What to Pack for Ecuador — The Ultimate Expat Packing List

Here's the truth about packing for Ecuador: you're going to overthink it. You'll spend weeks agonizing over what to bring, ship four boxes of stuff you never use, and then buy replacements at Supermaxi within a month. Ecuador has stores. It has malls. Cuenca has a MegaMaxi, multiple Coral Hipermercados, and a De Prati department store. You're not moving to the wilderness.

That said, certain things are genuinely hard to find, weirdly expensive, or just different enough that you'll wish you'd packed them. This list separates the essentials from the noise.

The Philosophy: Pack Light, Ship Smart

Your goal is two checked bags per person (50 lbs / 23 kg each), one carry-on, and one personal item. That's it for the flight. Ship 3-5 USPS flat-rate international boxes ahead of time ($80-120 each, arrives in 2-4 weeks). Everything else? Buy it in Ecuador or ship it later through a casillero service like LAABox or MyBox.

Do not pay for a shipping container. Do not bring furniture. Do not fill a storage unit thinking you'll "send for it later." You won't. And if you do, you'll pay 30-50% of the declared value in customs duties and spend weeks at the aduana (customs office) in Guayaquil trying to get it released.

Clothing: Highlands (Cuenca, Quito, Loja)

If you're heading to the sierra, forget everything you think you know about "tropical" packing. Cuenca sits at 8,400 feet. Quito at 9,350 feet. Mornings are 50-55degF. Afternoons hit 68-72degF. By evening it's back down to the mid-50s. Rain can show up at 2pm without warning and disappear by 3pm.

Bring these:

• Light fleece or jacket — you will wear this every single morning and every single evening. Not optional. Bring two
• Rain jacket — a real one, not a fashion piece. Wind makes umbrellas useless in the highlands. A packable Gore-Tex shell is perfect
• Comfortable walking shoes with ankle support — Cuenca's sidewalks are uneven cobblestone, cracked concrete, and random drop-offs. Rolled ankles are the unofficial expat injury. Trail runners or light hiking shoes work great
• Jeans (3-4 pairs) — Ecuadorians dress more formally than Americans. Jeans are the universal standard. You will never see a local in athletic shorts at a restaurant
• Long pants, chinos, or slacks — for anything even slightly formal
• Long-sleeve shirts and layers — the layering game is your whole wardrobe strategy here
• Sun hat and UV sunglasses — the equatorial sun at altitude is brutal. You're closer to the sun with less atmosphere filtering UV. You will burn on a cloudy day. This is not an exaggeration
• One nice outfit — for cedula appointments, notary visits, immigration office. Looking presentable matters in Ecuadorian bureaucracy

Leave behind:

• Winter coats and heavy sweaters — it never gets that cold. A fleece handles the coldest nights
• Shorts — you can bring a couple for the house, but wearing shorts in public marks you as a tourist instantly. Ecuadorians don't do it in the highlands
• Bulky boots — overkill for the climate

Clothing: Coast (Manta, Salinas, Bahia, Montanita)

Completely different story. It's hot, humid, and tropical.

• Light, breathable fabrics — linen and cotton are your friends
• Swimsuit, flip flops, sandals
• Sunscreen-friendly clothes (light long sleeves for sun protection)
• Still bring one light jacket — air conditioning in malls, buses, and movie theaters can be aggressively cold

Electronics: The Non-Negotiable List

Good news first: Ecuador runs on 110V with the same Type A/B outlets as the United States. Your American electronics work without any adapter or converter. Plug and play.

Bring these:

• Laptop + charger — obvious, but make sure it's the one you want because comparable laptops cost 30-50% more in Ecuador
• Unlocked smartphone — emphasis on UNLOCKED. If your phone is carrier-locked to AT&T or Verizon, unlock it before you leave. You'll want a local SIM from Claro or Movistar ($3-5 for the SIM, $15-25/month for a plan with data)
• Kindle or e-reader — English-language books are expensive and hard to find in Ecuador. Mr. Books in Quito has a small selection. Cuenca has almost nothing. Load your Kindle up before you go
• Power strip with surge protector — power surges and brief outages happen, especially during rainy season (October-May in the sierra). A decent surge protector saves your electronics
• Small UPS battery backup — a $50-60 unit from Amazon gives you 15-20 minutes during outages, enough to save your work and shut down properly. Buy this in the US; they cost twice as much in Ecuador
• Fire TV Stick or Roku — bring one from the US, pre-loaded with your streaming apps and a VPN. This is how every expat watches American TV. See our VPN and streaming guide for the full setup
• External hard drive or large USB drive — for backing up important documents, photos, and media
• VPN subscription — set this up and test it BEFORE you leave the US. NordVPN, ExpressVPN, or Surfshark. You will need this for Hulu, HBO Max, YouTube TV, and accessing US Netflix content

Medications and Health Supplies

Ecuador has pharmacies everywhere — Fybeca and Pharmacy's are the big chains, and they carry most common medications. Many things that require a prescription in the US are available over the counter here. But brands differ, dosages differ, and finding your exact formulation can be a pain.

