My minimal packing list... looking good?

So after lugging around a 60L backpack in Hawaii for a month and a half, I decided my next stint would be in the style of a minimalist. I didn't use half the stuff I took with me and only used some of it because I felt bad for taking it as seeing no use in it. I'm personally purging myself of everything unnecessary in my life and I'd like to take that mentality with me on my travels. So for this next trip, after reading a bit of Tynan's blog, I decided I would take a Deuter Futura 28 cross country via train and then back to Hawaii. I like Tynan's idea but I think he packs a lot of unnecessary things. A kettleball? A headphone amplifier?

Since my next trip won't be until possibly June, July or maybe even later than August, I've got a lot of time to really flesh this list out so it is very tentative. But I'm also excited and I've started reading up on planning a cross country train trip and the destinations I want to see along the way before I begin another WWOOFing adventure on the islands of Hawaii. I'm not sure how big the Deuter is compared to my Jansport school bookbag but I thought I'd fill the bookbag with everything I wrote down on the first draft of my packing list to see if it would fit. I figured it was a small bag and so I thought if my list fit in there than it would no doubt fit in the Deuter. Needless to say it all fit and without any packing cubes or compression bags. Just zip locks for electronics and toiletries. Even my 14in HP laptop provided a nice structure to the back of the bag.

Here's my latest list. A couple of these items I have yet to buy but will do so throughout the year and I'm even passing it on to my sisters and parents to help me out with some of this stuff.

Clothing
*I plan to buy all Icebreaker stuff for my clothes. Merino is seriously great stuff!
3 Short Sleeve Shirts in Neutral Colors
1 Long sleeve
2 Pants (Jeans and Convertible Pants which will double as shorts)
1 Swim Trunks
2 Socks (Injinji Nuwool Toe Socks)
2-3 Boxers
2 Shoes (My Teva Lighthikers and Vibram KSO's)
1 MSR Packtowl
My glasses

Electronics
Macbook Air 13
Canon SD780IS
Cellphone
iPod Touch + Audio Technica M50 Headphones (Over-the-ears, foldable)
External Hard Drive
*Chargers for all these

Toiletries
Deodorant (Toms of Maine)
Toothpaste ('''''''''')
2 3oz. Dr. Bronner's Soap (Shampoo, Detergent, Body Wash, Shave Lotion, etc...)
Toothbrush
Grooming Kit (Nail Clippers, Tweezers, Blunt Scissors)
Merkur Safety Razor
Shave Brush

Miscellaneous
Wallet, Keys, Passport, Money
Notebook+Pen
Flashlight
Earplugs
Filtered Stainless Steel Water Bottle
Clothesline - Flexoline

That's my tentative list. I can't help feeling like I'm missing something. I'm still not sure about the razor and shaving on the road. I enjoy letting it grow but if I'm gone for a long time I want to be able to get a quality shave if I need to. The biggest expense here for me will be the Macbook Air which I don't have yet but plan on buying. My runs smoothly, but is starting to fall apart and it's pretty hefty for a 14inch screen. So I wanted to get the new 13inch Macbook Air which should be great in regards to weight and functionality. I have a decent point and shoot already but I've been considering that Canon for a few months now and I may just spring for it when the time comes. The battery on my current camera is practically dead even after a full charge. I have no problem with doing my own laundry by hand. The wool clothing will be comfortable and I'm a sweater and stinker so having clothes that don't absorb stink is nice.

If you think I'm missing something or you have any suggestions or criticisms, let me know. Thanks!

If you're at all concerned about budget you should skip buying a Macbook Air and all Merino clothing. That's like $1,500+ you could put towards traveling.

Also, you could just bring a bar of Bronner's soap. It should last awhile and it's still good for "everything". Or just get one of the big bottles. If you're just island hopping in Hawaii, then why does the ounce size really matter that much? And honestly, if you're in the states, having all-in-one soap seems excessive. Where will you be that you can't just, you know, buy body wash and abandon it when you change locations?

Two pairs of socks doesn't seem like enough, but as with toiletries I suppose you can buy extras of anything you'd want later.

Since you're WOOFing, it doesn't seem like going super-micro should really matter to you. There's a world of options you have between your giant 60L bag and the 28L Futura.

I mean, it's all neat gear, but why not just stick with the Jansport you already have?

I'd say ditch the jeans.

I brought jeans once on a trip and I never will again. They're too heavy and take waaaay to long to dry.

This is something my mother pointed out to me when I was talking about packing, and I now wonder the same thing - why do people, when packing for flights, use shower gel/liquid soap and not a bar? It takes up some of your liquid allocation (when travelling carry-on) and there's no risk of spillage with a bar.

