I think we need a little more info...what kind of car...or maybe a motorcycle? Anyone besides yourself? Time and place of planned vacation (this really impacts the wardrobe situation).

My family has been tent-camping for years, and I know it took at least a half dozen long weekends and week-long trips (when we began our adventure) to get our equipment list right...if there is a family involved, I don't think I would try two weeks right at the start (unless I was in a campground, with a hardware store/Walmart within 30 miles)...and I was a girl scout with a great deal of camping experience for ten years.

Again...more information would be helpful to make appropriate recommendations....

LOL...

Well, if yer planning on taking along all the stuff you mentioned, i'd think you would need some kind of push or pull cart to haul all of it! Your back will only hold so much stuff, and not all that you mentioned!
And, yes, you need hiking boots! Good leather hiking boots! Tenners will have yer feet so sore by noon, you'll be back at yer car, or whatever transportation you're using!
I don't know how the thieves would treat yer stuff in Europe, but it is fairly safe in the U.S., if you stay in a regular campground, but out in the woods is another story!
("Ach, du leiber, look at der nize stuff sombody left here in der voods!") or: (Gee, Paw, look at the nice canvas pig pen! We kin use it fer the sow to sleep in now!")
And, remember that old Mexican bit of wisdom! "Don't drink zee water!" Take some water purification tablets and use them, if yer gonna drink out of a crick!
Check with Cabela's! They have lots of things for camping! And they sell it for real money, too!
Rustyj

that's a big list big of items.

i wouldn't count on any internet connections in most places around the world. chances are you'll be better off stopping at an internet cafe rather than relying on your own laptop. still, if you must take it then you should bump up your internal harddrive as high as you can. if you're going to be traveling i think you should look into compressing any movies you'd like to watch into DIVX. that way you can get a whole movie for under a gig. it's a bit of work & you'll sacrifice some quality, but much better than carrying a bunch of dvds. you should also convert all your music to AAC using itunes (free download from apple). it's a smaller compression than MP3 with comparable sound quality. don't expect on any power source except for the sun and even that can be compromised. even if you do find an outlet at a campsite, chances are you'll still need a voltage converter depending on what country you're in.

boots are a must. if you're planning on hiking, your sneakers will give out on rougher trails. it's the first thing on my list of important things to take camping. as i usually say, if your feet hurt, then the trip is over. as far as clothes, always dress in layers. a wicking underwear (like capilene), light layer (not cotton), fleece layer, jacket insulator (like a down or fleece jacket) & waterproof shell (goretex preferably). if you get a northface jacket, their fleece & down jackets will zip into their shells. i'd stay away from cotton clothes if you're planning on some crazy temperatures & weather. cotton draws your body core temperature when it gets wet & dries slowly, causing hypothermia. it happens pretty frequently on our hill. people bundle their children up in cotton sweatshirts only to find their kids shivering because their sweat & melted snow from playing soaks into their clothes & draws their core temperature. capilene, polyester fleece, wool and silk are good.

you're going to need both your gps & a map + compass. a gps can fail (batteries, tree cover, drop & break) and it is useless unless you've loaded it with maps of the area you're hiking in. otherwise it'll tell you your utm, but what good is that if there's no map to plot it to.

water is always a concern. i like the msr miox water purifier. it's small & runs on salt + batteries. salt is everywhere. the batteries you're gonna have to pack. always carry a lexan nalgene bottle so that you can treat your own water. the reason i like the miox is you can treat lots of water & it kills things your iodine & bleach won't kill like chryptosporidium.

your other questions are a matter of personal preference. weight of your pack, distance of hiking & time it takes are all up to your physical condition.

safety is also a matter of where you're traveling. look into pelican cases for safe storage for electronics & fragile things.

what to leave behind, i'd leave the laptop behind. it's a heavy item that needs protecting from all your aspects of travel (weather, theft, packing abuse & power). if your cell phone is gsm compatible & your carrier has international roaming, you may be able to use it for internet access instead of your laptop outside the country. mine worked in london & alaska. you're gonna have to check with your carrier. a pda might be an alternative. hell, even the sony psp in addition to games, you can surf the web wirelessly, listen to MP4 AAC music & play MP4 movies with the newest 2.0 system update. i'd leave the binoculars home too. carry a monocular if you must or just use your camera zoom.

