What Not to Pack for Backpacking: 17 Things People Regret Carrying
The easiest way to make a backpacking trip better is to carry less. These are the items experienced travelers keep ditching after one painful trip.
Overpacking feels smart at home and stupid on day three.
You imagine downtime for journaling, full skincare routines, backup shoes, backup backup shoes. Then you’re dragging extra weight up hostel stairs and paying overweight baggage fees for stuff you never touched.
A recent Reddit thread asked people for the most unnecessary thing they packed. The answers were painfully consistent. Here’s the practical version.
1) Full-size books
Romantic idea. Brutal in a real backpack.
If you read every night, bring one paperback and swap it at hostels/bookstores. Otherwise use an e-reader or your phone app and move on.
2) More than one pair of “nice” shoes
You need:
- one reliable walking shoe
- one light secondary option (sandals/packable flats)
That’s it for most trips. Extra pairs become dead weight fast.
3) Too many clothes “just in case”
A common beginner loadout is 10+ tops and 4+ pants for a two-week trip. You do not need that.
For most climates: 4-6 tops, 2 bottoms, 1 layer, 1 rain shell, socks/underwear rotation. Do laundry weekly.
4) Heavy camera kit you don’t actually use
If you’re not specifically traveling to shoot, a modern phone is enough for most people.
One body + one lens can make sense. A full kit with tripod, filters, drone batteries, and chargers usually doesn’t.
5) Big towel
Packable microfiber towel only. Full cotton bath towels dry slowly, smell weird, and eat bag space.
6) Giant toiletry setup
No one needs seven full-size bottles for a backpacking route.
Use solids/travel sizes. Refill on the road. Most cities have pharmacies that are better stocked than your “emergency” bag anyway.
7) Multiple power adapters without checking voltage
Bring one good universal adapter and one compact power strip if you carry many devices.
Check your device voltage before you leave. Don’t bring random hardware you’ll never use.
8) Laptop when you won’t work
Be honest. If you’re not editing, coding, or working, skip it.
A tablet or phone with a folding keyboard covers most travel admin.
9) Too many “safety” gadgets
Door alarm, hidden pouch, decoy wallet, lock for every zipper, giant anti-theft sling, money belt, slash-proof everything.
Basic street awareness and simple habits beat gadget paranoia.
10) Fancy travel organizer sets
The eight-piece packing cube bundles look good online. Most people use two cubes and ignore the rest.
Buy the pieces you actually need, not the whole bundle.
11) Full first-aid clinic
Bring essentials you know you’ll use: personal meds, pain relief, blister patches, a few bandages.
Don’t pack a field hospital unless you’re going somewhere remote.
12) Extra “backup” daypack
Your main bag + one packable tote/sling is enough for most travelers.
Two separate daypacks is usually duplicate gear.
13) Hair tools that need converters
Big curling irons and non-dual-voltage tools are frequent casualties.
Either bring dual-voltage gear or keep it simple on the road.
14) Too many snacks from home
Bring a few for flight/transit day. Then buy local.
Carrying a week of bars through three airports is pointless.
15) Bulky travel pillow
For flights, maybe. For overland backpacking, most people stop using it quickly.
A packable inflatable pillow or folded hoodie does the job.
16) Full-size tripod
Unless photography is the core mission, it’s overkill.
Mini tripod or no tripod is the reality for most trips.
17) “I might need this” duplicates
Second flashlight. Third charging cable. Spare notebook. Backup bottle. Backup lock.
That sentence kills pack weight: “I might need this.”
Use this rule instead: if the item is cheap and easy to replace in a city, don’t carry a duplicate.
A fast pre-trip filter (use this before packing)
For each item, ask:
- Will I use this at least twice a week?
- Can I buy this within 24 hours at my destination?
- Does this solve a high-impact problem if something goes wrong?
If the answers are no / yes / no, leave it.
The boring truth that makes trips better
Lighter bag = better trip.
You walk farther. You stress less. You stop negotiating with your own shoulders every time you move cities.
If you’re unsure, do one test: pack everything, then remove 20% before departure. You probably won’t miss a thing.
Inspired by recurring packing-regret discussions in r/backpacking, especially: “What’s the most unnecessary thing you packed on a trip?”