That said, when you're travelling overland it obviously makes no difference... except obviously to at least get to/from hawaii you'll be flying

Just a random thought on packing

Another aspect of minimalism is simplicity, an additional reason to re-think any of the name brand or expensive gear you want to buy. Undoubtedly, in most cases a replacement battery is going to cost much less than a brand new camera. And you probably don't really need a packtowl.

Merino wool may be great for sweat/odor, but if I was going to be working on a farm every day I probably wouldn't do so in a $50 t-shirt.

Check out One Bag. You can tailor that list to include more or less stuff as suits your needs, but the important part to is consider why you are or aren't bringing each item.

Things that immediately jump to mind: a sweater/jacket/hoodie. I know it's Hawaii, but Texas is hot as hell too, and they run the A/C like they're trying to recreate the ice age. Maybe your middle-of-the-night comfort level with cold is better than mine, too.

A day bag, so you don't have to haul around your gear every time you go into town on errands or for fun.

Luggage locks. I don't tend to trust anyone when my computer is involved.

A sink stopper if you're going to be hand washing your clothes.

I can't really think of anything vital that you couldn't just buy on the go, really.

You mentioned not understanding why someone would pack a headphone amplifier, yet you're carting around entry level studio headphones. No doubt they sound pretty good, but those types of headphones are made to be used in a studio or on a stereo setup. iPods (or really any portable device) just don't have the juice to make them sound the way they should on their own.

My go-to set of traveling headphones are the Sennheiser PX 100. For their price and size, they sound damn good. You can find them for around $50 if you shop around.

Of course, if you already own the M50s, then spending another $50 on headphones is kind of excessive unless you're interested in saving on a little space.

LilaBear-

The problem I've had with bar soap is that it melts. Unless you have the proper bulky storage container, there's still water around and the bar soap disintigrates. The first time I traveled I brought bar soap and it lasted me about a week. (not to mention quite often in hostel showers there's nowhere hygienic to place it!) I quickly switched to shower gel after that!

I used the Futura 28 for a 2-week trip through Japan, but felt like I could have traveled indefinitely with it. My packing list was similar, except that I also had a fleece jacket and hardshell rain jacket, and I brought a 10" netbook. Your stuff should fit, but there won't be much extra space. I had to strap the fleece jacket to the pack when I didn't wear it (the Deuter has very handy built-in bungee loops).
I had one synthetic shirt and two merino wool ones, sometimes it's good to switch things up.
Also, I would suggest in-ear buds with foam tips instead of the headphones, and a high-capacity SD card instead of the external hard drive (will you really produce more than 32GB of data?).
A day pack is essential. Two options would be the Kiva keychain backpack (packs down to nothing, but it doesn't seem to very durable, it was pretty beat up after two weeks of almost daily use) or an REI Flash 18 (which doubles as a compression sack, though it might be a bit too big for then Futura 28).

Thanks for the responses guys.

Here's my reasoning for all this. I've been on the path to a minimalist lifestyle for a year or so now so I don't own much as it is. If you were in my room right now you'd see a mattress on the floor, a guitar stand and guitar, my laptop on top of my printer, a stereo on a stand with some toiletries and books, and my closet has a bin with some sentimental things and one hamper of clothes. I wear one pair of jeans and I own two shorts and a pair of board shorts. I have about 10 shirts (that includes 4 undershirts, 6 regular tees), and I have a thermal and a long sleeve and a gray fleece. I've got about 10 boxers and 3 pairs of socks but I only wear my Injinji toe socks because they keep my feet smelling great and dry.

The point is that in my quest to attain minimalism I've decided to upgrade to gear that I know will last me for a long time to come. High quality gear that I don't have to worry about for a while. I could easily travel with the things I have now, but it wouldn't be the best way to go. I sweat a lot and I tend to smell more often than I want to. The point of buying wool and not synthetic is for that along with the fact that it keeps me cool. I've been to Hawaii and it doesn't get Austin hot ever. The trade winds constantly keep the islands cool. The only time I ever needed a thicker layer of clothing was when I went up to Mauna Kea. Unfortunately I didn't have much because I didn't consider that it'd be that cold before I got there, so I just layered up.

As for the soap and toiletries, thinking about it, I could actually buy all that along the way. Hawaii has quite a few natural grocery stores. The reason for the all in one is for personal preference of the brand and it's ability to be used in multiple ways so I don't have to carry around more than one type of liquid. Also, I prefer liquid to bars anyday. More convenient in my opinion. I'm an audiophile and musician who has worked in studios so I know a bit about the headphones. I realize an iPod probably wouldn't push the headphones enough but they would no doubt push them enough to listen to music and drown out the noises around me. I hate earbuds. And if I buy them and they fold up, that's a plus for traveling with and then I can come home and use them in the studio. The Macbook Air is still a purchase I'm debating, to be honest. I really do need a new laptop and I've been looking to go Apple for a while and with the new Air's they really offer a lot of what I'm looking for despite the price. I'm not looking to make any moves on that purchase until MUCH later on.

