The Perfect Packing List

If you know me, you know I am passionate about packing. I love it. I get such a kick out of fitting as much as I can into a bag like it's a game of Tetris. Another boring fact about me is that I have been making detailed packing lists since I was a teenager going on family holidays, with the items organised on an excel sheet with a different list depending on the climate and duration of the trip.

It's hard to know when you're initially setting out on a long trip what you're going to need and how much of it. With each backpacking trip my bag got smaller and smaller and I was told the same stuff that gets you through one month will get you through 6 (and beyond). I'm going to tell you all the things that came in handy from clothes to medications as well as the things that should've been left at home *cough* *cough* hair straightener (I know). So let's get packing!

Bag Size

80L, 40L, 20L backpacks and fanny pack

My 20L backpack and fanny pack have been everywhere with me. If I have a checked in bag my 20L acts as a 'cabin bag' with my fanny pack being my 'personal item' however in recent trips I have managed to take my 40L as a 'cabin bag' and 20L as my 'personal item'. In this case I usually put my fanny pack inside my 20L to avoid fussy airport staff but usually manage to get away with it around my waist alongside the other 2 bags.

On my first couple of trips I had an 80L backpack but due to its size I had to check it in at the airport which added to flight costs. You can see from the picture above that when packed, the bag was bigger than me and quite heavy to trek around between destinations, however as these were my first trips I went with a bigger bag to make sure I had everything I needed and then some. With my first 80L I could only access my stuff from the top which meant taking everything out if I wanted to get something from the bottom, so on my second trip I bought an 80L that had a zip all the way around the main compartment so I could access my stuff more easily. On my most recent trip I decided to downsize to a bag I could pass off as a cabin bag to avoid extra charges and through my research found that a 40L was the largest size that would do the trick. Due to time constraints I had to opt for a bag with top access only, but it wasn't too bad as after a month you get used to putting things in the same place so I wasn't rummaging around as much as I thought and this bag also had a lot of small compartments on the lid and sides which made organising my stuff a lot easier. I have met people who can do a year long trip on a 20L backpack alone but I'm not quite there...and don't think I'll ever be.

Fanny Pack

The key essentials I need access to or want to always keep safe close to me:

• *Passport (the pouch on the back is best for this, I also keep some cash in there)

• Phone (the front pouch is specifically for this)

• Purse containing my card, ID and some cash

• Power bank and charger cable

• Lip balm

*I only keep my passport on me when necessary, otherwise it is locked away safely.

20L Backpack

Things I want to keep on me in case my main bag gets checked in

• 500ml Water bottle

• Universal travel adapter

• GoPro with underwater housing

• Rain jacket (secured under bungee cord)

• Journal and pen

• Sunglasses with case and croakies

• Hand sanitiser

• Headphones

• Head lamp (optional)

• Big and small padlock (needed to lock my stuff in lockers at hostels as they usually charge for padlocks or don't have any to hand out)

40L+ Backpack

The rest of my stuff. Believe me when I say I fit all of this into that bag and this wasn't even everything!

• Trainers - preferably waterproof

• Flip flops

• Tote bag & laundry bag

• Miscellaneous pouch: Epilator with charger & adapter, toothbrush charger, extra hairbands, nail clippers, nail file, tweezers, silicone hairbrush & exfoliator

• Hoodie

• One 'nice' dress

• 2 long sleeve tops (one is a sun shirt)

• A bunch of cute small vest tops

• Sports bras

• T-shirts

• 3 long trousers - joggers for the cold, leggings for comfort and elephant pants for the mosquitos

• Underwear (I packed loads and stuffed as many as I could into one of the side compartments)

• Socks (Stuffed them all in the other side compartment)

• Bikinis

• Shorts

• Thermal top and bottoms, hat and gloves (useful for cold or mountainous areas)

• Microfibre towel (most hostels don't provide a towel, so I use this as my bath towel because it dries quickly so I can pack it)

• Beach towel

• Tampon pouch: tampons (not everywhere sells them), panty liners, disposal bags

• 100ml starter pack: Body wash, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, sun cream and bug spray (I top up or buy bigger ones during the trip)

• Rechargeable toothbrush

• Medicine pouch: Toothpaste, floss, Immodium (for diarrhoea), extra lip balms, paracetamol, cetirizine (for allergies), plasters, after bite, Strepsils (for sore throats) & altitude sickness tablets

Hindsight Is A Wonderful Thing

Trainers should probably be swapped out for walking boots unless you have space to pack a pair. In Central America I got lucky as the weather was always good and if it did rain, it was light, so I was fine with just my running trainers, so I didn't think twice when packing for South America then learnt the hard way that that wasn't the best thing to do. There was a rain storm in Buenos Aires and my trainers were soaked through and I ended up at the airport the next morning in wet socks and shoes on a 2 hour flight to Patagonia. I spent the afternoon using a hair dryer to dry my shoes as I needed them for hikes over the following days, and then closer to the peaks of some of those hikes, I had to walk through sludge and snow so my shoes were wet again. I had to deal with this again in Colombia during the Ciudad Perdida Trek as every afternoon for 4 days straight there was torrential rain so my shoes and socks never dried and I was genuinely worried I would get trench foot. Get some proper waterproof trainers or walking boots!

Having my own headlamp came in handy on overnight or multi day tours and expeditions as most operators do not provide one and they're really useful for when you need to walk around at night or for example, your hike takes longer than expected and you're reaching your campsite or accommodation after dark. You can use your phone torch however this is difficult to manoeuvre when you're trying to pee in the dark.

In terms of toiletries, during my early trips I would take bigger bottles however everywhere you go there will be a shop or supermarket that sells them so it's easier to pick stuff up along the way, as and when you need them, instead of trying to create space in your bag for them. It's also usually cheaper abroad so if you end up having to leave it behind it's not a big deal. Some hostels provide shampoo, conditioner and body wash so on my most recent trip I only took 100ml worth of each in case I was somewhere that didn't provide any. The only thing I struggled to find sometimes was tampons due to cultural differences or depending on how rural a place was so its best to take some from home just in case.

Pack clothes that don't need to be ironed and take things you don't mind getting wrecked. I roll all my clothes to get them to fit in my backpack and they're all ready to wear as soon as I unroll them. A lot of people like packing cubes but I've never felt like I needed them. Usually when I send my clothes for laundry 99% of the time it comes back completely fine but there has a been a handful of times where something comes out with sludge marks you can't remove or goes missing and with all the packing and repacking as you move around, it's easy to lose or forget something so I wouldn't recommend taking your shiny new expensive top that's hand wash only. If you decide to do some shopping on your trip, it's easier to let go of clothes you're not as attached to and if they are still in good condition, consider passing them onto hostel staff or asking them where your clothes can be donated.

A lot of people like to take their laptops or tablets with them as it makes planning and booking things as you go easier, however I did not take either of these and was fine using my phone to do everything. I felt like I barely had time to be on my laptop and did not want to carry the extra weight or worry about another important item.

That's A Wrap

Hopefully this has helped you narrow down your packing list or consider things you hadn't before. Although some destinations can call for more specific items, this is a general overview on how I pack for any trip to be prepared for the most common weather conditions and activities I imagine I'll be doing.

Happy packing!