Sandy details our packing and training strategy for this summer’s Trekking the Planet Europe journey.
As we plan another long-term adventure, I am struck by the fact that trip preparation is never the same. For example, traveling around the world for 14 months, while trekking in 12 different locations, had its own set of special requirements for packing and gear. Everyday weight was not an issue, as we used rolling duffel bags (carrying lightweight backpacks inside). But we needed to be versatile with a variety of hiking conditions, ranging from guided treks to carrying our own gear for up to a week. We were fortunate on that trip to be able to leave our rolling duffels at hotels while trekking, picking them up when we returned.
Two years ago, when we hiked 1,828 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, we needed to focus on our pack weight. Many days we trekked over 20 miles with elevation gains of at least 4,000 feet. Even with our commitment to light equipment, we did not go “ultralight” enough. This was a major factor in our decision to stop hiking 4 ½ months into our journey, after I lost 40 pounds. (Read our lessons learned from that hike.)
Our newest Trekking the Planet adventure requires us to take a different approach. While we plan to hike more than 500 miles in Europe, we will also travel by train and bus and spend time in cities and towns. Unlike our recent journeys, we will not be doing any camping. Instead, we will be staying in hotels, B&Bs, guest houses and huts. So we will not need a stove, tent or sleeping bag. The other unique thing about our upcoming trip is that we will be walking point to point on each hike. Therefore, we can’t leave anything behind to be picked up afterward.
The Right Backpack Makes the Hiker
With the trekking we have scheduled in Europe, the most important packing consideration is our backpacks. After our experiences on the PCT, Darren and I wanted to make it a priority to carry lightweight items going forward. This led to the purchase of new ultralight 58-liter backpacks and sleeping bags. We used them on the overnight backpacking hikes we took on our TTP NPS trip last year, culminating in our four-night trek in Isle Royale National Park.
We are happy with these new backpacks, but we soon realized that they wouldn’t fit the needs of our upcoming trip. First, the backpacks are too big to be carried on planes. In addition, we wanted to travel light as we carry our bags on numerous trains, buses and subways. Finally, we wanted packs that looked more like luggage when we were off the trail. There are several great hybrid backpack / luggage brands on the market, and we settled on the Osprey 40-liter Farpoint pack (for men) and Fairview pack (for women).
These backpacks can be carried on flights and still have enough capacity for our needs. They are fully functional packs, with substantial hip belt and shoulder straps, which can be zipped away when traveling on a train or bus. Not only does the Osprey look like a duffel bag when the straps are hidden, but its main compartment zips all the way open, allowing gear to be accessed easily. Most importantly, the Farpoint / Fairview each weigh only about a pound more than our ultralight backpacks.
Backpack with straps; backpack straps zipped up
For this journey, we decided to set a backpack base weight goal (our gear minus food and water) of about 15 pounds for each of us. For reference, our base weight at the start of the PCT was between 22 to 24 pounds each. One advantage of our Europe trip is that we will only need to carry 1 to 2 liters of water (using collapsible water bottles) and, at the most, two lunches and snacks at a time. This is because of the number of shops and restaurants generally found along the trails we will be hiking. Several times on the PCT we each had to carry as much as 7 liters of water (1 liter weighs about 2.2 pounds) and up to 8 days of food. During those times our packs weighed close to 50 pounds!
Clothing Considerations
Even at our goal of 15 pounds each, there are still some tough decisions to make. One is around clothes. We can expect all types of temperatures in Europe, ranging from the 90s in Spain and Italy to potential freezing weather and rain / snow in the Swiss Alpine Passes. So we need appropriate clothes and rain gear. We each invested in lighter weight rain jackets and pants that we can also use for future backpacking trips.
It is hard to travel for an extended period of time without some variety of clothes. Well, maybe more difficult for me, because Darren seems to be quite happy wearing the same thing every day. My strategy is to get by with one set of hiking clothes, which I will try to wash out every couple of days in a hotel room sink. I plan to bring two other pairs of similar pants, one black and the other charcoal gray, and as many coordinating tops as I can (given our weight constraints).
I have become a big believer in wool underwear and socks, so will be relying on those. Again, by being able to wash things every couple of days, I can get by with less than I would have taken on prior trips. Shoes are another weighty item. We will each have just two types. One pair of shoes for trekking and walking around town, and a pair of sandals for wearing after a day of hiking and in warmer weather conditions.
Sandy’s gear; items packed in the backpack
Staying in Touch
When we traveled on our TTP RTW adventure, we each brought a laptop on the 424-day journey. Darren did video post processing on his, and I organized photos and wrote stories on mine. We also each had a camera. Now, six years later, we primarily use our phones (Samsung Note 4s) for taking pictures and video. In addition, we both own tablets, which we took on our National Parks trip last year.
With our weight considerations this year, we have had lengthy discussions about whether to also bring tablets on this journey. I like the larger screen for writing and choosing photos for stories. It certainly makes video post-production much easier as well. However, a tablet weighs well over a pound. At this point, Darren decided that he can make do with just his phone, as he did much of his video processing on it last year. I probably won’t make a final decision on bringing a tablet until just before we leave. In either case I just bought a 6.5 ounce portable keyboard which I can pair, via Bluetooth, with either my phone or tablet. It should make it much easier to write posts on the road. In fact, I used the keyboard to write the first draft of this story on my tablet.
Since our phones are unlocked, Darren will be using a Netherlands-based SIM card for his connectivity in Europe. For 20 Euros a month he will get 6 GB of data. Conversely, I will buy an international plan through my carrier (AT&T). The plan will give me 1 GB of data a month, unlimited texting and inexpensive calling. The hope is that at least one of us will have service, so we can post updates from the road. We also booked accommodations with free WiFi and plan to utilize it most nights.
No matter our mode of travel, phones need charging. And it just seems that there are never enough outlets (or time) to keep them fully powered. This year, we invested in the latest quick charge cords and wall charger, to hopefully decrease the time needed to totally charge our phones. A new portable battery charger will also serve as a backup if needed. Finally, we bought 128 GB thumb drives and cables that we can connect to our phones, allowing us to offload (and backup) our photos and videos as we travel.
A Journey of 500 Miles Begins with a Single (Training) Step…
With our packing (mostly) complete, we are now focusing on our fitness. We are fortunate that our scheduled hikes will be progressively more challenging as we travel. So our training plan has been to get in good overall shape to be on our feet for 6 to 8 hours a day as we begin the Camino Portugues. We have been doing some walking, running and gym work with weight lifting, treadmills and stair stepper machines. I am also taking long walks with about 15 pounds of water bottles in a day pack to simulate carrying weight.
Recently, we filled our new backpacks with the gear that we plan to bring and embarked on two training hikes. Take a look below at a video from one of our excursions.
With just a few days to go before we leave home, we are greatly anticipating what we will see and experience during our treks. Stay tuned for our Trekking the Planet Europe updates from the trail!
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