Everything we’re packing for 2 weeks of backpacking in Guatemala

Not too long ago, I shared with you our budget for our family adventure in Guatemala. I have literally been packing and planning since I booked the flight. Although it’s still a while until we’re actually leaving, I thought it would be fun to show you what we are bringing. Though we’re packing super minimally (more on that in a minute), I would love your input on anything we might be forgetting.

In my meticulously planned trip budget, I estimated $900 for gear and clothes for the five of us for the trip. In addition to showing you everything we’re bringing, I will let you know the cost of everything so we can see if we stayed within the initial budget.

What I mean by “backpacking in Guatemala”

First of all, let me define what I mean when I say “backpacking” in this context.

As a family who loves traditional backpacking in the mountains where we camp along the way and rarely run into any other humans, most what we will be doing in Guatemala does not fit that definition.

In Guatemala we will be tourists traveling all over the country to see Mayan ruins, natural wonders, beautiful buildings, and lovely people… carrying backpacks.  In fact, everything we bring with us will have to fit in our backpacks, as we aren’t bringing any other luggage.

Traveling like this makes sense for us for a few different reasons.

• Being mobile. In the two weeks of our trip, we will be staying 9 different places. Many of our tours and adventures will be between stays, so we won’t be able to just leave our things in the hotel. We have to be able to explore Mayan ruins with all of our stuff in tow.
• Simplicity. Our travel between locations will be by bus, plane, Uber, taxi, and boat, so having extra luggage would continuously be a hassle. We don’t want to have to put bags on top of the bus and risk something happening to them or forgetting them. We want to be able to hold our things on our laps and easily keep track of them.
• Saving money. On our flight in and out of Central America we are allowed a personal item and a carry-on. Any checked bags would cost extra. On our flight within Guatemala, we are only allowed a carry-on (albeit a smaller carry-on than the international flight). If we have to check bags it will cost $55 each.

Packing light

Generally speaking, I am an efficient packer, as in I can make lots of things fit, but I wouldn’t consider myself a light packer. My personal tendency is to be prepared, so I bring what I (or my family) might need in any eventuality.  I always pack plenty of clothes because I don’t know what the weather will actually be, let alone what I’ll be in the mood to wear. I often return from a trip with more clean clothes than dirty.

When your only luggage is a 40 liter backpack, weight and space are of a premium. Suddenly I can’t just throw in a few more shirts because they might suit my fancy on some occasion. Everything I am packing must be intentional.

Initially, I attempted to pack what I already thought was the bare minimum. I quickly saw that I would need to cut back even more. I decided to forgo pajamas, a fleece jacket, and a few other things. The tour company that we are going with for our overnight volcano hike allows you to borrow warm clothes for the trek, so we will just have to trust that they will have things that will fit us.

Gear

The costs listed are the total cost for the five of us who will be on the trip. Where applicable, I linked to the exact product that we purchased. Of course, much of the gear and clothing were things we already had.

Backpacks ($200 )- We got new 40L backpacks so they would be the right size to use as carry-ons. We got 4 of these backpacks. We were going to have the youngest use a 35L pack we already have, but we decided to instead get a 45L pack for Mike so he would have a little more space (he’s 6’7″, so it will still look small on him). The backpacks full would be a few inches too tall for the international flight, but should squish down just fine. The flight within Guatemala has a smaller carry-on size, so we will have to layer on our clothes and squash our bags down for that flight. I’m pretty sure we can swing it.

Headlamp and charger- We already had these headlamps that easily recharge. We will need them for the overnight Acatenango volcano hike and for a cave tour in Semuc Champey.

Quick-dry towels ($32)- We will need towels both for swimming and showers, as some of the places we stay will not have them. Regular towels take up lots of room so I found some microfiber quick-dry towels. I looked hard to find ones that were an actual usable size (some are super small). This towel set has 4 large towels and 4 small towels. I had planned to sew the small ones together to make a 5th big towel, but Mike thinks he’ll be fine just having a small one.

Water bottles- We will each bring a Nalgene water bottle that we already have.

Phone chargers- We will bring 2 phone chargers we already have.

Bandana/masks- The pollution from cars is really terrible in Guatemala because there aren’t strict emissions standards like in the US. Mike and I had chronic coughs when we lived in Guatemala years ago. Also, if it’s not raining when we hike Acatenango (volcano), the hike is very dusty.

Water Bladders– For convenient hydration on our hikes, we are bringing along water bladders.

Hats ($12)-  Everyone needs a hat with good sun coverage. I’m not sure if everyone has one yet. I got one for myself, but I need to check with everyone else still.

Sunglasses ($5)- In addition to hats, we will all get some dollar store sunglasses, so it won’t matter if we lose or break them.

Mosquito head nets ($13)– Mosquitos are abundant in the jungles of northern Guatemala, so we’re taking this additional precaution because I am a mosquito feast. I bought a set of 6 mosquito net head covers.

