Our Ultimate Packing List

Our Ultimate Long-Term Travel Packing List

After a year living out of two backpacks across the US, Central and South America, we got pretty ruthless about what actually earned its place. Here's the full checklist, broken down by category, of what we packed and what we'd genuinely recommend for anyone planning long-term travel.

Clothes

The golden rule for long-term travel is repetition, not variety. You're doing laundry regularly, not packing for every day of the year, so the goal is a small, versatile rotation rather than a full wardrobe.

•  Quick-dry tops, enough for a rotation between washes

•  Layers rather than bulky items, easier to adjust across climates and altitudes

•  One smarter outfit each, for the occasional nicer dinner or activity

•  Swimwear

•  Lightweight rain jacket

•  Comfortable walking shoes

•  Flip flops

Toiletries

Toiletries are one of the easiest categories to overpack, and one of the first places we cut back after the first few weeks.

•  Solid or travel-size shampoo

•  Toothpaste and toothbrush

•  Sunscreen

•  Small first aid and medical kit

•  Basic first-week supplies only, restock locally as you go

Gadgets and Tech

•  Power bank

•  International travel adapter

•  AirTags, one in each backpack

•  Kindle

•  Camera

•  Spare memory cards

•  Camera charger and spare batteries

•  Dry bag or protective case for the camera

•  Phone

We kept this list deliberately minimal. Every extra gadget is extra weight and one more thing that could get lost, broken or stolen, so we stuck to what we actually used regularly.

Organisation

•  Packing cubes, split by category (clothes, toiletries, tech)

•  Laundry bag

•  Osprey backpacks