Gear

Choose the right gear for your travels with our handy guide

Breathable, high-wicking, lightweight, waterproof, technical… travel gear’s come on a bit since those tweed-clad Golden Age explorers were hoicking themselves up mountains and hacking their way through cannibal-infested jungles. These days there’s a bewildering array of travel-specific clobber available to suit almost any expedition, from backpacking around India to climbing Kilimanjaro or delving through the Amazon rainforest. But which of it do you really need?

Clearly, it’s a piece-of-string question. Deciding what travel kit to buy and pack will depend on a range of factors, including – but not limited to – the level of challenge of your trip; how long you’ll be gone; how much you can carry; and, naturally, your budget.

It’s tempting to splurge a fortune on every piece of gear labelled ‘travel’ – but before you do, read out tips on ensuring you have the right kit for your adventure.

1. Choose specialist gear for specialist trips. In some circumstances, it’s essential to have the right kit. If you’re trekking, especially at altitude or in adverse weather conditions, you’ll need specialist clobber. In other situations, your choice may be less about technical qualities than simpler factors: on safari, it’s important to choose subtle colours, ideally khakis and browns, but you don’t have to have the latest technical boots. If you’ve booked a tour, you’ll probably receive a kit list – read it!
2. Try before you buy. Yes, read reviews in Wanderlust and elsewhere – but to be sure your kit fits, try it on before splashing out. This is especially important when buying walking boots and backpacks, which really need to fit well right from the off.
3. Make your gear multi-task. You’ll save valuable weight and space in your luggage if you can get one piece of clothing or kit to serve several purposes. For example, choose a lightweight dress or shirt that’ll do for walking safaris AND the ambassador’s ball.
4. Less is more. Keeping weight and bulk to a minimum is vital – even if you’re not going to have to carry your bags yourself. Choose clothing that’s lightweight and packable – fleeces, down jackets, base layers – and remember: you almost certainly don’t need to take as much as you think. Wherever you go, chances are you’ll be able to wash your clothes, or at the very least get used to wearing them for longer than you would at home. And remember that you can buy most essentials wherever you are around the world. So be ruthless: if you’re not sure you’ll need something, you probably won’t – leave it at home.
5. Get smart There are times on most trips when you’ll want to look like a local – or at least not like a scruffbag traveller. Remember than in some of the poorest places you’ll risk showing disrespect if you don’t make an effort – those zip-off trousers aren’t appropriate for every situation. Take at least one outfit – a shirt, trousers or skirt – that you’ll be happy to wear to a nice restaurant. And if it’s also high-wicking, non-crease and quick-drying, so much the better!
6. Don’t assume new is best. For that safari, picking an old green long-sleeved cotton shirt from the back of your wardrobe could be just as good as buying the latest technical shirt. And in many destinations, you can make space for souvenirs by giving your used clothes to a local charity or even people you meet – porters are often particularly grateful for good-quality used fleeces and coats.
7. Know when to spend and when to save. There are times not to cut corners – again, walking boots and backpacks are key examples: get the best you can afford. Same with waterproof jackets, tents, sleeping bags and sleepmats.

Specialist gear

Two prime situations in which you should aim for specialist gear are:

Trekking

• Never skimp on hiking gear – you’ll regret it very quickly! Be sure to get:
• • good, supportive boots (and wear them in before you start your trek)
• • thick wool-blend socks
• • waterproof jacket (and possibly trousers) – ideally a breathable material such as Gore-Tex
• • quick-drying clothes – never jeans
• • layers of lightweight warm clothes – fleeces and if necessary (eg at altitude) down jackets, plus possibly merino baselayers
• • water bottle or, ideally, bladder-based hydration system – it’s easy to dehydrate on the move

• Camping

• For a summer weekend in Britain you’ll probably get away with a cheap tent and sleeping bag; anything more and you’ll need godo-quality kit:
• • strong, easy-pitch tent – and if you’re trekking with it, ensure it’s light
• • suitable sleeping bag – down is light but useless when wet; synthetic fills are more bulky but stay warm when damp
• • sleeping mat – a rollable foam mat will do in warm climates and on soft ground, but consider a self-inflating mat for colder, tougher trips

…and a few key pieces of gear

• • lightweight drybags – organise your kit (and keep dirty or wet clobber away from dry and clean clothes)
• • quick-drying, lightweight travel towel
• • headtorch – whatever else you decide to leave behind, you’ll always be glad you brought a headtorch!
• • alcohol-based antibacterial handwash gel – it won’t definitively stop you getting sick but it does put your mind at rest a little
• • moneybelt – keep it subtle!
• • earplugs – noisy buses, noisy hotel rooms, noisy snorers…

As well as finding reviews of the latest travel gear in Wanderlust, you can get great discounts on top travel kit – see our Hot Offers section