My Amtrak Packing List: What I Bring on Every Train

I don’t pack much for the train. After dozens of Amtrak rides, including overnights in coach and a few in a roomette, my list has gotten shorter, not longer. I know what I use and what just adds weight to my bag.

This is that list. Everything here earns its spot because I reach for it on almost every trip. I’ll start with the stuff that makes the biggest difference, which is anything that helps me sleep and stay comfortable for hours in a seat.

Amtrak has no luggage limit in the way the airlines do. You get two carry-on bags and two personal items for free, plus checked bags on a lot of routes. So I’m not packing light because I have to. I pack light because I’ve learned I don’t need much, and I’ve learned that once I get off the train, I’m glad I don’t have it. But if you want to bring more, the train gives you the room.

Part 1: Stuff for Sleep and Comfort

This is the part of my packing list I care about most. Even on a daytime train you’re sitting for hours, and a few small items change how you feel when you step off.

A Travel Pillow

I don’t board a train without one. Mine stays strapped to the outside of my backpack so I never forget it. Without a travel pillow, you spend the ride hunting for an angle that doesn’t wreck your neck, and you never find it.

My girlfriend takes this further and brings a real pillow from home. Since there’s no luggage limit, she can. I’m happy with the travel pillow.

A Beanie or Eye Mask

I always bring something to cover my eyes. Often, I prefer a good black beanie. I pull it down over my eyes and get darkness without elastic straps digging into the back of my head, and it keeps me warm on top of that.

If you’d rather use an eye mask, invest in a good one. The thin freebies some airlines hand out let light in around the edges and irritate the back of my head, so I wouldn’t count on those.

Earplugs

I always have earplugs in my backpack. For longer routes and especially if sleeping in coach, they’re essential. The diesel engine hums all night. The horn sounds at every grade crossing, and Amtrak shares track with freight, so you’ll roll through some small town at 2 a.m. and the horn will blow. I use the silicone kind, but any pair beats none.

A Thin Travel Blanket: Overnights Only

Years ago a flight handed out one of those thin fleece blankets and I kept mine. It rolls down to almost nothing, which makes it easy to pack. Now I bring it on every overnight or early-morning Amtrak trip I take.

You can’t predict whether your car will run hot or cold, and it can swing both ways in one night. On a true overnight, like the California Zephyr or the Empire Builder, I treat the blanket as essential rather than nice to have.

Comfortable Clothes

I wear joggers and a sweatshirt on any long train. You’re not impressing anyone at 3 a.m. in the lounge car, and you’ll sleep better in soft layers. Have a layer too. I’d rather peel off a hoodie than sit there freezing.

I wrote a whole guide on how to sleep in Amtrak coach if you want the full overnight playbook. The short version is that the right small gear does most of the work.

Food and Water

Amtrak sells food on board, but I never want to count on it. There aren’t many healthy options, the lines get long, on the busiest trains items sell out, and many times it’s closed. For longer trips, I always bring my own food too.

I pack snacks I’d reach for at hour five, like nuts, a couple of bars, some fruit, maybe a sandwich for a longer haul. You’re already stressing your body by traveling. Eating crap food compounds that.

If I can plan ahead, I try to bring a real meal like some slow cooker lentils and rice in a tupperware. (I prefer no meat for these meals, because the tupperware will smell.)

Microwaved cafe care meals are fine once, but I don’t want to rely on them.

I also bring a water bottle and fill it before boarding or at the station. Train air dries you out, especially overnight.

I know there’s some debate about how “drinkable” the refillable faucets in Amtrak are. All I know is that I’ve been drinking this water for like a decade and nothing has happened to me.

Stay hydrated, and choose reusable. Sometimes if there’s a longer break, which there often are, I’ll go fill up my water in the station. For example, Harrisburg, PA has a break on the Pennsylvanian, and trains in New Haven coming from Hartford stop for 15 minutes to switch the diesel engine for electric. (At New Haven, they’ll tell you not to leave the platform, so go fast.)

Tech and Entertainment

Amtrak has outlets at every seat. Still, I come prepared.

I bring my charger and a small battery pack. Outlets on Amtrak almost always work as long as the engine’s on, but on an old car you’ll occasionally find a dead one, and a battery pack means it doesn’t matter.

Wifi exists on a lot of routes, but I never trust it. It drops in rural stretches and slows to a crawl when the car fills up. So I download what I want ahead of time. For me that means if I’m working on my laptop, I have the docs I need already open. Plans as if there’s no signal.

And I always bring a book. Reading on a moving train, reclined, with earplugs in and a beanie pulled down, is one of my favorite ways to pass the hours. It also winds me down better than a screen when I’m trying to sleep.

The Practical Odds and Ends

A few small things live in my bag and earn their keep.

I bring hand wipes or sanitizer, because the café car and the restrooms aren’t always spotless by hour eight. I bring a light layer even in summer, since the air conditioning can run cold.

If I’m checking a bag or stowing something on the overhead rack, I keep my valuables, like my phone, wallet, charger, and headphones, in a small daypack that stays at my feet. One time on the Vermonter train, a poor young man realized at his stop in rural Vermont that, somewhere along the route, somebody had taken his bag.

Pack for Delays

Long-distance Amtrak routes have a rough on-time record, mostly because freight railroads own the tracks and their trains get priority. Your train might run an hour late. It might run four.

So I pack as if a delay is coming. That means extra snacks and something to read.

And I never schedule anything tight right when I’m due to arrive.

What I Don’t Bother Packing

Since there’s no real luggage limit, the temptation is to bring everything. I’ve learned the opposite. I skip the bulky all-in-one travel kits, the giant water jug, and anything I’d use once. The train already gives me a big seat, an outlet, and room to move, so I don’t need to engineer comfort the way you might on a budget flight.

If you’re deciding between coach and a sleeper for a long overnight, that’s a different question, and I broke it down in my Amtrak roomette review. For most of my trips, though, this short list and a good seat are all I need.

My Amtrak Packing List, in Short

Here’s everything in one place so you can screenshot it before your next trip.

• Travel pillow (strapped to my bag so I never forget it)
• Beanie or a good eye mask
• Earplugs, silicone if you can
• Thin travel blanket
• Joggers, a sweatshirt, and a light layer
• Snacks and an empty water bottle
• Charger and a small battery pack
• Headphones and downloaded entertainment
• A book
• Hand wipes or sanitizer
• A small daypack for valuables at your feet

That’s it. None of it is fancy, and that’s the point. I ride the train because I don’t own a car, and over the years I’ve found it one of the most underrated ways to move around this country. If you’re new to it, I’d also read why I take Amtrak instead of flying and, if you want to bring down the fare itself, how I find cheap Amtrak tickets.

Pack light, recline all the way, and enjoy the ride.