My Digital Nomad Packing List in 2023, After a Decade+ Abroad

After 10 years abroad and counting I’ve distilled my digital nomad packing list down to what’s absolutely important, and updated it for 2023.

This digital nomad packing list is from Digital Nomad Escape Plan. If you have anything to add, readers would benefit from your thoughts in the comment section so please don’t hesitate to leave one.

This digital nomad packing list is huge –bookmark it with Pocket and save it for later.

Digital Nomad Gear We Use and Trust

Deciding what ultralight gear and travel essentials to put down on your digital nomad packing list is the hardest part of going nomad, and I know this blog caters to a wide variety of people from young Millennials to retiring Baby Boomers. I am going to cover the bones; your travel necessities.

Despite my own previous fascination with scouring the web for digital nomad pack lists, the truth is that most “must-have” travel accessories aren’t –and you could survive just as easily and affordably if you were born yesterday and sent abroad without anything but the clothes on your back, insurance, a laptop, international bank card, and your passport.

Do not worry about forgetting anything, and do not become overly obsessed with your pack list. Do not pack for eventualities or “just in case” situations. Easier said than done, I know.

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Just Pack for a Week, That’s It.

I’ve been able to travel with nothing but carry-on luggage for years with selected items on this digital nomad packing list, and I still re-evaluate my belongings before every relocation in a vain attempt to reduce the load to a one bag packing list during my nomad travels.

With a few exceptions, you can pack for a week of travel and work it out after the fact –although my list covers things for all walks of life so you might want to omit some items.

Those wheeled suitcases don’t bode well in Southeast Asia due to high pedestrian traffic and uneven, obstacle-course-like “sidewalks”. Using bulky suitcases obligate you to find a place to check-in right after your arrival, whereas the best ‘good digital nomad backpack’ will allow you to rove around town and settle in before deciding where to hang your head for the night.

The key to remember is to disregard anything you do not need when you want to move somewhere. There are plenty of digital nomad groups on Facebook to trade goods between those arriving and those leaving popular nomad destinations which are great for this. Some apartment buildings I have lived in also have private Facebook groups specifically for digital nomads for this purpose, so be sure to search for your apartment building name on Facebook Groups.

Less is more, and spending less on “stuff” (aka “filler”) will free up hard earned cash for select, authentic, quality items that will last longer, can be repaired, carry a lifetime warranty, leave a lasting impression, fit easier into digital nomad luggage, etc.

As mentioned previously, 7-Eleven carries just about every toiletry, personal care, or hygiene item you may need while in Thailand so I only included items you need during transit in this list.

And if you’re going to put any “refillable” items on your digital nomad packing list –a best example being a razor– don’t. A lot of the products available back home are different from those in Thailand and may not be compatible.

Lastly, carry a nylon dry bag in case you need to carry smelly items or get caught in the rain (or a Songkran soaker parade) and keep all of your papers in an easily accessible place, separate from other belongings.

So, how about we recap these digital nomad packing list rules:

• Only use a carry-on, never check your luggage (unless you brought a blender!)
• Don’t carry items you rarely use and can acquire on the ground for cheap (i.e. raincoat, basic medicines)
• Carry a nylon water-proof bag to protect specific items from getting wet

Digital Nomad Packing List

Below you’ll find everything you need for your digital nomad packing list, and then some.

I’ve used affiliate links, but please don’t think for one minute that I added anything to this list for the sake of a commission. It takes years to build a reputation, and only one wrong product placement to lose it forever.

Best Digital Nomad Backpack(s)

I selected two backpacks for this line item on my digital nomad packing list, however I only use (and am in love with) the first option.

The second option is presented because it looks like a great product, and was actually developed by Nomads, for Nomads through a Kickstarter campaign some years ago.

Option 1: Osprey Farpoint 70 –the Best Digital Nomad Backpack

The Osprey Farpoint 70 is a little large for my needs, and I keep it 2/3 full at all times, except for when I visit home. That 1/3 of space will be great for gifts for nieces and nephews.

This pack meets several key requirements I think all of you may need to consider when making your digital nomad backpack purchase(s).

Clamshell opening

The Osprey Farpoint’s ability to open “clam shell” style allows for non-linear access to your items. Simply put, no first-in-first-out nonsense, digging through your bag at inconvenient times, etc. You can open part of the bag, or you can peel back the entire top flap of the bag for equal access to objects anywhere within it.

Detachable Day Pack

The Osprey Farpoint also comes with a detachable day pack which I use every day, only using the larger portion of the pack for relocations.

The day pack will fit a laptop, assorted electronics, journals, maps, books, change of clothes, shoes, etc.

You can also detach the day pack from the face of the Osprey Farpoint and strap it to the front of your body while still being connected to the central pack on your back. This is great for crowded areas when you don’t want your laptop packed out of your peripheral vision.

