When you are traveling as a family, trying to travel with only backpacks may seem impossible. The many items that you think your family needs can become overwhelming. But it is possible! We are minimalist backpackers even with a family of 6. Our backpacking in Europe packing list includes only what we found to be completely essential in our backpacking trip. it you are up for the challenge, and if you are reading this post hopefully you are, then we will help guide you along the way.
We believe in packing simple and minimalist in order to make our loads as light as possible. This is because we love minimalist family travel.
We went to Europe twice with four kids – once when our youngest was 3 months old – and again when he was 6. We found that backpacking was doable at both stages, we just had to shift our mindset in what we packed based off the ages of our kids.
The minimalist philosophy starts with, “How much space do I have?”. And then as I fill my space, “How will I use this item throughout my trip?”
Choosing the Right Backpack Setup
Choosing the right backpack for when you go backpacking in Europe may seem like an easy task, but there are many kinds of backpacks. Which one is best for you may not be the best for someone else. What is good for you would obviously be wrong for a toddler. Here are our thoughts and recommendations for when it comes to backpacks down to what sizes we think are good for different ages.
Backpacking with a big family means you have adults with backpacks and kids with backpacks. More space to fill! Our youngest could carry a backpack around the age of 5, but when walking any distance, dad had to carry it for him.
Backpacking when our youngest was 3 months old added quite a lot of extra gear for one of the adults, and some helpful children, to carry.
Parents can carry their own stuff plus the extra gear you might need dependent on your activities while in Europe. For us, this meant mom and dad each got a tent and two sleeping bags. The younger children did not have to carry their sleeping bags in their backpacks. It was a load we felt we could handle carrying for them as their backpacks were smaller. We also had larger 50-liter backpacking backpacks capable of handling the extra space.
Check out one of our favorite style 50-liter backpack here.
Teens and older kids (for us that means 10+) can carry their own clothes + one sleeping bag. Our children also carried several miscellaneous items for the family such as small notebooks, paper, colored pencils. But items were still lightweight. Their backpacks were 40-liter.
Check out one of our favorite style 40-liter backpack here.
Younger children (ages 5-9) carry only their clothes and a few small toys (cars or potentially rocks, because they are little kids) Their backpacks were 20-liter. The key to the young kids’ backpacks is to keep them as light as possible. They will give up much faster on carrying their own items when they become heavy. That is why we felt it helpful to carry their sleeping bags. A trade off of weight for attitude!
Clothing Essentials
Clothes can be a tricky topic. We know that some of you may like to have many different outfits for all different occasions. When you are backpacking, think minimalist. Know that everything you bring will be carried on your back the entire time. If another shirt is worth the weight, go for it, but the list below is what we’ve determined it the best weight for comfort ratio.
Just know that everything you bring, you carry. What seems light now will feel heavy when the kids are complaining and you are carrying your bag...and theirs. So, mind your weight and decide what you REALLY need.
This list is for each person of the family and is designed in such a way that each person should be able to carry their own weight. In each category below we opted for sportier quick dry material. This material tends to smell less, dry quicker after washing, and folds smaller.
Shirts/Shorts – Whatever the length of the trip (whether it be 1 week or 1 month), we stick with 4 shirts and 4 shorts. We have found through many backpacking trips that more than 4 is just a waste of space.
Long-sleeve Shirt – One long-sleeve shirt. Europe in the summertime can range from very hot to very cold, so we found this to be a must. A long-sleeve shirt can be worn on it’s own or be layered on top of a short-sleeve shirt, as well as layered with a sweatshirt. It is an essential for a trip with changes in temperature like you find as you backpack across Europe.
Pants – We all brought one pair of pants/jeans. They were only worn sporadically as we were traveling through Eastern Europe as most days were warm unless we were in the mountains. We did put on the pants to sleep several nights with our pajamas to layer as we were camping and it was cold.
Sweatshirt/Jacket – We brought the sweatshirts specifically for warmth. We did not worry about rain jackets because we brought six tiny ponchos for the rain. The sweatshirts were zippered for quick on and off and could tie around waists if needed.
Swimsuit – One swimsuit per person is a must because you never know what you’ll end up doing on your trip and they will come in handy.
Underwear – One place I don’t skimp. Bring a lot. Especially if your kids are young. Accidents happen. Enough said.
Footwear – In our family, the rule is flip flops only. We are minimalists. No socks are needed for flip flops, they make for an easy on and off, and they are so easy to replace.
That said, if your family is not a flip flop family, I strongly recommend sticking with the one pair of shoes rule. Shoes are bulky and take up way too much space in a backpack when you don’t have space.
