“I’m living out of a backpack for 9 months” yeah, say it out loud, it doesn’t make sense.
Dont worry. Here I am. Writing a packing blog. But fr. One backpack is a lot and this is OVERWHELMING as Frick. but don’t worry!! You got it!! The first time you try to fit stuff in your back, you will panic. you’ll think you can’t do it and you will find yourself with every piece of clothing you own in a pile surrounding you and you will lose it. Don’t worry, you can do it. I promise you, at the end you’ll be able to pack up in 15 minutes.
Don’t pack exactly like me, pack how you want. This is just a general idea. But I did try to go as specific as I could! Sorry for the length lol.
Let me first echo what every other packing blog you’ve read says: only bring what you absolutely need. check the Facebook world race buy and sell group. Ask a local store to donate by giving discounts etc. get creative with it!
BIG PACK!!!
Go full-in with the minimalism. You need less than you think.
Gear:
Pack:
I have an Osprey Aura 65 L pack because it was what was cheapest and I love it! It was the perfect amount. Any larger I would’ve brought unnecessary stuff.
Tent:
okay. Time in Gainesville I loved my tent. I read not to get a tent footprint but that really bit me in the butt. To save money, buy a tarp to put under but if you have nothing you will get mold and it will flood. Check the clearance section for REI website. Get a two person tent because your pack is as big as a person. I have a Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL 2.
You don’t NEED one, but coming from the biggest extrovert there is, I’ve liked having mine when you live a foot away from 19 other girls in a small room. I share my tent with a teammate and love it, just don’t splurge on it. Also! A good alternative is buying a rain cover for your hammock and then sleeping in that.
Hammock – random cheap one works just as good as Eno. Slept in mine for like 2 ish months.
Sleeping pad:
I spent a long time researching on this and it’s worth it. Splurge if you have to. I searched which sleeping pad is best for a side sleeper and I found the one I wanted and got it for half the price on the Facebook group. I have the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite
Sleeping Bag:
Okay, I went the sleeping quilt route because all my countries were warmer so I didn’t need something heavy duty. Search “sleeping quilt” on REI. Way cheaper and I love being able to stick my feet out lol. Its bigger and its just like a blanket! Also more fun designs. I brought it to breakfast and devos and it was overall just a good option.
Sleeping liner:
Not a necessity. A squadmate gave his to me and no one really uses them. They’re cheap on Amazon and I like it for sleeping in my hammock
Organizer felt box things:
Idk how to explain these? From Target and they fold up. Idk, but they’re light, small, and help organization sooooo much. You’ll want a clean tent when its your only personal space.
Packing cubes:
!! Yay! Theres a lot of fun packs of 3 you can get on Amazon for cheap. Use Eagle Creek compression cubes. What I use is one medium for shirts etc, one small for makeup, one small for shorts and pants. One small for Underwear and socks and bras. I put the bigger stuff just on the top without a packing cube. Dont bring a compression sack, they wrinkled and are less accessible.
Also I have an eagle creek toiletries bag I only got because it was on sale and I love it. To whoever asked about those, most people just bring a regular one from any store!
Sarong:
Quick dry towels smell bad fast, everyone has them, and they’re expensive. I bought a cheap sarong and I like it way better. They’re cheap on Amazon or you can buy in country. Or, if you want to go to rustic route, use the shirt you’re changing out of to dry off lol.
Clothes!!!!
Okay, hear me out, less is more. you’ll find a lot of squamates change like once a week, but I like to change every day to feel better. I wear t shirts a lot more than I thought I would. Don’t bring clothes you’re super attached to, but also I liked having my favorite t shirt even though it’s ruined. Be prepared for bleach stains, mold, dirt, everything. I have one t shirt especially dedicated to manual labor, like concrete mixing and weed pulling. The key is to bring neutral things;
4 t shirts
3 “nicer” shirts – instead, switch out to 2 nicer shirts and 5 t shirts. Honestly, 6 or 7 shirts in all is perfect.
