I've been wanting to put together my packing list for digital nomad life for some time. For a few reasons really, one is for my own purposes as a checklist to see if I have everything when I'm packing. Another is to have a reference link for anyone who sees and likes an item and wants more information or to buy it. I'm also a habitual list-writer, so this list may come in handy if I were to lose my luggage and needed to start over or file insurance.
For the items themselves I had a few aims, and it's taken some time and experimentation to get to this set. I wanted to have a comfortable and flexible work and study setup, have enough clothes so that I don't feel the pinch on 'laundry day', and to take one or two luxuries. However, I also wanted to keep the total weight and size to within carry on airplane limits. Having less stuff makes us more agile, able to haul around cities, or small treks easily. It also saves my back and neck from too much strain. The total weight of my gear comes to around 12kg. Of that, I can carry up to 4kg on my person for flights, such as in pockets and coat.
There are a few items I keep stored at my parents such as a suit and shoes for formal events back home, as well as tax filings and sports team clothes. I plan to drop off and pick up some seasonal clothes there such as the extra pair of pants, shorts, jumper or jacket as the season requires. But that's pretty much it 'stuff' wise.
Your suitcase is the starting point for packing as a digital nomad and it reflects your approach in general. After some consideration I'm pretty set on 'wheeled backpack' style of bags. There is a very nice Vittorinox wheeled backpack but i'm not convinced on the price tag (upwards of $500). I think I prefer a cheaper bag even if it is of lower quality, providing it's regularly replaceable. I don't want to draw attention or be a potential target for thieves by sporting too nice of a bag. I'm currently rocking a no-name wheeled backpack I found in a Chinese bag shop in Japan, but when it comes time to replace, i'll be looking at grabbing a Cabin-Max Carry-on sized wheeled backpack - $275.11 AUD with shipping.
On top of having a single main bag, I have two additional bags which can function as day bags, both with quite a lot of utility. The Scrubba laptop air sleeve - $79.07, helps protect my laptop but does quite a bit more than that. For one, it can actually hold virtually ALL of my tech gear. I can borrow the straps from my other Scrubba bag to convert the sleeve into a ready-to-go satchel. The real utility is in the air value. All the air can be pushed out when it's time to pack down for flights. It can be overinflated (with the zip closed or opened for more area) to function as a pillow. I prefer sleeping with two pillows, and if the provided pillow is poor, I create my own with the sleeve, my puffer jacket, and one or two t-shirts.
The second bag is a Scrubba waterproof multipurpose bag - $134.92. It's waterproof which is good for outdoor activities, beach or rainy days. It has a few more functions which make it really special due to its valve. Firstly, it can be used as a compression bag, meaning it can help reduce the volume of space used in bags when flying. Secondly, it can be used as a portable washing machine. You can fully wash your clothes in it using just some hand soap. It's got us out of a pinch a few times, especially with the lower amount of clothes we are travelling with. It can be used as a portable shower which saved us one time when the hot water broke at an airbnb, and it could come in handy if we turn to camping at some point. It can be inflated to act as another pillow, but the other arrangement does better for that.
We both carry some vacuum space saving bags - $19.99. This is one of the better travel hacks we use to really compress the space to get under the carry-on volume restrictions. By putting a few of the bulkier items like the aeropress in the centre with our clothes I can make the form of the collapsed bag match pretty well with the natural shape of my backpack.
For work I use a Dell XPS 13 Laptop - ~$2000. It's powerful enough for professional software development, and compact for travel. It's a little on the heavy side, but I get around that by carrying the laptop on my person for flights. One of the reasons I chose this laptop was because it is USB-C chargeable. This is important because it means I don't need a charger. Also, if I were to need a replacement power charger in a hurry (which happened to me early in the trip) most retailers with a large electronics section will carry generic USB-C wall plugs.
One of my favourite pieces of tech is my Card4Pro Universal adapter with USB-C power delivery - $122.09. This universal adapter is compact and fits in your pocket. In addition to providing USB and USB-C power delivery, it also has any-plug passthrough to power smaller electronic items. To go with this, I retain a couple of Cords (USB-A, -C, lightning). I've recently bought a Cord and mobile kit - $49.38 by the same manufacturer. This kit contains all three cord types, sim pin and places, and allows for wireless charging. All gear I travel with can be charged by USB-A, with USB-C for the laptop and lightning cord for iPhone.
Another favourite bit of tech are my Bose QC35 bluetooth noise-cancelling headphones - $368. I was undecided about making such an expensive purchase for over two years. I couldn't see the benefits over having some much cheaper more 'disposable' headphones. I'm happy to say they've been one of my best purchases yet, and if I were to lose these I'd be looking to purchase another pair straight away. In addition to having great quality sound for listening to music, the headphones are great for making phone or skype calls from computer or laptop. The noise cancelling is a great feature, being able to shut out noisy surrounds like planes, waiting rooms or other guests at hostels makes these truly worth the cost. With the noise cancelling and rainy white noise I've been able to sleep through heavy traffic and children crying!
