Do You Know What “Backpacking” Really Means?

Posted by Mike Richard on September 12, 2007
Filed under: Camping, Odds + Ends, Sidelines

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Forum goers over at LonelyPlanet’s ThornTree forums have gotten into a rather heated discussion over the meaning of the term “backpacking”. Who knew there was so much confusion over such a fundamental word in the traveler’s life?

For me, it’s simple: backpacking means traveling cheaply with a backpack. Period. Whether it’s in the middle of the woods, in a hostel in NZ, or at the Quebec Hilton. If you’re essentially living out of your backpack and traveling on the cheap (I realize cheap is a relative term), then your backpacking.

What are your thoughts?

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Vagabondish editor Mike Richard lives in Rhode Island - a small patch of land in the northeastern U.S. He is a professional web designer and travel junkie with an unhealthy addiction to backpacking, camping, hiking and seeing the world. He enjoys knit hats and speaking in the third person.



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Comments

nina
September 12th, 2007 - 2:00 pm

Backpacking for me is pretty much the same as how you define it. It’s really silly how people argue over the “rules” of “proper” backpacking.