Trip Packing List

For our trip to Salento from Bogotá, we will need to pack light and be ready for wet weather and daytime temperatures anywhere between 50-75F. Salento is rainy year-round, but that is part of what makes it so beautiful. The rain is worth it when you see the lush green scenery! 

Remember that for our three days in Salento, each person must be able to pack everything into one Personal Item. This personal item is basically a school-sized backpack. Nothing too large, but it also does not need to be tiny. Exact dimensions below. Nate will have a large duffel bag for the group for any overflow, so if you are a little bit over, do not worry too much. 

The list below is ONLY for the Salento portion of our trip. We will be in Salento for three full days plus a morning. We will be in Bogotá together for two days after Salento and you all will be getting picked up for the wedding on Friday morning. Obviously, you can pack as much else as you need for the wedding and those items can be left at our first hostel in Bogota. A note on our time in Bogota is at the bottom of the page.  The list below is broken up into two parts, a list of essentials for Salento, and a list of links to great gear that you may want to buy if you are really serious about traveling a lot in the future. The second part is just a list of my favorite travel gear, and in no way do you need to buy anything from that list, but if you are looking for some good travel gear, those are my recommendations! Before checking out the latter section, again please realize that in no way, shape or form do you need to buy ANY of this stuff for our trip! 

Salento essential packing list:

• Clothes
  • 2 t-shirts
  • 1-2 pair athletic or hiking pants- hiking pants are great if you have them! Leggings or yoga pants a good option too. Remember that it will be wet, so jeans or cotton are not recommended as they’ll be heavy and dry very slowly.
  • 1-2 pair hiking socks- Merino wool is where it’s at for cool, wet weather! Darn Tough makes my favorite socks.
  • Hiking or running shoes/boots- this is personal preference, just be ready to walk in them a lot! Make sure they are durable and worn in, you do not want blisters! Remember too that they will probably get wet! 
  • Light sandals or shoes- if you can fit a small pair in your personal item and want something other than just your hiking shoes.
  • 1 light or medium-weight sweater or long sleeve shirt- a base layer or under armor is a good alternative. It will dip into the low-50s while we are out and about at night in Salento. 
  • Rain jacket!
  • Souvenir alert! Salento has some really cool artisan shops and markets, so leave a little bit of space for something if you can manage it! Worst case scenario you can layer up for the flight home to make space, or of course use the group duffel!
  • Optional Sunglasses- the sun will probably peek out here and there during our trip in Salento. 
  • Optional compression packing cubes- if you are worried about packing this light or having enough space, compression packing cubes are a great solution. Recommended link below in the pro travel gear section. 
• Gear
  • Water bottles or hydration pack/reservoir- minimalists may choose just to buy and reuse water bottles at the market, but you should be able to carry at MINIMUM 2 liters, I carry 3, sometimes 4! This is less important for anyone not planning to join the longer hike, but still a good idea.
  • Camera- our phones have great cameras too and I will take lots of photos with my professional camera, so no need to buy a camera if you don’t have one!
  • Chargers- whatever tech you bring, keep it alive or else it’s dead weight!
  • Personal item-sized backpack- suggestions below under “daypack.” dimensions in the photo above. You can push these a little bit…
  • Optional- Eating utensil- a simple camping spork is always great to have for snacking on the go!
• Toiletries
  • Whatever you need! Remember it must be TSA-approved sizes, keep it compact!
  • Towel- travel towel highly recommended. Suggestion below.
  • Insect repellent- this link is the best I’ve used!
• Extras
  • Snacks- It doesn’t hurt to have a couple granola bars or some trail mix in your bag just in case!
  • Any extras you’re thinking about bringing, just remember that you will not regret packing light! Leave some space for souvenirs too! Text Nate or message in the WhatsApp group with any questions! 

Pro travel gear to consider:

(disclaimer: these are affiliate links. They do not cost you more, but No Strings Travel may receive a tiny portion of the sale from Amazon. Regardless, we swear by these items and never travel without them!)

1. Steripen– Wanna know a major hidden cost in travel? Water. All those cheap, earth-killing water bottles that you buy really add up! It does not take long for this nifty UV water filter to pay for itself, and it will do so over and over and over again!
2. Travel/camping Pillow: An inflatable pillow that packs down to pocket-size. Great for flights. 
3. Travel towel– probably the biggest space saver on this list! Definitely a great investment.
4. Carry-on bag- Not for Salento, but amazing to have for future travel. You’ll find that this is a much better way to travel than worrying about checked bags! Here are some nice pack options:
   1. The Eagle Creek Global Companion 40l unisex or women’s-specific version– this is my pack, it ticks all my boxes! Watch the video review here.
   2. Osprey farpoint (men) and fairview (women)– a very close second! I encourage you to watch the video reviews if you are deciding between this or the Eagle Creek. Review here.
   3. Not looking to spend a ton of money on a travel backpack? I cannot vouch for the quality of this one, but thousands of Amazon reviews can! This is a really great deal and seems to be a pretty solid option: Outdoor Master.
5. Daypack (my go-to or the cheaper Amazon brand)- to carry the day’s essentials.
6. Nalgenes water bottles: You’re going to need to be able to carry a minimum of two liters of water for our longer hiking days. These are great because they are lightweight and have a wide mouth for water filters.
7. Buff– great and versatile! Keeps you warm. I also use mine as an eye-mask to help me sleep on flights and long drives!
8. Merino socks (men and women)- merino wool! Experience it’s smell-resistant magic!
9. Merino shirts (men and women)- Not necessary and may seem silly to spend so much on a t-shirt, but they are great at resisting odor and easy to hand wash and dry! One of these plus an athletic-material shirt is all you need for an entire trip!
10. Merino base layers– Really looking to treat yourself? Woolpower is ridiculously nice! This stuff resists odor, keeps you warm in the cold and cool in the heat. What can I say? Magic!
11. Compression packing cubes– lots of great options on Amazon.
12. Travel lock– great for keeping gear safe and secure in hostels!

A note for Bogotá