Small light weight backpack

A small light-weight backpack is the first item you will need to purchase (or maybe borrow) when you are starting out backpacking and camping.

If you only plan on sleeping in Youth Hostels or backpackers' places, then you can probably do without the camping tent. But you'll usually need a sleeping bag.

Some hostels provide blankets and pillows, some don't. But I am going with the assumption here that you will be doing a bit of walking carrying your possessions with you, and you'll be sleeping out in a tent or other portable shelter for some if not all of your nights sleep while you're having your adventure.

Small and lightweight is good in a backpack because it's you carrying that weight... not some hotel porter. The downside is that you won't be able to carry a great deal of weight or bulk inside that small bag of yours. Without magical properties of being able to force a gallon into a pint pot, you are going to have to be knowledgeable and disciplined about what you fit into your small, light weight backpack — unless you have the luxury of being able to tote more than one bag with you.

Travelling light with a backpack is rather like going on an overseas vacation and flying with just your hand-carry luggage. It means you can't take much with you at all, but it is faster and easier getting around. On a plane, you get on and off quickly, and when hiking and backpacking, you can travel more miles without becoming exhausted. For the camper and hiker, this means you'll use a really lightweight shelter — such as a small tent, a camping flysheet /tarp or even a camping hammock. You'll also pick a smaller and lighter sleeping bag, and you'll go bare minimum with other items such as clothing choices, cooking and eating utensils, toilet kit and so on.

Lightweight or ultralight campers have been known to do extraordinary things to save weight and bulk, such as cutting down the handle of their plastic toothbrush and getting by with just a spoon, a metal cup and a pocket knife as their eating utensils... No knife, fork and spoon and no separate mug, plate and bowl like regular campers!

If ultra light camping is not your style, you may prefer to take two backpacks by having a main pack and a smaller day pack that can be zipped together or taken apart. The reasoning here is that you can hump the two packs together when you're actually walking to your destination - be it a campsite or a hostel. Then, once you're unpacked and settled in, you can leave the main pack and most of your belongings in your room or your tent, and walk around for the day using the smaller backpack — the day pack — with just a few "must-have" items in it, such as a drink bottle, some snacks or lunch, and a sweater or a rain coat.

Some heavy stuff can come with you for comfort, but it stays at your temporary "home" instead of at your real home, the place where you live when you're not away on a backpacking holiday.

Next let's look at an example of a one man light weight backpacking tent.