Contents of Post
If you have made it here to my ultimate packing guide for cold weather, chances are you’re either a traveller or are interested in travelling. I would further guess that you are looking to go somewhere with a cold climate, or you’ve read what I pack for a warm climate in that edition of my ultimate packing guide.
Whether you have or haven’t, I will go over some of the main tips again here. If you are interested in my packing list for a warm climate, it may still be worth a read.
One of the biggest tips I can give is to try to stay within one type of climate when planning your trip. You probably don’t want to be stuck with one pair of pants and 3 pairs of shorts from your time in Thailand while hiking through the Himalayas. Nor would you want to lug around a heavy winter coat while hopping islands in Indonesia.
So, What Should You Pack?
Honestly? As little as possible.
It’s baffling, I know. Yet I find myself constantly trying to cut down on what I pack. Even when I am going for a year or longer. The more you pack, the more you have to carry. After a while, it tends to become really taxing.
Laundry is pretty doable no matter where you go. Laundromats in Asia tend to be really cheap and easy to manage. On the other hand, European laundromats can be quite expensive. So while there, it could be handy to get some soap, do your laundry in the sink, and hang them up to dry. Most hotels and some hostels will have laundry rooms.
This way you can pack for about a week to keep things on the light side. Save your back! Pack light. Without further ado. Here is my ultimate packing guide for cold climates.
Clothes
- 1-2 T-shirts
- 2-4 Long sleeve shirts
- 2-3 Sweaters (might be a good idea to bring more if you plan to layer these three)
- 1 Heavy jacket (You most likely will be wearing this most of the time and will most likely never pack it)
- 1-2 Pair of Jeans or Nice pants (Heavier and an absolute pain when wet, but I tend to wear them a lot. You could switch out for different long pants)
- 1 Belt (Which I’ll almost always be wearing, so it doesn’t even touch the bag)
- 1-2 Pairs of warm pants (Can be used for layering)
- 4 Pairs of underwear
- 4 Pairs of thermal underwear
- 5 Pairs of socks (I tend to lose some or end up with nasty holes)
- 4 Pairs of thick socks (Some people like wool. I personally can’t stand them)
- A Toque
- 1 Pair of warm winter boots
- 1 Pair of sandals (Some showers in hostels can be pretty gross)
These aren’t overly necessary, but if I’m travelling around Northern Europe, Canada, some states, or Asia they can definitely come in handy.
- 1 pair of nice dress socks
- A nice dressy-ish shirt
- 1 pair of nice shoes (Can be dress shoes, but they usually tend to be too heavy for me)
Toiletries
- 1 Bamboo or wooden toothbrush
- 1 travel tube of toothpaste (When I need more, I’ll buy some locally)
- Deodorant
- 1 Travel Bottle of all-natural Shampoo (I am considering switching to the no-poo method, so this might be taken out soon)
- 1 Travel Bottle of all-natural conditioner (Long hair, do care, but also same as above)
- A small towel (microfiber towels dry really quickly and are super nifty)
Miscellaneous, but Necessary
- Lifestraw (water filter)
- Lock (Absolute necessity. Especially if you’re staying in a hostel)
- 5 hair ties (I have long hair, but you can also use these for a lot of other things. Get creative)
- 5 FFP2 equivalent Masks (Welcome to post-pandemic travel!)
- Flashlight (Never know when this will come in handy. May be replaced with a camera light soon)
- Sunglasses
Medical Necessities
- Moleskin/Blister aids
- Band-aids
- Hydrocortisone cream (Useful for bug bites or poison ivy-like things)
- Antibacterial cream
- Ibuprofen
- Hand sanitizer
Gear
I want to preface this section with this is what I bring. You most likely won’t lug around all the stuff I do in this section.
- Smartphone
- Laptop (currently saving up to upgrade.)
- GoPro and accessories
- Power bank
- Digital storage (SD, micro SDs and external hard drives)
- Universal power adapter/converter (This will be necessary for everyone)
- Travel power bar (Not necessary for most, but I need those USB slots and extra plugs)
- Camera/s (I have two DSLRs that I will switch between. I rarely take both. Those are the Nikon Coolpix B700 and the Canon EOS 600D, which is no longer available)
- Microphones (Currently using Rode Wireless Go II with lavaliers and the Rode video micro)
- Headphones
Must-Have Apps and Tools
- Maps.me ( Best map for travelling. Can always be used offline and has great crowdsourced info)
- NordVPN
- Rome2Rio (My go-to for getting from one place to another)
- Reddit (r/backpacking and r/travel are chock-full of great info)
- TripAdvisor
- Booking.com
- Hostelworld
- Agoda (Best for Southeast Asia, but has been growing in the west)
- All three of the last ones cater to different types so it is good to have all three as you might find better options on one or another.
Other Practical Items (Not Necessary)
- Travel clothesline (In Asia laundromats are dirt cheap, but in places like Europe it’s cheaper to wash your clothes in the sink and hang them to dry. Gotta stick to the budget!)
- Universal sink plug
- Sleeping bag liner (For when your hostel is kinda just ew)
- Snow pants ( I only take these if I know I will be doing a lot of stuff in the snow. Such as snowboarding)
- A book
- Pacsafe bag protector
- Waterproof matches (you never know when these might come in handy)
For the most part, anything you need or forget you can usually buy wherever you are going fairly easily. As always, you shouldn’t forget to bring the absolute necessities such as your wallet, passport, medications, etc. It would be fairly hard to go without those.
Fairly recently, I switched my backpack of choice to the Tropicfeel Shell. This is one of the most versatile backpacks I have ever seen. The thing that absolutely sold me on it was the fact that it can adjust anywhere from a 22-litre to a 40-litre and has an amazing wardrobe system. All while being weatherproof.
Now, I must stress that this is my travel packing guide for cold weather. Also, not everything on this list will work for you, and that’s fine. There is no “perfect” way to pack. You might add and subtract some stuff. Over time, I do as well, and that’s ok. This is just the list that works for me and my way of travelling. My wife Lisa made one for women.
However, if there’s one thing you remember, please let it be this. Pack light. Make a list of what you want to take and downsize by at least half. Remember anything you bring you will have to carry.
So travel safe. Travel long. Travel authentically and travel nomadically.
What have I listed here that you wouldn’t bring? What about stuff I haven’t named that you would bring? Let us know in the comments below!
