Hajj Packing List

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Before I went, a lot of the reading I did [which was A LOT] told me that everything is readily accessible to purchase upon my arrival. That may have been true, but I wasn't going there to shop and wanted to utilize my time as best as I could. With me, I took along things I foresaw a need for.

But I'll be completely honest: packing was stressful. I had never been before and didn't know exactly what I would need and kept a lot of things 'I thought I may possibly need' but didn't actually need. I guess you can say I wanted to be prepared?

I didn't end up finishing my packing until the morning of my flight, which is very unlike me. For days I kept putting things in only to take them right back out. SO not worth the trouble/headache it caused me. The end result was that I packed a suitcase comprising of some things I didn't necessarily need to bring along. What I would have loved was to have someone who had gone for hajj before tell me exactly what I would need and what was unnecessary.

First and foremost, like I have mentioned several times thus far in my hajj posts, you need to have patience. And lots of it.

Tangible items wise, below is what I would recommend you keep:

Hajj Packing List:

• Photocopies of travel documents. This goes without saying, but don't forget your passports, etc. and I would suggest you keep photocopies of them in your luggage just as a precaution [considering your passports are taken from you for the duration of your trip].
• Comfortable walking shoes [and socks].
• Wearing socks, whenever possible, during tawaf and sa'ee helps in avoiding dry and patchy/blistering skin. Keep in mind that men can't wear socks during the state of ihram [but women can].
• Flip-flops: most convenient for the masjid. 
• Vaseline. All the walking [barefoot for men during ihram] [in the tawaf and sa'ee especially] leads to patchy and dry feet.
• A [drawstring] bag. If your group doesn't provide it for you [ours did]. Convenient to hold your flip-flops inside the masjid so you can keep it with you at all times. 1] Storing it outside doesn't guarantee you'll find it afterwards with the enormous crowd you are dealing with. 2] You may not leave from the same gate/door you entered from.
• Disposable gloves
• for public bathrooms. You'll thank me for it later.
• they are also great for when you are picking up pebbles for rami/jamarat.
• Prescribed medication that you take on a daily basis. Keep these on you at all times.
• Also, keep a list of all the medicines you take [along with their doses] and any medical conditions you may have in case of any emergencies that may arise there.
• Precautionary medicine. In case you fall ill. There are three million plus people there, mashallah, which means there are three million people's worth of germs around... enough said.
• Pain relievers, antibiotics, cough drops, etc.
• Comfy and modest clothing. There are plenty of long days so you want to make sure your clothes are comfortable, but don't forget the modesty part!
• Abayas [women]. I originally wasn't sure if I was going to keep any and I ended up wearing them the majority of the time. They really are the easiest thing to wear.
• Bathroom slippers. These especially come in handy when taking a shower in Mena.
• TSA approved locks that don't require a key. The last thing you need is another thing (keys for the locks) to be carrying/keeping track of.
• Snack bars. Our program, Dar el Salam, provided ample food but the snack bars I kept as a precaution came in very handy during the long bus rides when stuck in traffic.
• Disposable underwear. Laundry isn't readily available and I found it easiest to purchase ample underwear from home and dispose of them after use.
• First aid kit essentials. Band-aids, anti-septic wipes, gauze, etc. just in case you need any of them.
• Hand sanitizer and hand sanitizer wipes.
• Travel converter/adapter [for your electronic devices].
• Cross-body bag/purse. Keep this on you wherever you go to hold your essentials -- medicines, dua books, etc.
• [Concealable] money belt [men].
• Face mask. It will help with the dust/smog/pollution/whatever you want to call it that you will inevitability face there outside.
• Toiletries. Basic toiletries are provided in the hotels, but you will need them for the duration of your stay in Mena [see below].
• Scissors [women]. To cut your hair in order to get out of the state of ihram.
• 7-beaded string. This can potentially be helpful in keeping count during tawaf or sa'ee if you think you'll have a hard time keeping track-- we took one, but didn't end up using it.
• Eyeglass cords. If you wear glasses, it's a good idea to attach one of these cords. There's a large crowd and it becomes very congested during tawafs-- this way, if your glasses are knocked down, they are still around your neck!

For the duration of Mena, space is very limited, so pack light! I definitely over-packed! You need:

• unscented toiletry items since you will be in ihram for a part of it [so I would recommend just packing only unscented items to save space]. Shampoo, toothpaste, soap, lotion, deodorant, flushable wipes, etc.
• 4 sets of clothes [one for each day]. Women may need more based on their discretion.
• Bath towel.
• Water-Proof bag to hold essenials/clothes during shower that has a handle that fits around shower handle. A family friend suggested this for the duration of our stay in Mena and I can't thank her enough for it! While our camp had hooks behind the bathroom doors, I am pretty sure most don't. Since the shower and toilet are unimaginably close, your best option is to have a bag that fits over the shower handle.

Now for specifically for when you are in ihram [during umrah and hajj]: a whole lot of unscented/fragrance-free.

• unscented deodorant.
• for females: I was able to find a 'Secret Outlast' brand that was unscented [online].
• for males: I found a 'Dove Men+Care' product that was unscented [online].
• unscented hand sanitizing wipes
• the brand 'Wet Ones' carries fragrance free [and alcohol free] hand wipes.
• unscented soap/shampoo/body wash

Some other helpful tips:

• Once you arrive, and you realize you forgot an essential or need something, chances are you can find it at a store called Bin-Dawood there. Someone called it the equivalent of Wal-mart... and I agree: just about everything can be found there!
• Take a picture of all of your luggage and make a note of it's color, size, company, etc. in case it gets lost. In hindsight, it's almost impossible to remember the details and it is just helpful to have handy.
• One last suggestion: keep your ihram [and items you need for Mena too I suppose] in your carry-on and don't check-in these items on your flight. If, for whatever reason your luggage is misplaced, the last thing you want to lose is your ihram, etc.