We do all carry one pair of warm fuzzy socks. Europe can be cold in the summertime – we even played in snow in Romania’s Transfagarasan Highway – and the warm fuzzy socks could be put on with the flip flops or worn afterwards to warm our feet back up. We also wore them every night camping as the temperature drops.
CLOTHING ESSENTIALS
4 Shirts
4 Shorts
1 Long sleeve shirt
1 Pants
1 Jacket or Sweatshirt
1 Pair socks
1 Swimsuit
7 Underwear (they are small)
1 Pair of flip flops or tennis shoes
Toiletries and Hygiene
We are going minimalist again in this category, as we know that items can be purchased along the way. But when you are creating your backpacking in Europe packing list know that you can buy most all extra toiletries you need in grocery stores or pharmacies on your trip if you encounter unexpected needs.
We have a simple three items in this category – deodorant, toothbrushes, hairbrush. The girls share one hairbrush, saves on space and weight and works just fine. Mom carries all the family’s toothbrushes because kids always lose this item or get them dirty somehow. Buy a small toothpaste when you land in your destination, place it in a ziplock bag with all the family’s toothbrushes, and voila! Toiletries done.
TOILETRIES ESSENTIALS
Deodorant
Toothbrush
Hairbrush
Ziplock to prevent a mess
Travel Documents and Money
One of the essentials you can’t get away from in your backpacking in Europe packing list is passports. Carrying around multiple passports can be overwhelming sometimes, but it’s non-negotiable. So, we just recommend keeping them as close to your body as you can at all times.
Money is also important. We visited multiple places in Eastern Europe where you needed cash – you couldn’t pay with credit card – even our accommodations! We carried Euros in cash, tucked away, that we could bring out to exchange in countries that didn’t take Euros.
Do not keep all your cash in one place. Spreading it around is the safest option.
Besides passports and money, we also brought our international driver’s license, credit card, and health insurance cards.
TRAVEL ESSENTIALS
Money in Euro
Credit Card
Driver's license if you intend to rent vehicle ever
Health Insurance Card (or picture of digital card)
Kid-Specific Gear
Kid-specific gear is only necessary on your packing list if you are traveling with an infant or toddler. Once our children were preschoolers, they had the same items as our other children.
For transport – we recommend a baby carrier over a stroller. Many places to visit in Europe are cobblestone or uneven surfaces and it’s just easier to have the baby in a baby carrier. They are also much more portable and can be packed away in a backpack when not being used.
We have used an umbrella stroller in Europe, and even with the uneven surfaces, it was very useful with four small children. But we just had to carry it sometimes. This just became an extra item during airplane, bus, and train travel. We find the carrier much more enjoyable of an experience.
In regard to toys – We tell our kids that they can bring three small items and to remember that they are going to be playing with these toys for many hours, so make sure you bring toys you love. Usually these are small matchbox cars.
Our youngest is notorious for trying to squish in a large stuffed animal into his backpack at the last second before we leave for a trip. So, we have just asked him to trade out the big one for a tiny one (and choose one he’s not so attached to so it’s ok if when he loses it!).
Activity books and colored pencils are a must-have for any of our trips. We spend many hours with our young children going through activity books. I work ahead of time to find books that will have something to do with the trip we are taking. A backpacking trip in Europe always includes lots of time on the train and the bus. Activity books help while away those hours.
When backpacking with babies, diapers are a must-carry item throughout your backpacking trip. On our trip to Europe with babies, we knew we could buy diapers in each place we visited. We kept the number of diapers we carried with us to a bare minimum. We carried about 2 days’ worth of diapers and stocked up before we ran out along the way. No point in carrying too many around at all times.
Backpacking tip – roll diapers and wrap with small hair ties or rubber bands to keep them compact.
KID SPECIFIC ESSENTIALS
Baby carrier or stroller (lean toward baby carrier)
3 small toys per child (they must be willing to carry)
Activity book and colored pencils
Diapers
Health and Safety
With four kids, we do get the occasional bumps and bruises, so a simple salve in mom’s purse works well for that. We also keep a few band aids tucked away in one of the pockets of the purse as well.
Any other health needs can be found in a pharmacy along the way. And if it can’t be found in a pharmacy…should probably be heading to the doctor!
HEALTH AND SAFETY ESSENTIALS
Salve
Band Aids
Electronics and Entertainment
As with everything else, as a family, when we backpack, we are very minimalist with our electronics. Mom and Dad have a phone and share one power cord. Really having only one phone is needed when backpacking as a family. We had two with us out of habit from daily life, and we found that this was not needed at all. It added stress of keeping track of both of the valuables when the functionality of one was all we needed.
