Packing for Long Term Travel

Packing for long term travel is a balance of weight, volume, and functionality with many compromises. This is a quick look at how we approached packing for our year abroad. Fair warning, this is a beast of a post!

Chandni

I started planning my gear about 4 days before we left, and finally packed it all for the first time the night before our flight. Part of me was worried I wasn’t going to be able to take everything I wanted anyways, so I was gonna postpone the inevitable decisions I didn’t want to make. I really don’t get excited about carrying lots of things on my back. Somehow, we’re always running to catch a bus or train in Europe and doing that with a heavy backpack is the worst.

The other part of me is really excited to learn to live with what I have and become more adaptable. On a previous trip I took to Thailand, I really learned how to improvise and work with what I had. I miss that version of myself, so I put enough thought into my packing to make sure I had clothes for 80% of the days, and if I have to suffer or buy something along the way, it’s all a part of the journey.

Also I have no idea how much things weigh. My packed backpack was 22 pounds when we weighed it at the airport kiosk. My goal was 15 pounds, so I could carry 2 liters of water and be around 20 pounds total, so I didn’t reach that goal. But I did pack a decent amount of snacks, soaps and shampoos which should ideally be reducing in weight.

• Ospery Tempest 40L backpack

• Cotopaxi bag

• Fanny pack

• 3 platypus water bottles, water filter

• Dongle with corded headphones (I left my airpods at home, so one less cord I need to bring)

• Small flashlight

• Phone battery pack

• Outlet converter

• Umbrella (useful for both rain and sunny days)

• Spork

• Knee brace

• Fleece Buff (think a small scarf)

• Eye mask

• Ear plugs (my new favorite thing I own)

• Masks

• Tampons (I probably brought too many – how old do you have to be before you can accurately estimate how many tampons you need for 1 month?)

• Sunscreen

• Waterpik (I bought a travel one for this trip, and this is my main luxury item. Makes my teeth feel so goooood)

• Nail clippers

• Chapstick

• Electric toothbrush

• Anti-chafing rub

• Toiletries

• First aid kit

• Gloves

• Hat

• Sunglasses

• Diary

• 4 black hair ties

• Unders: 4 pairs of socks, 2 sports bras, 1 swim bottoms, 4 pairs of underwear

• Shoes: walking tennis shoes, hiking shoes, flip flops

• Tops: 1 long sleeve wool, 1 short sleeve wool, 1 thin sweater, 2 t-shirts

• Bottoms: 1 workout shorts, 1 jean shorts, 1 workout leggings, 1 wool leggings, 1 waterproof pants (these are ALL black. I didn’t really plan it that way, but thinking about what I typically wear, it makes a lot of sense)

• Jackets: 1 rain jacket, 1 Cotopaxi puffy jacket

Michael

I started planning my gear months ago but some choices were still last minute. To jump to the end, my European packing list can be viewed on my Lighterpack page by clicking this link or scrolling way down. Spoilers, a 33 lb base weight is stupid heavy and I do not enjoy carrying that around! However, it’s a necessary curse because I love photography. Photography is a great hobby apart from its weight.

My backpack choice was initially a toss up between my Osprey Kestrel 48 liter and a new Osprey 55 liter. The idea was extra empty space might be great for carrying new items along the way. However, anyone that’s purchased a hiking backpack will tell you they’re crazy expensive, so I chose my Kestrel. I also needed a day bag because hauling a 48 liter bag all day is a silly idea. That decision was between a new Gregory Miko 25 liter and my trusty 20 liter Osprey Daylite Plus. Don’t tell my other bags, but the Miko is the most comfortable bag I’ve EVER worn. In the end, the Daylite won because it fit perfectly into my Kestrel while the Miko fit poorly. I don’t need a year of minor packing inconvenience.

Clothing would have to cover 100° F August days in Rome and 45° F November days in Austria. I settled on a combination of wool and Nike dri-fit shirts. Wool t-shirts and a long sleeve shirt cover most days while the Nike shirts cover sleeping, exercising, and hot days (like the day I write this escaping the Roman heat by drinking in an Irish pub). Pants were an easy choice because the REI Saharas are the best pants I’ve worn. They weigh nothing, dry fast, and convert from pants and shorts - functionality is so in this year. Much like the Nike tops, Nike shorts are perfect for sleeping or wearing when bulk washing, though one may be enough.

The photography gear is all luxury and unnecessary. However, it’s my creative outlet that I’m willing to carry around. We have a Gollum and the ring relationship. I was going to bring a backup camera body but decided against it after weighing. The laptop is my single heaviest item even though it’s light compared to other laptops. However, working on this blog, email, and doing hotel/hostel coordination is sooooo much faster on it, so it’s worth the weight.

I’m overall happy with my gear selection but unhappy with the weight. Nearly 10 lbs of clothing was a surprise that may be reduced on future sections. Remaining gear is necessary except maybe the soaps and shampoo. We are regularly given small bottles of each, but the moment they’re not provided we will absolutely be wishing we had them! See below for many packing details: