than three/four pairs of socks. There are many technical socks on the market.

Footwear:

• Low cut trail running shoes are perfect for trekking and cooler weather. This is the best kind of footwear fot the trips for its low weight and high efficiency.
  
• The hikking boots are quite heavy and bulky to carry, but this kind of shoes can be useful in trkking in cool mountainous regions with difficult terrain.
• Light flip-flops, type sandals, are lightweight but are not good for walking long distances. This type of footwear are perfect for a hot weather/beach.

Other Essentials:

• Trek-type towel: Some special towel absorb around 800% of theur wight. This product can be small, so you must select your size...if you have long hair, you may need two or more towels.
• Umbrella: a light compact. You can buy the useful and cheap plastic ponchos.
• Knife, fork and spoon: a light kit. In big cities, the food can be expensive, then, you must cooking. In the big cities the market plentiful, so, plastic bowl can also be quite useful, as it can be used to eat cereal in.
• Swiss army (Leatherman): this have a can-opener, corkscrew and bottle opene.
• Medical kit: Lip salve, something for a sore throat, condoms, antiseptic cream, laxative, diarrhoea blocker, hydrocortisona cream and pain killers.
• Whas kit: shampoo, toothpaste, antiperspirant and a toothbrush + razor.
• Sun block cream.

The ESSENTIAL

• Some cards with your name, address and e-mail to give a new friends.
• Compass with a map...you can not get lost.
• Student ID. You can get deals.
• Credir card. You could need ather funds.
• International driving permit.
• Certificate of all vaccinations.
• PASSPORT
• plastic bags with zip lock and money bags.
• Photocopies of everything important (passport, traveller cheque numbers, etc).