When we decided to drop everything and travel for a couple of years, we had no idea how tough the day to day logistics would be.  I love our life of travel, but don’t always love being on the road, a new town every few days, and living out of a bag.  While moving around is inevitable if you are on a backpacking trip – or should I say is kinda the goal of going on a backpacking trip –  being uncomfortable doesn’t have to be.  With that in mind here is my two cents worth of experience and advice on what to pack for South America.  This guide is for women, but don’t worry, Justin put his advice in as well and the men’s guide will be up soon.

If your bag is stuffed to the brim before you leave, you need a bigger bag or less stuff. period.

I read so many blogs with advice on what to pack before we left.  They gave me good and bad ideas, so here is my disclaimer: You know yourself better than I do.  If you know you need something, pack it.  If you have questions, write me and ask.  Your bag is your lifeline, so take the time to get it as close to right as you can.  

And while you’re here, feel free to check out some of our adventures and advice in our other posts:

• Full Truth Guide to Hiking the Inca Trail
• Isla de la Plata IS Worth Visiting
• Taking the Bus from Lima to Cuzco
• Bolivia: The Good, The Bad, and The Annoying

♥ This is not a sponsored post.  I paid cold hard cash for all of my equipment.  However, I have included Amazon Affiliate links, so if you like something I suggest and buy it through my link, I’ll get a small commission. And when you buy from Woolly, I’ll get the same discount you get. Thanks!

WHAT I PACKED

Clothes to Pack for South America

Woolly Tee and hiking pants

Shirts 

• 2 wool t-shirts (Woolly Clothing Co) Here’s $10 off of your first order.
  • This company is based out of Seattle where we’re from and they have amazing, high quality, antimicrobial, light or heavy layer wool.  I can’t say enough about them.  These shirts can be worn over and over without washing if you have to, and stay super cool.
• 2 wool long sleeves like these (one zip up, one pull over) from Smart Wool.
• 1 button up long sleeve shirt for sun protection.
• 1 wool tank top from Woolly.
• 1 athletic tank top from Four Athletics. (I love their fabrics and their crowdsourcing concept…if you are in a hurry, look at their Core Collections which is always in stock)

Pants

• 1 Pair Black skinny jeans
• 2 pair Columbia hiking pants.  I have the Saturday and the Anytime Outdoor.
• My favorite Nike running shorts
• A sundress
• One skirt
• 7 pairs underwear (5 are wool, again from Woolly and Icebreaker bikini/thong)
  • I also have a Smartwool thong, which I have had to sew up about 5 times.  Skip the Smartwool, but definitely give wool panties a try!

Underwear

• 1 regular bra
• 1 wool “regular” bra by Icebreaker
• 1 sports bra
• 1 wool sports bra by Icebreaker (the only one I wear for hiking)
• 3 pair workout socks, 2 pair hiking socks, 2 pair hiking liners, 2 pair liners for ballet flats
• Bathing suit

Outerwear

• Marmot PreCip rain jacket from REI or Amazon
  

  Mountain Hardware 650 fill down

• Mountain Hardware 650 fill down coat – I did 650 because it packs down so much better than the 800 fill.  I picked my jacket because it was on sale, but any lightweight down jacket will work, just make sure you have one because the south will be cold.

Shoes

• Hiking/Trail running shoes.  I hike in my trail runners, so mine are doing double duty and saving me room.  They also are wearing out fast, so keep that in mind!
• Hiking type sandals.  I love my Teva Tirras.  They have a little support and work great for a long day out walking around/in the water.
• Ballet Flats.  Personally I brought my Sam Edelman Felicia flats, which have been comfy and pack down small in my pack, but still make me feel a little classy.

Beauty

Take the time to take care of yourself.

• Shampoo Bar from Lush
• TravelOn Silicone travel containers for lotion, conditioner, etc. (I LOVE THESE)
• A small travel packing square for makeup, comb, etc.
• Travel size hair straightener – I ended up getting mine from Sally Beauty after buying and returning about 4 from Amazon.  Its all personal preference, but make sure it is dual voltage, try to get adjustable temperature, and make sure it works for your hair before dragging it around the world!
• Travel size argon oil.
• A comb
• Makeup
  • The truth about makeup when you travel.  Unless you never wear makeup now, you will probably want it when you’re traveling.  Sometimes makeup can just help you feel human.  That said, you don’t want to bring a ton of powdery shadows/blushes, because chances are they’ll break and you’ll end up with a beautifully made up bag and no more make-up.  I chose the cream based line that MAC carries, since they are my go-to cosmetic company.  I kept it to the minimum, but you gotta do you.  I have
    • Mascara
    • Eye liner
    • Lowlight and highlight cream eye shadow
    • Cream based blush
    • BB Cream
    • lip gloss
• Extra hair ties, Q-tips, bobby pins
• Sonicare toothbrush that charges in the case.   Kinda a pain, but you can’t neglect your gums. If you need 2, we actually got ours at Costco 2 for 1.

