The Big Trip Packing List.
This packing list covers everything we took on The Big Trip – seven months travelling around the world with just hand luggage.
Our packing had to cover the essentials for every weather, terrain and occasion, so we focused on taking things that were lightweight, good quality, compact and multi-purpose. Remember that people live wherever it is you’re going; they have shampoo, paracetamol, hats and charger cables. It’s better to decide you need to buy something extra, than to carry something heavy around the world with you for the best part of a year. Anyway, here’s what we took:
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The Packing List
Luggage was an area where we did the most research, getting knee-deep in Reddit ultra light forums and spending a lot of time in stores trying bags on for size. I’d certainly recommend both of these to work out what’s right for you. So this is our luggage and packing tips for carry-on only travel.
The Backpack: Osprey Farpoint 40l
Nicola and I both opted for Osprey 40 litre bags (the Osprey Farpoint for men, and the Osprey Fairview for women). These fit in the overhead locker on most airlines, the shoulder straps pack away into a zipped section so they don’t get damaged, and crucially the bag unzips all the way down like a suitcase, so you can easily get to whatever you need, wherever you need it. We loved them, and have used them ever since.
Gavin’s Daypack: Osprey Daylite Plus
For my day pack I took an Osprey Daylite plus. It’s durable, well-built, and ergonomically designed so you don’t end up with painful shoulders and a sweaty back.
Nicola’s Daypack: Arket A4 black nylon bag
Nicola quite reasonably didn’t want to be wearing a backpack every day, so she brought this little shoulder bag, which manages to swallow an almighty amount of stuff.
Packing cubes
Compression packing cubes from Gonex. These are lightweight, durable, and can compress a surprising amount of stuff.
Packable backpack
Nicola’s shoulder bag wasn’t ideal for hiking, so she also bought this ridiculously compact Osprey Packable backpack, which squishes down to nothing.
Raincover
Because no matter where you’re travelling, it could rain. This’ll keep your big backpack dry, just keep it in the top pocket for easy access.
Dry bag
This works well as a dry bag for water based activities and tropical showers, doubles up as a nifty bag liner for your day pack.
The clothing you bring largely comes down to personal preference, but this is what we ended up taking with us. There’s some variation between men’s and women’s, but generally the theme was lightweight, durable, multipurpose and quick-dry.
Gavin’s clothes (men’s):
- 8 x t-shirts:
- 2 x quick dry t-shirts (Mountain Warehouse)
- 4 x Uniqlo AIRism t-shirts (Uniqlo)
- 2 x H&M Drymove t-shirts (H&M)
- 2 x trousers:
- 1 x quick dry zip-off trousers (Mountain Warehouse)
- 1 x quick dry trousers (Mountain Warehouse)
- 2 x shorts:
- 1 x quick dry shorts (Mountain Warehouse)
- 1 x lightweight shorts (The North Face)
- 1 x long-sleeved top
- 1 x lightweight fleece (Mountain Warehouse)
- 1 x belt
- 1 x swimming shorts
- Underwear and socks:
- 10 x black boxer shorts
- 5 x trainer socks
- 4 x ankle socks
- 2 x hiking socks (Mountain Warehouse)
- 1 x baseball cap
- 1 x sunglasses (Vans wayfarer)
- 1 x raincoat (Patagonia Torrentshell raincoat)
- 1 x warm hat
- 1 x ultra light down jacket (Uniqlo)
Nicola’s clothes (women’s):
- 4 x dresses:
- 2 x t-shirts:
- 1 x wicking t-shirt (Mountain Warehouse)
- 1 x Patagonia Capilene t-shirt (Patagonia)
- 2 x trousers:
- 1 x lightweight cargo trousers (Mountain Warehouse)
- 1 x cropped wide leg trousers (Sainsbury’s)
- 2 x leggings:
- 1 x gym leggings (Lululemon)
- 1 x cotton leggings (H&M)
- 2 x long-sleeved tops:
- 1 x pink top (Mountain Warehouse)
- 1 x thermal top (Uniqlo)
- 1 x merino wool cardigan (M&S)
- 1 x lightweight pyjamas
- 1 x Uniqlo AIRism strappy top (Uniqlo)
- 1 x kimono
- 1 x silk Alexandra McQueen skull scarf (Vinted)
- 1 x sunglasses
- 1 x Large lightweight scarf | use as a beach blanket, shawl, cover shoulders at religious buildings etc.
- 1 x Patagonia torrentshell rainjacket
- 1 x ultra light down jacket (Uniqlo)
- 1 x bikini
- 1 x pair of cycling shorts
- Underwear
- 10 x cotton knickers (MandS)
- 1 x bra
- 1 x sports bra
- 5 x pairs of socks
- 2 x hiking socks
We spent an extensive amount of time researching the best shoes to take. They too had to work in multiple climates, all types of terrains and be able to survive over 1,000,000 steps of wear.
Everyday shoes: | New Balance Hierro
After an extensive amount of research, we both decided this is the shoe that can do it all. Vibram soles for hiking in Patagonia, comfy cushioning for thousands of city break steps, quick drying after exploring the rainforest, and not too ‘hiking boot’ for sitting in restaurants. The perfect backpacking shoe.