Also, I figure I could just wash my clothes in the shower. You're right about WWOOFing in Merino and I have cheaper clothes that I can bring and use instead. I know it rains a lot in Hawaii as well, but I love the rain and walk in it like nothing. I also have a high threshold for the cold. It's currently 30 degrees here in New Jersey and my method of bundling up is to layer. The whole point is that I want to be able to take what I have in my room with me and go. I would much rather like to have a small pack to keep my trip simple and stress free. I personally don't place importance on objects. Sure I'm opting for all the best gear but if my bag got stolen when I was out there, it's just stuff. It was nice to have it when I did and now I'll figure out what to do from there. Things are things. You don't need a lot and if you can travel with one carry-on and have it contain everything you need, then you're set.

Minimalism isn't buying expensive gear (once). Tynan's blog, while interesting, is written from the point of view of a guy who's independently wealthy. His gear list is probably 25% of my yearly income.

Since you'll still be in the states, ordering or finding any of these items won't be difficult. If you really want to get back to the basics, I'd still say take only what you already have. And if turns out you need something later? Buy it as you go. Hell, I'd probably even bring the guitar.

The Macbook Air is a great piece of tech. But again, since you'll be stationary much of the time (stationary-ish), shaving that extra pound or two doesn't seem so important, and losing the DVD drive may even be inconvenient for those times you just want to watch a movie. And if your HP has been computer enough for you, you could easily just get a plain old Macbook, which will also last you quite awhile, for $300 less, and still be an upgrade in build quality. I've sold a four year old entry level Macbook for $400, still in completely functional condition. My four year old Dell? It's in pieces.

Still, if that's your approach to simplicity, and you're really committed to it, I would also say, "go for it". It's your trip, you know? You seem committed to a lot of these decisions.

Tynan is a ridiculous human being, and we'll leave it at that.

Here is my packing list for any trip of any length to anywhere. Note that this is a worst case scenario, I pare it down significantly depending on the trip. Here is my last trip's considerably smaller list, which made for a 6 lb bag.

I would concern myself more with weight than volume. Tynan talks up the Deuter 28, but he packs so much shit in it that it probably weighs 30 lbs. The bag alone weighs about 3 lbs. Meanwhile, my go-to bag expands to 36L but weighs 14 oz empty, and 6-8 lbs full.

We both did AYCJ this year, and whereas even overpackers realized the benefit of carrying very little (again, my list) he actually decided to bring an electric skateboard, and then whined about TSA agents giving him shit. Seriously.

He does have some good suggestions; Icebreaker shirts are excellent and I now own five of them of different weights. And honestly, that's all I can think about right now. Everything else he espouses is superfluous and/or ridiculous. I do admire him for inspiring people into the ultralight lifestyle, but I think there are far better people to look to for advice (Rick Steves, OneBag, Vagabonding, etc.)

DavidAM wrote:Here's my reasoning for all this. I've been on the path to a minimalist lifestyle for a year or so now so I don't own much as it is. If you were in my room right now you'd see a mattress on the floor, a guitar stand and guitar, my laptop on top of my printer, a stereo on a stand with some toiletries and books, and my closet has a bin with some sentimental things and one hamper of clothes. I wear one pair of jeans and I own two shorts and a pair of board shorts. I have about 10 shirts (that includes 4 undershirts, 6 regular tees), and I have a thermal and a long sleeve and a gray fleece. I've got about 10 boxers and 3 pairs of socks but I only wear my Injinji toe socks because they keep my feet smelling great and dry.

We have similar goals. Here's my apartment. Note that there are no closets, and no other rooms. There's a kitchenette directly behind me, and a bathroom at the end to the right, but what you see is the entirety of what I own and live with.

My entire wardrobe consists of five Icebreaker shirts of varying weights, one dress shirt, three Ex Officio underwear, two REI Adventures pants, two pairs Merino Wool socks, one fleece and a waterproof jacket. I do laundry in my bathtub, using Hobo Traveler's method.

My only suggestions to you, and where Tynan and I hugely differ, is resist the need to consume. This is how Tynan is described in Neil Strauss' The Game.

"[Tynan] was our fourth roommate... In his spare time -- which was basically all his time -- he explored caves, recorded extremely catchy rap songs, and surfed the Internet for unusual items to buy and then never use."

He's all about getting the best of everything, but that just contributes to our society's culture of waste. Check out The Story of Stuff. Yes, the idea is to consume less things of better quality, but more the important part of that is to consume less. If you don't really need it, you shouldn't really buy it.

