How I Wish I’d Packed for Backpacking in South America

The short answer: more minimally.

Saying Goodbye to Home

When I packed for my trip, I was leaving my studio apartment after two and a half years in Buenos Aires. I had a lot of stuff. Fortunately, my brother came visit and then hike in Patagonia. On his return flight, he brought along my largest luggage stuffed with most of the things I’d want upon return to California. (Thank you, Eric!)

The rest I gave to friends or packed on my back for the upcoming travels. I had only a vague idea of my itinerary:

• hike throughout Patagonia
• taste wine in Santiago and Mendoza
• work on a farm in Mendoza
• visit Ecuador and/or Colombia (funds permitting)

With a variety of locations and activities, I ended up with yet another stuffed piece of luggage. Following you’ll find what I brought, what I could’ve left behind, and what I wish I had.

Clothing

It’s so easy to overpack clothes. As a rule, I made sure my clothes met a variety of factors: neutral colored, lightweight, and able to wear a variety of ways. Thus far, I’ve found that my clothing fits into three categories of trail, camp and town.

Now in the thick of our time in Patagonia, I’ve worn my hiking clothes more than any others.

Every trail day, I wear the same wool socks, hiking pants, long-sleeved base layer, and synthetic tank top with built-in bra. I swiped Connor’s Buff, which is definitely worth a purchase to keep your ears warm. On colder days, I add gloves and a beanie. On days with rain or snow, I layer my rain jacket.

While camping, I usually change into a clean pair of socks and undies, plus my long-sleeved cotton shirt and an insulation layer (like the fleece jacket). On bottom, I’ll wear the base layer pants.

I still haven’t dug much into the city clothing, but I imagine I’ll be thinking up some strange combinations.

• rain jacket
• fleece jacket
• down jacket
• beanie
• Buff
• hiking pants
• base layer pants
• sweatpants
• synthetic long-sleeve top
• 2 sports tank tops
• 2 sports bras
• 1 bra
• 10 undies (5 full coverage, 5 thong)
• 9 pairs of socks (5 hiking, 4 ankle)
• 2 cotton shirts (one long sleeve, one tank)
• 2 pairs of shorts
• jean shirt
• jeans
• leather leggings
• yoga pants
• long black dress
• scarf
• lightweight camping towel

What I’d leave: some undies and socks, the puffy jacket, the rain jacket

You really only need a handful of undies and socks. We’ve done laundry just a couple of times in the span of a month, and I generally hand wash my most-used clothes. (Tip: pack a small bottle of hand sanitizer filled with dish soap to get rid of dirt and bacteria.)

I brought two insulation tops when I really only need one. Along with my rain jacket, the extra jackets add tons of bulk to my pack.

What I want: a wind breaker

Even in the summer, Patagonia can be icy cold; we’ve hiked through rain, hail and snow. A super lightweight windbreaker can ward off the chill while ensuring you don’t overheat.

Electronics & Extras

A big pleasure of travel is having the downtime to read and write and take photographs. My MacBook is a splurge, though it weighs just a bit more than an iPad. More than a phone, it’s easier to use for researching different destinations, making travel reservations, and storing photos and documents. I’ve been happy to have it.

Before leaving Buenos Aires, I started teaching online English classes through VIPKID. I brought a small bag of supplies, just in case I had good internet and some time.

• DSLR camera with zoom lens and microphone
• MacBook
• iPhone
• Kindle
• headphones
• portable charger
• international converter and other chargers
• small notebook
• key and lock for storing belongings
• teaching supplies

What I’d leave: all that heavy camera gear

What I want: a phone with high-quality camera

A DSLR camera can take exquisite photos. But I’m not printing my pictures or submitting them for publication, so there’s really no reason for me to haul around my big ol’ DSLR with multiple lenses. I would consider buying a smaller model, but today’s phones can sometimes work just as well without adding extra bulk.

Toiletries

This is another tricky category to limit, as most supplies seem so small when packing. But the weight adds up. I’ve tried to contain mine to one small bag. For a few weeks, I did without shampoo, reasoning that any hotels we’d visit would have some. But sometimes after days on a trail, the hotels would only offer a bar of soap. I abandoned my experiment in hyper minimalism and sprang for another bottle of shampoo. Lesson learned: soap isn’t gunna cut it for long hair.

• toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, mouthguard
• shampoo
• deodorant
• face wash
• lotion
• sunscreen
• razor
• Diva Cup
• Neosporin
• earplugs
• nail clippers 
• scissors
• tweezers
• medicine (CuraPlus all the way!)
• comb
• hair ties
• sunglasses
• makeup
• jewelry

What I’d leave: makeup, lotion

What I want: nothing more than what I’ve got!

Who needs makeup when you’re hiking? I’d ditch everything other than mascara and the eyelash curler. That paired with a bit of jewelry works well enough for a night out.

Lotion, while nice to have, isn’t high on my list of necessities. If I were coming from stateside, I’d pop into Target for a tiny bottle.

Shoes

Some people avoid extra weight by leaving behind trainers, but I’ve found them useful for two reasons. Most importantly, I avoid wearing out my hiking boots with city strolling. Secondly, I have some shoes to wear when I want to feel slightly less dirty.

• flip flops
• lightweight trainers
• hiking boots

I’d change nothing. (Wahoo!)

Gear

This is my biggest source of bulk, and I’m really looking forward to buying some lighter, smaller camping gear.

Fortunately for me and my back, Connor carries our tent and cooking stove. (I justify this to myself as part of training for his upcoming trek up Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas.) We each have a spork, but we eat from the same small tin pot. When backpacking, we split the food.

The yoga mat was my heftiest splurge item. I leave it in town when we hit the trail, and upon return, I relish rolling it out to stretch and decompress.

I picked up the trekking poles in El Chaltén, and I’ll never go back to hiking without them! Once considered super dorky, I now see them as my extra legs on the trail. More than a few times, they’ve saved me from falling in rivers or mud following powerful gusts of wind.

• trekking poles
• sleeping bag
• sleeping pad
• travel pillow for long bus rides and flights
• yoga mat

What I’d leave: the sleeping bag, the sleeping pads

What I want: a lightweight sleeping quilt, an inflatable mat

I inherited both my sleeping bag and pad from other people. While I’m certainly grateful for the freebies, I would love to have much smaller sleeping gear that could be stuffed away.

Overall, I’d advise bringing a few creature comforts to feel at home while on the go. But when you’re carrying all your gear, less is definitely better.