My Actual Backpacking Packing List for 2026 (With Opinions)

I've rewritten this list four times. Every trip I go on, something gets cut. The french press was the first to go (see: learning to pack light the hard way). Then the "nice shoes." Then the rain pants. What remains is battle-tested across three years, 15+ countries, and climates ranging from Mexican desert to Thai monsoon.

This is not a hypothetical list. This is what's in my 38L Osprey Farpoint right now, sitting in the corner of my apartment, more or less ready to go. Total weight: 7.8 kilos packed.

BAGS

Main pack — Osprey Farpoint 38L. This is the bag. It's carry-on size on every airline I've flown, including Ryanair's strict 55x40x20cm limit. Front-loading (unzips like a suitcase, not top-loading like a hiking pack), padded hip belt, and a laptop sleeve I use for my Kindle and documents. I've had it for three years and it looks like it's been through a war, because it has. $150 new, worth every penny.

Daypack — cheap packable 20L from Amazon. Folds into its own pocket, weighs nothing. I use it for day trips, grocery runs, and as my "personal item" on flights. Don't spend more than $20 on this. It will get dirty, you will set it on questionable hostel floors, and you will not care because it cost $18.

Packing cubes — 3 compression cubes. One for clothes, one for underwear/socks, one for miscellaneous. Compression cubes, not regular ones. The difference is real — compression cubes have a second zipper that squeezes air out and saves 30% of the volume. I was a packing cube skeptic for years. I was wrong. They're transformative.

CLOTHES

Before I list these, the philosophy: merino wool or quick-dry synthetic, neutral colors, nothing you'd cry about losing. I wrote about this in the packing light guide — everything should be machine-washable, wrinkle-resistant, and smell-resistant. Merino wool can go 3 days without washing and still be socially acceptable. Cotton cannot.

3 merino wool t-shirts. Two dark, one medium. Wool & Prince or Unbound Merino if you want the good stuff, Amazon merino blend if you're actually broke. The Amazon ones pill faster but cost $25 vs $85. Wear each for 2-3 days, wash on day 7. Rotate.

1 long-sleeve button-down. Linen or linen blend. This is your "nice" shirt for when a hostel bar has a dress code (rare but it happens), when you need sun protection, or when it's 18 degrees and you want sleeves. I bring one in a dark blue that hides stains. Doubles as temple-appropriate clothing in Southeast Asia.

2 pairs of shorts. One for swimming (board shorts with a liner), one for walking. The swim shorts do double duty — you wear them to the beach AND to dinner. Don't pack dedicated swim trunks that can only be swim trunks. Every item does two jobs or it doesn't come.

1 pair of lightweight pants. I use Prana Stretch Zions. Not zip-off convertible — I tried those and they look terrible and the zippers chafe. Just lightweight, stretchy, quick-drying pants. Essential for overnight buses (A/C cranked to arctic levels), temples, and any day cooler than 22 degrees.

6 underwear. ExOfficio or Uniqlo Airism. Quick-dry, antimicrobial, not cotton. Cotton underwear in Bangkok humidity is a recipe for suffering. Wash every 3-4 days.

4 pairs of socks. Merino wool, ankle height. Darn Tough if you're splurging, Smartwool if you're not. Merino socks are the single biggest comfort upgrade I've made. They breathe in heat, insulate in cold, and don't retain smell like synthetic socks do.

1 lightweight hoodie or fleece. For hostel A/C, overnight buses, and evenings when it drops below 20 degrees. I use a Patagonia Better Sweater 1/4 zip. It's the most expensive thing in my bag and the one I'd replace first if it disappeared.

1 rain jacket. Packable, lightweight. Not a hardshell — you don't need Gore-Tex for walking through tropical rain. I use a cheap $40 Columbia that balls up to the size of a fist. If you're only going to dry-season destinations, skip it.

SHOES

Walking shoes — trail runners. Not hiking boots. Not sneakers. Trail runners. They handle cobblestones in Lisbon, dirt paths in Oaxaca, and wet sidewalks in Bangkok. They're lighter than hiking boots, dry faster than leather, and you can run for a bus in them. I wear Altra Lone Peaks. Look ugly, feel incredible.

Flip-flops/sandals. Havaianas or similar. For hostel showers (non-negotiable — read the hostel etiquette guide if you think this is optional), beach days, and any situation where shoes feel like too much. $15, weigh nothing, indispensable.

That's it. Two pairs. I know it feels insufficient. It's not.

TECH

Phone + charger + cable. Obviously. Get a braided cable — the cheap rubber ones fray after a month of daily use.

Power bank — 10,000 mAh. Anker. Charges my phone 2.5 times. Essential on long bus days, overnight transit, and in hostels where the outlets are 3 meters from your bed. I've written about bus routes where you're on a bus for 8+ hours — you need backup power.

Universal power adapter. One adapter that covers US, EU, UK, and AU plug types. Not a voltage converter — modern electronics handle 110-240V automatically. Just the physical plug adapter. $12 on Amazon.

