Packing List for a One Year Trip Around the World

Wednesday June 3, 2015 (Planning, Preparation)

Impatient? Jump directly to the female or male packing list.

Planning a big trip around the world? Have no idea what to pack? Neither did we. But after a few months travelling through many varied climates we're beginning to settle on a system that works well for us. We had the luxury of dumping a bunch of stuff with family members a couple of months into the journey, and that helped us lighten the load going forward.

Important Note: This packing list is not intended for those whose primary overnight method is camping. We are staying in hotels, hostels, Airbnbs, and Couchsurfing so we have no need to carry any camping equipment.

For some background, Sandra and I each carry two main bags: one big backpack and one little backpack. We carry in the nerdy traveller style wherein your big backpack is carried on your back (duh) and your little backpack is strapped on backwards and worn like a little baby carrier thing on your front. The big backpack is checked baggage for each of us, and the little backpack is our carry-on and day pack.

All of our bags are from the Canadian store MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op). Ian's big bag is over ten years old at this point, and is a 65 litre bag. Sandra's is a loaner (thanks Eric & Nolan!), and is of approximately the same capacity. Our little bags are MEC alpine bags with a 24L capacity. His and hers – so cheesy. Obviously you can get your bags from wherever you want, but try to compare the weights of bags you're testing when empty. Sandra's pack is significantly heavier than Ian's when completely empty, and it can make quite a difference to the overall weight of the bag. Also very important is to check how comfortably the waist straps sit on top of your hips. We've found that the key to marching long distances with heavy bags is putting as much weight through your hips as possible. If you have the entire weight of the bag hanging off of your shoulders, things get uncomfortable very quickly. So try to make sure that whatever bag you choose sits nicely on your hips!

Other than that, we don't think you need anything too fancy. Our bags are not waterproof, but we carry lightweight rain covers (completely unused up to this point…) and large airline overbag totes to wrap the entire backpack during transport. The airline totes are incredibly useful for flights to make sure all of your zips and buckles don't get destroyed in transit. Whenever we're not carrying our bags on our backs in transport, they're in the totes.

Ian's total big backpack weight is just shy of 15kg. Sandra's is just shy of 20kg. This is good in that they both fall within range of most airlines for allowable baggage weights. They're also fairly reasonable to carry for short to medium distances.

Finally, a great trick we've been using to keep clothes dry inside our big bags: pack them all in large Ziploc bags. Sandra's got packing cubes, but Ian's convinced that the Ziplocs are the way to go. In five bags, Ian has managed to fit his entire wardrobe. They're transparent so you can see which bag contains which items, and they're waterproof so that even if your outer bag gets completely soaked, your clothes inside the bag should still be dry.

Without further adieu, here's Ian's packing list. The differently-sized titles indicate nesting, so for example the shoes are contained in the shoe bag which is contained in the big backpack. Nesting is very important, as it allows you to organize your bag into groups or sections rather than dealing with each clothing item individually and having to fold and refold, etc. Also keep in mind that we're not carrying all of these things naked, so one pair of shoes will be worn, a pair of pants, etc. We never have this entire list packed at once, but… you understand.

Disclaimer: Although we list the medications we've brought along, we are not doctors. Please visit your health care provider to determine what's right for you. Come to think of it, we make no guarantees about anything on this list, so if you follow our guide and your backpack spontaneously combusts and all hope is lost it's definitely not our fault.

One Year Around the World Packing List for Female

Small Backpack (24L)

• 1 x Water bottle (We each use a 1L Nalgene)
• 2 x Books (Finished the fourth Game of Thrones, and now onto the fifth)
• 2 x Magazines (Usually related to running)
• 1 x Pen
• 1 x Hand cream
• 1 x Lip balm
• 1 x Hand sanitizer
• 1 x Toilet paper roll
• 1 x Ongoing knitting project (Shh, it's a red toque!)
• 1 x Eyeglasses
• 1 x Sunglasses (Prescription)
• 1 x Roots leather passport holder (Also holds iPhone, driver's licence, health card. Doubles as a clutch in a pinch.)
• 1 x Moleskine notebook
• 1 x Children's cahier (Useful for note-taking)
• 1 x Swiss Army Knife (Including scissors. You should get ones with scissors. So handy!)
• 1 x Spork (Great for camping, and also has a serrated edge for cutting)
• 1 x Jar of emergency peanut butter (This is critical, and is not shared with Ian at any time)
• 1 x Pair of airplane socks (Courtesy of South African Airways

