Minimalist Travel Packing List
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Minimalistic luggage can simplify travel. Less to keep track of, less to lose. On the move, our bags are never out of sight. Qualifying as personal items on airplanes, we can book the cheapest fares, never check a bag, never wait at a baggage carousel and never worry about overhead bin space or forced gate checks. Including the bag, the following packing list weighs less than 10lbs (4.5kgs). Note, Trailspotting is non-commercial and does not use affiliate links.
Bag
• Eddie Bauer Stowaway 20 liter
• Cipway 14x10" compression cube (stores all items in the 'Clothes' seciton)
Clothes
• Prana Stretch Zion Pants x2 (not Zion II)
• Shirts x2, Tshirt, Socks x3, Underwear x3
• OR Radar Pocket Cap [link]
Electronics
• Apple Airpods Pro [USB-C]
• Magsafe Battery with stand [link] [USB-C]
• Magsafe car charger & socket charger [USB-C]
• USB-C wall charger
• USB-C cables x2
Day Hiking
• Pill tube (benadryl, ibruprofen, acetaminophen, imodium)
• Leukotape P (blister tape, coiled around the pill tube)
• Lanyard and clip (saves my phone from drops)
• Salt & electrolite tablets (for heat exaustion) [link]
• UV Chapstick
• Toneof Tripod [link] [1] (collapsing phone tripod)
• Nitecore NU20 headlamp [link] [USB-C]
• Garmin watch adapter [USB-C]
• Xero HFS minimal shoes [link] (optional, backup footwear/water shoes)
General
• Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Floss
• Deodorant
• Nalgene 10oz flask (interior bottle only) [link]
• Backup Credit Card (kept at car/hotel)
• Small bills (hotel tips)
• Account recovery codes x2 [2]
• Inflatable water-wing [3]
Getting a taxi to Athens airport | Onebag hiking to Cuyamaca Peak, CA
We wash clothes in a hotel sink to us minimize our bag size. Since we wear almost no cotton, our clothing can be hand-washed in a sink with soap, shower gel, or TSA-approved detergent sheets. After rinsing and hand-wringing the clothes, we then wring them again inside a dry cotton towel. This last trick transfers most of the remaining moisture into the towel, and in almost all cases, your clean clothes will dry overnight or sooner—especially if a fan is present. We also turn our collapsible phone tripod upside down and use the splayed legs as a clothes-drying stand.
Everyone has different needs, and no minimalist travel bag looks the same. Some folks like to buy specialized backpacks and fill them with long-lasting merino wool clothing and advanced electronics, but minimalist travel needn't be expensive if you work with items you already own and trust. If you'd like to go down a rabbit-hole of one-bagging resources, then we recommend the r/onebag subreddit.
Footnotes:
[1] For photos on solo hikes, our Toneof 67" cellphone selfie-stick tripod takes 5 seconds to erect or strip down. We use a Spider hammer holster to clip it to a belt.
[2] Account recovery codes are in case of lost smartphone. Encrypted with a cypher and printed on paper, we carry one on our person and another at the car/hotel.
[3] For red-eye flights we use our bags as pillows. Supporting our heads, our onebag rests on the tray table, a cheap inflated water-wing extends the height of the bag, and a folded sweater provides some comfort. This is the only way we reliably get sleep every time on red-eye flights.
Tangents:
• About: Trailspotting
• Equipment: Hiking & Photo Gear
• Facebook Group: Comment, Follow Us
Minimalistic luggage can simplify travel. Less to keep track of, less to lose. On the move, our bags are never out of sight. Qualifying as personal items on airplanes, we can book the cheapest fares, never check a bag, never wait at a baggage carousel and never worry about overhead bin space or forced gate checks. Including the bag, the following packing list weighs less than 10lbs (4.5kgs). Note, Trailspotting is non-commercial and does not use affiliate links.
Bag
• Eddie Bauer Stowaway 20 liter
• Cipway 14x10" compression cube (stores all items in the 'Clothes' seciton)
Clothes
• Prana Stretch Zion Pants x2 (not Zion II)
• Shirts x2, Tshirt, Socks x3, Underwear x3
• OR Radar Pocket Cap [link]
Electronics
• Apple Airpods Pro [USB-C]
• Magsafe Battery with stand [link] [USB-C]
• Magsafe car charger & socket charger [USB-C]
• USB-C wall charger
• USB-C cables x2
Day Hiking
• Pill tube (benadryl, ibruprofen, acetaminophen, imodium)
• Leukotape P (blister tape, coiled around the pill tube)
• Lanyard and clip (saves my phone from drops)
• Salt & electrolite tablets (for heat exaustion) [link]
• UV Chapstick
• Toneof Tripod [link] [1] (collapsing phone tripod)
• Nitecore NU20 headlamp [link] [USB-C]
• Garmin watch adapter [USB-C]
• Xero HFS minimal shoes [link] (optional, backup footwear/water shoes)
General
• Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Floss
• Deodorant
• Nalgene 10oz flask (interior bottle only) [link]
• Backup Credit Card (kept at car/hotel)
• Small bills (hotel tips)
• Account recovery codes x2 [2]
• Inflatable water-wing [3]
Getting a taxi to Athens airport | Onebag hiking to Cuyamaca Peak, CA
We wash clothes in a hotel sink to us minimize our bag size. Since we wear almost no cotton, our clothing can be hand-washed in a sink with soap, shower gel, or TSA-approved detergent sheets. After rinsing and hand-wringing the clothes, we then wring them again inside a dry cotton towel. This last trick transfers most of the remaining moisture into the towel, and in almost all cases, your clean clothes will dry overnight or sooner—especially if a fan is present. We also turn our collapsible phone tripod upside down and use the splayed legs as a clothes-drying stand.
Everyone has different needs, and no minimalist travel bag looks the same. Some folks like to buy specialized backpacks and fill them with long-lasting merino wool clothing and advanced electronics, but minimalist travel needn't be expensive if you work with items you already own and trust. If you'd like to go down a rabbit-hole of one-bagging resources, then we recommend the r/onebag subreddit.
Footnotes:
[1] For photos on solo hikes, our Toneof 67" cellphone selfie-stick tripod takes 5 seconds to erect or strip down. We use a Spider hammer holster to clip it to a belt.
[2] Account recovery codes are in case of lost smartphone. Encrypted with a cypher and printed on paper, we carry one on our person and another at the car/hotel.
[3] For red-eye flights we use our bags as pillows. Supporting our heads, our onebag rests on the tray table, a cheap inflated water-wing extends the height of the bag, and a folded sweater provides some comfort. This is the only way we reliably get sleep every time on red-eye flights.
Tangents:
• About: Trailspotting
• Equipment: Hiking & Photo Gear
• Facebook Group: Comment, Follow Us
