Packing Essentials We Actually Travel With
After years of full-time travel, these are the items that have genuinely earned a permanent spot in our bags. From long-haul flights and house sits to hiking trails and chaotic bus journeys, these are the bits of gear we keep reaching for again and again.
Yes, my choice of color is mainly black, but many of these items come in different colors too.
We usually travel with around 17–20 kg (37–44 lbs) of checked luggage each, plus 7 kg (15 lbs) of carry-on hand luggage. On top of that, we also carry our laptops, portable monitor, camera equipment, and extra lenses, so everything we pack needs to earn its place.
The Silent Mental Burden of “Stuff”
– Pack with intention and be free!
The Packing List
| Packing Cubes Stay organised without turning your backpack into a fabric tornado. Packing cubes make it much easier to separate clothes, laundry, electronics, or cold-weather gear, especially when constantly moving between destinations. I’ve bought 2 of these in the last 8 years and they are without doubt the best compression packing cubes on the market. Strong zips and the actually compress rather than just organise. They come in a set of 5 or 7. I like the 7 pack as you get a shoe bag too. | |
| Osprey Wheeled Transporter 60L A durable wheeled duffel that survives rough roads, airport chaos, and far too many baggage handlers. The 60L size works well for longer trips while still being manageable to move around. If you’re thinking of travelling full-time, but still need check-in luggage like we do I highly reccommend Osprey bags. This one is no fluff with huge storage capacity. At a push I can squeeze in 18 kilos. It’s tough, light and easy to roll around. PLUS a lifetime guarantee! | |
| Patagonia Black Hole Pack 32L A reliable daypack for flights, city exploring, hiking, or working from cafés. Tough, weather-resistant, and surprisingly roomy without feeling oversized. I used to have the 20L version, which was awesome, but I carry around a DSLR Camera, lenses, laptop, extra monitor along with a book or two. So I’ve now upgraded to this 32L version of the same. The best thing about them is their lifetime guarantee, I’ve tested this and they just straight up replaced it without questions, even without an original receipt. | |
| Osprey Daylite Backpack A lightweight everyday backpack that works well for city exploring, flights, short hikes, and daily errands. Compact, comfortable, and easy to pack inside larger luggage when not in use. It’s a great day bag. I got sick of unpacking my main carry-on backpack everytime we went on a walk, which meant I’d forget where I put things and always have to repack it. Now I have this backpack stowed away in my check-in luggage so we can use that or our explore days. | |
| SwissGear Getaway Washbag A compact washbag with enough compartments to stop toothpaste explosions from taking over your luggage. Simple, practical, and easy to hang in small bathrooms. Great washbag, waterproof inside, great amount of storage, zips and compartments and it has a hook built in to hang off the door. Solid build will last forever. | |
| SUNTQ Coffee Mug A solid insulated travel mug for coffee on early travel days, long train rides, or working mornings. Small comfort, big morale boost ☕ We drink a hella lot of coffee, these cups have lasted us sooo long it’s crazy. They are basically bomb proof, keep your coffee piping hot, get you discount at coffee places when you use your own cup. Great for mornings walking the dogs. Just amazing! | |
| DANISH ENDURANCE Hiking Socks Comfortable hiking socks with good cushioning and durability. A surprisingly important upgrade when you spend long days walking, hiking, or living out of a backpack. Never underestimate a pair of comfy socks, especially when your hiking or have a long day exploring. These are great, thick, strong socks. They don’t tend to get smelly either and I replace them every few years only because, you know, feet. | |
| Columbia Redmond III Mid Waterproof Hiking Shoes Lightweight hiking shoes that work well both on trails and for everyday travel. Waterproof enough for unpredictable weather without feeling too bulky. Damn comfy walking boots that are not heavy, they’re like a cross between sneakers and boot. They won’t break the bank and come in lots of nice colors too. | |
| Microfibre Towel Set Quick-drying towels are one of those travel items you don’t appreciate until you really need them. Great for beaches, gyms, hostels, hiking, or unexpected situations. Absolute life saver. Wether on the beach, at the gym or just you booked a crappy hotel that didn’t provide towels. These microfibre towels are lightweight and quick drying. | |