Big Backpack (65L)

• 1 x Airline tote (We use something like this. Make sure your entire big backpack fits within it!)
• 1 x Airline combination lock (Combination locks mean you don't have a key to lose. We leave it attached to the tote, then lock it when necessary.)
• 1 x Rain cover (Like so. Have yet to use this, but it's light so maybe it'll be handy at some point. Again, make sure it fits over your entire bag!)
• 1 x Towel
• 1 x Roots leather sidebag (Day purse)
• 1 x Down jacket (MEC Light Degree Women's Hoodie. Seemingly only available for men now from their website?)
• 1 x Rain shell
• 1 x Mini-umbrella (Keep it small and light!)
• 1 x Mittens ($12 at Aritzia)
• 3 x Reusable bags (1 x Lululemon bag, 1 x MEC carry bag, 1 x Roll-up shopping bag. Used for laundry, groceries, and can also act as a pillowcase!)
• 3 x Large Ziploc bags (Used to carry towel, rain jacket, etc.)
• 3 x Leggings (1 x Lululemon Wunder Under Pant, 1 x Wunder Under Ankle Crop, 1 x Wunder Under Crop -- great because they have pockets!)
• 1 x Dress pant
• 1 x Hiking pant (Solomon soft shell)
• 1 x Running shorts (Lululemon)
• 1 x Workout/casual shorts (Adidas)
• 1 x Jean shorts
• 1 x Long maxi skirt
• 1 x Pajamas (Consisting of ratty old T-shirt and old boxers. Ian is not a fan.)
• 1 x Zip-up longsleeve (Lululemon Luon)
• 5 x T-shirts (1 x technical, 4 x cotton)
• 6 x Tank tops (All Lululemon -- see a pattern? 3 x workout, 3 x casual)
• 1 x Cardigan
• 2 x Technical long sleeve (1 x Patagonia, 1 x Lululemon)
• 1 x Dress top (For a night on the town!)
• 3 x Socks (Wigwam Ironman
• 1 x Running socks (Smartwool)
• 2 x Hiking socks (1 x Tilley that have lasted ten years, 1 x Icebreaker)
• 1 x Nude bra
• 4 x Sports bra (All Lululemon with varying designs. One made of bathing suit material for fast drying.)
• 10 x Underwear
• 1 x Headband (Lululemon wide style)
• 1 x Flip flops (Havaianas carried in a shoe bag. Generally used for showering.)
• 1 x Sandals (Birkenstock Arizonas with soft sole purchased specifically for this trip)
• 1 x Casual shoe (Old Nike Free Runs. Sandra wasn’t originally going to pack these but she's glad she did!)
• 1 x Hiking boots (Carried in shoe bag)
• 1 x Running shoes (Carried in shoe bag)
• 1 x Tablet + USB cable (iPad 4 with Retina Display. Inside a case that doubles as a stand)
• 1 x Cellphone (iPhone 5. Uses the same cable as the iPad.)
• 1 x MP3 player (iPod Shuffle + charging cable)
• 1 x GoPro Hero 4 Black (Carried in a tiny canvas bag for protection. Charges via USB micro, so we're covered. We carry an SD card adapter to transfer videos to the Macbook Pro. Also have a chest carrying strap and "The Pole" selfie stick.)
• 1 x Nail clippers
• 1 x Eyebrow scissors
• 1 x Toothbrush + toothpaste
• 1 x Dental floss
• 2 x Nail polish + remover
• 1 x Tide To Go stain remover pen
• 1 x Polysporin anti-bacterial cream
• 1 x Adventure medical kit (Includes hypodermic syringe. We added Band-aids and latex gloves. Don't ask.)
• 10 x Emergen-C packs (Vitamin C, Vitamin B-12 and electrolyte supplement powder)
• 1 x Travel pack of Q-tips
• 3 x Earplugs
• 2 x Eyemasks
• 1 x Headlamp
• 1 x Travel alarm clock (Ours is LL Bean. Great if you can't find a place to charge a cell phone.)
• 1 x Shampoo, 1 x Conditioner
• 1 x Face scrub
• 1 x Face wipes (Great for camping, shoe cleaning, makeup removal, and general spill cleanup)
• 4 x Hair products (Aveda Be Curly, Aveda Confixor Gel, Aveda Hair Sunscreen Spray, Moroccan oil)
• 7 x Skin products (Body Shop Seaweed Mattifying Cream, Body Shop Seaweed Moisturizer SPF15, Clinique City Block SPF25, Neutrogena Dry Touch Sunscreen SPF30, Ombrelle Sunscreen Spray SPF15, Clinique Moisture Surge Face Moisturizer, Clinique Eye Cream sample)
• 1 x Bobby pins
• 2 x Hair elastics (One set of regular, one set of clear)
• 4 x Claw clips
• 1 x Necklace
• 1 x Wedding band (The real engagement ring and wedding band were left at home)
• 11 x Beauty products (eyeshadow palette -- eyeshadow applied with finger to avoid carrying another brush, concealer, eyelid concealer, eyebrow brush, mascara, eyelash curler, bronzer, blush + small blush brush, eyeliner + eyeliner brush with handle removed to save space)
• 1 x Malaria pills (We carry both Doxycycline and Atovaquone Proguanil. The number you need depends on how long you plan on being in Malaria-affected areas.)
• 1 x Diarrhea pills (We actually have quite a set. One deals with respiratory infections also, and one is just standard Immodium.)
• 1 x Altitude sickness pills (Used some of these at altitude in Bolivia)
• 2 x Motion sickness pills (Ian threw up anyway, but hey, maybe they work. Sandra also carries Gravol.)
• 1 x Iron supplement (Proferrin)
• 1 x Vitamin B-12
• 1 x Probiotic (Florastor)
• 1 x Birth control pills (One year supply. If you want, take a few extra packs so you can take the pills continuously.)
• 2 x Pain relievers (1 x Aleve, 1 x Advil)
• 1 x Skipping rope
• 3 x Therabands (Red, green, and blue)
• 1 x Exercise log booklet
• 1 x GPS watch + charging cable
• 1 x Running sunglasses
• 2 x Energy chews (Gummy chews used in stamina sports)

