We have been traveling since May 1st, 2023 and we although we did a ton of research on gear we would need….or thought we needed, there’re items that are absolutly necessary for us. Below are the items and tools we use every day and would not be a happy camper if we lost any of them. Although not comprehensive, these are the Ultimate Nomad Essentials.
Packing
Lets start with the basics.
Peak Design Backpack
The only backpack you will ever need. With cavernous space, external waist strap, expandability, external straps, orgnaization zippered areas, hidden passport spot, this backpack has it all. Comes in Sage and Black.
Packable Day pack
Although our backpack is no longer availiable, this one is similiar. This backpack has turned into our everywhere bag. It folds into a small flat pouch that has a loop to hook onto anything. Once opened up, it has enough pouches to keep everything organized. The items that never leave the bag are sunglass, portable charger, sunscreen, and a small first aid kit!
Toiletry Bag
We struggled to find a toiletry bag that had enough organization for the two of us to use together. This bag has features like the side toothbrush holders, an easy access zipper once fully packed away, and the detachable quart bag that made it the winner.
Laundry
You think it doesnt rule your life, but it really does…
Clothes Line
Whether you are on a cruise, out on a camping trip, or in an airbnb without laundry, this realllyyy comes in handy.
Laundry Strips
These are tiny! All you need is one piece for a sink wash and maybe 2 for a normal size load in a european washer.
Grocery and Cooking
We cook while traveling to lower costs which means we have to grocery shop;. these are our must haves!
Stasher (silicone) Bags
These are life savers and are used every day! Leftovers, on the go lunch, snacks, messy cosemetics, leaky shower bottles, etc.
Beeswax Wraps
Theres no reason you cant fit these into your bag. They can wrap anything up to save for later, make a pouch, cover jars and cups and bowls, etc
Bag of Bags
Bags at the store are not free in Europe. Don't get caught without having reusable bags to carry your grocerys back. Theres also a carabiner for easy belt hooking.
Collapsible Storage
Often airbnbs dont have storage containers....soooo when you cook for a week, well, you get creative. We love to have leftovers to bring for lunch the next day or just so we dont have to cook all the time!
Electronics
Any nomad has to have electronics that are reliable and robust for constantly being on the road. These are some of ours that we love.
Electronic Organizer
We store our Triscreen, cords, hard drives, sd cards, spare headphones, and misc chargers in this all in one container. It has so much organization that we never have a tangle of cords!
EU/UK/AUS Travel Adaptor
This one offers 4 USB-A ports, 1 USB-C and the UK/AUS/US/EU socket types. it also comes with a spare fuse....ask us how we know....
Backup Battery
This comes with us everywhere. You do not to be left with a dead phone battery!
Hard drives
We love this tiny, robust hard drive. We wanted one that could plug into our Android phones and computer so we could easily transfer files between and this one fits the bill with a USB-C input/output.
My portable charger and beeswax wraps were absolute essentials for me when I went interrailing in June! Collapsible Tupperware boxes would have been a great help too, thank you for these ideas.
Sure thing! Glad you brought beeswax… it’s sooo underutilized. We also went interrailing for a few months! The collapsible Tupperware was a life (and cost) saver. Glad we brought it!