Earbuds + cheap wired backup. AirPods Pro for daily use, $8 wired earbuds as backup. Bluetooth earbuds die. Wired earbuds don't. When you're on hour 6 of a bus and your AirPods hit 0%, the $8 backup earbuds become priceless.

Kindle Paperwhite. I read roughly a book a week while traveling. A physical book weighs 200-400g and you get one book per 400g. A Kindle weighs 200g and holds thousands. The math is not complicated. Also: hostels have book exchanges, but they're 80% Dan Brown and self-help books. I need my Dostoevsky fix.

Headlamp. Small, clip-on, red-light mode. For navigating hostel dorms at night without waking everyone up. This is hostel etiquette 101 — don't use the overhead room light at 2am.

TOILETRIES

Solid shampoo bar. No liquid limits, no leaking, lasts 2 months. I use one from Ethique. It replaces shampoo and body wash.

Deodorant. Whatever you like. Stick, not spray. Spray deodorant in a shared dorm is chemical warfare.

Toothbrush + toothpaste. Travel-size toothpaste. Your hostel does not provide these. Ever.

Sunscreen — SPF 50. Non-negotiable in Southeast Asia, Mexico, southern Europe, basically anywhere between 35N and 35S latitude. Reapply. Sunburn will ruin 3 days of your trip.

Bug spray — DEET-based. If you're going to tropical regions. 25-30% DEET. Apply at dusk. Dengue is not a fun souvenir. The local "natural" bug sprays in Thailand are mostly citronella and hope.

Microfiber towel. Packs down to the size of a paperback. Dries in 2 hours. Hostels sometimes provide towels. Sometimes they don't. Sometimes they charge $2/day to rent one. Having your own eliminates that variable. Don't bring a full-size cotton towel — it takes 14 hours to dry and weighs as much as a small dog when wet.

DOCUMENTS AND MONEY

Passport. Check the expiration date. Most countries require 6 months of remaining validity — I wrote about this in the visa guide and it catches people constantly. You do not want to learn this at the check-in counter.

2 photocopies of passport. One in your bag, one emailed to yourself. If your passport gets stolen, these copies dramatically speed up the embassy process.

Travel insurance card/printout. Have the policy number accessible offline. World Nomads or Safety Wing for backpackers. Do not travel without insurance — one motorbike accident in Thailand or one broken ankle in the Balkans will cost you more than your entire trip budget.

Debit card + backup debit card. Primary: Wise or similar no-fee travel card. Backup: a regular bank card kept separate from the primary. If one gets skimmed or eaten by an ATM — and this will happen eventually — the backup saves you.

Cash — $100-200 USD. Emergency reserve. Kept in a hidden pocket in the bag, separate from your wallet. US dollars are accepted or exchangeable literally everywhere. You will hopefully never need this.

HOSTEL SURVIVAL KIT

Padlock. Combination lock, not key lock — you will lose the key. Most hostels have lockers but don't provide locks. The hostel will sell you a lock for $8. Yours cost $6 on Amazon. Buy it before you leave.

Earplugs — foam, 32dB NRR. The single most important item on this list after your passport. I cannot stress this enough. Dorm rooms have Jeff. Jeff snores. Hostel etiquette says you should warn your roommates if you snore, but Jeff never reads the etiquette guide. Bring a multi-pack — they're disposable and you'll burn through them.

Sleep mask. Hostels have windows. Windows let in light. Light wakes you up. A sleep mask costs $5 and adds 2 hours of sleep per night in a dorm. Not optional.

Collapsible water bottle. I use a Vapur. Collapses flat when empty, holds 700ml when full. Saves $3-5/day on bottled water in countries with safe tap water. In countries without safe tap water, use it with purification tablets.

WHAT I DON'T BRING

Things that travel blogs tell you to pack that I've cut:

Travel pillow — I ball up the hoodie. Works fine.

Sleeping bag liner — I brought one once. Never used it. Hostels have sheets. If you're worried about cleanliness, you're in the wrong hostel.

Sarong — Every "female packing list" includes this. I'm not female and I don't own a sarong. If you want a multi-purpose cloth, bring a microfiber towel — it does the same thing.

First aid kit — I carry ibuprofen, Imodium, and band-aids in a ziplock bag. That's a first aid kit. You don't need a Red Cross trauma pack. Pharmacies exist everywhere and they're often cheaper abroad.

"Just in case" items — If you're adding something "just in case," don't. You are going to cities with shops. The daily cost data for most cities includes enough budget headroom to buy whatever you forgot.

Total item count: 47 things. Total weight: 7.8 kilos. Fits in a 38L carry-on. Covers any climate from tropical to cool Mediterranean. Scales from a 2-week trip to 6 months without modification.

Plan your route first, pack second. Build an itinerary and check which climates you're actually hitting — it'll save you from packing for scenarios that don't exist. Or if you're doing a Europe loop, you might want to bias slightly warmer on the jacket.

Currently listening to: Tame Impala — Let It Happen