Travel Tip 169

How to Pack Light

There are so few tourists in northern Peru! I was the only person at Yálape, besides my guide.

I’m going back to northern Peru next week!

I have to pack light for this trip.

I’ll be mostly repeating a trip I did last year.

Last September, I designed a 3-week itinerary for myself that started in Tarapoto, the largest city in the San Martín region in northern Peru. I spent several days in and around Tarapoto, then took a bus to Moyobamba, where I spent several days, then another bus to Chachapoyas where I spent about two weeks. At the end of the trip, I flew Atsa from Chachapoyas to Lima and then LATAM from Lima home to Cusco. I usually fly LATAM in Peru, but Atsa is the only airline that flies to Chachapoyas.

Last year I had the Tom Bihn bag in the middle and the turquoise backpack for my Tarapoto-Moyobamba-Chachapoyas trip.

I was caught off guard with the luggage restrictions for the Atsa flight and had to completely repack at the counter while passengers waiting in line watched. I had two bags roughly equally sized (above), which were not easy to repack with 5kg in one and everything else in the other. It was such a rookie mistake to not check the luggage restrictions. Now, I’m preparing for that same Atsa flight departing Chachapoyas.

This is what is allowed for my flights on LATAM: checked luggage (like the green one), carry on suitcase (blue) and personal item (black).

Here’s why I’m packing light.

The Atsa flight has a limit of 5kg (11lbs) for my carryon and 23kg (50lbs) for my checked bag. No personal item is allowed under the seat in front of me. Most airlines allow passengers to have a personal item that fits under the seat in front of them. This is what caught me off guard last year. Still, I’m so excited to go back and see Kuélap again that I’ll put up with any luggage restrictions.

This year, like last year, my first two flights, from Cusco to Lima and Lima to Tarapoto are on LATAM. They allow a personal item (that they don’t weigh), a 12kg (26lbs) carryon (that they rarely weigh) and 23kg (50lbs) for my checked bag.

If I had bothered to read the details on my Atsa ticket, I would have seen the carryon “equipaje de mano” limit for 5kg.

It’s the third flight, from Chachapoyas to Lima that doesn’t allow a personal item and limits my carryon to 5kg. I have to pack for that third flight and disregard the limitations of the first two.

I’m so excited to go back to Kuélap and see this temple again. Archeologists found its center was partly filled with human bones.

How to pack light? First, decide why and what.

Why are you packing light?

If you’re packing light because of weight restrictions for, say, a flight from Chachapoyas to Lima, then you should weigh your bag and make sure it’s just a bit underweight so you can buy a couple souvenirs. Use a scale to see if your bag is too heavy.

If you’re packing light because you’ll have to carry your stuff a lot on this trip, you need your bag to be as light as possible. Pack everything, then try walking 15 minutes carrying it all. If you’re exhausted, it’s too heavy; take stuff out. Or, you may realize that the weight isn’t too much but that your backpack is uncomfortable. Experiment with the backpacks and suitcases you own before you buy more or borrow from somebody else.

My “personal item” that goes under the seat in front of me usually only has my camera and drone.

What are you packing?

The packing list is the same principle as a shopping list. Go to the store hungry and without a list and your cart will be full of all sorts of things you don’t need. Pack when you’re excited for a trip but without a list and you’ll arrive at your destination with stuff you don’t really need. Make a list of what you need, not what you might need, and stick to it.

If you’re going to a nice hotel you don’t need to bring shampoo. Explora Valle Sagrado has quality amenities and has no plastic in the hotel.

Here’s my top five tips for packing light!

1. Take the minimum of toiletries

I have small refillable bottles so I can take only as much shampoo or face lotion as I’ll need for the trip. Even though they’re small, I don’t usually fill them completely. A travel size shampoo bottle looks lightweight, but if you only need half a bottle, there’s no reason to fill it. If you’re schlepping your backpack through the subway system in Paris or Buenos Aires, full bottles of bath products do add up to a noticeable difference.

I wore and washed and re-wore my Peru Women Birders shirt so many times on the northern Peru trip last year.

2. Pare down the clothes you take

Clothes are usually what takes up the most space and add the most weight. Choose your most versatile layers that you can mix and match. Plan to wear your heaviest layers and shoes on the plane – flights are usually cold enough you want the heavy layers anyway.

Find out if you’ll have access to laundry, or if you can wash clothes in the hotel sink. Many places offer same-day or even 2-hour laundry service and if it’s only two days’ worth of clothes, they might be able to get it back to you even faster. I think having laundry done is always worth the expense if it means I can carry half or as third as many clothes.

Many birding lodges in Peru, like Manu BioLodge have binoculars they can rent to guests.

3. Check if you can rent specialized gear

Besides your phone and clothes, is there any specialized gear you need? Binoculars for a birding trip? Sleeping bag for camping? Before you try to squeeze all that into your bag, check if renting is an option where you’re going. Many birding guides can help you rent binoculars or even highly specialized camera lenses. Huaraz, in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca mountains, has lots of rental shops with quality camping and mountaineering gear.

Don’t bring a hat when you come to Cusco. There are so many great sun hats and warm hats you can get as souvenirs.

4. Consider what you’ll buy as souvenirs.

If you’re going to a beach, are you likely to buy a hat as a souvenir? Don’t bring one from home if that’s your plan. I often buy a hat when I travel because locally made hats are a great souvenir and I know I’ll use it. Souvenirs can be practical things that you’ll use during the trip.

5. Pack the medications you know you’ll need.

If I’m going to be in a town that has pharmacies, I don’t pack many meds. If I need ibuprofen or something for an upset stomach, I’ll buy it there. Most countries have fewer restrictions on prescriptions than the US, so I don’t need to stock up on just-in-case meds. However, I am diligent about taking extra prescription meds, which came in handy when I extended my last Argentina trip by a week and a recent rainforest trip from three days to six.

The bottom line: Pack the stuff you know you’ll need, not the stuff you might need.

In previous travel tips I’ve explained how packing cubes can help and how lighter luggage uses less jet fuel, which means you’re responsible for fewer carbon emissions. If you missed any previous travel tips, find them here.

New book! The Rough Guide to Peru

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