After spending about 5.5 months in Asia, I returned to the US for a couple of weeks. I used the time to prepare for a few months in South America. My packing list for South America overlapped a lot with my list for Asia, but one major difference was that I had to pack heavier clothing for the cooler weather.

For my main backpack, I’m sticking to my beloved Tortuga V2. It served me very well in Asia, and I see no reason to switch it out.

For my secondary bag, I’m bringing a daypack instead of a handbag or tote. I got annoyed with my tote in Asia, and a daypack will be more useful for treks. I chose the Aer Flight Pack since it seemed compact and versatile. I can wear it as a backpack or shoulder bag, and it has the added bonus of not being completely hideous.

Don’t let me down, daypack.

Below is a list of the contents in the two backpacks.

Clothing:

• 2 tank tops
• 4 short-sleeved t-shirts (1 for sleeping)
• 2 long-sleeved t-shirts
• 2 pairs of casual shorts
• 3 pairs of athletic shorts (1 for sleeping)
• 1 skirt
• 1 romper
• 2 pairs of jeans
  • One of these may be tossed if I need more room in my bags.
• 2 pairs of leggings
• 1 casual black dress
• 1 belt
• 1 sweater
• 1 hoodie
• 1 rain jacket
• 10 pairs of underwear
• 4 bras (3 everyday and 1 sports)
• 2 swimsuits
• 2 pairs of short socks
• 2 pairs of long socks
• 4 pairs of shoes (1 pair of sneakers, 1 pair of boat shoes, and 2 pairs of sandals)
  • I had to buy new sneakers and boat shoes. I loved the boat shoes that I wore in Asia, but they were too worn to bring to South America. I don’t love my new pair as much, but I’ll manage.
  • I got a couple of shoe bags, which should help keep my bags more organized. Plastic bags wore out really quickly.

Toiletries:

• 3-1-1 bag:
  • Moisturizer
    • I used this moisturizer with SPF in Southeast Asia, which was amazing. I applied it once in the morning and reapplied in the afternoon, and my face never got sunburned. Unfortunately, I didn’t think ahead and forgot to order this moisturizer for my South America trip. I bought another moisturizer the day before I left for Bolivia. To my horror, I didn’t notice this moisturizer had no SPF until after I had already opened and used it.
  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner
  • Face wash
  • Toothpaste
  • Body lotion
  • Eye cream
• Brush
• Toothbrush
• Floss
• Retainer
• Makeup
• Tweezers
• Nail clippers
• Razor

Medical:

• Antacid
• Advil
• Band-aids

Electronics:

• Laptop
• Camera
• Go Pro
• Phone
• Chargers and adapters
• Power pack
  • New addition for South America. I plan on doing some treks, so I thought this would be useful to charge my electronics.
• Extra memory cards and batteries
• Earphones

Other:

• Small crossbody bag
• Wallet
• Sunglasses
• Hand mirror
• Half of a compact mirror
  • This broke in half in Asia, but I could still use it, so I didn’t bother buying a new one for South America.
• Travel towel
• Headlamp
• Ear plugs
• Kleenex
• Plastic bags for dirty clothes
• Pens
• Backpack rain cover
• 5 TSA locks
• 4 packs of Ice Breaker mints
  • Thank goodness I got to restock these.
• Playing cards
  • Bought a new pack, and they’re Harry Potter-branded!
• Ziploc bags
  • As mentioned in my post-Asia packing list, these are so useful.
• Mesh laundry bags
  • I did my own laundry only a couple of times in Asia since wash-and-fold services were the norm at hostels. I didn’t always have time to hand wash my delicates, so I would send them to the laundry service and pray that they wouldn’t get ruined. I don’t know how often I’m going to use these mesh bags, but at least they’ll provide some protection for my delicates.
• Passport
• Folder for documents

Both of my backpacks are bursting at the seams (I blame the thicker clothes), so I won’t have room to pick up things on the road. Thank goodness I’m not a souvenir person.

Everything in cubes and bags.

Ready for round two!