Pack With Me: Easy Santa Fe Packing List

There’s a little self-growth that happens every trip I take, but when I packed for Santa Fe, I didn’t expect that a “little” wouldn’t be a little and a “lot” would be an understatement.

Infinite takeaways. One trip.

1. Santa Fe let me accept my personal style. I always loved boho-clothing and long, flowing dresses with fringes and patterns. Yet, most of the places I had been to (or lived in) sport a much more clean-cut, preppy, solid colored look. For a large part of my life, I felt left out and awkward. But Santa Fe taught me to embrace my style because it was so common and loved there.
2. Since moving from Kingston, Jamaica well over a decade ago, I have never felt more connected to a place. There was something about Santa Fe – the vibe, the aura – that I was completely drawn to. And the people I interacted with – every single one of them – were so incredibly nice. I wanted to stay there forever. And to be honest, if the city wasn’t so expensive (Dallas still wins on that front), I would have moved in a heartbeat.

To me, Santa Fe is the Pied Piper, and the steady hum the city plays lures me still.

Before I begin rambling (not that I haven’t done that already), here’s my perfect go-to Santa Fe packing list.

As per usual, feel free to add on anything you want or remove anything from this list. I know perfect is a very relative term.

Santa Fe Packing List Essentials

• Tea Mug: I may have consumed way too much during my last trip, but in my defense, Santa Fe has a huge tea-drinking culture. I honestly thought it would be unfair to the spirit of the city if I didn’t binge on all the herbal flavors available (this is my terrible excuse for having tea instead of water….) so I packed a travel mug to keep my drinks warm.
• Yoga Mat: I can’t count how many yoga classes I wanted to attend while in Santa Fe. I feel like there is a yoga studio in every corner of the city. While most do offer a mat, I always like to bring my own skid-resistant eco-friendly blue mat.
• Sunscreen: Even though Santa Fe is generally somewhat cold or mild, the sun still shines happily most days. Hence, I brought sunscreen. The one I use is a mineral-based, eco-friendly sunscreen.
• Sneakers/Socks: Most parts of Santa Fe are very walkable so bring a cute pair of sneakers and socks. I bought mine for $20 from PUMA on clearance at an outlet mall.
• Toiletries: As per usual, I skipped out on packing most toiletries (simply because hotels provide them). I did pack a toothbrush, a bottle of toothpaste, a comb, a mini-first aid kit, and all my contact lenses into a small pouch (which I bought from a local thrift store for about five dollars).

Packing All The Outfits

• Heavy Jacket: With the exception of summer, Santa Fe is teeth-chattering (any non-Texan, feel free to laugh at my definition of cold). The temperatures frequently dip down to the twenties so a heavy jacket is an absolute must in my Santa Fe packing list. I opted for a black hooded parka which I wore with a semi-thick sweater underneath.
• Sweater: The sweater I packed was a charcoal, gray v-neck sweater that I’ve had since my freshman year of high school. I have no idea how it still fits, much less how it still keeps me warm – but hey, whatever works.
• Jeans: I brought along a pair of skinny jeans (Levi’s 721 high rise jeans) mostly because I didn’t want to deal with a boot-cut that keeps toppling and flaring outside my boots. #TheStruggleIsReal
• Leggings: Remember what I said about loving patterns and prints? Well, my bright and colorful bodycon dresses were a little short so leggings were my saving grace (also, they kept me warm – bonus points). I buy all my leggings from Forever 21.
• Jean Jacket: When the temperature wasn’t quite heavy jacket weather, I used a jean jacket. I think I bought mine from Gap (don’t quote me on that) but I love it regardless.
• Raincoat: Texas has made me paranoid about rain. Now, I expect it to randomly rain despite what the weatherman says. Did it rain in Santa Fe? Of course not. Would I bring a raincoat again? Yup. I’m still paranoid.
• Boots: I have a pair of vegan leather boots that I will wear at any point in time if given the chance (even when it is completely impractical). The one time I actually needed to bring the boots (given how cold it was in Santa Fe), I forgot to pack them. Oh, the irony.
• Sandals: I packed a pair of gladiator sandals that I wore when exploring the hotel and most of the galleries. These were my mum’s sandals and I may have stolen (ahem, borrowed and have yet to return) them from her. Sorry, mum.
• Bodycon Dresses: I packed two bodycon dresses. The first was a mix of earthen tones. The second was colorful enough to be a disco-light. I ended up packing a lace pullover sweater as well because the back of my oh-too-colorful bodycon dress was a bit sexy for day-wear, and I wanted to turn the piece into something more casual and modest. I couldn’t find the exact one I own but here’s a scarily close match.
• Gloves & Scarves: Normally, I would classify gloves and scarves as accessories but in a Santa Fe packing list, these are essentials. I packed one pair of gray gloves and one gray scarf (the latter of which was a last-minute pre-trip Walmart purchase).

Accessories To Add To Your Santa Fe Packing List

• Jewelry: I wore more jewelry during this trip than I ever have in my lifetime. I normally don’t like to wear anything beyond earrings, but I had so much fun matching bracelets and statement necklaces while I was last in Santa Fe. Of course, my insanely talented mum designs and makes all my jewelry.
• Chapstick: My lips typically dry really quickly when it is cold so I brought my go-to drugstore chapstick – Burt’s Bees Pomegranate Lip Balm.
• Camera Gear: Last but not least, I packed all my camera gear. I brought a Canon EOS Rebel 3ti DSLR camera with an 18-55 mm lens. Yes, I know – Canon is no longer manufacturing that particular model. But if you are interested in professional photography, I still highly recommend a DSLR.
• Electronics: I packed my phone, a really old laptop (AKA a plastic mac), and bundled all the chargers (camera, laptop, and phone) together. I also packed a flash drive, a micro-SD converter, and some headphones.

And that is everything I packed during my extra long weekend Santa Fe trip. I know this post is more conversational than story-based but I’ve been watching too many “pack with me” videos on YouTube and this is the spillover effect. Hopefully (*fingers crossed*) I’ve created a resource that helps you plan your trip.

Did you enjoy this Santa Fe packing list? If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, drop them below. As always, I love hearing from you.