Warranty

Osprey packs a lifetime warranty with each of its backpack models, which to me, says a lot. It’s one less thing to worry about. They sell Osprey bags at Maya Mall in Chiang Mai, too. It’s quite likely you could arrange a swap in an emergency if you call Osprey directly. If not, ship it back and they’ll replace it.

Great Carry On

Technically, the 70-liter Osprey Farpoint shouldn’t be an acceptable carry on. Shhhh! Don’t tell anyone. However, I’ve been able to get away with it on every flight I’ve taken this bag on in over 2 years. The reason? It can transform into a duffel bag.

All of the bulky straps and be tucked away easily behind a giant flap that is hidden at the bottom of the bag. Once the straps are out of the way and you use the side handle with the flap side out, the bag appears much more streamlined and fits easily into the overhead compartment.

Your only obstacle is weight, but I’ve also been lucky in that my bag has never been weighed, and I can squeeze it into the metal cage used to determine carry-on size allowance. The trick is to act like the bag is really light and hide your wincing!

If you’re concerned about not being able to pull off using the Farpoint 70 as a carry-on, you and I could both easily get away with using a Farpoint 55.

Option 2: Minaal Carry On

A bag I do not use, but is still worthy of this digital nomad packing list.

The Minaal 35 liter pack is engineered to be the ultimate carry on and also looks a little more “flash packer” –meaning it’s easy on the eyes, and is a high quality pack.

It too is a clamshell bag, allows you to zip away straps, fits all major airline carry-on dimensions, and also comes with a slide-on rain cover. Electronics stored within it are also housed in a suspended sleeve, so not matter which way it hits the ground, your gear won’t pay the ultimate price.

No day pack though, so for now, I will stick with my Osprey.

Wallet and Paperwork

I keep all of my important documents inside a wallet inside a waterproof toiletry style bag. If I required any medications, I’d keep them there with copies made of their prescriptions, too.

Worth mention is that I have two wallets; one for all of my needs on the road, and a light-weight RFID-blocking front pocket id wallet for when I go out.

When RFID cloners are available for as low as five bucks on the internet, having an RFID blocker wallet might be a good idea.

My larger wallet is a “#balla” wallet, also designed by Nomads for Nomads (Terry Lin). It can easily store a number of cards, currencies, passport and you can store your Departure Card without folding it.

The #balla wallet is now called the Baller wallet, and you can pick one up here.

Some travel packing list items I keep together in my documents bag include;

• Boarding pass
• Passport
• Copies: Passport, cards, ID, itinerary
• Thailand Departure card
• Cash in 2 or 3 different currencies (lately Kip, USD, and Thai baht)
• SIM cards for every country I visit
• Extra passport photos
• Bank cards and credit cards
• Rabbit subway pass for when in Bangkok
• ID from home country such as Driver’s License, Health Card, etc.
• 2 pieces of mail to my home address in Canada; utility bill and bank statement for new account verification purposes (i.e. Transferwise signup)

I elaborate on paperwork and accounts to setup in advance in much more detail on an article called How to Become a Digital Nomad, Step-by-Step.

Toiletries and Personal Care

Many long-distance flights (on Etihad, for instance) will provide you with sleep masks, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and so on. This list is for anyone who doesn’t want to chance it;

• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Floss
• Eye mask
• Inflatable neck pillow
• Cologne
• Antiperspirant
• Condoms
• Gravol (for stomach issues or as a sleep aid)
• Wahl electric beard trimmer
• Earplugs
• Travel towel (microfiber)
• Nail clippers (once had to leave them behind at airport security)

Electronics Checklist

The Essential SteriPen

While living in Ao Nang Beach area of Krabi, Thailand, I made friends with a hostel owner. He found a strange “flashlight” left behind by a backpacker and he didn’t know what it was for, so he gave it to me. And I am so happy he did.

I wasn’t sure what it was at first, but later it would become the most important travel accessory on my digital nomad packing list: The SteriPen.

It uses ultraviolet light to purify water to destroy (or render unable to reproduce) 99.9% of harmful bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. In other words, it prevents traveler’s diarrhoea. This is a big deal if you ever need to drink tap water in a jam, or go trekking. Do a little research yourself, but you’ll find that I lucked out and ended up with the best one on the market.

This Powerbank Will Charge Your Laptop

Most powerbanks won’t have the power delivery to charge your USB-C powered laptops quickly (if at all), but this one can.

The behemoth 26,800mAh Anker PowerCore+ comes with a 30W high-speed charger for phones, tablets, and USB-C laptops. The battery has 1 USB-C port and 2 USB (5V/3A) ports. It’s capable of charging most phones over 7 times, tablets at least 2 times, and notebooks at least once.

The reviews on Amazon are spectacular, check it out for yourself.

