009: My Packing List for 2 weeks in Colombia 🇨🇴

Everything that I am taking with me in my backpack

Previously on The Gaziaris Block… ⏮️

For those who missed my last post, I am heading to Colombia for a two week trip. I am not treating this trip as a vacation per say, but rather this a “test run” of being a digital nomad (DN).

For those who don’t know, a DN is someone who works remotely and often travels to different locations, hence the term “nomad” in the title. Prior to the rise of remote work and before this term existed, nomad meant someone who doesn’t have a permanent home, a base.

That aspect of not having a base is becoming increasingly rare among the DN community. It comes down to a number of reasons, but most people claim that it comes down to missing friends/family back home, getting tired of always traveling to new destinations, and ultimately not having a home base. That is why the popular option of traveling for a portion of the year and staying at a “home base” for the remainder of that year is becoming a more popular option.

Having said all this, it really comes down to how you want to define it. There is no strict definition of what is and isn’t a DN. To me, it is traveling for 6 months out of the year and being back home here in the United States for the remaining 6 months. While that could very well change in the near future, that is my ideal plan.

So, this trip is my DN trial run, and this is everything that I will be bringing with me.

If you want to read more about how I booked this trip, check out my previous post at the link below.

007: Adventure Awaits for the Spontaneous

Packing Tips

NOTE: All items that I will mention will be referenced in the packing list at the bottom of the page.

Packing for a trip is a very personal experience, and will be different for each person. You may have some items that are unique to you that you want or need to bring with you, which might make your packing list out of the ordinary, and that’s ok.

Here are some tips and tricks that I learned along my traveling journey that I use for every trip, including this one.

Bring a Capsule Wardrobe

A capsule wardrobe is a collection of clothes that you can mix and match to make to create many outfits. This is especially important when one bag traveling, since space is limited.

I think it is also important to pick clothes that aren’t trendy, because it is often that those pieces are hard to match with other clothes in an outfit. Not only that, but trendy clothing has a limited time of use. After a several months, or years if you are lucky, they are deemed “not in fashion” anymore, which means that their new home is in the back of your closet.

That doesn’t mean you have to dress like you are in the 1950s, but stick to your essentials. A pair of blue jeans, a button-up shirt, a polo, crew neck sweater, etc. You get the point.

I gravitate to more neutral colors, which is a cop-out for trying to not say that I wear mostly black. I find it easy to match with my few other clothes that aren’t black that I typically bring with me, and it is great at hiding sweat patches. Trust me, this is key in the summer when it is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and you are walking 12+ miles a day. Other than that, I just genuinely like the look of black clothes, so that is what I bring.

Find what your base color will be, and build you capsule wardrobe around it.

Layering

This is probably the most important tip when packing your bag. You need to focus on bringing items that can easily layer on top of each other, which will also help you save a ton of space in your bag.

For example, if you are planning to travel to Sweden you might be tempted to bring a big parka jacket to keep you warm. However, this big puffy jacket will take up a ton of space in your bag. You might think to yourself that you’ll be wearing it all the time, so you don’t have to worry about it taking up space in your bag, but what if it isn’t as cold as you expected? You can’t peel off layers like you would be able to if you brought layers instead of big single-purpose items, so you are now stuck with wearing the big parka jacket.

Layering includes a base layer, mid layer, and a shell.

An example for layering in the cold could be long polyester compressions (top and bottom), a sweater fleece, down jacket with insulation, and a waterproof rain jacket and pants.

Layering in hotter climates could like look breathable briefs, a cotton shirt, a lightweight long-sleeve button-up to protect you from the strong sun, and cotton shorts to keep you cool.

Wear Your Heaviest Items in Transit

I would suggest you wear your heaviest items in transit so you don’t have to pack them. Wrap your hoodie/sweater/jacket around your waist if you need to and wear your bulkiest shoes.

This can also come in handy if the plane is freezing cold, which it is more times than not in my experience.

Use a Sling Bag

Ever since I got my own sling bag, the Aer Day Sling 2, I have not gone on any trip without it. It allows me to carry everything that I would in my pockets, plus travel essentials like a portable charger, passport, and ear plugs.

It is also a much safer way to carry the three things you definitely don’t want to lose while traveling - your phone, wallet, and passport. They can all fit inside a sling bag which sits across your chest, making it a lot harder to be pickpocketed. I also never leave my accommodation without my passport, so having a place for it in my sling bag is very convenient.

Bring Useful Travel Accessories

There are some things that I don’t travel without anymore.

The first is a packable day pack. Often times, I don’t want to carry around my 33L backpack and would rather just leave it in my AirBnB or hotel. I pack whatever I need for the day in the packable day pack and leave the rest in my bigger bag. It allows me the freedom to not have to carry my laptop wherever I go and stay light. Imagine bringing your $1000+ laptop to the beach. Yeah doesn’t sound like fun. I got my packable day back from Amazon 2 years ago for around $10, and it is still in great shape. Highly suggested item.