| Rab Downpour Plus 2.0 Jacket A lightweight waterproof shell that packs down easily but still handles serious rain. Ideal for hiking, city travel, and destinations where the weather changes every 15 minutes. It’s important to stay dry wether it’s walking dogs or jungle trekking it can mean facing the elements head on. Make sure you have a waterproof packed and this one is lightweight and conveniently packs into itself too. | |
| MAMMUT Mid Layer Fleece Warm without taking up too much space. Perfect for layering on cold flights, mountain mornings, or chilly evenings abroad. Too cold for a t-shirt, but too warm for a jacket? I got you! This mid-layer is awesome, thin enough to wick any sweat away and thick enough to keep you warm enough. | |
| Craghoppers Kiwi Classic Trousers Comfortable travel and hiking trousers that dry quickly and work surprisingly well for everyday wear too. Good for mixed trips where you’re moving between cities and nature. Pant for walking, pockets with zips and lightweight too. | |
| Molain Silicone Cable Ties Tiny travel heroes. These silicone cable ties keep chargers, cables, headphones, and camera gear from turning into a spaghetti disaster at the bottom of your bag. I got very unhappy with velcro cable ties, they’re great at the beginning, but after a few weeks of being used they start to fluff up and soon become unusable. These silicone ties are awesome. They’re strong and will just keep doing their job and last for ages. | |
| Leatherman Multi-Tool One of those items you barely use… until suddenly it saves the day. Useful for travel fixes, outdoor trips, and random situations you never planned for. NOTE: if you do not have check-in luggage please ignore this as airport security will for sure take it from you if you try pass it though with check-in hand luggage. (I did this by accident once andit was very embarrassing and very annoying just to have to hand it over) That said, it’s been a very useful piece of kit. You can fix your sh*t in a pinch, even cut your toenails (eeew) and fix your sunglasses. You don’t know you need one, until you need one. | |
| TESSAN Universal Travel Adapter One of the most useful things in our tech pouch. Works in multiple countries and includes USB and USB-C charging, which means fewer chargers cluttering your bag. I got tired of lugging around my laptop charger (which is USB3 charged) So I got one of these and it powers my laptop, my extra monitor and also charges my phone, powerbank and works in just about every country we’ve been to – except that weird plug in Namibia. Just make sure to pack some proper USB C cables that can charge your gear. | |
| Samsung T7 Shield Portable SSD 2TB We back up photos, videos, and work files constantly while travelling, and this SSD has been incredibly reliable. Fast, compact, and durable enough for life on the road. One copy does not make a backup! Thats the rule. I have this for my local backup and also I backup to my Google Business and BackBlaze (which makes 3 copies if you’re counting) |
What else do I carry?
Outside of the gear listed above, I try to keep our clothing relatively minimal. Our everyday setup is usually built around one pair of jeans, a week’s worth of underwear, a linen shirt, linen trousers, a few t-shirts, a puffer jacket and one pair of lightweight slip-on shoes. Enough for different climates and situations, without feeling like I’m dragging my entire wardrobe across continents.
Tech-wise, I travel with a fairly compact remote work setup, including a laptop, portable monitor, DSLR camera, power bank, USB-C cables, chargers, and storage drives. Keeping everything lightweight, durable, and organised becomes surprisingly important once you start moving every few weeks.
The Silent Mental Burden of “Stuff”
One thing I’ve learned after years of moving around the world is that every item you carry comes with a small mental cost attached to it.
More things to organise. More things to charge. More things to wash, repack, keep track of, worry about losing, or drag up endless flights of stairs in buildings with no elevators. Somewhere between the fourth bus ride, airport transfer, or rainy walk to a guesthouse, even “just in case” items start feeling surprisingly heavy.
That doesn’t mean you need to become an ultra-minimalist who owns three t-shirts and a spoon.
But packing with intention changes the way you travel.
When everything in your bag has a purpose, travel starts feeling lighter, calmer, and more flexible. You spend less time managing your belongings and more time actually experiencing where you are. Less luggage, less stress, fewer decisions. More freedom.
Pack with Intention and Be Free
The perfect packing list doesn’t exist. What matters is building one that works for your lifestyle, your comfort, and the kind of travel you actually do, not the fantasy version of yourself you imagined while packing at home.
After years on the road, we’ve realised that the best travel gear is usually the gear you barely have to think about at all. Quietly reliable, endlessly practical, and worth the space it takes up in your bag.