Bring these:

• 3-month supply of ALL prescription medications — in original pharmacy bottles with labels. This gives you time to find a local doctor and establish care
• Doctor's letter for controlled substances — if you take anything scheduled (ADHD meds like Adderall/Ritalin, anxiety meds like Xanax/Klonopin, pain medications), bring a signed letter from your doctor on letterhead explaining the prescription. Customs can ask
• Your preferred OTC medications — specific brands of cold medicine, allergy meds (Zyrtec, Claritin), sleep aids, pain relievers. Ecuador has equivalents, but if you're particular about NyQuil or Advil PM, bring a stash
• Specific vitamins and supplements — Ecuador has basic multivitamins but the selection of specific supplements (magnesium glycinate, specific probiotics, etc.) is limited and expensive
• Dental supplies — your preferred toothpaste brand, floss (the good kind is hard to find), any specialty dental products
• Contact lenses and solution — bring a 6-month supply. Available in Ecuador but more expensive and fewer brands
• Prescription sunglasses — get these made in the US where your insurance covers them

Documents: The Critical Folder

Lose these and your entire move gets complicated. Guard them like cash.

Must-have documents:

• Passport — valid for at least 6 months beyond your arrival date. Seriously check the expiration now
• Apostilled documents — FBI background check (apostilled by US State Department), birth certificate (apostilled by your state's Secretary of State), marriage certificate if applicable. These take 4-8 weeks to process, so start early
• Driver's license — your US license is technically valid for 30 days. After that you need an Ecuadorian license, but your US license helps with the conversion process
• International Driving Permit — $20 from AAA, takes 15 minutes to get. Valid for one year. Useful as supplementary ID and required by some car rental companies
• Copies of everything — two sets of physical copies PLUS digital scans saved to cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud) AND a USB drive. Passport, visa documents, insurance cards, bank cards, all of it
• Medical records — vaccination history, recent lab results, any specialist records. Bring dental X-rays too; Ecuadorian dentists appreciate having baseline images
• Power of attorney — if you're keeping US property, investments, or business interests, have a POA prepared before you leave. Getting one notarized and apostilled from Ecuador is possible but slower
• Pet documents — if you're bringing animals: international health certificate from a USDA-accredited vet (within 10 days of travel), rabies vaccination certificate, and microchip documentation. See our guide on bringing pets to Ecuador

Kitchen and Home Items

This is where people look at you funny, but experienced expats know.

• Your favorite kitchen knife — good chef's knives are hard to find and expensive in Ecuador. Bring your 8-inch chef's knife and a paring knife. Wrap them in cardboard and pack in checked luggage
• Spice blends and seasonings — Old Bay, Everything Bagel seasoning, ranch powder, taco seasoning, your favorite hot sauce. Ecuadorian cuisine uses cumin, achiote, and cilantro. American spice blends are either unavailable or cost $8-12 at specialty import stores
• Measuring cups and spoons — Ecuador uses metric. Your American recipes use cups and tablespoons. Bring your measuring set rather than doing conversions every time you cook
• Baking supplies — if you bake: vanilla extract (real Mexican/American vanilla, not the synthetic stuff), baking soda (bicarbonato works but consistency varies), chocolate chips, specific flours. Baking at altitude is already tricky; don't add ingredient uncertainty
• Favorite coffee mug, water bottle — small comfort items that make your new place feel like home. Don't underestimate this
• Quality Ziploc bags — the local equivalents are thin and unreliable. Bring a couple boxes of the good ones

What NOT to Pack

Equally important — what to leave in the US:

• Furniture — buy in Ecuador or rent furnished. Shipping a container costs $2,000-5,000 plus customs duties. A nice furnished apartment in Cuenca comes with everything you need
• Winter clothes — donate them. You will never need a parka, snow boots, or thermal underwear in Ecuador
• More than a few books — weight kills you. One or two favorites for the shelf, everything else goes on the Kindle
• 220V appliances — Ecuador is 110V, same as the US. But if you have European appliances, leave them
• Excessive clothing — you'll adjust your style within two months and end up wearing the same 10 outfits. Ecuadorian clothing is cheap; Cuenca's Feria Libre has jeans for $8-15
• Sentimental clutter — this is hard, but be ruthless. Bring photos (digital), a few meaningful items, and let the rest go. You're starting fresh

The Suitcase Strategy: Step by Step

Here's the exact playbook:

4-6 weeks before departure:

1. Ship 3-5 USPS Large Flat Rate International boxes ($80-120 each, up to 20 lbs per box). Pack medications, kitchen items, spices, books, extra clothes, shoes. Allow 2-4 weeks for delivery
2. Set up a casillero service (LAABox, MyBox, or similar) — this gives you a Miami address where you can ship Amazon orders, and they forward to Ecuador. You'll use this constantly after you arrive

Day of departure:

1. Two checked bags per person (50 lbs each) — clothing, electronics, documents, immediate essentials
2. Carry-on bag — laptop, medications, one change of clothes, all critical documents, valuables. Never check irreplaceable items
3. Personal item — passport holder/travel wallet, phone, chargers, snacks, entertainment for the flight

First month in Ecuador:

1. Buy household basics at Coral, Supermaxi, or De Prati
2. Hit the local mercado for kitchen supplies — pots, pans, utensils are cheap
3. Order anything you forgot via your casillero
4. Resist the urge to ship more stuff from the US. After a month, you'll realize you need less than you thought

The One Thing Everyone Forgets

A good attitude about adaptation. You will not find your exact brand of everything. The peanut butter is different. The bread is sweeter. The milk comes in bags. Your dryer might not exist (most Ecuadorians line-dry clothes, and honestly, it works fine in the dry highland air).

Pack your essentials, leave your expectations flexible, and remember: thousands of expats before you figured this out with far less preparation than you're doing right now. You'll be fine.