for international travel you're really going to have to pare down your gear to the essentials. i'd forego all the electric gear except for a digital camera.

you should also look into joining the international hostel association. it's cheap & they have a good list of hostels you can stay at in all parts of the world. i've had some rotten experiences with "non-affiliated" hostels.

i'd also get a rolling duffle bag that can convert to a backpack. i've got eagle creek cross country wheeled duffle 36. northface has the rolling thunder and patagonia has the freightliner. all are good choices. it can store a month's worth of travel & camping gear if you pack wisely. the wheels are nice through the city & the straps allow you to carry it on your back, great for the countryside. if you plan on only camping, then maybe just pack your backpack as your luggage + one carryon.

look into gear that can be used outside the country. a multifuel stove would be great since white gas is impossible to find outside the us. try to have all your electronic gear use the same batteries. carrying multiple sizes or even trying to find a "D" cell in asia is a pain. my pelican m6 led flashlight and the msr miox water purifier both use lithium cr123 cells. the cr123 cells are also lighter & smaller than AA batteries & last 7x longer than alkaline and are readily available in europe.

have fun!

Thanks very much for the replies

to answer some questions: I have a car, but am not sure about bringing it - especially for the longer tour - though I might use it initially for the smaller ones.. I would be going on my own as a solo trip and I've reasonably fit.

I have a sony PDA - and might take that instead - although from what is said, charging might be an issue (Except when I've got my car!)

I'm from the UK, so some of the US stuff - I'm not sure I fully understand.

Another question is - I want to avoid air travel (Feels a bit like 'cheating') so what are everyones experiences on sea/rail/bus travel?

Additionally - what kind of boots are best to buy (I accept from what you've said I need them!) - and how long should they be worn in before you plan to use them on real treks and what kind of distance would you expect to cover in a day on foot?

Would, in some ways, be a shame to leave the laptop - but then again I didn't miss technology when I was in Greece for nearly a year - so I can see where you're coming from..

a car? that should give you some extra space & allow you to take some extra gear. where are you planning on traveling?

as far as boots, i'm not sure what kind of camping stores you have in the uk, otherwise i'd tell you to go to rei. i guess you should start off by visiting your local camping gear store & see what's available. vasque & asolo are usually pretty good, although you're going to need to try them out firsthand.

your sony pda should be fine. how long are you planning on traveling. usually your pda's battery should last for a few weeks.

if your sony pda is a newer model, it should be wi-fi enabled so you can see if you can jump onto the internet from any hotspot. not sure how europe is setup for wi-fi.

good luck traveling!

Also - what is a reasonable distance to start walking per day and what could you bring it up to? And what is an 'average' speed (For working out travel times / distances)

Pack 27 to 31 kg in a back pack (small sand bags work great). Start hiking with it until you can easily pack it the distance of around 40 km a day without problems in temps of 26 to 30 c.

Man I miss Ft Cambell KY humping 60 lb packs up and down the rolling hills for 20 miles a day. Heart Break, Misery My two favorite hills. Time wise. 20 miles in 6 to 7 hours..

Thanks I'll try that!

I'm from the UK though - so I've no idea what a kg or a kilometre is - time for the conversion tool methinks to change them to lbs and miles!

Go to a camping/outdoor stoor and ask someone for help, most places are more than willing to help. You need good leather hiking boots that are waterproof (some have goretex on them). Tennis shoes will be toast within a week. They get wet too easily and they are not enough support to carry a heavy load. Wet feet are not good. You need very light sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and tent, every ounce will count when traveling. Get a little backpackers stove. You'll need a good flashlight, extra batteries, first aid kit is also a must.

you'll need warm clothes that are not cotton. Probably one or two long sleeves, one or two t-shirts. Definitely get some rain gear; jacket, pants, hat. Get good socks and break in your boots before your trip. If you get any blisters you will be miserable. Search online for "the 10 essentials". It's a list of must-haves while backpacking. There are lots of great books out there that lay everything out for you, I highly suggest you should get one.