Living out of a backpack is no joke.
When I was packing for the Race, I was overwhelmed trying to believe that the few items that I had narrowly selected to pack would hold me over for almost an entire year. Eleven months of wearing the same five outfits, sleeping on a sleeping pad that’s basically a pool floaty, and always having to pack and unpack my bags every few weeks. What was I getting myself into!?!
But there’s something remarkable that you find after living out of a backpack after an extended amount of time. Once you get used to it, there’s a thrill in knowing that your entire life can fit in one bag on your back without a problem. And even though there are many comforts from home that you can’t bring but wish you could, you start to learn some of the ways to cheat the system. Certain small items that can make traveling the world, and living out of a backpack, easy and freeing and sometimes even (dare I say it?) comfortable.
These 11 things are mostly items that I picked up before leaving on the World Race, but there were also a few items that I grabbed while traveling overseas. Over and over, these items have saved my life and made some of the more frustrating aspects of traveling remarkably comfortable. Some of these things were recommended to me by past Racers, but some things were also special finds that I’d be thrilled to recommend to anyone planning to travel with their life in a backpack.
1. Small Backpack
All World Racers carry with them their giant backpack as well as a small day pack. This day pack can be a normal sized backpack (30 liters or less usually), which carries smaller items – books, electronics, small items for easy access during a travel day – but most often, people don’t think to bring a smaller, more portable backpack along for the trip.
I didn’t see anybody recommend this item on the blogs I read before the Race, so I got lucky that I even got one of these. This one was a special, last-minute, Jesus-inspired purchase. I was strolling through TJ Maxx two days before launching, and I found this little black backpack in the travel section at the back of the store. It was super lightweight, big enough to carry my laptop, but small enough to fold into itself and clip to my big day pack. I didn’t know if I’d ever use it, but I figured it could come in handy in case I ever ran out of room in my day pack. And MAN, am I glad I bought this!!
Having a small backpack (or, for ladies, a Kavu or a purse) like this one has come in handy hundreds of times on the Race. Whether that was to carry my laptop and charger to a coffee shop for Wifi, or to carry sunscreen and a towel to the beach, or even during travel days when I want an extra bag to carry a smaller selection of items (snacks especially) so I can store the bigger backpack in the overhead compartment. My big daypack is often stuffed to the brim with items, so it’s a HUGE relief to not have to dump all those items out in order to carry one or two things around for the day. It’s also nice to have in case my other bags get overstuffed and I need to disperse items into this third backpack (which, luckily, doesn’t count as a real carry-on when flying). Buying a small backpack for the Race or for any traveling you might do will be one of the best purchases you make, guaranteed.
2. Sleeping Bag Liner
This one was recommended to me by World Race Alumni, and GLORY DAYS am I glad I got one of these. My sleeping bag liner is one of my favorite things I’ve used on the Race. Throughout this past year, I’ve pulled it out hundreds of times, whether for the times I’m sleeping on my mattress pad, or sleeping somewhere with no provided sheets, or even on a travel day to wear on the bus! This sleeping bag liner acts like a sleeping bag, but really feels more like a sheet. And since I’ve been in predominately hot countries, this liner has been the perfect temperature for almost any situation!
What I love about mine is how comfortable it is. Mine is cotton and is super stretchy, and works so well in different climates. When I’m using it on an airplane and it’s cold, this thin sheet actually keeps me quite warm. When I’m sleeping on my mattress in Cambodia in 100 degree weather, this liner helps me feel like I can still use a sheet without getting too sweaty. It’s also super convenient to use, because it is very easy to roll up small to fit into a daypack. I sent my sleeping bag home at the end of Month 4, because my liner was just enough for me for the rest of the Race.
3. Compressible Pillow
I bought the Sea to Summit compressible pillow on the recommendation of many other Racers, and it’s one of my favorite things I’ve had for the Race. I’ve been sleeping on it every night since Month 1, and it’s still very plush! It’s extremely comfortable, especially for a pillow that is compressible and meant for travel, because it feels like a real pillow! It’s super soft, and stays pretty firm throughout the night so it doesn’t flatten down by morning. The foam on the inside compresses down really tight, so it rolls up tightly to make travel easier.
Some Racers try to save space in their packs by buying a small, blow-up travel pillow. I’d highly recommend avoiding that, and getting this pillow instead. Many of my teammates bought the inflatable pillows and very quickly regretted it due to their discomfort. I have never had an issue with mine, and even carry it with me on travel days to use in place of a travel pillow! I’d also highly recommend getting the Extra Large – it’s not so big that I can’t fit it in my pack, but it’s big enough that it really feels like a normal pillow.