One Year Around the World Packing List for Male

Small Backpack (24L)

• 1 x Sunglasses in hard case
• 1 x Camera (I don't use a case, I just toss it in the backpack)
• 1 x Hand sanitizer
• 1 x Change purse
• 1 x Pen (No backup. I live life on the edge.)
• 1 x Earbuds (The music kind)
• 1 x 1/8" to 1/8" stereo cable (Totally unnecessary, but if you're on an extended car trip and you want to listen to your own music, it can be a lifesaver!)
• 1 x Eyemask (Great for airplanes and hostel dorms alike)
• 1 x Earplugs (See above)
• 1 x Baseball cap
• 1 x eBook reader and case (I have an old Kindle DX)
• 1 x Laptop and charger in dry bag (Our dry bag is from Aqua Quest and has been great so far)
• 1 x Water bottle (We each use a 1L Nalgene)
• 1 x Dual voltage beard trimmer in plastic bag (The bag stops the hair bits from infecting the remainder of my toiletries. I use a Wahl trimmer. It's not battery operated, because I tend to hate battery-operated trimmers. They stop working after not too long. Since it's dual voltage, I can plug it in anywhere and it just works!)
• 1 x Sunscreen (I use some heavy duty waterproof 60SPF stuff. You probably don't need that.)
• 1 x Insect repellant
• 1 x Kleenex (Good for cleaning up small messes and blowing noses)
• 1 x Toothpaste
• 1 x Toothbrush (We use these awesome Colgate folding toothbrushes. Small, and the folding action stops the bristles from getting too messed up. You can find them everywhere. Shopper's Drug Mart should definitely have them.)
• 1 x Shower gel (Small and for emergency use only. Most places have soap for you.)
• 1 x Anti-perspirant (Try to get North American-style "rub on" semi-solid ones. We bought roller-ball liquid style kinds in South America and the change in altitude caused them to leak all over.)
• 1 x Dental floss (You're going to use it, right?)
• 1 x Small bottle of washing powder (Doing laundry in the sink is fun!)
• 1 x Passport and Immunization Card (You may need to prove you've been vaccinated against Yellow Fever)
• 1 x Wallet (1 x USD credit card, 2 x CAD credit card, 2 x Debit card, 1 x Driver's licence, 1 x Health card, 1 x Diving certification card)
• 1 x International Driver's Licence (Unused thus far)
• 1 x Travel insurance info sheet
• 1 x Road Warrior power adapter (Greatest power adapter of all time! Japanese design. Need we say more? It's compact, light, and incredibly functional. Canadians can get them at rwarrior.com)
• 1 x USB key (A tiny 16GB model)
• 2 x Camera memory cards (Mine are each 32GB)
• 1 x microSD/SD adapter (So we can plug the GoPro cards into the laptop)
• 1 x Cellphone (I have an old Samsung Galaxy SII that's still going strong! Also, I can't recommend the OsmAnd app enough -- I'll do another post about it)
• 1 x MP3 player (I have a tiny old Sony that's still working!)
• 1 x Playing cards (Adorned with a Canadian flag, of course)
• 1 x Swimming goggles (... you probably don't need these. Not much use yet.)
• 1 x Paper notebook
• 1 x Camera charger (I wish my camera charged via USB)
• 1 x South African power adapter (Not many "universal" adapters support this type)
• 1 x USB micro/mini T cable (Ours is an older version of this Scosche cable. It will charge: MP3 player, Kindle, SteriPEN, GoPro, and Cellphone. We also have a tiny wall-plug that accepts the USB plug so we can charge directly from the wall or from the laptop.)
• 1 x Headlamp (I use a Princeton Tec Fuel model)