I admit, I struggle with this all the time. I love buying stuff. I live in that tiny hovel without a closet, because otherwise I would fill my place with crap. I can only assume Tynan has similar motivations. But if we are to meet our goals, we need to resist the temptation to consume and replace unnecessarily, and stop looking at extraneous gear lists.

OH MAN! I totally could bring the guitar! I didn't even consider that! LOL! But I probably won't. I'll just leave it with my mom with one bin of things to put in a closet somewhere.

I agree that Tynan is a little bit of a mess when it comes to his own lifestyle. I've seen that YouTube vid about "Stuff" and I agree completely with the idea of not consuming and contributing to waste. But I also tend to think that if you donate your old clothes, you're not wasting much and if you update your wardrobe with quality long-lasting clothes than the need to buy more is reduced significantly. I actually have been trying to locate a Dr. Bronner's drum so I can refill my soap instead of buying more bottles of it. He tends to bring a lot of unnecessary things when he travels and carries a lot of bulk in his small bag. In one of his videos, he could barely close the bag after packing it. I don't want that to be me.

As for the laptop, I barely use my DVD drive as it is. I have movies on a hard drive that I download or I stream them from Netflix or other sites. I feel like, the heavier an item is, the more it weighs on my sense of freedom. Haha! So I think I'm gonna stick with the Air. It's practically non-existent with its current weight, which I like. Your list seems pretty efficient AceTracer. How was trip? Must've been awesome to just get on a jet and go wherever, whenever. Nice living quarters as well. Wish I had some pictures to share.

The main benefit of my pack is that I don't need to leave it anywhere. It's the size and weight of a day bag; more than one girl has told me their purse weighs more. This allows me the freedom to always have everything I need on me without feeling hampered, which I find incredibly convenient. I can't tell you how many times I've left something behind for the day thinking I wouldn't need it and end up regretting it. I don't even carry a lock with me anymore because I don't need it. It's great peace of mind.

As far as the laptop; if you're looking to upgrade anyway and truly need a new machine then go right ahead. If I was going to travel long enough that I would need to work, I'd definitely go for the 11" model. Personally though, I found I got by perfectly fine with an iPhone 4 on my last trip.

AceTracer wrote:As far as the laptop; if you're looking to upgrade anyway and truly need a new machine then go right ahead. If I was going to travel long enough that I would need to work, I'd definitely go for the 11" model. Personally though, I found I got by perfectly fine with an iPhone 4 on my last trip.

I'd agree. The Macbook Air 13" is light... for a Mac. Which are traditionally bricks. Although even the 11" (it's really closer to a 12", but whatever Apple wants to market it as, I suppose) only shaves off about 1/3 of a pound compared to the 3-pound 13" Air.

Perceived simplicity aside, I still think the first time your internet is spotty, or you just want to pop in a CD someone gave you or a DVD you rented, you'll regret that lack of a drive. Most folks I know use the Air as a second computer, or a primary computer that they pair with a second computer.

If you can live without an Apple product, you could find a capable 12-13" notebook by Asus or Lenovo in the ~3 pound or lighter range, for half the price.

Playing into that "stuff" concept you're both talking about, I've found that whenever a friend of mine is considering buying a Mac, they don't even really know why. What can it do that your PC doesn't? No idea. They just want one. They tend to make the decision in their minds and work backwards to find reasons to buy it. And I say that as a Macbook Pro owner.

Playing into that "stuff" concept you're both talking about, I've found that whenever a friend of mine is considering buying a Mac, they don't even really know why. What can it do that your PC doesn't? No idea. They just want one. They tend to make the decision in their minds and work backwards to find reasons to buy it. And I say that as a Macbook Pro owner.

Same experience here. One day I'm going to find out what mind-controlling drug Apple uses and sell it on the open market.

I have nothing against Mac's in principle. There are some things that they are extremely good at and you pay a premium for that ability. That being said, there are a number of people who have absolutely no need for a Mac and yet spend 2-3 times the amount they'd spend on a comparable laptop. That's like buying a Porsche and only driving in school zones. Yes there's an ego boost, but functional benefit is zero.

If you're rolling in cash and don't mind wasting some.. go for it. If you're not, then use some common sense and ask why you're getting the thing. Of the four or five friends I know who have bought a Mac, I think one of them (graphics designer) actually gets some real use out it. The others use it as a laptop, which is a complete waste of money. What's even crazier is they moan about the lack of compatibility and drivers while using bootcamp... then buy ANOTHER Macbook when it finally breaks. They'll agree it was overpriced.. they'll agree that a laptop would fill their needs better... and they still insist on buying another Mac. It's absolutely insane.

Edit: Sorry for the rant. Was reading the rest of thread with interest and then Mac rage took over. I also recommend something with a DVD drive. I love my netbook for travel, but there have been a number of times when I missed having a DVD drive available. Even if it's external, they're nice to have for all the reasons listed above.