In this post, you’ll find everything I packed for my month-long backpacking trip to Mexico and Central America. Including a list of the clothes and things I brought along with a list of things I wish I had brought and wish I had left at home.

This past winter, I went backpacking in Mexico and Central America, and I’m about to share everything I brought. When I say backpacking, I mean all I brought was my school backpack: my trusty 25L Patagonia black hole bag that I took from my Dad:) It was packed to the brim, but everything fit. So, why and how the heck did I do this?

If you’re looking for more of a packing guide and haven’t read A Packing Guide for Mexico and Central America, I would start there. If you’re ready to see what I crammed into my bag, keep reading!

What I Packed for a Month in Mexico and Central America

Why the heck did I do this?

I saw going ultra-budget as a fun challenge, and having limited outfit options wasn’t a new concept for me. I have a minimalist/capsule wardrobe at home, so I knew there wouldn’t be any struggle in the options department. If limiting your style in any way is a new concept for you, try experimenting at home. Wear only solid colors for a week, or wear the same jeans a few days in a row and then work your way up to a minimalist wardrobe.

What kind of backpack did I bring?

I was flying primarily budget airlines to and from my destinations, which are known for sneaky charges and scamming you into paying for things you shouldn’t have to. I wanted to avoid as many additional charges as I could and bring as small a bag as possible. Some people claim that you can bring a carry-on bag up to 45 L on all airlines, including budget ones, so a lot of travelers use backpacking bags meant for camping. However, I didn’t want to take the risk. I went ultra-budget travel and crammed a month of my life into a 25L backpack that normally only fits one day’s study session worth of contents. The picture below illustrates some different backpack sizes by liter.

Once I committed to only bringing a backpack, I had to cut my luggage in half. I went through many rounds of laying everything out, packing it all in, realizing the load didn’t fit, taking out a bunch of things, trying again, not fitting, and then some and then some. Amidst the frustration, there wasn’t a moment when I omitted something from coming with me and thought, “Dang, without this thing my trip is gonna suck.” If anything, cutting down on the material options was prepping me for an even more exciting adventure.

After the endless cycle of battling consumerism, my clothes fit, the zipper zipped, and I was ready to go.

How I Packed my Backpack

Clothes to Bring to Mexico and Central America:

• 2 big t-shirts
  • For sleeping and as a cover-up for the beach.
• 4 pairs of boxers
  • I wear these as PJ shorts or casual shorts
• 1 rash guard & 1 board short
  • Rinse them out after a surf, and they’ll last for ages.
• 4 swimsuits
  • 3 bikinis and 1 one-piece. Suits pack really small, and if you’re planning on swimming every day, I think 4 is plenty.You could also get away with 1 bikini and 1 one-piece. Surfers should bring at least 1 one-piece.
• 1 fitted long-sleeve shirt
  • For places with a more conservative style.
• 1 linen shirt
  • On my last trip to Europe, this was an absolute staple for me, but I found it less essential on this trip.
• 1 fleece jacket
  • This was the one warm thing I brought for the cities at higher altitudes. Bring one you won’t worry about losing or damaging. I brought my $3 fleece from my friends’ environment club thrift pop-up back at school.
• 1 pair of pants
  • I brought a pair of light linen pants for when I wanted more coverage or for chilly nights. Denim pants were ruled out right away as they take up too much space.
• 2 pairs of shorts
  • 1 long linen one and 1 stretchy corduroy. I could’ve survived with just my linen since I wore them pretty much every day, but it was nice to have the other just for the variety. Denim was an easy no for me, they’re my favorite short but didn’t make sense for this trip.
• 4 tank/tube tops
  • 4 little tops because they pack super easy and keep clean well after one wear. Any tops that cover more skin get dirty much faster, and you have to wash them after one wear. You’ll also find that having all loose pants and tight tops, or vice versa, makes for more mix-and-match outfit options.
• 2 workout outfits
  • I brought 1 pair of running shorts, 1 sports bra, 1 pair of spandex, and 1 tank top. For any hikes, beach runs, yoga, etc.

Shoes and Accessories to Bring to Mexico and Central America:

• 3 pairs of socks
  • I only brought one pair of sneakers for walking the cities, which meant I only needed to wear socks on those occasions.
• Sneakers
  • The only closed-toed shoes I brought were my slip-on vans for walking the cities. However, I ended up wearing my flip-flops in Panama City because all my socks were dirty, and I had cuts all over my feet that hurt with my shoes on. I debated bringing running shoes since I like to run and hike, but opted out.
• Shower shoes
  • If your flip-flops are rubber, just double up and use those.
• Flip flops
  • I brought my rainbows, my favorite shoes, for all the places I couldn’t walk barefoot. Some beach towns have sand and dirt roads, which are great on bare feet. However, the streets in others are stone and wood which are too hot to walk barefoot. Again, rubber sandals could double as shower shoes, but I couldn’t sacrifice leaving my rainbows.
• 2 hats
  • 1 street hat and 1 surf hat. My surf hat is not cute and buckles under my chin, which is super necessary when surfing but not when walking, so I brought a basic Prana hat for the streets. I clipped both hats on the outside of my backpack so they didn’t take up any space

Things to Bring to Mexico and Central America:

• GoPro & some accessories
• Journal & pen
• Book, which I lost
• Microfiber beach/shower towel
• Sleep mask
• Cheap sunglasses
• Locker lock for hostel lockers and backpack zippers
• A shoe/dirty clothes bag
• Travel wallet
• Shark watch, use my code EARTHANDEMMA10 for 10% off
• Razor
• Steripen
• Water bottle
• Bandaids
• Vitamins & Emergen C
• Menstrual cup
• Hand sanitizer
• Laundry detergent sheets
• Tote bag
• Travel toiletries: lotion, conditioner bar, shampoo bar, sunscreen, bug spray, chapstick, toothbrush and toothpaste tablets, and a bar of soap
• Retainers
• Nail file & clippers
• Hair ties and comb

What I could have left behind:

• GoPro → It was my brother’s old one, so I hadn’t used it before. It ended up being broken, which blew.
• Vitamins & Emergen C → never used.
• Boxers → I simply did not need as many as I brought.

What I wish I had brought:

• A dress → I wanted one a couple of times, and some pack really small, so it could’ve worked.
• A fitted short sleeve shirt → I would’ve swapped out a tube top for a short-sleeve crop.
• Bucket surf hat for more protection → for a little more coverage than my baseball cap.
• Zinc → I had to buy.
• More socks → ended up losing a pair.
• Another one-piece swimsuit → I ended up only surfing in the one one-piece I brought.
• Another pair of light-material pants → since my one pair caught dirt and germs quite often.
• Another big shirt → didn’t need it but would have benefited from the luxury.
• Fanny pack → I would have felt more secure and organized, but I also was okay without it.

I hope this was entertaining and inspiring! Stay in tune with all my recent travels on the blog Instagram.

Comment one thing that you absolutely cannot travel without. Mine’s my sleep mask.

Bon voyage!

Xx