4. External Storage
Traveling the world is really exciting, truthfully. Those first long bus rides I mostly spent looking out the window and watching parts of the world I’d never seen before pass by. But now that I’m 8 months into this trip, and the magic of world traveling has started to fade, I’ve needed something else to keep me entertained on those long 36 hour bus rides. Initially, I wasn’t planning on bringing an external hard drive on the Race because I planned on storing my photos on an online Cloud storage (which came free with the purchase of my mini-laptop, pictured below). But at the last minute, my Dad gave me his external hard drive for the trip, and I very soon after was glad he did.
I don’t store my photos on the external hard drive, but I do store a lot of movies, TV shows, and pictures from home that I can’t store on my computer. With 220 GB, I have over 100 movies that have been passed around between squad members for the sake of having something to do on long travel days. I mean, when we’re talking about a 36 hour travel day, reading a book doesn’t quite do it! Flash drives are also helpful in storing movies and pictures, while also being helpful for transferring things to other peoples’ computers. You’ll also be without wifi at most ministry sites you go to, so you’ll want movies and TV shows to watch on your off time, or even for a team time movie night. I highly recommend that you get an external hard drive before traveling, so that you can stock up on entertainment options for those times when you miss home, and nothing will bring you the comfort of home quite like an episode of “Friends”. Just make sure that you don’t let it distract you from ministry!
5. Hammock
Here’s another optional recommendation from past Racers, but one that I would highly recommend to anyone traveling or going on the Race – ESPECIALLY for those who plan to tent in hot places. Good gracious, some places we’ve been to get so hot at night, sleeping in a tent is just impossible (no airflow + humidity = DEATH). So thank God for my hammock, which is super easy to hang up between two trees (or even two posts), and allows for a more comfortable sleeping experience! My month in Nicaragua was made significantly better by my hammock, which provided a getaway oasis for me to rest and have my time with the Lord under two palm trees.
Hammocks pack pretty small, and are a lot of fun to take places, like the beach or the a local park. Hammocks are also decently comfortable to sleep in (I use my sleeping bag liner and pillow when I sleep in my hammock overnight), provided that you don’t get rained on! Some of my teammates have rain flys and bug nets specifically made for hammocks (Eno brand), which I do wish I had thought to buy. To be honest, I’ve only used my hammock two out of the past eight months, but for the times I used it, I was so unbelievably grateful I did!
6. Fitted sheets
This one sounds a little ridiculous, but bear with me (I swear I’m not THAT boujee). When I was packing for the Race, I thought about dropping this from my pack, but I soon came to find that it made my sleeping experience so much nicer! I have a blue cotton fitted sheet that I used on my bed in college that I now use to cover my sleeping pad. It gives the feel of sleeping on a literal mattress instead of on a pool floaty. Yes, my sleeping pad is very comfortable, but having a sheet on the mattress gives it a whole new level of comfort.
It’s also nice to have a sheet to sleep on, because sleeping on the kind of material sleeping pads are made of can make you get sweaty easily in warm climates. Sleeping on a fitted sheet makes it feel a lot cooler, and if it gets sweaty, I can simply wash it! I also brought my pillowcase from home to use on my pillow, which not only gives me the feel of sleeping on my pillow from home, but also helps keep the pillow from getting dirty or smelly! It’s kind of a small convenience to have, but once you get to Month 8 of the Race, you’ll be glad you have that small comfort of (almost) sleeping in your bed at home!
7. Flannel Shirt
There’s a lot I could say as far as clothing for travel, but one thing I’m grateful I bought for myself (during Month 2) was a long sleeve button down shirt. In preparing for a route that would visit all hot countries, I didn’t think too much about bringing clothing for cool weather. But then I bought this flannel at a thrift store in Nicaragua, and I haven’t regretted it since.
Yes, most countries I’ve been to have been crazy hot. However, this flannel shirt still gets used every month when our team travels to the next country. Every travel day, I make sure to wear this shirt, knowing that even if it’s a million degrees outside, it can still get pretty cold on the bus when the A/C is on blast. I’ve been so grateful to have long sleeves while I sleep on the bus or the plane, and even when the weather in the country we visit gets cooler, it’s nice to be able to throw this shirt onto my current outfit, and remove it whenever it warms up again. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s comfortable and easy to throw on or take off at any time. The travel flannel is a common Race hack of most Racers, and is definitely hugely appreciated for the times I’ve used mine.
8. Journals
On the Race, you go through a LOT emotionally, spiritually, and physically. This trip is not just a vacation, but a journey. It’s a trip that tests everything you know about God, life, and even yourself. And so, in the midst of many radical seasons while traveling the World, I’ve been so grateful to have had a journal to help me process my thoughts in a healthy way. Alongside my Bible (which was too obvious of a choice of make this list), I’ve been able to document some big seasons of change and growth in my last year that I still today go back to for perspective and wisdom.