A Note on Smart Phones

Ensure that your smart phone is unlocked to work with any carrier and can tether its data connection to your laptop by cable or wirelessly via WIFI or Bluetooth.

It is now legal to be able to unlock your smartphone in the USA and Canada. Unlocking means allowing the phone to work with any carrier, “jail breaking” is something else entirely.

When I came to Thailand, my Canadian carrier had a steep cancellation fee so I gave my phone away to a friend and had them resume my contract. I picked up a used phone in Bangkok at MBK, but you can pick one up anywhere.

If you’re about to upgrade your smart phone before you leave –don’t. An iPhone in Canada isn’t the same as an iPhone in Bangkok. They are designed for frequency bands that are common in the countries they’re shipped to and have small differences under the hood that can translate to big challenges, later on.

You may find your reception poorer than it could otherwise be if you come with a “fresh off the boat” phone model. Try to purchase locally, wherever you’re going to be spending the majority of your time.

Digital Nomad Gear Breakdown

• Smart phone (Get your phone unlocked by your carrier in advance!)
• Mac Air (with sleek protective skin) or a Dell XPS 13 9380 (2019) with Ubuntu/Windows 10 dual boot (pictured above)
• Additional portable LCD monitor and/or laptop-to-TV HDMI cable (for hotel TVs)
• Ledger Nano S cryptocurrency wallet (related: 5 Types of Crypto Wallets, Explained)
• External hard drive
• 3x 128 GB USB stick, 1 with my operating system on it for quick reformats
• Portable speaker with built-in battery (also available at 7-Eleven)
• Kindle ebook reader
• Wireless earbuds

• GoPro Hero 6 and travel accessories
• USB rechargeable battery pack / power bank
• SteriPen for (tap) water purification, make water drinkable
• Personal GPS Tracker for your safety, or to track luggage, pets, or kids
• Next purchase: DJI Mavic Mini drone (the very best ultra-portable drone on the market according to reviews)

Skyroam Solis International WiFi Hotspot

The Skyroam Solis personal WiFi hotspot is everywhere; it seems that every digital nomad packing list, travel blog, and anyone living the laptop lifestyle is praising this portable international hotspot as the ultimate tool for business travelers.

The Skyroam WiFi hotspot is a 4G LTE personal hotspot that does not require a SIM card and works in 130+ countries including North America, South America, the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and Africa.

Skyroam is a prepaid device that has no contract, costs $9 for 24 hours of unlimited data, and sports a built-in 6,000 mAh battery that doubles as a power bank, or for 16+ hours of functional internet usage when there’s no plug in sight.

Check out the Skyroam Solis for yourself. I negotiated a special discount for Hobo with a Laptop readers, use Skyroam promo code HOBOLAPTOP for 10% off (or more).

Best GoPro Accessories for Travel

We finally put all of our GoPro travel accessories in a single blog post, check it out.

Special Note for Udemy Instructors, Podcasters, and other Media Producers: While there are a handful of recording studios in Chiang Mai, it might be best to pack your own additional recording gear like a Blue Yeti microphone or tablet you use as a teleprompter.

Clothing to Pack

In hindsight, I learned that when it comes to what clothing items to put on your travel packing list; you could happily arrive with two sets of clothing and pick up the rest on arrival for the most part.

Dress shirts can be custom made for cheap, and t-shirts, flip-flops, shorts, swim shorts, etc. can all be purchased after you settle in on a need-to-wear basis. Department stores have some pretty alright leather sandals with great support for $10 in much of the world, there’s no sense in lugging it across the planet.

However, if winging it was your thing, you wouldn’t be reading this travel guide! Today, this is what I carry and it’s a bit excessive;

• 1 pair of socks
• 3 pairs of shorts
• 3 pair swim shorts for the pool or working out
• 1 pair pants/jeans to travel in
• 5 t-shirts
• 7 underwear
• 1 belt
• 1 medium weight sweater

Suggested Fabrics

I strongly suggest that anything which is normally cotton –make it Merino wool when you’re researching items to put on your digital nomad packing list before you leave (it’s harder to find on the road).

Merino wool pulls moisture away from the body in ways cotton never could, it reduces or eliminates odours naturally, regulates temperature (warms you in cold, cools you in heat), and it retains its shape much better than cotton. Merino is also stain and UV resistant, so it ages gracefully. Anything you purchase in Merino wool will outlive its cotton competitor by many years.

So that means Merino wool is ideal for t-shirts, socks, and underwear. Some popular Merino brands include Icebreaker, ExOfficio, Patagonia, and Ibex.

I Pack an Abnormal Amount of Underwear

Yeah, I carry about 2 weeks worth of boxer shorts and I stock up whenever I pass through Bangkok; for $5 you can get what I assume to be a high quality knock off Calvin Klein, Armani, Aussie Bum, Andrew Christian and other typically expensive brands.

