Minimalist Travel Packlist
Posted by Adam MayfieldJul 26
So the last few months travel and all my grand plans have kind of taken a back seat and the hum-drum day to day actives have taken the front seat. Working a regular job, paying off the rest of my bills, and just forgetting about my dreams. I guess that’s what happens and before you know it you’re middle aged and forgot about what you wanted to do.
That’s why I’ve taken the next step in my minimalist world travel plans and have brewed up my version of a minimalist round the world travel packing list. This is list of items is mainly geared toward warmer to slightly chilly at night type of climate. I don’t plan on hiking over the Alps with what I have listed. I also tried to make sure everything fit into my 40 litre carry on backpack.
I’ll break things down into a few different categories.
ELECTRONICS
- Netbook & Charger (MSI Wind)
Buy – MSI Wind Netbook - 640GB external hard drive for storing media. IE: Pictures and HD Videos
Buy – Seagate 500GB USB 2.0 Portable External HD - Olympus digital camera/Charger & USB cable with an extra memory card
Buy – Olympus Stylus Tough 8010 - Kitchen timer for an alarm clock.
- Mini Flash light or Head lamp (for reading or night time exploration)
- Universal Power Converter
Buy – Universal Power Converter - Cell Phone/Charger (has built in WiFi for quick email/blog updates)
CLOTHING
- Swim Trunks
- 1 Pair of long SmartWool Socks
- 1 Pair of short Smart Wool Socks
Buy – Smartwool Socks - 1 Pair of regular shorts (I’ll be wearing one pair)
- 1 Pair of long pants
- 2 T-Shirts (I’ll be wearing one)
- 1 Button up REI quick dry shirt (short sleeve)
- 2 Pairs of Exofficio boxers
Buy – Exofficio Boxers - 1 Belt (Wearing at most times)
- 1 Columbia Quickdry Long sleeve button up shirt
Buy – Columbia Long Sleeve Shirt - 1 Packable rain jacket (black)
- 1 Pair of trail hiking shoes (low top)
Buy – North Face Ultra 105 GTX XCR - 1 Pair of Five Finger shoes
Buy – Vibram Five Fingers - Sunglasses
Buy – Native Hardtop Sunglasses - 1 Pair of Athletic shorts (for exercise)
TOILETRIES\MISC
- 2 Pairs of Ear Plugs
- Microfiber Towel
Buy – MSR Packtowl - Toothbrush
- Toothpaste (mini container)
- Floss
- 1 Disposable razor
- 2-3 Zip lock bags (for misc items)
- Ibuprofen
- Various Stomach Meds
- Deodorant
Buy – Thai Deodorant Stone - Small Notebook/Pen
- Paper work (Passport, Drivers License, Debit Card, etc)
This will all fit into my 40 litre backpack with a rain cover and compression straps. The rain cover and compression straps make for a nice package when traveling via plane, train, or automobile.
Total weight = Appx 20lbs
I’m not worried about bringing any kind of soap because you should be able to find that anywhere. I also have short hair so washing what little hair I have with bar soap isn’t a problem. I can also do my laundry with the soap in the sink. I may add a small clothes line to the list but am unsure at this point. I also have room for a pair of flip flops to use while in showers or bathrooms but again, not 100% sure since I have my awesome Five Fingers.
I also know that I’m a bit heavy on the electronic gear but I love taking pictures and video and I would love the have the laptop with me to stay in touch with friends and family. I also would like to keep up my blog with new posts and pictures. I could do away with the cell phone if needed but it’s fairly light and makes for a great mini computer for updating twitter or checking email, sure beats busting out the laptop every time. The DSLR is still up for debate as it would take up a fair amount of room and add an extra 1.5 lbs and would also mean an extra wall charger.
Feel free to make any suggestions for adding or subtracting something. I’m always open to ideas!
The backpack I’ll be using is an REI Venturi 40 (men’s large) and so far it seems to be an awesome pack. Plenty of pockets for organization which for me is a life saver.
I’ll be doing some experimenting over the next month to try and lighten the load a bit so this may change. I might even write a new list and re-post.