Having a journal allows you to document your Race in a way that pictures won’t do justice. It allows you to keep your thoughts in one place, and to process your experiences day by day. And even better yet, at the end of the trip, it’s evidence for you to tangibly that you really have changed. It’s fun for me to go back to my journals from Month 1 and read just how I viewed things then in comparison to now. Some days, I don’t feel like I’m any different than I was when I left the States, but thankfully my journals help me remember.
If you’re not a huge fan of journaling, I still recommend getting a journal and trying it out on your trip. Even if you don’t end up loving it, writing a little check-in every couple of days can be a hugely impactful piece of memorabilia at the end of your trip. Even ten years down the road, you’ll be glad you did.
9. Sleeping Mask
I hardcore judged myself when I bought one for the Race. I didn’t want people to look at me and think I was some pampered princess who needed their beauty sleep. Well, WHO THE HECK CARES. I absolutely LOVE having a sleeping mask, especially for travel days when the bus driver doesn’t turn the lights off on the bus, or when I’m sleeping in an airport, or when my teammates are still up and about but I’m trying to sleep, or when I’m trying not to wake up to the morning sun shining on me at 5:00am.
I also bought a sleeping mask that came with ear plugs. And MAN, when you put that mask on and those ear plugs in, you are in your own little world. The third world can be a noisy place in the mornings, and so I’m grateful to say that I’ve still yet to wake up to the incessant crowing of a rooster at 4 am thanks to my earplugs. Sleep is sacred on the Race, and is not always easy to come by, but with a sleeping mask and earplugs, anywhere be the perfect place to sleep. Having a sleeping mask with earplugs has helped me stay asleep in places that I probably would never have been able to fall asleep. And believe me, that’s a beautiful thing when you can sleep a solid, uninterrupted eight hours on the floor of a busy airport.
10. Hangers
Hangers? Really?
Yes. Here me out. This sounds like a really excessive and unnecessary thing to bring, but I can’t tell you how grateful I’ve been to have bought a couple of these on this trip. I bought about five of them during Month 2 so that I could hang up my button down Church shirts, thinking I’d likely toss them by the end of the month, but I’m now at the end of Month 8 and am still using them! They’ve been incredibly convenient in not only helping my button down shirts stay (relatively) unwrinkly, but also in allowing me to have something to hang a towel or clothing on when I need to take a shower in a super gross and sketchy bathroom.
Hangers sound like clutter, but really, they fit so easily between items in my pack without taking almost any room. They’re also super easy to replace in each country, so if you need to throw yours away every month, it’s worth it to buy more when you get to your next ministry site. When I’m living somewhere that has nowhere for me to hang my hangers, I often tie my paracord to something in my room to hang the hangers on. It’s super easy to do, and allows me to show up to Church services and give the illusion to the congregation that I’m not a dirty hippie who wears only 5 shirts and lives out of a backpack.
11. Chacos
It’s a World Race rite of passage to come home from ministry with a hardcore Chaco tan line on your feet. Why? Because almost all Racers start out the Race with a pair. Yes, they’re pretty pricey shoes, but for the experience of wearing them over 11 months on the field, they’re more than worth the price. I had never worn Chacos before the Race, but I was so glad I bought them for my trip, as I’ve worn them more than any other pair of shoes I own. They’re super durable, meaning that the sole is as good as any pair of tennis shoes you could bring on the Race – perfect for walking long distances, hiking, and even swimming! And, believe it or not, they actually look kind of nice when you wear them to church!
I bought the extra soft sole ones, and I’m really glad I did. They’re very squishy, and I’ve noticed a difference in the way my feet feel after a long day of walking in them. I can go all day wearing Chacos, whereas I can only walk around for 2-3 hours in normal flip flops. They offer great support and stay on really well, even for high activity like playing sports or running! The pair I bought had the toe strap, which honestly was a hassle to use because it made it harder to put the shoes on, so I tightened that strap up so that now my foot rests on that strap and I only use the other straps.
Some people on my squad use alternatives to Chacos, like Crocs or Rainbows or Keens, but honestly, Chacos are worth the extra cost for their durability, comfort, and look. Just make sure you wash them regularly, because that Chaco stank starts early, and it’s not the most fun to get used to…
If you’re planning on going on the World Race (or are thinking of doing an upcoming backpacking trip), and want some more tips on what to pack, please comment below and I will try to respond back! There’s a lot of things that Alumni Racers recommended to me before my Race that I now rarely use, and then there’s lots of things I own that I’m so grateful I bought on a whim. No two Races are the same, and your needs will likely be different than mine. But in the midst of your packing, I hope that you know that traveling the world and living out of a backpack can only be as comfortable as you make it.
Enjoy the rugged life. It sucks sometimes. But at the end of it, you’ll be grateful for it all.
