Minimalist Packing List for Digital Nomads

After a 7 month stay in Santa Marta it seems that I forgot how to pack.

This occurred to me when I indeed was forced to check baggage on my flight to Mazatlan. As a result of having to do so, I needed to wait for it in a layover and then recheck it, since I had bought the tickets separately as opposed to a fly-through.

These delays compounded and as a result I missed my connection.

Additionally, I dislike having to carry so much stuff around. I feel like it makes me more of a target and restics my ability to take some forms of transport, such as mini buses or motorbikes.

In Mazatlan I decided to shed myself of unneeded stuff in an effort to get back to my minimalistic ways. So this post is basically a packing list I can refer to in the future, and perhaps you will get some inspiration from it also.

Before I get into the list, there are a few things I should mention which allow me to travel the world without having to check baggage. First, I’m a guy. Generally, girls need more stuff.

Second, I avoid cold places. My gear doesn’t allow me to travel below freezing, but that’s fine because I much prefer warm places.

And thirdly, I don’t use packing cubes. They are great for organization but they do not save you space. In fact, it limits the ability to squeeze soft items into nooks and crannies. And to think they do save you space just spits in the face of physics.

You can’t save space by adding an item!

Okay, onto the packing list. Just FYI, this contains a lot of affiliate links pointing to all the things I actually use. Most of them you can get via Amazon.

This is not really a survival kit because I need it to get through airport security. Though it does have some survival stuff in there, It’s more like random stuff to tie me over in an emergency until I can find a better solution.

If I plan to go into the wilderness I buy some other items such as a better knife and a fire starter.

Although I like to travel without check-in luggage, I do like to check in my 46L back if it is included in my ticket anyway or when they ask people to do it at the gate and I’m not in a rush to connect flights. This saves me having to lug it around the airport during connections. For this reason I always make sure to have the following in my packaway daypack items bag.

These items are not additional to the packing list.

I also wear shorts, tracksuit pants, a t-shirt, hoodie, shoes and my cap.

I find minimalism as a whole, without going overboard, is greatly beneficial for me. Not only does my bag get lighter, but my mind becomes clearer too.