Are you wondering how to pack for 3 months and 2 seasons of travel? If so, we can help!  We just wrapped up an extended tour that had us in deep autumn in the UK, hot summer temperatures in India and early spring in New Zealand.  We also had to plan for a variety of activities scheduled such as mountain biking, hiking, kayaking and camel trekking. 

I would not call myself a pro-packer and every travel destination will require different clothing, but this was our packing experience and I thought it might be helpful.  Over all, I think we packed very well for the trip.  I’ve included all the items as well as items I wish I had brought, and a few of items I rarely used.  Of course, I could have brought more and used a roller suitcase, but I think the backpack, although heavy at times, was a much more hassle free system than a traditional roller suitcase.

Along the way, I encountered travelers who were using a combination roller-backpack which could work for some depending on comfort and travel plans.

In my experience, the shoes and the toiletries take up the most space and are the biggest challenges when putting the packing-puzzle together.  We found that as we got deeper into the trip and the more often we packed, un-pack and re-pack, more efficient and better packing solutions were uncovered. The lists below represent what we brought on our trip with links to suggested quality, style products.  The Essential Gear are items that we feel you must have and the Can’t_Travel_Without Gear are items we would literally not travel without.  So let’s get right to it!  PDF downloads of the lists are available at the bottom of this post.

THE CAN’T_TRAVEL_WITHOUT GEAR
REI Packing Cubes
REI Vacuum bags
Thermarest compressible pillow
Luggage cable & lock
Nivea Chapstick
Polar Squeeze Bottle Insulated 24oz
Belkin Chargemaxx Set
Macks Silicone Ear Plugs
Cheap Sunglasses
Hanging Toiletry Bag
Universal Travel Adaptor (search adaptor for countries to be traveled)
Travel Coffee Mug
Reuseable Shopping Bag
Laundry Bag

ESSENTIAL GEAR*
JEFF’S PACKING LIST

SHIRTS
1 short sleeve tech t-shirt
3 cotton t-shirts
1 lightweight long sleeve tech t-shirt
1 heavy weight long sleeve tech t-shirt
1 wool long sleeve base layer*
2 cotton button-down shirts
2 tech button-down shirts
1 fleece

SHORTS/PANTS
2 cotton shorts
1 jeans
2 pants
1 light weight mid-length mtn biking short*
1 swim suit
1 sweat pants

OUTERWEAR
Rain jacket*
Light puffy*

SHOES
Flip flops
Merrell hiking shoes
Skecher tennis shoes

UNDERGARMENTS
2 wool socks
2 tall ski socks
1 compression sock
2 short socks
5 underwear
1 long underwear (didn’t wear)
1 buff

ACCESSORIES
2 Sunglasses (1 broke)
1 pair knee warmers*
1 pair mtn bike gloves*
1 mtn bike chamois short*
1 cycling skull cap*
2 sports beanie (light & heavy)
1 baseball cap
2 belts (only wore 1)

TOILETRIES
Body lotion
Sea to Summit Travel Soap
Shampoo/conditioner
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Floss
Nail clipper
Hand wipes
Hand sanitizer
Small Travel Towel

Jeff’s list is cycling focused as he really wanted to ride on this trip, but the gear was also great for all activities. The links are general suggestions of quality and style of gear.

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS
Passport
Color copies of Passport
Proof of Visa
Vaccination Documentation
Credit Cards/Bank Card (notify card company of travel/4 digit pin #)
Copies of your Travel Insurance
Important documents stored on the cloud/google drive

A  FEW FINAL TIPS

BANKS AND CREDIT CARDS – A week before you leave, contact your bank and credit cards regarding your travel plans and download their apps to your phone.  I found that it was easier to access my accounts via their apps rather than the website because of the double verification process that most banks and financial institutions now require.  Since, I purchased my travel country’s SIM card for my phone, text verification was not possible which was a problem for most of the websites.  The apps with Touch ID (iPhone) did not require double verification.

APPS – As mentioned above, be sure to download your bank and credit card apps.  We also use Google Maps for all of our navigation. It worked in every country and city, big and small. The only challenge was when there was a lack of cell service.  Also the Airbnb and VRBO apps were very helpful with lodging around the world.  A Currency Converter app is super helpful too.

Download Packing Lists 

Courtney’s Packing List
Jeff’s Packing List
Essential & Can’t_Travel_Without Gear List
Electronics, Medicine, Important Documents List

Enjoy the Climb!

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