Tremblant Lifestyle

There are lots of stuff you can bring along on your backpacking trip. Remember that you have to carry all of it so think twice before bringing a bulky heavy item. Here are some miscellaneous items I have found useful to bring along:

• Universal bath plug/sink stopper There are plugs which fit a variety of sinks which are very useful when you want to do laundry in your room.
• Water porter A bag designed to carry water bottles, quite handy when you are out on day trips and do not want to carry a backpack around.
• Luggage protection bag To put around your backpack to save it from being damaged while traveling.
• Luggage straps To tie around your backpack to help hold it together.
• Luggage label Attaches to the outside of your luggage and gives your contact details in case your bag gets lost.
• Plastic bags Bags to put around bottles with liquid and also to organize the rest of your stuff. Use white bags without print since some coloured plastic bags tend to rub off colour on other items in your backpack.
• Candy Binoculars Great for spotting wildlife.
• Deck of cards/games To kill time and have fun with people you meet along the way.
• Sewing kit Safety pin Swiss army knife Scissors Backpack Daypack Rubber bands To be used as bookmarks in your guidebook.
• Locks To lock your daypack and backpack.
• Money belt/leg pouch Put the documents/money in a protective plastic case in case the money belt gets wet (e.g. from rain).
• Pen and paper (notebook) The notebook can be used for tracking expenses, collecting e-mails, keeping a journal etc.
• Mask, snorkel and fins For diving or snorkelling.
• Sports equipment Surf board, golf clubs, diving equipment etc.
• Mosquito net Make sure you have a nail or similar to be able to attach the net to the wall or ceiling.
• Wire Used to tie your backpack to your bed or the luggage rack to prevent people from walking away with your bag.
• Camping equipment Tents, stoves etc.
• Knife, fork, spoon, jug, plate If you plan to cook a lot.
• Compass Get a small one which you can keep on you all the time.
• Extra bag to check in An extra bag to store your souvenirs if they do not fit in your backpack. Used to bring home souvenirs you buy during your trip. While traveling this can double as a bag to store dirty clothes.
• Water bottle for the plane These days there are restrictions on what you can bring on board including liquids. You can go through security with an empty bottle and fill it up in the bathroom before boarding though (if the water is drinkable).
• Presents If you plan on visiting people a small gift from your country will be appreciated.

If you are going for a backpacking tour, the first thing you need to consider is that the luggage to be carried should be light. At the same time, you should not be compromising on the essential things that you need to carry. As you will have a single pack on your back, you will want to carry as many things as possible in the limited amount of space available. So, while preparing your backpacking checklist, make sure that you choose the items that are lightweight but serve the same purpose as their heavier counterparts.

While packing your backpack, you will find that one of the items that consumes a lot of space is a towel. However, you can easily avoid carrying bulky towels by switching to light load ones. Whether it is a beach towel or a hand towel, there are lightload towels available that are extremely small in size and can be converted into full size towels when they have to be used. These towels are not only light in weight but also save a lot of space in your suitcase, RV or backpack. You can keep them in your pockets and still have space for your money and keys.

This feature makes them an essential travel accessory for outdoor camping. These towels can also be used as wind scarves, fire starters, bug repellants, insulators, sun blocks, masks and strainers. To deal with emergency situations, people can also include them in their toilet kits, first aid kits, cars, boats, hunting gear, camping equipment or hiking gear. Since you will not need to buy a separate first aid cloth, wind scarf or fire starter when you use a light load towel, you also end up saving a lot of money, space and weight.

Lightload towels are an indispensable part of a backpacking checklist because of their numerous advantages. Some of the major advantages that these towels have over regular cotton towels are:

·                  Lightload towels are more absorbent when compared to cotton towels.

·                  These are the only full size beach towels that can fit easily into a person’s pocket.

·                  These towels can be used to serve more purposes than a traditional cotton towel.

·                  They are very easy to store and consume lesser space than cotton towels.

·                  They can sometimes be bigger than cotton towels.

Because these towels are extremely cost effective and cheap, they can easily be used and thrown away if you do not want to carry the extra burden of a towel once it has been soiled. If you do not want to waste them, you can wash them and reuse them for a number of times. At the end of the trip, you can discard them off so that you do not need to carry back the burden.

You also do not need to worry about drying light load towels because after washing, they dry up very easily and quickly. It is a product which is biodegradable and does break down in the environment rapidly. The towel can also be burned thus you do not need to worry about any after effects, once it is thrown off. All these reasons make light load towels one of the most favorable options that need to be ticked off as you prepare your backpacking checklist.