Our Top Travel Gear

Fitting your life into a suitcase for X number of days can be a bit daunting. While the days leading up to a vacation are filled with excitement, they can also be filled with stress and chaos as you try to wrap up things for work, figure out what to bring, and then actually complete the sometimes dreaded task of packing your bag.

Between short weekend trips and long international vacations, we have gotten into a good groove when it comes to packing and prioritizing what to bring with us. So today we’re sharing a handful of our top travel items that make traveling not only easier, but also more comfortable. Here is a detailed list to help make packing for your trip quicker and less stressful!

Our Top Travel Items

These items have improved our traveling experiences so much and are a must for any trip.

SUITCASE

MONOS Check-In Large Suitcase We had heard raving reviews about the MONOS suitcase for a long time before we actually purchased one. Despite the reviews, we were always scared of the price tag. After multiple suitcases were destroyed during travel, we were suddenly in need of a larger suitcase and decided to splurge on the MONOS Check-In Large Suitcase.

And we are now a part of the fan club that raves about it whenever we can! We have taken this suitcase on multiple week long trips and have been able to fit everything we needed for the both of us for a week (toiletries, shoes, one nice outfit per day, one athletic outfit per day, AND some extra clothes options) in the suitcase no problem.

On top of its ability to hold a lot of stuff, it also rocks because it is super durable, has built-in TSA approved locks, and an excellently designed interior that works great for our packing cubes. While the price may be daunting, we couldn’t recommend this suitcase any more!

Patagonia Black Hole Duffel - 70L We take this duffel on our weekend trips and have been able to fit everything we needed for the both of us for up to 4 days (toiletries, shoes, one nice outfit per day, one athletic outfit per day, AND some extra layer options). On top of its ability to hold a lot of stuff, we also really like that it is water repellent and super durable. One of the unique features of this duffle bag is that you can wear it like a backpack. When carrying it this way, it keeps everything secure as there aren’t any outward facing zippers.

BACKPACK

We each carry a different type of backpack and love both for different reasons. Kelley carries a REI Co-op Ruckpack 18 Recycled Daypack, which is great for hiking and everyday use. It isn’t super big & bulky, but is still large enough to fit so many things. She usually carries extra clothes/layers, lunch box/snacks, first aid kit, a water bladder, flashlight/headlamps, pack towels, and other essentials, which can be useful for day trail and in cities.

Carl carries a MCKINNON CAMERA PACK 25L, which he uses to carry all of our camera gear and equipment. The bag is sturdy and you can customize how you store your gear for easy access to all areas of the bag. This pack has especially made it so much easier when going through airport security as everything is organized and super easy to pull out. Laptops and any other larger electronics that always need to come out have always been a hassle in the past.

Footwear

Nike Pegasus Trail 4 GORE-TEX Running Shoe Instead of traditional hiking boots, these are Carl’s go to for hiking. They have great grip and stability, while also being as comfortable as a running shoe.

L.L. Bean Women’s Mountain Classic Hiking Boots These boots are sturdy and waterproof, while still being stylish. Kelley loves the Cream/Nautical Aqua colorway.

ALTRA Women's AL0A7R7J Lone Peak All-WTHR Mid 2 Trail Running Shoe These are Kelley’s new hiking shoe of choice. They are sturdy and waterproof, while remaining supper light weight.

Comfy Shoes Aside from hiking shoes, other comfortable footwear that we consider for our trips include tennis shoes, Birkenstock’s, Vans/Converse’s, and flip flops.

NRS Paddle Wetshoes These are the water shoes that Carl wears. They are great for walking on wet rocks along the edge of the water with the 3 mm-thick high-traction soles. With them being a wet shoe, they also help to keep your feet warm when in and around water while kayaking, paddle boarding, or jet skiing.

Columbia Women’s Alava Sandal These are Kelley’s go to water shoes. With adjustable straps and textured grippy bottoms, they are great for walking on slippery terrain and around the water.

WATER

Osprey Hydraulics Reservoir - 2 Liters This is a must for hiking as it makes it easy to stay hydrated on the go. We used to always just carry a couple water bottles with us but we never felt like we had enough water with us. Now we just fill up the bladder and we are able to stay hydrated while hiking without having to stop.

Stanley GO The Quick Flip GO Bottle 24OZ Lilac Carl brings this water bottle with him on short walks, when we aren’t using the Osprey Hydraulics Reservoir, or keeps it in the car for staying hydrated between destinations.

HEADLAMPS/Flashlights

Embark Headlamps We really like these because they have a red light feature which is useful for not attracting bugs. We purchased these specific ones from Target but any headlamp will do.

Embark Flashlight We always bring this with us even if we don’t intend on going on any early morning or late night hikes. It is really bright and doesn’t take up much room with its compact metal design. You never know when the power might go out in your airbnb or if you need a little extra light when searching for something you dropped in the rental car. We also purchased this from Target, but any small flashlight will do.

OUR OTHER ESSENTIALS

Snacks No matter how long the hike is, snacks are always a must. Being hangry on the trail is never a good idea… Our go tos are usually Nature Valley Bars and trail mix.

Pack Towl Easily compressible and so easy to fit into small spaces in our packs. These are great to bring if we think there is a possibility we might need something to dry off with. We also often use these like small blankets to sit on when we need to take a break or we reach a viewpoint. When traveling to Europe & other international destinations, we make sure to pack the smaller size pack towel as well since washcloths aren’t always accessible.

Sun Protection As skin cancer runs in both of our families, sunscreen is a must for skin protection. We also make sure to always pack sunglasses for trips.

Anker 65W PD Power Bank We carry this with us everywhere we go. It helps to keep our phones and cameras charged while also being compatible with the Canon R5C as external power when recording.

First Aid Kit On our recent trip to Maine, Kelley slipped and cut her finger on a barnacle. Blood was gushing, but Carl was able to quickly patch everything up. It is always best to be prepared for the worst.

AllTrails App The AllTrails app is a lifesaver. When preparing for any hike, we make sure to download the offline map of the hike. This allows us to track our hikes, even without cell service. There are definitely times we would have gotten lost when hiking if we didn’t have the AllTrails app. A subscription is required in order to download offline maps, but we think it is 100% worth it as we have found this feature so useful over the years.

Packing Cubes We love using these to organize our clothes. Carl usually takes the approach of packing shirts into one packing cube, shorts in another, layers into another, etc.. Whereas Kelley tends to pack with the approach of putting day 1 & 2 outfits into one cube, day 3 & 4 into another cube, and so forth.

International Plug Adapter These are a must if traveling to international destinations. We have European adapters, but we always make sure to research what type of plug different countries use prior to leaving for our trips.

Cigarette Lighter USB Charger We always make sure to bring a car charger in order to charge multiple devices on the go.

AIRPORT ESSENTIALS

Headphones Carl uses AirPods but any wireless or wired headphones are great to have to be able to watch Netflix or any other streaming service. A good pair of wired headphones with a 3.5 mm plug can be beneficial for watching inflight entertainment.

Sleep Mask We find these useful for overnight flights so we aren’t bothered by different lights inside the aircraft.

Neck Pillow Kelley always makes sure to bring a neck pillow on any flight of any duration for comfort.