Depends on progress tier and where to.

* Food, of course.
* Materials for a fort. Workbench for repairs.
* Portal, cause duh (fort materials, resupply, rest, etc)
* Workbench and Stonebench. (stone is better then wood, duh).


* Materials for forge bench (metals bench).
I do this for swamps and mountain so I can craft gear on the field and put it to use rather then waiting to get back. This also saves TONS of room to hauling it all to ship and back to base. I'll kick a damn kart down the mountain if i got a lot to haul back. Also, take silver back with you, but really for butcher table (which you dont butcher anything on... you do that in a pot, of course).

Enough for forge tiers to get most upgrades. Of course this requires the strength belt to haul +1-2 tiers of materials with you (Don't take things you can bring through the portal unless for shack/fort - protect that portal). So at least 2 iron and 6 copper. 2 bronze should also be easy, but the additional 10 copper without the belt probably isnt happening (dont forget that portal). For mountain it is nice to find an old fort to rip and rebuild how you want (free stone).

Mountain is also really great at getting stone and more so when you can let it all roll down the hill to collect then haul back to portal. Unless you are at the top, but you can always put down another portal easily.

Of course, leaving portals in different biomes. Forest has trader, so i just do that. Swamps for bloods/chains/guck/ancient wood. Mountain mostly for rock and crystals. Mistlands kind of changes much of any of these needs.

I tend to build main base in the plains. Perhaps i will now do just a farm and build in mistlands instead (NO MORE FRAKING WINDS SCREAMING IN THE DAMN EARS 24/7). I would still bring benches out to mistlands to craft gear asap.