Big Backpack (65L)

• 1 x Airline tote (We use something like this. Make sure your entire big backpack fits within it!)
• 1 x Airline combination lock (Combination locks mean you don't have a key to lose. We leave it attached to the tote, then lock it when necessary.)
• 1 x Rain cover (Like so. Have yet to use this, but it's light so maybe it'll be handy at some point. Again, make sure it fits over your entire bag!)
• 1 x Dry bag (In case we get caught in a storm and we need to protect the camera/wallets/passports)
• 1 x SteriPEN (Great for using tap water in iffy places. Saves money on bottled water and charges via USB. USB charging is a common theme here. The more things you have that charge with the same technology, the fewer heavy chargers you need to bring!)
• 1 x Lighter (Haven't used it much, but it could come in handy. Doubles as beer opener.)
• 1 x Towel (Small, light, absorbent and quick-drying)
• 1 x Rain shell (Mine is more of an autumn jacket and is too heavy. Get a light shell instead. But this is my only jacket, so the added warmth is a plus sometimes.)
• 1 x Hiking boots (Gore-tex preferable)
• 1 x Running shoes (Optional, but we exercise or run reasonably frequently)
• 1 x Casual shoes (Mine are rubber and waterproof, but that makes them smelly and heavy. Were I to do it again, I'd probably be "that guy" wearing Keen Owyhees. Function over form.)
• 1 x Flip-flops (We're in Havaianas)
• 6 x T-shirts (If you can afford Merino, do it. Mine are cotton.)
• 1 x Polo shirt
• 1 x Button-down shirt
• 1 x Hooded sweatshirt
• 2 x Shorts (Mine are cotton and probably shouldn't be)
• 2 x Quick-dry pants (For hiking and general use. Mine don't zip off into shorts. That's a line I will not cross.)
• 1 x Casual pants (For going out and fancy meals)
• 10 x Underwear (Not cotton. Lululemon boxers are light, comfortable, durable, and dry quickly)
• 3 x Ankle socks (For day-to-day use and exercise)
• 1 x Hiking socks (Full-length wool. Mine are Darn Tough socks and I love them.)
• 1 x Merino thermal top
• 1 x Merino thermal bottom
• 1 x Knit cap
• 1 x Buff (Mine is not brand name, but something to block the sun, act as a headband, etc.)
• 2 x Swimsuit (One is probably good enough... I haven't actually needed two yet!)
• 1 x Malaria pills (We carry both Doxycycline and Atovaquone Proguanil. The number you need depends on how long you plan on being in Malaria-affected areas.)
• 1 x Diarrhea pills (We actually have quite a set. One deals with respiratory infections also, and one is just standard Immodium.)
• 1 x Altitude sickness pills (Used some of these at altitude in Bolivia)
• 1 x Motion sickness pills (Ian threw up anyway, but hey, maybe they work)

Phew! That's it! Got any suggestions or comments? Room for improvement? Let us know on the contact page! We sincerely hope this helps you on your journey!