Gavin’s shoes
Casual shoes | TOMS
I took some TOMS , which were useful for padding around town, heading out to dinner or horse riding in Argentina. They squash down to nothing.
Flip flops | Havaianas
A pair of Havaianas are good quality, they’ll last the trip, and they can survive being used in grubby showers, or being squashed in the top of your bag
Nicola’s shoes
Casual shoes | Allbirds
Toms were useful for padding around town, heading out to dinner or riding a horse in Argentina. They squash down to pretty small if you find yourself short of space.
Sandals | Birkenstocks
These are durable, comfortable and look good, as well as letting your feet breathe in hot countries. Because nobody wants smelly feet near them on the night bus.
Toiletries are bound to vary from person to person, but our approach was to make sure everything earned its place. We also tried to get solid things instead of liquids, to avoid the airport security faff as much as possible.
Hanging wash bag
This Lifeventures wash bag comes with a hook for hanging in hostel bathrooms. It’s spacious and easy to clean, lots of pockets for separating everything.
Solid perfume
Avoid lugging around a glass bottle, and having the liquids issue at airports. I took a Jo Malone tin, while Nicola took a Diptyque one.
Soap bar bag
This waterproof and leakproof bag is brilliant, and stopped soap and shampoo from getting all mushy in my washbag.
General toiletries
- Travel hairbrush
- Soap bar
- Suncream, ideally under 100ml if flying
- A small pack of tissues
- Toothbrush and toothbrush cover
- Toothpaste
- Dental floss
- Nail clippers
- Maximum grade bug spray (Jungle Formula)
- Hand sanitiser
Gavin’s extra toiletries
- Head & Shoulders shampoo bar
- Disposable razor and spare blades
- Shaving gel bar
- L’Oreal roll on deodorant
Nicola’s extra toiletries
- Razor, epilator and charger (Braun)
- Wild solid deodorant and refills
- Hair ties
- Olay Retinol 24 Night moisturiser (Boots)
- Shampoo bar (Ethique)
- Conditioner bar (Ethique)
- Mooncup (Amazon)
- Foldable Mooncup cleaning pot (Amazon)
- Sterilisation tablets for Mooncup
- 2 x SBTRCT makeup melt (SBTRCT)
- 1 x Gallinée Prebiotic Cleansing Bar (Gallinée )
- Muslin face cloth
- Reusable microfibre cotton pads
A good first aid kit is essential, as well as any other general medication you need. Be careful taking some medication into certain countries; have a look on the embassy website of the country you’re visiting to check for any entry restrictions. Some decongestants are restricted in Japan, for example, and some countries ask for printed copies of prescriptions.
Travel first aid kit
Our Lifesystems kit contains plasters, bandages, a roll plaster, gauze, antiseptic, safety pins, tweezers and scissors. Hopefully all you’ll need.
Sterile kit
We also took a Lifesystems sterile kit, which is strongly recommended when travelling to places with varying healthcare and sanitation.
General medicine cabinet items:
This section covers a varied amount of stuff, from head torches and coffee to washing and padlocks. If you end up realising that you’re not using something, just post it home, or donate it to someone else. No point carrying it around the world for no reason.
Water filter bottle & spare filters
Nicola did a huge amount of research, and decided these were the best, filtering out the most common bacteria and viruses. The filters last around three months, so bring spares if needed. They’re sometimes a little tricky to drink from, but it means easy access to clean water, whether you’re on a remote hike or simply on a long-distance train.
Mosquito net
We were rarely bitten by mosquitos thanks to this double bed-sized net. Bring some extra nylon string and get creative stringing this up each night.
Micro towel
This mini microfibre towel is superb. It dries you quickly, dries itself quickly, and folds down to roughly the size of an egg. You’ll never need to rent a grubby hostel towel again.
Head torch
Whether finding the hostel bathroom at night, or trekking through Borneo jungle in the pitch black, this rechargeable, splashproof torch is lightweight and durable.
Other important things:
The coffee-on-the-move kit:
Aeropress
Being able to make our own coffee on the go was incredibly useful. A word of warning: ground coffee is surprisingly scarce/expensive in some corners of the world.
Mini coffee flask
One of the best things we brought with us. Hot coffee on tap, anywhere in the world. Night buses, on aircraft, in Patagonia, on benches in city parks
Coffee pouch
Being able to make our own coffee on the go was great. A word of warning: ground coffee is surprisingly scarce/expensive in some corners of the world.
We wanted to disconnect from gadgets as much as possible, but also wanted to document everything we got up to. So we took cameras, Kindles and even laptops. I think we found the right balance; they were useful when we needed them, but it was still a proper chance to avoid being glued to a screen.
Noise-cancelling headphones
These headphones are definitely worth bringing with you. Good noise cancellation and high-quality audio makes them perfect for long flights, trains and buses.
A lightweight camera
This is the camera I wish I’d taken on the Big Trip, but the budget didn’t allow it. I love it now, though – it’s compact, lightweight and the photos are great quality.
Kindle e-book reader
Even paperback books are too bulky when travelling with hand luggage. You can’t beat a kindle preloaded with books.
Multi-country adaptor
This all-in-one has USB, USB-C and a normal UK socket. Soon christened ‘The Megaplug’, we didn’t find a country where it didn’t work.