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Natural Born Vagabond™ is a bilingual (English and Polish) site devoted to travel photography and journalism. Here you can find images and articles from our remote travels. The ambition of the creators is to share the best stories with those who crave wilderness and adventure. If you would like to share your opinions or travel stories please contact us via e-mail.

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Packing List

Packing List

Most of the gear featured in the photo above is suitable for mountain treks and fits in one backpack – Compiled by Dominika D. for Natural Born Vagabond™.

  1. Backpack:
    – Currently I use Mammut mountaineering backpack (featured in the picture above). It is good on technical paths, as well for regular travels. Highly recommended for minimalist travellers.
  2. Essentials:
    – Point-and-shoot camera
    – Sunglasses
    – Wristwatch with compass, barometer and altimeter
    – Sketchbook with pen & pencil
    – 2 phones: Smart and basic phones (e.g. iPhone + Nokia (with a good battery)
  3. Emergency food stash:
    – Pack of ramen noodles usually finds a space in my travel bag.
    – Dates are a great source of healthy and long-lasting energy on long treks.
  4. Medical kit:
    – Bacitracin
    – Bandages
    – Vitamin C
    – Multivitamin
    – Panadol
    – Sterile wipes
    – Tiger balm 

  1. Toiletry:
    Aloe gel (aftersun or mosquito bites)
    – Small shampoo sachets
    – Small bottles of shower gel
    – Antiperspirant
    – Moisture refreshing wipes
    – Wind protective cream
    – Toothpaste and toothbrush (small)
  2. Utensils:
    – Metal coffee mug
    – Lighter
    – Matchbox
    – Knife
    – Plastic spoon/fork
    – Thermos (on the photo: Primus Vacuum Bottle)
  3. Essential clothing:
    – Icebreaker underwear  made from marino wool (on the photo: Icebreaker Women’s Bolt Tank).
    – Baseball hat or any hat covering your face from the sun and rain.
  4. 101 mountaineering equipment:
    – Petzl Adjama Climbing Harness
    – Piece of rope
    – Gators
    – Mammut Women’s Pilgrim Jacket
  5. Boots:
    – Choice of shoes depending on the region you go to. (In the photo: La Sportiva Women’s Nepal EVO GTX Boot.)
  6.  Trekking poles
    – My favourite Petzl sticks were travelling with me quite a bit and stayed always on the top of their task.

You may also consider additional elements to your packing list depending on your destination:

  • Swim gear
  • Sleeping bag (I use “cats-meow” from North Face for colder nights)
  • Sleeping mat (thermal mat)
  • Pair of flip flops
  • Energy gels, chocolate bars, sachets of Pocari Sweat, instant coffee & tea
  • CamelBak Antidote Replacement Reservoir
  • Sunscreen
  • Extra batteries
  • Charger and plug converters
  • Memory cards
  • Mosquito repellent and medicine advised for the region you are going to explore

My cameras:

  • DSLR 5D mark II
  • Point-and-shoot Canon G10
  • iPhone 5

Tips: 

Keep one or two extra plastic bags with you; they will be useful to organise stuff in your backpack and keep it tidy on longer trips.

Advice for women: Take a large cotton sari (scarf) with you. You can use it as a cover-up on the plane, a wrap on the beach, a scarf in colder regions or even as a picnic blanket. It dries fast, too, so you will find it useful – e.g. if you have an unexpected bath in a mountain stream! (Excerpt from advice given by Dominika in Time Out Dubai.)