Backpackers' Packing List

Packing List

V!VA User‘s Description

Ecuador is an excellent country for travelers willing to rough it. Public buses are plentiful and inexpensive; dorm beds range from $2-5 per person per night around the country, including in the more expensive capital Quito; and fixed meals provide cheap nutriment. As for a restaurant or cafe's "desayuno," "almuerzo" or "merienda" (breakfast, lunch or dinner) and you will find yourself with more food than you usually eat for $1.50 - $3 around Ecuador.

While this is not to be considered an authoritative packing list, here are a few items that we have found handy when backpacking around Ecuador:

Flashlight; clothesline; mosquito net; Swiss Army Knife or Leatherman (but don't forget to put it in your checked luggage!); watch with alarm clock; toilet paper; plastic bags for separating dirty and clean clothes and shoes; needle and thread; biodegradable soap; notebooks and pens/pencils; hat; and poncho. Anitbacterial hand gel is less wasteful than wet wipes. Tents and sleeping bags can be easily rented and you will find that camping is often the same price as a budget hostel.