So –why do I do this? Simple: I can get away with doing laundry once every 2-3 weeks.

Laundry is a pain in the ass in Asia if you’re on the move and who wants to clean their gitch in the sink every night before bed?

Digital Nomad.. Pants?

For stylish pants, I strongly recommend Bluffs. They are incredibly durable, wrinkle-free even after being balled up in a bag for 2 weeks, quick-drying, machine washable, and very breathable which makes them ideal for warmer climates. If you choose to only bring one pair of pants, these are ideal for work or pleasure.

ICONSPEAK T-Shirt

The ICONSPEAK t-shirt simplifies communication when there’s a language barrier.

From their website: “When were you the last time in a situation where no language or hand gesture that you master was sufficient to get you what you wanted? Imagine you are abroad – in a foreign country, in a foreign culture, maybe while travelling the world. That’s what we did, travelling the world – partially, well the three of us combined almost completely.

In the furthest and deepest corners of our world we were repeatedly left with no words, either in breathtaking awe due to the sceneries or in empty silence, due to our lacking linguistic talents. Such situations got us thinking about how to bridge language barriers with utmost simplicity, on a global level. The answer came to us after a remarkable experience in the depths of Vietnamese backcountry. .. With ICONs, you can SPEAK, you can SPEAK to the world.”

Just be wary of Amazon knock-offs, where buyers complained of smaller, misaligned, fuzzy-looking icons.

Footwear

I brought shoes with me, however I picked up my sandals in Pai. There’s a really great street vendor that sells flip-flops there that are made completely out of comfortable yet durable rubber.

Just about every vendor sells flip-flops, so you could likely skip packing them initially. Rubber is the way to go for your day-to-day sandals, foam simply won’t do.

I now own three pairs of footwear;

• Blundstone boots for travel, inclement weather, and travel in dangerous places
• Jogging shoes that double as “water shoes“
• Quality rubber/leather flip-flop sandals

I love my Blundstone boots because they come with a two-year extended manufacturer’s warranty and they slip on without laces that can wear and break. The road is long and dirty; these boots are easily cleaned and more comfortable than a pair of Doc Martens.

Best Deals on Amazon

If you’re looking for the best deals on Amazon I suggest checking their discounted overstock outlet.

Products in this tucked-away category on Amazon are typically brand new; a business is selling them at a discount because they ordered too many and they didn’t sell as well as they’d hoped.

Must-Have Unforgettables

There are precious few items you can’t afford not to pack because you may not see them again until you return home. Some examples of this are as follows;

Products are clickable to view on Amazon, and strongly advised. When you’re on the move, there are no alternatives. Either you bring your own, or you’re f*cked.

Sanitary Wipes

Because the world is gross, I take these with me everywhere. Imagine all the uses –if the original MacGuyver was your grandpa, he’d give you sanitary wipes for Christmas instead of socks because nothing beats them when traveling.

Worth note –the other sanitary thing? If you use tampons and plan to head to Asia, stock up. They’re a rarity in those parts.

Condoms

In Southeast Asia, sizing is a little different at your local 7-Eleven when it comes time to buy condoms –as does their quality if they’re shelving lower quality local brands. Don’t take the risk, stock up.

Starfrit Can Opener

Unusual, yes. But a can opener will help long term travelers who might want to skip eating out and have food from a grocery store at a lower cost.

The can openers you find on the road will never compare to the quality and durability of this specific can opener. They last decades, I know from experience. A great gift for anyone going to college, too.

Visine Eyedrops

There’s no eyedrop like Visine Red Eye Triple Action; it will cure what ails ye, if it relates to your eye.

City pollution, forehead death sweat, nasty subway dust, not enough sleep, too much sleep, jet lag, blue light, drinking, or other substances can make your eyes look funny when local eyedrops suck.

Want More Nomad Gear?

Oh, we got more.

Unique Travel Gift Guide

We’ve got a bunch of awesome gear on our Big List of Unique Travel Gifts for Nomads you may want to take a gander at. Here’s a few items on that list:

• Waterproof Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
• Ultra-light portable projector
• Moleskin notebooks
• Dry-erase marker for windows and the fridge
• Water canteen (for water refill stations)

Nomad Travel Insurance

And of course travel insurance is an absolute must. We’d be remiss to leave it out of this list, so we went a step further and compared two popular nomad travel insurance companies, side by side.

Solo Female Travel Packing List

Looking for a digital nomad packing list for solo female travellers? My wife made her own, and you can find it here.

Digital Nomad Banking

Hobo with a Laptop recommends the Borderless Account by Transferwise as the best international banking solution for expats and freelancers.

Open electronic money accounts in 29 currencies, enjoy lower fees, use Apple Pay, get your card mailed wherever you are –and get paid faster than PayPal. Signup for more information, or read our review.

Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments.