4 years on the road: What’s in my bag?
I’ve been traveling the world 🌍 full-time since 2014, and I’ve visited 30 countries and countless cities in this time. I document my travels on Instagram, and recently a lot of people have been asking what’s in my bag?
The key here is for someone like myself who has been traveling full-time for an extended period your packing choices are more centered around needs over wants. We all start off traveling with as much as we can cram in our bag. Perhaps even taking a few bags along for the ride but this just ends up with a hurty back and a bag full of stuff you never end up using.
I have one backpack, it’s been with me for years now, and over time the items that are in my bag have become very few and center around what I need most to travel light, comfortably and effectively 💪.
So here is a look inside my bag at the main essentials:
I have split the list into two categories, my personal essentials (clothes and small handy items), and my photography essentials.
Personal needs:
Clothes:
This is an area that I usually find little to talk about. Everyone travels with their favorite outfits, and often, this simply boils down to personal preference.
For example, I run. Therefore I have my running gear and opt for running shoes vs. waterproof boots. A decision that haunts me at least once a year!
However, there are a few standout items that are worth mentioning.
Bluffworks Chinos
Bluffworks pants are an essential to my travels; these combine fashion with technical chops. Water resistant, fast drying, hidden zip pockets for travel safety, and they look hot AF.
I mainly wear these in cities or colder climates when my shorts are just a little on the casual or cold side. They’re also perfectly tailored and seriously comfortable. As these are also a Chino, it means they pack small, unlike jeans.
Oh, I forgot they’re also wrinkle free, which is great because we all know dudes can’t fold so we need this kind of product in our lives!
Luna sandals
Luna sandals are this little sandal company in Seattle of all places. Luna produce sandals for adventures, they stay on when you run or hike and they are super comfortable.
To me, these are the perfect sandal for any activity, in any weather. Especially for someone like me who’s the only pair of “real” shoes are for running. I wear them 99 % of the time.
Boardwalk shorts
Boardwalk shorts by Rip Curl are amazing. Designed to look like everyday shorts (with pockets no less) but also designed to be used as board shots in the water. They also work great for running or the gym if you don’t want to lug around more clothes.
These shorts allow me to look like a beach bum all the time, which is awesome and requires me by law to live by the beach at all times. True story!
So yeah, I’m a sucker for anything that handles multiple situations well. It means you can pack less and be ready for anything adventure throws your way!
P.s. Despite not mentioning tops, I must say, I don’t get why people don’t wear more technical fabrics. They can be fashionable and practical.
Highly recommended if you want to avoid being that sweaty dude at the end of a hike all in the name of a fashionable Instagram shot. Because in this situation you really can have your cake and eat it… or wear it… or take a photo of it… whatever, you get it.
The little things
Apart from clothes, there are very few personal items that live in my bag. However, there are a few small items that make all the difference.
Phone charger
Ever played so much Pokemon Blue that your phone batteries die when you need it the most? Yeah, me too! So I carry around this super slim Mophie charger to help me in my times of need. Whether that’s with catching a few extra Pokemon or to get up my boarding pass, so I don’t miss my flight!
Headphones
Oh music, what a wonder you are! I carry three headphones with me, not because I’m crazy or anything, but because different situations call for different headphones. So here is what I have:
- Noise canceling — if there is a God, he invented these for flights with screaming babies!
- Wireless — for running, gym and google maps on the scooters in Asia!
- Apple headphones — battery died on the wireless headphones? These can be thrown in a pocket, bag or whatever and weight nothing, for those times of need
Headphone case
This is my plane hack; I just throw everything I need in my headphone case for the flight.
Charging cables, passport, headphones, pen, sleep mask, ear plugs, drugs… wait… no… that’s a secret. Shhh.
The car USB adapter
Directions eating your phone’s battery? Girlfriend playing candy crush on your phone because she forgot to charge hers? A must have for any road trip.
Waterproof bag
This has two primary uses, when I’m on a boat I want my non-waterproof items to be safe and when I go surfing to keep my eyes on me rather than hidden somewhere. Essential for countless situations. Especially when boarding boats in Asia on the beach with no pier (some bitch pushed me in the other day to save herself from a large wave!).
Clips for attaching items outside the bag
Airport security is a pain in the bottom. However, I love this little hack of attaching my liquids to the outside of my bag. Also handy for those times where I packed like an ape and can’t fit everything in the bag!
📸 Photography needs:
DJI Mavic Pro Drone
The Mavic is just amazing, light weight, small and shoots amazing video and photos. It’s super durable too; I just throw it in my bag with no protection and pull it out when needed to get beautiful shots like this.
Sony a6500
A Beautiful camera without the crazy price tag of the Sony a7. I used to take all my Instagram photos with my iPhone but now this beauty is taking up that mantle.
10–18mm lens
This is the perfect wide angle photography meets blogging setup. Used by Casey too, so you know it’s good! I only carry the one lens because they take up valuable space and weigh a ton.
Gorilla pod
I use this over a traditional tripod because it’s versatile. A lot of the time I find myself wanting to attach my tripod to something. It also works exceptionally for vlogging.
GoPro
Just a must have to capture amazing video of your adventures. I’ve been using GoPro’s for years and they come in handy more often than not. Queue video from the past:
I use the new Hero 5 Session to avoid looking at the screen whilst recording. It keeps me in the moment, which is what matters.
Moment Lenses
These are fantastic little lenses for the iPhone. Their case is perfect protection for my phone too (I drop my phone at least twice a day). The only downside is I lose the lenses all the time. Like literally, I never lose anything, but these disappear faster than Abra.
Hard Drive
A must have if editing large amounts of video content. For the photos I just let Google Photos handle that.
MacBook Pro
Obviously!
The full list can be found here. Including links to purchase the items on Amazon!
And that is everything in my backpack. Minus a few panties and socks! I hope this helps you on your adventures. Just remember, only pack what you need, not what you want.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow me on Instagram and give my photos some love.
Thank you ❤️