I use a Microsoft bluetooth flat mouse - $84.36, which clicks into shape. I like this most because it is wireless and has a small profile. I've definitely used better mouses before, but I think the utility makes this more attractive for the moment. The only downside is that it takes batteries - it would be ideal if it were USB-A chargeable. I carry a second keyboard which is a Microsoft bluetooth folding keyboard - $112.36. In addition to also being foldable and bluetooth, this keyboard works quite naturally with mobile devices. This means I can go out for the day with just a keyboard and my phone in order to do some productive writing or study. My phone is an iPhone 8 plus - $1399, I've always felt iPhones are great value, in that they can be used for communicating, navigating, entertainment and organizing.
Some other accessories that go with the laptop include a Nexstand collapsible laptop stand - $34.87 to accompany the laptop, mouse and keyboard. It's got a thin profile and is lightweight. When spending hours a day at a laptop, a device like this can help save your neck and shoulders from strain. While this is waiting for me back home, I've purchased a Sketchcase laptop whiteboard cover - $46.63 to go on the back of the Dell XPS 13 laptop. The idea is to have a space to write notes, diagrams or put a simple sign up on my laptop.
Another piece of tech I carry is a Luggage scale battery pack - $25.99. The luggage scale helps keep us within carry-on limits, and the battery pack proving a useful backup when we're travelling long periods.
One of my favourite accessories is my Collapsible Silicone 1L Water Bottle - $19.99. Unlike other water bottles, this is easy to clean and collapsible. This is great for daily use or to carry mixed drinks on the way to a party. The fact that it's collapsible means it's easy to put in your pocket once it's empty, or for pre-flight packing. Because it has a valve for letting air in and out, you guessed it, it's another pillow! This is a more practical option when going to a park and having something to rest your head on.
As we're from Melbourne, Australia - a coffee crazed capital - we're travelling with a AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker - $45.36 as well as an AeroPress Metal Filter - $29.93. This allows us to make a decent cup of hot morning coffee or an overnight cold-brew.
I'm carrying some small framed Ray Ban Sunglasses - $114.99 which look kind of like the ones in the link, with a tough case. I have a Eye mask and Earplugs - $9.99 set off Amazon, and in combination with the Bose QC35s generally can get a good sleep in most places we stay.
I maintain a small toiletries kit. Most places will have the essentials, but I carry a small tube of shampoo, toothpaste and hair gel, as well as a small soap. If we're going to be in a place longer than a fortnight, I'd probably buy some of those and look to top up my tubes before we leave for the road again. I have a Victorinox Swiss Army Card - $59.98 which I mainly use for the scissors (beard trimming). I was gifted a set of Men's Fragrance (Armani) mini-bottles - $166.56 and the small bottles are great to take on the road. This is another class of items that I would stash in the jacket for flights, as the tubes full of liquid can start to add up weight wise.
In addition to IDs like passport, international drivers license, drivers license and scuba certification, I have a personal preference for a blue Uniball Pen as well as small paper notebook and a Sharpie - $8. To help keep my neck, shoulders and back pain free, I travel with a Physio resistance band - $15.3 which also comes in useful for some yoga poses.
My iPhone case doubles as a wallet, and holds a few cards. I use an ING Visa Debit for most purchases as there is no international purchase or cashout fees and a no-annual fee Coles Mastercard. I'm going to change to a 28 degrees mastercard because they also offer no international purchase fees, unlike the Coles Mastercard.
The following is a dumped list of clothes I'm travelling with. While the above bags, tech and accessories list doesn't change much these days, my list of clothes often do. This generally reflects the change in seasons, so in summer more shorts, winter more jumpers and pants. As I work out which elements of my wardrobe are more 'permanent' such as the two puffer jackets, I'll likely look to upgrade to something nicer and higher quality when they start to deteriorate. Because of the short list of clothes, I find that items like t-shirts, socks and underwear tend to be replaced every 6-12 months.
I usually retain one pair of shoes for travel Asics cross trainers ~$150. When we're in one spot for long enough, I may also purchase a pair of cheap flip-flops for summer, or cheap canvas shoes for winter. This is one of the main ways I keep the total weight of my gear down; pairs of shoes come in around the same as a heavy pair of pants 500-700g.
An important consideration when picking clothes for travel is having items that are multipurpose. For me, the sarong and pair of black shorts are a good example. The sarong can be used as my towel, or for a picnic blanket in the park, a privacy screen in hostel beds, or to carry items. The shorts I've used for sports, swimming and general wear.
The large grey puffer jacket is my secret weapon of carry-on only travel. I watched some youtube tutorials to learn how to sew, learning techniques such as double threading and double stitching. I then sewed a canvas shopping bag into the back of the puffer jacket so that it can safely and discretely carry my laptop. Wearing it in the deep of summer for flights can be uncomfortably hot, but for all other times of the year, the jacket with laptop and plenty of pockets allows me to comfortably take 3kg out of my bag and under weight restrictions.
Besides that, my clothing is mainly about my own style, versatility for different situations and feeling comfortable. I generally have enough clothes to go a week for washing, which I think is about what I was doing on average back home when I had a much larger wardrobe anyway. Because my current 'wardrobe' is so small, I end up wearing all items.
So that's everything! At least for now until we hit another Australian Summer. For more information or suggestions feel free to get in touch.
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