Packing For Indefinite Travel Lengths

15 October, 2025

Tags: travel

I currently planning on travelling internationally for approximately the next six months. Beyond that I plan on doing a lot of travelling around North America. This means that in terms of planning what to bring I’m essentially planning for an indefinite length of travel. After reading some articles from other travelers and contemplating my packing needs I’ve come to some conclusions about how to pack and what to pack. Here I’ll be explaining some of my thought process and writing out a packing list for each item of baggage. This will also act as a bit of a packing list for me when it comes to crunch time.

Restrictions and Reasoning

I don’t have many real restrictions other than ones posed on myself. Some for good reason and some for nearly no reason at all. I’ll be packing everything in two bags, one a Patagonia Fieldsmith Daypack and the other a MEC Fast Track Shoulder Bag.

Patagonia Fieldsmith Daypack

The Patagonia backpack is 28L and will be my daily driver bag, as it has been for the last couple years. It’s got a bare bones interior and two external pockets that are plenty large enough for chargers, books, and my laptop. I like to keep this bag fairly empty when traveling so I can easily remove my laptop through security and stow it under the seat so I have access to things to keep me occupied during travel. I don’t have a weight goal for this bag, just a desire to keep it pretty bare bones.

MEC Fast Track Shoulder Bag

The MEC duffle bag is 40L and willbe my main luggage holding all my clothes and other belongings. I’ll be setting this up so that once it’s packed I won’t have to open it at all during travel, except for maybe the outside pocket which would be accesible in an overhead compartment. It’s pretty much the largest size you can get for a carry-on and it’s square shape instead of the traditional round shape of a duffel maximizes internal space. I also wanted to choose something soft sided so that it can be strapped to a motorcycle easier. With this bag I am aiming for a weight of less than 35lbs, since some airlines impose this rule for carry-ons.

Packing Lists

Not included in these packing lists are what I will be wearing during flights/travel. I’ll be wearing some Patagonia pants that are very comfortable and have lots of pockets. These will also be nice to have while traveling for hiking/sports/etc. On top I’ll have a standard t-shirt and sweater for those chilly planes.

Patagonia Fieldsmith Daypack

MEC Fast Track Shoulder Bag