Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
Mexico City & Oaxaca Packing List for Women: Carry-Ons, Market Bags & Altitude Layers
23
items Picture a morning at Mercado de Abastos in Oaxaca: warm sun, crowded aisles, and a bag you can zip shut with one hand while you taste your way through the stalls. Then picture a rooftop evening in Roma Norte at 7,300 feet, when the temperature drops ...
One hardside carry-on is enough for a week split between Mexico City and Oaxaca: 41 liters, 7.5 lbs, and room for five to seven outfits. The shell shrugs off baggage handling, and the olive color is easy to spot on a crowded belt at Benito Juárez air...
Away The Carry-On in Olive Green
Through the Mercado 20 de Noviembre and Benito Juárez market, this is the bag I would wear. The ballistic nylon body has linked zippers, theft-deterrent zipper pullers, and a hidden back pocket for your passport copy or spare cash. It carries 4 liter...
BÉIS The Pro Travel Sling in Khaki
Sun at 7,300 feet is stronger than it feels, and Monte Albán has almost no shade on the main plaza. This woven paper-straw hat has a paracord stampede strap, so it stays put on the Hierve el Agua road when the wind picks up. Wear it on market morning...
Madewell Paracord-Strap Handwoven Straw Hat
Oaxaca's cobblestones and Mexico City's cracked sidewalks are rough on thin soles. A leather upper with a cushioned Air unit and a grippy rubber outsole gets you through a ten-mile day from the Zócalo to Coyoacán. White sneakers also go with the dres...
Nike Air Force 1 '07 SE Women's Shoes
Use one cube for Mexico City clothes and one for Oaxaca, so you can swap hotels without digging through the suitcase. Sizes run from a 4.5 L small to a 23 L extra-large, and the mesh top panel shows what is inside. Keep the small one for socks and la...
BÉIS The Packing Cube Set, 4 Pieces in Maple
Rooftop dinners in Roma Norte and Condesa feel chilly once the sun sets, even in warm months. This 100% merino cardigan is thin enough to fold into a cube, warm enough for a mezcal bar patio, and dressy enough to wear over a slip dress. It also works...
Madewell The Sophia Cardigan in 100% SoftWool
If you pick up Oaxacan textiles, black pottery or a few bottles of mezcal, you will want room to grow. This 39 L hardside expands by two inches and weighs 7.6 lbs, so it handles the way home without needing a checked bag. The 360-degree spinners glid...
CALPAK Hue Carry-On Luggage in Juniper
My pick for evenings out: it zips closed, sits in front of you in a crowd, and carries a phone, wallet and lip balm. The semi-vegetable-tanned leather develops a patina that suits a trip full of old colonial streets. Switch to the detachable strap fo...
Madewell The Zip-Top Transport Crossbody
Many boutique hotels in Centro and Roma have tiny bathrooms with little counter space. This 5.7 L bag has a collapsible hook so it hangs from a towel bar, and the wipeable interior handles leaks from altitude pressure changes. Pack sunscreen, lip SPF...
CALPAK Luka Hanging Toiletry Bag
Rainy season in central Mexico means short, heavy afternoon showers, usually between June and October. This waterproof shell has a water-repellent zipper and secure zip pockets, so a phone stays dry on the walk back from Parque México. It stuffs into...
Athleta RainOut Traverse Jacket
Altitude dehydrates you faster than you expect, and most travelers skip filtered water in tourist areas, so refill from your hotel's large purified jug. This 32 oz bottle has triple-wall insulation and a leak-proof flip straw, and it keeps water cold...
BÉIS x Hydrojug Travel Water Bottle in Oat
At 41 inches square, this is a scarf, a shoulder cover for churches like Santo Domingo, and a wrap for a chilly flight. Tie it around a bag handle, or over your hair on a windy rooftop. It folds to almost nothing, so it costs you no suitcase space.
Madewell Oversized Silk Bandana
Treat this as the daytime bag for hiking days outside Oaxaca, such as Hierve el Agua or a weaving village like Teotitlán del Valle. The coated ripstop nylon sheds rain, and the 3.6 L body holds a phone, passport copy and snacks. At 0.6 lbs, you barel...
CALPAK Terra Small Sling Bag in Juniper
Linen breathes in the midday sun and still looks pulled together at a restaurant in Roma. The elastic waist and drawcord adjust for big lunches, and a 30-inch inseam covers your ankles for church visits. I would pack the oat or navy, which pair with ...
Madewell Pull-On Pants in 100% Linen
Mexico uses the same plug type as the US, so skip the adapter and carry a power strip, a short cable and a battery pack. This organizer gives each cord its own slot, and the mesh pocket lets you see what is inside. Keep it in your day bag for long da...
CALPAK Tech Organizer in Walnut
Pair number two for a trip with a lot of walking. Reviewers praise the all-day comfort, and the visible Air unit in the heel absorbs hard landings on the stone pavement around the Templo de Santo Domingo. Alternate shoes day to day, so your feet reco...
Nike Air Max SC Women's Shoes
A bright flame color pops against a sea of neutral suitcases and market stalls, so you can spot it in a crowded Coyoacán plaza. It weighs under a pound, has a key leash, and fits a wallet, phone and lip gloss. The adjustable strap goes across the bod...
BÉIS The Travel Crossbody in Flame
A cropped jacket in sturdy denim is the layer that works at 7,300 feet from morning to night. It cuts the breeze on a cold CDMX morning at Chapultepec and sits over a sundress at a mezcalería in the evening. The flap chest pockets hold a phone and a ...
Madewell Denim Trucker Jacket
Cobblestones leave shoes dusty, and Oaxaca's rainy-season afternoons can leave them muddy. One shoe cube per pair keeps grime away from your linen and cardigan. Two cubes cover a trip with sneakers and loafers, and they fit around the edges of a carr...
CALPAK Shoe Cubes, Set of 2
The sun is bright at altitude, and the glare off Oaxaca's pale stone buildings is intense. These hand-cut acetate frames block 100% of UVA and UVB, and the angular shape suits most face shapes. Keep them on a cord or in your crossbody before heading ...
Madewell The Norah Sunglasses in Dark Tortoise
When a dinner in Polanco or a nicer Oaxaca restaurant asks for something dressier than sneakers, a leather loafer does the job. The rubber sole grips polished stone, and the rounded square toe has enough room to walk a few blocks from the taxi. Break...
Madewell The Ashley Ruched Loafer
For rooftop evenings at 7,300 feet, cashmere gives you the most warmth per ounce. It rolls up small, and the relaxed fit sits well over a slip dress or tucked into linen pants. Wear it on the plane out of Mexico City, where cabins tend to run chilly.
Madewell Crewneck Sweater in Cashmere
An extra-wide brim gives 360-degree shade for the face and neck, and the nylon is water-repellent for sudden rainy-season showers. It is also easy to crush into a daypack, so it suits the hiking days to Hierve el Agua better than a straw hat. A drawc...
Nike Apex Dri-FIT Bucket Hat