Heading to Oz in 3 weeks... what do i need to bring!!

tubbult

Ok people, im off round the world (OZ/NZ/Asia) for a year in 3 weeks and since im a backpacking virgin i would appreciate some help. I will be landing in Oz first (Cairns) and plan to spend about 7 months travelling down the East coast before i go to NZ and then Asia.

My biggest concern is what to pack in my rucksack!! Everyone keeps saying travel light, but how light is light!?

Would appreciate if anyone cud gimme a quick list of essentials, or what not to bring!!

Thanks in advance

spurious

Light is as light as you can get it.
Pack what you think you'll need, then put it on your back and walk a couple of miles with it. Then think how much of the stuff you really need.

Personally I would say - 3-4 tee shirts, 3-4 light trousers/shorts/3-4 sets of underwear - one smartish non-iron shirt in case you need to go somewhere a bit posher and a couple of light shirts to wear over the T shirt if it gets cool. One pair of black trousers - if not already in your 3/4 trousers.
One light roll up jacket or sweatshirt for night time.
Anything else, buy out there. NZ has a great place called The Warehouse that sells all sorts of clothes at very cheap prices - I'm sure Australia will have similar. When you're backpacking, no-one's really bothered about what you're wearing so don't go spending money on name brands.

Everywhere you go will have laundrettes, particularly if you're hostelling - they all have them.

Make a photocopy of all important documents and pack them seperately from the originals. Plastic bags are good for all sorts of reasons so bring a few of them. Sealable document bags are good too.

Glowing

Seven months on the east coast of Oz is a long time, do you plan on working? Travelling there for me cost a fortune, consider cutting that short and spending the extra time in Asia .... much better value for money! And a lot more fun in my opinion.

Anyway! Don't bring jeans what ever you do! Always handy to have a light weight fleece for evenings/aircon! Bring cheap penny's stuff cos in a few months, they'll be too threadbare to wear

Are you a guy or a girl btw?

tubbult

^^ thanks for the info Spurious

Glowing wrote:

Seven months on the east coast of Oz is a long time, do you plan on working? Travelling there for me cost a fortune, consider cutting that short and spending the extra time in Asia .... much better value for money! And a lot more fun in my opinion.

Anyway! Don't bring jeans what ever you do! Always handy to have a light weight fleece for evenings/aircon! Bring cheap penny's stuff cos in a few months, they'll be too threadbare to wear

Are you a guy or a girl btw?

Prolly gonna do Cairns to Sydney in about 2 months max id say and yeah i plan on working once i get down to Sydney/Melbourne to kinda stop dipping into the travel funds. Funnily enough i just bought some shorts/light-weight combats in Pennys this morning Great stuff and so cheap!!

Im a guy btw.

Thanks for the help

tywy

This is a great website! - http://travelindependent.info/whattopack.htm

So useful!

Hopefully it will help.

smithy1981

And a jar of Helmens mayonnaise. Their stuff tastes ****e

tubbult

^^ Thanks for the extra info!! Appreciate it!!

And yeah, Mayo rocks!!

Glowing

smithy1981 wrote:

And a jar of Helmens mayonnaise. Their stuff tastes ****e

OH I second that!! The amount of crap jars of Mayo I threw out could have fed a small country. Their stuff is gross!!!!

Edit: Actually, something I found INVALUABLE especially in Asia was a silk sleeping bag liner. Don't be tempted to go for a cheaper cotton one, the silk ones are light as a feather, hygenic (will never smell), and you can wash and dry them in minutes. I found them great for hostels where the sheets weren't the cleanest, or in the hostels in Oz where the aircon could give you frostbite especially at night time. They're surprisingly warm in the cold but keep you cool in the heat as they are breathable. They cost about 40 euro in an outdoor shop and are worth every penny in my opinion. They also protect you from mozzie bites!

lady_j

Glowing wrote:

Edit: Actually, something I found INVALUABLE especially in Asia was a silk sleeping bag liner. Don't be tempted to go for a cheaper cotton one, the silk ones are light as a feather, hygenic (will never smell), and you can wash and dry them in minutes. I found them great for hostels where the sheets weren't the cleanest, or in the hostels in Oz where the aircon could give you frostbite especially at night time. They're surprisingly warm in the cold but keep you cool in the heat as they are breathable. They cost about 40 euro in an outdoor shop and are worth every penny in my opinion. They also protect you from mozzie bites!

Totally agree but got them nice and cheap of this site! http://www.jagbags.co.nz/products.htm