The counter-intuitive truth of long-term packing: a six-month bag is not three times a two-month bag. It is the same bag, with a plan for the things that change over time: consumables, wear, climate shifts and the paperwork that expires.
Start with the two-week list
Build the list for a fortnight in your first destination with the packing list builder. That is 90 percent of the final bag. Everything else is a system, not an item.
Consumables: buy there
Sunscreen, toothpaste, contact lens solution, tampons, basic medication: all available in every city on the trail, often cheaper. Carry a month's supply and the knowledge of what the local brand is called. The exceptions are prescription medication (carry the whole trip's supply plus the prescription), specialist items and high-SPF sunscreen in a few countries where it is dear.
Wear: expect to replace
Six months of daily use kills flip-flops, socks, a T-shirt or two and sometimes the shoes. Budget $150 to $250 across the trip for replacements and buy them locally; a market in Hanoi or a mall in Kuala Lumpur restocks a wardrobe in an afternoon.
Climate shifts: the layer system and the parcel
Pack for the first climate and carry one layer for the second. If the trip spans tropics and mountains (Southeast Asia then Nepal; Mexico then the Andes), rent or buy the cold-weather kit at the mountain end (Kathmandu and Cusco rent everything) and sell or donate it after. For Europe-then-Asia itineraries, post the winter layer home from the last cold city. See packing for multiple climates.
Paperwork that expires
Passport validity (six months beyond the last entry), driving licence and International Driving Permit (valid one year), bank cards (check expiry dates against the trip), insurance (annual policies often cap single trips at 30 to 90 days; buy long-stay cover), and vaccination certificates.
The digital kit
Two-factor codes tied to a home phone number will lock you out in month three; move them to an authenticator app before you leave. Cloud copies of every document, an offline password manager, downloaded maps and language packs, and a backup of the laptop.
What six-month veterans carry that two-week travellers do not
A sewing kit, a sink plug, a cable lock, a spare set of earphones, a small roll of duct tape, and a shortlist of what they will do when the laptop dies.
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