2 shorts – you think you’ll need more, just get neutral colors. I have black Colombia shorts and lavender Platos closet shorts. Bring Patagonia if you want. If I’m being honest, I freaked out before that I wasn’t going to be “cool” because I didn’t have Patagonia’s and I had weird shorts. I’m so glad I went with the cheaper option and its just as good.
Jeans! – Only bring one pair. But bring a good pair. In Gainesville I had two but I only needed one. In Gainesville, I LOVED having my jeans. Perfect for a sabbath you dont wanna dress up but want to feel good. My favorite outside was a light long sleeve under a t shirt with my ripped jeans.
Thin jogger pants – I got these from TJMaxx for cheap and I loved them so much when they ripped in the butt I covered them with duct tape. They were good for Domestic part and doing manual labor. They go with anything
Flowy pants – good for church or adventure days around town.
Dress – bring a dress or a skirt, not both. The dress I brought was cute but I’ve worn it 6 times and its really bulky.
Skirt – I wish I would’ve just brought the skirt. They’re super versatile and cute too. Also, remember you’ll share a lot of clothes so you’ll always have more options than you think!
Bring a skirt you like and think is cute, don’t buy it because you think a missionary would wear it. Leave your missionary clothes at home, this is real life and you’ll miss your clothes.
Flannel – This was more of a luxury thing but I could fit it so why not?! It’s good to look cute for and also I like to use it when it gets chilly at night.
Sweater – I got mine cheap at target and it wasn’t just like a sweatshirt, it was a cute thing I could throw on for layering and all that jazz. My green Carhartt shirt and Burgundy sweater became my staple outfit in Gainesville. You’ll want one for inside during sessions and overseas for evening.
Underwear – this is the only time I’ll say: more. Is. better. Some people liked to get a package and not use them until halfway through and trust me, you’ll literally die for that once month 7 hits. Im writing this by month nine and only have 8 pairs left. Hand-washing is tiring after months and overseas you won’t have set aside time, so bring lots of underwear. Bring gallon bags to put everything in.
Bras – I have 4 sports bras and one real bra – way too many. Bring 3 sports bras at most but I would’ve been good with two.
Beanie – I loved my beanie and just kept it in my day pack to take out whenever.
Hat – I’m one of those people who doesn’t wear sunscreen ever (sorry mom) but I bought a hat in Costa because the sun was so crazy. I like to clip it on a caribeener and I love it.
Rain Jacket – yes. I wish I had a better quality one for living in the jungle. Also Gainesville is very rainy and wet, you’ll want a rain jacket. seriously.
Shoes – to Gainesville I brought PF Flyers (Like high top converse), Tevas, and tennis shoes. I only used tennis shoes for the hike and domestic outreach and threw them away. I brought rain boots to Costa Rica and dropped them. Tevas are good because you can use them for shower shoes if you want but I personally dont care about shower shoes. I live and die by my Tevas. Bring some. Don’t bring more than 4 pairs.
Bathing suit – Target. yep.
Toiletries:
For Gainesville-
full shampoo and conditioner. To save space, bring a solid shampoo bar and a bar of soap. Either way, bring full ones. It’s hard to share when you only have limited amounts. overseas –
buy in country. Its cheap and way easier.
Toothpaste
Toothbrushes – honestly, coming from me, I should’ve brought 6. I lost 4 toothbrushes just in Gainesville. Idk why??
Deodorant!! – plz. Literally plz. Its so awkward to tell someone to put on deodorant but u just gotta bc you live w them. bring one.
Razor – I brought a nice one with a bunch of replacement razors.
Perfume – wish I had some. used my teammates all the time.
Random Misc bag!
Tide stick – brought one and didn’t use it. Not worth it to me. You won’t care about stains by month 4.
Face lotion – for the mountain towns.
Nail clippers
Tweezers
Nail polish – two colors!! You’ll want it!
Brush
Zip loc bag w all my jewelry
Stain detergent – okay. This is secret life-saver. Its like bar soap for hand washing laundry stains. It makes my clothes white again and I still swear by mine. I love it. This or detergent strips are good.
Bobby pins!
