If you are like me, you grew up with stories of adventure. Whether you were fans of fictional adventure like Indiana Jones and Alan Quartermain, or you loved the true-life accounts of Ernest Shackleton and David Livingstone, there is a deep pull to venture into the unknown. The desire to abandon the Mon-Fri 9-5 in search of something deeper. You could spend your time thinking about hopping a boat and sailing the seven seas like the pirates of old. You could look up at the elusive peak of a mountain and believe it begs to be summited. You could stare into the depths of a jungle and wonder what treasures it hides beneath its canopy. No matter what kind of adventurer you are, you need to be prepared for whatever the world throws at you. I have climbed Salkantay Peak and explored the jungles of Peru. I have scanned the plains of Africa in search of a giant cat (the prospect of which was much more comforting than the actual sighting and wondering if I was far enough away). And I have disappeared into the secluded areas of Svalbard. One thing that remained constant was the need for the right pack.
Here is what I learned when packing for my adventures.
Moisture and temperature management
One of the things you will hear over and over and over and over (is that too many overs? Getting the idea?) is layering. When I spent three weeks in Peru, I had a nightmare packing. I had to go from freezing my ass off at the summit of Salkantay Mountain (6,271 meters) to dying of humidity trekking through the jungles of the Amazon River, and finally struggling through the day heat and the night winds of the Peruvian Desert. It didn’t need to be difficult if I only remembered the art of layering. Why is it important? Because each layer has an important job and you can adapt to whatever situation you face.
Here is what each layer does:
- Base layer – pulls sweat away from the body and keeps you dry. Think tees and performance wear.
- Mid-layer – traps body heat between it and the base layer, keeping you warm. Button-ups, sweaters, and pullovers.
- Outer layer – Guards against harsh winds and rain/snow, protecting you from the elements. Coats and jackets.
If you keep this in mind, you all of a sudden don’t feel like you have to pack for every single day, temperature, or environment. You have what you need no matter what comes along.
Fabrics and breathability
Just stacking clothing isn’t the only thing to consider when we start talking about layering. You also need to think about the fabrics. Like anything else, natural is better than synthetic. So when you start looking at the clothing you need to pack, focus on wool, linen, silk, cotton, hemp, cashmere, and leather. These will not only hold up better than anything else, but they will breathe as well as insulate. There is a reason animals evolved with them; they work. Trust mother nature. I will always do a merino wool shirt against my body to wick the sweat, a cotton, linen, or silk mid-layer to regulate my temperature, and a leather or cashmere outer layer to block the elements. When you pack these fabrics, there ceases to be a reason to pack more.
It’s all about the shoes
I wear a size 13. That is the main reason packing for three weeks was a pain in the ass. I felt the need to have a different pair of shoes for each environment and each adventure. You know what that does? It meant that I had two check-in bags; one of them was just shoes. Yeah, I felt like an adventure Carrie Bradshaw. Don’t do that. Instead, you need two pairs of shoes. One for the day adventure and one for the nighttime luxury, if you’re going to do that sort of thing. And wear the bulky one on the plane. For me, I actually ended up wearing the same shoe on every adventure in Peru, then again in Norway, then again in Africa.
The Merrell Moab Speed 2 ended up being the only shoe I wore, whether I was in the mountains, the desert, or the jungle. They were light enough to be comfortable and durable enough that I didn’t need to pack all the boots and sneakers anyway. Find yourself a pair of shoes that work this way for you so you can save space on packing.
The right bags
First things first: tour operators are the best. Especially if it is your first time in the country. There is no reason to jump into a country for an off-the-beaten-path adventure blindly. A tour like the ones I took with Up Norway or Abercrombie & Kent will make things stress-free and more likely to help you get what you want out of the venture. Now, once you have done that, you can find ways to do things on your own, with a little more familiarity with the locations and customs. Why do I bring that up now? Because they will oftentimes have weight limits or specific instructions on bags to bring. If they don’t, or if you are going on your own, then there are two I always tell people to take. A large backpack, like a rucksack, and a duffle. Ditch the laptop bags and hardshell carry-ons. The laptops and cameras can go in a sleeve and tucked in whichever is your personal item, and these make it easier for the people handling bags on your long-distance hikes or mountain treks. If you can swing everything you need in the duffle, stick to that and get used to the weight.
There is a big, beautiful world out there and it deserves your attention. Ditch the luxury resorts and lying by the pool and push yourself to try new things. The kinds of things that exceed your comfort zone. But do it smartly, and pack the way experts like Shackleton and Livingston did. Focus on what you’re doing, seeing, and experiencing, don’t stress about what you’re wearing.