The next item I’d bring is a collapsible water bottle. It can roll up into the size of a medium-sized smartphone and can fit in my sling bag. In Greece, there are running water wells all over the place, so I’d stop anytime I’d see one to refill my water bottle. Once I’d finish it, I’d roll it back up and put it in my sling. Simple and convenient. The only negative is that they aren’t insulated to keep your drink either warm or cold. So, if you are willing to sacrifice that in the name of space-saving and convenience, this could be for you.

Another essential for me is a dry bag. It protects your belongings from getting wet, and while I have used it when kayaking or going to the beach, I often use it to separate my dirty clothes from my clean clothes. My ideology is, if it can keep water from getting into the bag, it can keep the smell of dirty clothes trapped inside. Sometimes, it is hard to get to a laundromat or do a load of laundry the day before you leave, so you need to go in transit with dirty clothes, which can fit in a dry bag.

The last thing that I’d bring is a microfiber towel. Some people would argue that this is a waste of space in your bag when travel, but I would beg to differ. The towels that often offered in hotels and Airbnbs a traditional bath towels, which are big and take a long time to dry. These microfiber towels are compact and are fast-drying, making it the best towel for traveling in my opinion. I use them to lay down at the beach, dry off at the pool or after a shower, and protect me from the sun at MotoGP races. Yes, I did in fact had it draped from my head like a cape to protect my neck from sun burn this past summer.

Think about what activities you will be doing and pack what you will need for those activities.

To Roll or Not to Roll

A lot of people recommend rolling your clothes to save space in your bag. However, I have found that rolling clothes does not actually save space when using packing cubes.

FYI: packing cubes are just bags to help organize clothes.

I have found that laying most clothes flat in packing cubes actually save more space than rolling them. Rolling clothes was inspired by the military, but their reasons are not to save space in their bag, they do it to be able to stay organized and pull things out quickly. In the dark or in a life-threatening situations, soldiers need to be able to know where everything is in their bag and get it quickly.

Obviously, you’re not going into war when you’re traveling (I hope), so maybe ditch the rolling and try laying items flat instead. But, in the end it’s really down to preference. If you prefer to be more organized, roll your clothes. If you don’t have a lot of space to start with in your bag, lay your clothes flat.

The Packing List 📋

This is everything that I will be bringing for my two weeks in Bogotá, Colombia 🇨🇴broken down by category. I plan on doing some hiking, exercising (running + body weight workouts), and exploring around the city. Any additional suggestions for activities around the city or edits for my packing list would also be much appreciated :)

Everything packed weighs 18lbs (8.16kg). I know some airlines are strict about weight, but I have never been asked to weight my backpack before, so hopefully that doesn't happen. Worst case scenario I’ll just end up like Joey from Friends and put on all of my clothes at the airport. RIP Chandler.

Packs

1. Aer Travel Pack 2

2. Aer Day Sling 2

3. Aer Travel Kit 2

4. Aer Slim Pouch

5. 4Monster Hiking Daypack

6. Osprey Ultralight 12L Waterproof Dry Sack

Clothes/Shoes

Worn in Transit:

1. Karl Lagerfeld Packable Down Jacket

2. Columbia Long-Sleeve Hiking Button-Up

3. H&M Commuter Trousers

4. 32 Degrees Classic Crew T-Shirt

5. Compression Socks

6. Lems Primal 2

Packed:

1. Packable Rain Jacket

2. Button-Ups (3: Long-Sleeve (1) | Short-Sleeve (2))

3. Sweater (1)

4. Quick-Dry Tees (3)

5. Zara Cropped Pants

6. Nike Dri-Fit Running Pants (1)

7. Fabletics/Adidas Running Shorts (3)

8. Boxer Briefs (4)

9. Socks (6)

Tech

1. iPhone 15 Pro Max

2. Apple MacBook Air M2 + USB-C Charger

3. PowerBeats Pro 2

4. LaCie 5TB Rugged External Hard Drive

5. Anker PowerCore 10,000 mAk

6. GoPro Hero 10 Black + Hand Grip + 2 Batteries + Clip Mount

Toiletries/Hygiene

1. Toothbrush

2. Deodorant

3. Contact Lenses (dailies)

4. Cologne

5. Retainer

Miscellaneous

1. Collapsible Water Bottle

2. Electrolytes

3. Earplugs

4. Wallet

5. Passport

6. Bracelet

7. Glasses Case

Off to the Airport 😃

And that’s it. Some tips on how to pack and everything that I will be bringing on my trip.

I hope you maybe got some new ideas for how you will be packing for your next trip.

Till next time 🫡