Many purchases later, here is a consolidated list of my all-star travel items.
1: Moab Speed 2 GORE-TEX
The all purpose travel shoe.
Price: $140
After a lot of trial and error, this is The Shoe that I will be using on all future trips in the foreseeable future.
Pros
- Waterproof – GORE-TEX is the lightest, most breathable waterproof material. It’s way less stiff than typical waterproof shoes, but just as effective
- Comfort – feet still felt great at the end of the day
- All purpose – doubles as a city sneaker as well as a hiking shoe if you have moderate-level hikes planned
- Design – these shoes double so well as a cute sneaker
Cons
- Wears quickly – because it’s designed as a hiking shoe, the tread does wear quickly. After ~2 months of consistent wear after one of our longer trips, I started noticing less grip while walking on wet surfaces
2: Osprey 40L Backpack
The One Bag to rule them all.
Price: $145
This bag got my partner and I hooked on the #onebagging community – we just take this backpack on all of our trips. So far, we’ve made it work for a trip up to 7 weeks long.
Note – there are trips where suitcases might make more sense, and trips where a backpack might make more sense. For any trip that might have more city-walking to/from the train station or hotel, I’ve found a backpack to be a lot more convenient. (Something about rolling a suitcase on cobblestone paths is inexplicably embarrassing.)
Pros
- Detachable day bag – perfect to take for the day if you need a little more storage than the typical fanny pack. Also useful with smaller overhead storage, so you can fit the day bag under your seat.
- Carry-on size – for all international and most domestic flights
- Supportive – Chest and hip straps really relieve the strain on your back
Cons
- Too big for domestic Europe flights – we’ve gotten stopped 1-2 times because it’s technically larger than carry-on limits on some smaller European flights. Often, we’ve snuck it through and haven’t had a problem though 🙂
3: Peak Design Wash Pouch
The highest quality toiletry bag.
Price: $50
I’ve also done a lot of trial and error on toiletry bags, and this is the one I keep coming back to, mainly because of the quality and durability.
Tip: I store all my makeup in one plastic bag, and all my skincare in another. If anything spills, this helps keep it contained. For airports that require you to take out your toiletries (hi LHR), this also makes it a lot faster.
Pros
- Durability – all my other toiletry bags have gotten pretty worn down pretty quickly, whether it’s because something spilled or general wear and tear. This pouch is easily washable and honestly still feels brand new. No stains, no smells, and the structure is as firm as when I first bought it.
Cons
- Size – I actually find the “small” wash pouch a bit too small for me, and the “medium” wash pouch a bit too big. I just use the medium and just store a few of my partner’s overflow items as a result.
- Price – definitely one of the pricier toiletry bags, but well worth for the quality imo
4: Other
Listing some other more general things I like to pack:
- Earplanes – so helpful in avoiding the uncomfortable pressure in your ears on flights
- Kindle – we’re all about those space saving hacks
- Poncho – easily packable and often comes in handy
- Packing cubes – I like ones that are double-sided and compressible. I put my dirty clothes on one side instead of having a separate laundry bag, so the packing cubes always stay the same size
To the everlasting pursuit of packing just enough for the trip~