Once the kids learn how to read, they get a kindle. All kindles that have the same cord is a bonus so you can share a cord and take turns charging. Since we have them on airplane mode all of the time unless changing out books, it saves power, and they rarely need to be charged.
That is all the technology we brought with us.
Along with being a reading family, we also love to play games. When backpacking, you need to think small. We took with us three games. A set of 6 dice and some papers (we could play Yahtzee and Farkle this way), and our two favorite card games – Set and Phase10. These could be distributed to whichever backpack was lightest. They were also easily move between people for different legs of the trip.
Between the books on kindle and the few, small games, our family was able to easily handle long travel days. Less is more and kids always find ways to entertain themselves. As can the adults! You can always swap out the games for the ones your family enjoys, but we found these are good family staples that can be played on the go well.
ELECTRONICS AND ENTERTAINMENT ESSENTIALS
1 Phone
1 Charger
Kindle
3 Small Games
Food and Snacks
We start our backpacking trips with just some small dried fruit, granola bars, or nuts. These are just simple small snacks that wards off hunger until we can get to a grocery store along the way. They are packed in mom’s purse for easy access.
However we do pack a good number of items to help save money along the way when it comes to food for a big family.
Chip clips: to keep unfinished snacks
Ziplock bags: to put leftover snacks inside to keep
Rubber bands: to keep unfinished snacks (and other uses besides food)
Spoons and bowls: this makes shopping from the grocery store much easier along the way, so you don’t always have to buy full meals at restaurants. We took small plastic kids bowls for all 6 of us that stack easily, as well as 6 reusable plastic spoons.
FOOD ESSENTIALS
Snacks
Chip clips
Ziplock bags
Rubber bands
Spoon for each person
Bowl for each person
Sleep Set Up
One backpacking trip to Europe we chose to camp and one we did not. If you plan to sleep in any kind of accommodation at night, you do not need to pack any sleep essentials. But for our backpacking in Europe packing list this section is important!
If you do not plan to camp you may find room for another pair of socks or two! Camping gear takes up a good chunk of your space, but it saves you bundles of money when backpacking in Europe.
If you are camping, you will need at least one tent that fits in a backpack and one sleeping bag per member of your family.
Dad carried a tarp to use while camping. It was used under a tent at night to help with rain and pulled out during the day as a clean place to sit and eat.
We chose to take two smaller tents that fit inside our 50L backpacks (one for mom and one for dad). Mom and Dad each carried 2 sleeping bags, so the younger two children didn’t need to carry them. Then the two older children carried their own sleeping bags.
SLEEP ESSENTIALS FOR CAMPING
1 Sleeping Bag per person
1 Tent that fits family (who prefer two smaller tents, so they fit inside packs better)
1 Tarp
Extras You’ll Be Glad You Packed
When you are packing minimalist, you want to just say no to certain items, but sometimes you need to think instead – how can I make this smaller to fit this in?
Going to Europe, I felt like we should take towels with us. But normal towels are bulky! So, we bought some thin, lightweight, quick dry, small (39cmx55cm) towels. See the size comparison below!
Each person added one to their backpack. The towels were used for a variety of uses throughout the backpacking trip and they ended up being useful for extra warmth when we went camping in the mountains. In the past some of have simply used shirts instead of towels, but these small towels were a good addition.
The other extra I throw into my backpack is rain ponchos. These are tiny and six ponchos can fit snug in a small pocket of my backpack and weigh very little. In the event of a huge rainstorm, these plastic ponchos can fit over children and their backpacks easily.
They have been helpful on a few occasions.
I bring some other miscellaneous items that are small but save us in all the emergencies throughout our trip backpacking as a family in Europe. I carry them in my purse for easy access. These include paper clips, binder clips, safety pins, twine, and lots and lots of toilet paper or tissues or napkins. I also kept the wet wipes from the airplane trips.
All of these items take up very little space, but they saved us on many occasions. Binder clips have fixed flip flops until a replacement can be found, so has twine. Paper clips for holding backpacks shut, toilet paper for…you can probably guess.
Final Tips
As you pack, remember your goal: lightweight and minimalist. As you are walking across a town to get to the train station two weeks into your travels, your back will thank you!
And last, remember that there are shops wherever you go! If you forget something, you can buy it later! In the end, there is one important item that can’t get left behind. Make sure to ask yourself: “Do I have the passports?”
With that, we hope that this simple backpacking in Europe packing list for families has given you a good start on becoming prepared for your trip.