Old backpack, new backpack
_____
[2010]
I weighed my backpack about a week ago and it weighed 56 pounds. It is a North Face backpack. My friends bought it for me at a garage sale in Jackson, Wyoming in October of 2006; they paid 50 bucks. It has a lot of duct tape and gorilla tape on it. In 2009 I voted gorilla tape my Most Valuable Player.
This is what I carry in my backpack:
1 summer sleeping bag
1 Coleman winter sleeping bag (rated at 10 degrees F)
1 two-man tent
1 Muleskins winter coat
1 Cabelas hooded sweat shirt
1 pair Billabong shorts
1 insulated flannel shirt
An extra baseball cap
1 compact pillow
1 roll toilet paper
1 package Bic shavers
2 stocking caps (1 full mask)
1 pair winter gloves
1 Duracell flashlight/radio. (This is one of the best things ever given to me on the road. You don’t need batteries; there is a handle you use to wind it up and recharge it. This Canadian Army veteran of Afghanistan picked me up outside of Lolo, Montana and gave me a ride to Lolo Pass. He said the flashlight was brand new. He was from Alberta, Canada.)
2 water bottles (1 liter each)
1 can opener
1 pair reading glasses
1 watch
Shaving kit
2 Bic lighters
Ear warmers
Leatherman all-purpose tool
Various articles of clothing (socks, underwear, etc.)
1 compact King James Bible
A Mead folder that holds:
A road atlas
A pocket-sized daily planner/calendar for 2010
3 pens
A 100-page notebook
A folder that holds some photocopies (11 pages) of Milton and the English Revolution by Christopher Hill
A copy of my seven-year contract with PublishAmerica
1 spoon
[Originally published by Digihitch.com]
[The title of this post is a play on the title of a book written by Tim O’Brien: The Things They Carried, a novel about the Vietnam War. We studied Tim O’Brien’s book in an English Literature class at Iowa State University; Dr. Neil Nakadate was the professor.]
The Things They Carried
easthackney
Hitchhiker and backpack in western Wyoming, 2011
The Road 
I have wondered what you carry in your pack. That seems to be quite a heavy load though.
I think my backpack averages around 55 pounds–I may have carried 60-pound loads several times. I have heard of people carrying 80-pound loads. After a while you get used to it–but I don’t want to carry things that I don’t need. I am no longer carrying my two-man tent.
Excellent, I will take note for my first hitchhiking adventure in one months time. 1000 miles to Budapest from London.
mdbcollectives: Here is another article you may want to read:
“Backpacker’s Checklist”
http://hitchhikershandbook.com/2013/07/02/backpackers-checklist-what-to-take-and-how-to-pack-light-for-a-trip/
I also carry photocopies of ideas I need. I have a few pages of Steven Pressfield’s “The War of Art,” and Thomas Merton’s “Seven Storey Mountian.” Thanks for sharing your link on my blog today!
Paige
Paige: I remember reading some of your blog a long time ago. It was good to read some more of your posts today. Safe travels.
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