Hair ties
Aquahor- lip stuff but also think ahead for tats
Travel sized Fabric softener spray- OKAY haha. so I use it as perfume and fabric softener. It’s kinda a life saver to make things smell fresher and feel better.
small battery powered diffuser – don’t make fun of me. I loved it lol. Def a luxury and I’m dropping it before I go home but it was fun to have in Gainesville.
Makeup bag:
Less is more. I thought I’d wear makeup way more. Trust me, you won’t. I wore makeup once the entire time I was in Costa Rica. I’d say only bring:
Mascara
Concealer
Blush and/or bronzer
Makeup remover wipes
Hand held mirror – I got made fun of for this at first but I don’t regret it. There’s countries you won’t have a mirror for months and the porta potty mirrors won’t cut it, lemme tell ya.
More things!!
Books. I brought one
Extra journals
Extra pens
Tape and glue – if you’re not a journal person, you’ll become one
Watercolors and paintbrushes
Pillow – this is big luxury but I love it. Also had an inflatable pillow for Gainesville and I loved it. I had two pillowcases – sleep one and travel day one.
Sarong – to sit on the beach or picnic with. Same thing as my towel, sorry if thats gross, its the race.
Tampons – I became a diva cup girl for the race but brought lots of tampons as a backup and used them like 50/50.
Wipes – bring a small pack. everyone made me think I needed a lot but I used like 20 the whole race.
Sunscreen – if you’re a sunscreen person, bring it. Sunscreen was like $20 in Costa.
Fan – I dropped mine but a lot of squamates love battery powered fans.
Fairy lights and photos – ok so. THIS. Is the one thing that made me feel at home. Little $5 battery powered wire ones from Target and I clothespin my photos on them.
Paracord – I used mine all the time. Clothesline!
Carabbeaners – one for water bottle. i strap my tevas for travel day, random stuff I can’t fit and I have like three on my day pack.
Friendship bracelet thread – random but fun! You’ll want it for random bored moments or kids ministry.
Tin mug – I got mine from Walmart 30 mins before I showed up to Gainesville as a stress buy. WORTH IT. I use it everyday.
Medicine bag
Yeah. Gallon bag full of medicines. Word of advice: dont bring vitamins if you dont take them at home. I brought too many medicines after reading that same thing on so many blogs. You can get most medicines in country.
Tums – get em.
Anti-Diarrhea – again, get em. You’ll want it when 15 out of the 25 members on your squad gets a parasite with limited bathrooms.
Extra Strength Aleve
Anti – itch cream
Vitamin C drink stuff – for the hypochondriacs out there lol
Melatonin – I love having mine
Dramamine – get non-drowsy!!
Electronics:
Camera – worth it. I really value photography and videography so it just depends where your priorities lie. I brought a Canon Rebel T6 and I was able to use it for so much ministry and actually became somewhat of a videographer / communications person for my host. Just bring it knowing it could break
MacBook – brought mine and the battery KO’d by month 5. Still glad I brought it though? Someone asked if a MacBook or iPad is better. I’d say iPad!
Extension Cord with multiple plugs!!
Chargers
*don’t bring an adapter, its not worth it*
DAY PACK!!
I had a North Face Borealis day pack and loved it but switched to a Burton 30L one bc it was cute haha. 30L is a lot but 20 is probably perfect! Keep in mind this is everything you need for a travel day, some people even like to put an extra pair of clothes:
Passport and copies of everything (insurance, passport, blah blah)
Wallet
Little pill organizer – From Amazon. I love mine. I keep some melatonin, dramamine, and aleve in mine.
Computer and camera
Essential oils – I have peppermint, thieves, eucalyptus, lavender, citronella, aromaease, tea tree, and stress away. I love having mine
Chapstick
Earbuds
Nalgene
Portable Chargers
Snacks – bring hot sauce and peanut butter!!
Nalegene
Masks – more than you think!
Don’t bring sentimental things – they will get moldy or ruined.
That seems to cover it all!! I even brought a lot of stuff – choose into the minimalism thing. it’s kinda fun and there’s no other time in your life you’ll be able to do this! also there’s thrift stores in a lot of countries too!
Happy Packing!!! Dont panic I promise it’ll be okay !!
<3