Money Belts ($22)– We already had 2 of these, so we only needed to buy 3 more. The ones I bought were much nicer and sturdier than the ones we used 18 years ago, so I might order 2 more. We always wear our money, passports, and credit cards in our money belt, under our clothes. Is it hot and somewhat inconvenient? Yes, but it’s the safest way to go, especially when we are carrying everything on most days because we are only staying one night at most places.

External Battery ($36)– Most nights we will have electricity to charge our phones and flashlights, but for our overnight hike, we want to have a battery to be sure we can be charged up.

Padlocks ($16)– There are some places that have lockers to lock our things up (like when we go tubing, swimming, and caving), but you need your own lock. Since we aren’t sure the size of the lockers, we are each bringing a lock. I bought 3 at Walmart and I think my high schoolers each have one from their gym locker that they can bring.

Clothesline/clothespins Since we will be washing clothes in the sink, we want to have a good way to air dry them.

Raincoats ($20)- It’s the rainy season in Guatemala, so we will certainly have a chance to use these jackets. We were aiming for jackets that pack up small and are also breathable (it will be hot!). We already had 3 jackets that fit this description. We found one more at the thrift store and are still looking for another.

Clothing

The clothing listed below includes what we will be wearing and carrying.

Hiking boots ($292)- We all needed hiking boots, which are highly recommended for the volcano hike that we are doing. These will be our everyday shoes (and even church shoes for the boys). I found a pair for Mike at Ross for $50. The rest I found on Amazon. After trying several different pairs, we decided on these, these, these, and these.

Swimsuits- We are bringing our own swimsuits, but choosing the ones that pack up the smallest.

Water shoes/sandals ($27)- We will be hiking through some water caves, exploring some waterfalls, and going to some natural hot springs where we will need water shoes or sandals. Three of us already have Chaco sandals. I found a pair of Keen sandals at the thrift store for one of our boys. Our other son is more complicated because he wears a size 17 (and is still growing). They don’t even make Chacos that big! I don’t want to invest too much money in something he will only need a few times and will grow out of in a month, so I got these water shoes. I think they will work fine for the couple of times he will need them on this trip.

Underwear- Everyone will pack about 3 changes of underwear.

Wool socks ($35)- We normally wear low cut socks, but those don’t work well with hiking boots. Wool will definitely be best for our big hike and camping in freezing temperatures at high altitude. We also want socks that don’t take up too much space (some wool socks are really big). We already had some wool socks that fit the bill, but we bought a few more. Mike also wanted to try out a pair of these socks that are really expensive but apparently have a lifetime warranty.

Short sleeve shirts- We will each bring two or three short sleeve shirts that are light weight and dry quickly. We chose from things we either already had or found at the thrift store.

Long sleeve shirt ($40)- I found lightweight quick-dry long sleeve shirts at Sam’s Club for all of us (they previously had men’s ones too).

Lightweight pants ($104)- While it will be hot and probably wet, we want to be protected from the sun and bugs, so these hiking pants will be our go-to on most days. One of our boys already had some that fit the bill. I got Mike and my oldest son these pants which have amazing reviews. My daughter got these pants on Amazon.

Shorts- In addition to pants, we will each bring a pair of shorts.

Dress clothes- We will be going to church twice and the temple once or twice, so my daughter and I will each bring a dress. Mike and the boys will each bring a dress shirt and tie (to wear with their hiking pants and boots)

Toiletries

I have our toiletries divided into a couple of bags. Most of it were things that we already had, but we spent about $30 on bug spray, containers, toothpaste, etc.

Liquids Bag

I got these little containers for our creams and liquids so that they will take up less space as they are used up.

• • Bug spray
  • Sunscreen
  • Shampoo/conditioner
  • Face wash
  • Toothpaste
  • Hand sanitizer

First Aid Bag

• • Ibuprofen
  • Electrolytes
  • Bandaids
  • Antibiotic ointment

Other essentials

• • Baby wipes
  • Toilet paper
  • Toothbrush
  • Razor
  • Brush
  • Deodorant

All of the “What ifs”

If you are a prepared, efficient over-packer like I normally am, you might be wondering what about all of the “what if”s. What if someone rips a hole in their one pair of pants? What if it’s too humid in our room to airdry our clothes?

Don’t worry, I have thought about those complications. I’m planning to put together a mending kit with needles, thread, safety pins, duct tape, etc. to manage any wardrobe malfunctions. All of our clothes are pretty light and considered “quick-dry” so if they don’t dry on the line, they will dry on our backs!

If you can think of any other potential issues we might have with our light packing, please let me know. We have plenty of time to address them before we take our three oldest kids on this adventure that’s unlike anything we’ve done with them before.

Total Spent (so far) on Gear and Clothes

Until writing this post, I honestly wasn’t sure if we were going to be within the $900 estimated budget that we had set. I figured it would be pretty close because the initial budget that I had set was well researched and planned ahead of time. The total of what we’ve spent so far is $884 (Gear- $356, Clothing- $498, Toiletries- $30). There are still a few things that we need to get, so we may still go over a little. In fact, if you have any suggestions of must-haves that we aren’t thinking of, please let me know in the comments.