Accessories

• A nice scarf
• Wool hat and gloves
• Travelon theft resistant purse
• Travel Towel – Don’t save room by leaving this behind.  You’ll be so tired of paying for towels in hostels and they work so well.
• Rubber workout bands
• Some kind of hat that you feel cute wearing 😉
• A headband or other treatment for those bad hair days
• A Black Diamond Headlamp is super important for dark hostel dorms, hiking, camping, etc.
• Water bottle

Technology

Travelon theft resistant purse and Woolly tank top

• You NEED a outlet expander like this one (2 prongs, not 3!)  I think I got mine at Walgreens. Not a voltage converter or international outlet adaptor.  Those just take up room and just about every electronic you bring will have its own built in voltage adaptor.  Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, to name a few use US outlet designs.  Other countries like Chile and Argentina use the same adaptor which you can pick up for a few bucks.  If you buy an adaptor with a USB port attached, be careful!  Plugging that iPhone directly into this adaptor can result in damage if you’re in a 220v outlet because you aren’t using the built in voltage adaptor.  Here’s the Apple explanation if you’re concerned.
• A halfway’s decent camera.  Our Cannon Powershot sX720 is small, but has 40x Optical zoom and has been amazing!
• An e-reader
• Unlocked smartphone (Most newer phones are GSM unlocked, but check first by contacting your carrier)
• Macbook Pro – I already had this computer, so it came with me and I’m typing on it as we speak!
• Portable speaker
• Selfie Stick

The Bag to Pack for South America

• I love my Osprey bag.  There are a ton of other brands that are fighting for this space, so my biggest recommendation is you consider a bag that zips and unzips around the outside like a suitcase, vs a top loading traditional “backpacker” backpack.  You’ll have so much better access to everything.  You’re welcome! 
  

  Osprey Fairview 40L bag

  • My bag: Osprey Fairview 40L  This 40 Liter carryon approved pack is the smallest I’d recommend and honestly, I’m switching to a bigger back after South America. If you like the idea of the female specific Fairview, they also have a 55L or 70L
  • Another great option is the Tortuga line.  I’ve traveled with the Outbreaker 35L and it was great.  The one downside is Torguga is a slightly heavier bag than the Osprey.
• If you go with the Osprey 55 or 70L you’ll get a built in removable day pack. Otherwise, you need a comfy day pack.  I use the REI flash 18 but think I’d prefer the REI flash 22 with its water bottle pockets and extra zippered pocket.
• Compression Packing cubes to keep everything organized.  If these are new to you, prepare to be amazed.

Everything Else

• Personal Security alarm – I keep my hand on it if we’re walking around in sketchy areas or at night.
• Medications – Keep your medications with the Rx Label – some countries will check this.  I moved mine into ziplock bags (not sure if this is ok, but they haven’t second guessed it yet), with the labels from the bottles stuck on the bags.  I keep them all in a travel packing square.
  • cipro, azithromycin, malaria preventative medications, ibuprofen, birth control, etc.
• Vitamins – your body will thank you
• Sunglasses
• Hand Sanitizer
• Bug Spray
• Sun Screen

Keep your medications with the Rx Label

Girl Stuff

• Ladies, if you don’t already have one, get a blossom cup or similar to cut back on your need for tampons.
• Plan ahead with your birth control pills or other means of contraception
• Familiar feminine hygiene products are hit or miss in some of the countries in South America.  If you’re loyal to a brand of whatever, bring it. (ie. a travel pack of Uberlube that can also double for hair health.)

WHAT I DIDN’T PACK

Here’s where you get to learn from my mistakes.  I should have packed but didn’t…

Clothes

• A cuter blouse – at least one
• Leggings
• A sweatshirt and sweats to lounge in
• A sundress that I would actually like to wear
• Small sandals that can double as shower sandals and dress sandals
• One more pair of jeans, one less pair of hiking pants
• SHOES
  • Boots would be a great addition (short boots, not long leather ones), and a great break from my trail shoes
• If you’re into hiking, and will be exploring Patagonia at all, a good pair of rain pants would be very helpful.  If you’re going to camp, consider bringing your own tent, but if its just for one or two trips, you can rent one.

Beauty

• More skincare – all the busses, flights, hostels, hard water, cold water, pollution, sun…they all take a toll.  Take care of your skin.
• Another color option for eyeshadow
• An actual hairbrush
• Curling iron?  Maybe, I’m still on the fence.

Technology

• The MacBook is big and heavy.  I think I might switch to a Google Chromebook now that I know I can access the internet just about whenever I need to.  Or, just use a tablet with a portable bluetooth keypad like this one or a foldable one like this.

Everything Else

• I left behind the sewing kit because why would I need that?  Now I have all kinds of misc. thread colors and needles that are floating loose in my bag because I needed them.  Get a super small kit if you are at all handy with a needle.
• First Aide – Most of what you need you can find…in most countries.  But bring a few bandaids, some ibuprofen, Neosporin, alcohol swabs, aspirin.  Just a few things for emergency use in case the pharmacies aren’t as well stocked as you thought.
• More spices – if you’re a cook, or attempt to cook, you will sometimes be amazed by the hostel kitchens for everything they have to use, and other times you’ll be shocked that they have nothing.  If you have any go-to spices, bring them along
• Speaking of kitchen, bring a small veggie peeler, wine opener, and maybe a spork to keep in your day pack

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED

New jeans!

• Yes, most things are available in every country.  Clothes are available in every country.  Bigger cities have malls.  If in doubt, just save room in your bag because you’ll end up buying at least a few things.
  • I’ve bought 1 blanket, 1 pair jeans, 1 pair sweat pants, 1 t-shirt (technically I didn’t buy it, it came free with our Inca Trail hike)
• Bring a small canvas bag or other day pack to carry your food from hostel to hostel.  You buy things that you can re-use and to throw them away at every stop gets expensive.  Think sauces, spices, ziplock bags, veggie cleaner, etc.)
• Make sure you have locks (preferably not TSA) to use on your lockers if you’ll be staying in dorms.  They almost always have lockers, but you provide your own lock.  In general I think people are super honest in hostels and more concerned about their own stuff than yours.  But, there can always be a bad apple and you don’t want that person to spoil your trip because your locker wasn’t secure.
• A completely separate post will talk about international health or travel insurance, but remember, its as important to “pack” insurance as it is anything else.