"... staying fit, or being well read, or cooking a decent weeknight dinner for a family of four, in that it requires a surprising amount of consistent work over time. The effort isn’t just practical but intellectual. You’re a better packer, for instance, when you master the concept of a 'distinction without a difference'... there might be no appreciable difference between two distinctive-seeming garments.... Overpacking has the effect of deferring decisions, shifting them from your house to your hotel room. When you understand this, you become more motivated in your packing: it’s senseless to add not just to your physical load but to your mental one.... My new goal is to become as organized in life as I am on the road; my hope is that packing will end up being a kind of laboratory for the development of a more rational me...."
Front-load your decisionmaking, and don't look back. You know, some people travel with just the clothes they wear and pack nothing at all!
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That works so long as you're willing and able to commit to your choices ahead of the event.
buy your needs at destination or pre-ship!!
About to start packing for another 2-month trip to New Zealand. This will be our 8th one (to either NZ or AU) and as I look back over them, I see that I bring less and less stuff. This is aided by the fact that after each trip I do a post-mortem, recording in a spreadsheet what I took and suggestions for the next trip (mostly, what to leave out).
Although, the suitcase full of astronomy gear means we'll never be packing "light".
Yes! I have a list of what to buy when we arrive. And the telescope is shipped.
Whenever people tease me about over packing I compare myself to John Saxon as Roper in Bruce Lee's "Enter the Dragon".
So I'm watching "Enter the Dragon" and John Saxon is in Hong Kong harbor with literally a dozen suitcases and I'm thinking about what kind of magic act he is traveling with?
The weirdest thing on my buy-on-arrival list is a hammer and chisel, so I can do geology. My abandoned hammers are strewn across New Zealand.
One could adopt the Jack Reacher plan: toothbrush, debit card, clothes on your back, and visits to thrift shops when they (the clothes) get too dirty (or bloody).
Jack Reacher just buys new clothes and throws away the old ones, instead of doing laundry. That would be a guy thing.
We travel a lot. I always have a backpack ready to go with extra toiletries, device chargers,etc. Only thing to pack is pants, shirts, and underwear.
O Mike said..
" a hammer and chisel, so I can do geology"
My twin sister has Three times returned from overseas with her luggage packed full of rocks (usually chert or obsidian).
The customs officers are Much Less surprised than i'd have thought they be.
Everywhere one would go where one changes clothes has laundry facilities. I never traveled with more than 3 days worth of clothing unless I was staying for more than a month- then I would make it 7 days of clothing.
Packing is the easiest thing in the world for me. Passport, toothbrush, documents I may need, socks and running shoes. Anything else is easily purchased when you get there. Of course, now I just have all the suitable clothes in my closet at the cottage when I go overseas. I can skip packing altogether.
i usually just bring a large knapsack. Hotel sinks work great for washing clothes.
Also, buying new and throwing away the smokey ones.
You'd be surprised how little you really need. one fly box should be MORE than enough
I literally did this for many years when I was poor and lazy. Back then, thrift shops sold old man Bermuda shorts for 10 or 15 cents and shirts for about the same. I was a skinny 20 something year old.
Absent serious weather uncertainty the only reason is procrastination.
I only wish I could travel like that but with Type 1 diabetes, between my meds and back ups, there is no way I can travel that light. Thanks for the reminder about another issue this disease gives me.
We are heading there for the first time in March. 3 weeks, both North and South islands, feels like we have to cover three seasons. Would love any tips!
You should put some consideration into your packing, yes, or travel naked. This facilitates the TSA scanning process but might provoke a different kind of screening.
What I usually do is buy an El Cheapo nylon duffel at Academy and pack it. They take almost no room. Then, if you have more on your return, put it in the duffel and check it. It kind of forces you to consider whether the additional things are worth the extra baggage fees, but it does give one options, plus you can use it for dirty laundry..
For many years during my ag development work across Latin America I consistently headed into the country and off to the field with one small carry-on which doubled as a back-pack. You can bet I planned tightly, including a litre of isopropyl for sanitation. Two pairs of cargo pants, four fast-dry shits, one flannel shirt for high elevations, one knit 'tuque' hat. Five pairs socks. No underwear.
I fit in well with the locals, which was always helpful.
@gilbar - Yes, I've expected to get hassled over my rocks, but never have been. I meticulously scrub all the dirt off them, because that can be an issue.
I once waited over an hour in NZ customs while they "cleaned" my hiking boots (which were already spotless). They gave them back with pink goop all over them.
Everything goes in the checked bag. Clothes, computer, cpap toiletries. Carry on. Change of clothes, Kindle, meds.
I spent about 10 years traveling 30 weeks a year, all before my current marriage. I confound my wife, who starts packing a week before a trip -- I wait until the morning of and just throw stuff into a bag. I rarely miss bringing the important stuff.
And the computer hasn't been stolen? I would never put anything like that in a checked bag, aside from the fact that I would use it during the flight.
Nothing immediately comes to mind, tommy. New Zealand is a remarkably easy country to visit. If you're new to driving on the left side of the road, I could give you my "one thing to remember" tip.
We've never made it to the North Island, which is starting to border on ridiculous considering how often we've been to NZ, but the Southern Alps and, especially, the dark skies, are in the south. We were planning on hitting the North Island this trip, but events transpired and we had to change our plans.
When the kids were little and we lived in Europe I had one change of clothes that was always drying in the bathroom. We learned the hard way by dragging luggage through Venice during acqua alte. By the end of our trip the only bag we took was packed with N64 consoles, controllers, and cartridges.
I spent a week walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrim trail in Northern Spain a few years ago. Everything I took fit in a 15 liter backpack. One pair of long pants, one pair of shorts, two shirts, 3 underpants, 3 pr socks, all of them lightweight, quick-dry synthetics that were easy to wash in a sink and dry on a towel rack. A light raincoat, walking shoes, thin wool blanket, rosary beads, hat, sunglasses, and a bare-bones dopp kit. No computer or camera or phone. Checked in with the folks at home every couple of days via internet cafes or companions on the road who had a mobile with them. It was liberating.
For many years, I went backpacking at least once a year. It forced decisions about what to take because I would have to lug whatever I had chosen for the entire time I would be in the wilderness searching for "the sound of no phone ringing." I knew where I was going, how long I would be out, and the weather to expect (within reason).
Now I'm planning to take off after the first of the year. I haven't told my wife yet and she's not invited anyway. She is way too much like Mike's wife. I have no idea which direction I will be going or when I will be back. I also hate shopping. Credit cards, WalMarts and other retail have joined telephones on my list of things from which I want to escape.
Any suggestions about how to pack?
Because most of my clothes match, the main calculation I have to make is where and how many times I will have to do laundry. Beyond that, a lot of the stuff I need to travel I keep packed anyhow. E.g. I have a transparent toiletries back that I use even when not traveling. Same with my cables and chargers bag, and my miscellaneous bag with various currencies, transit cards, keys, etc. Makes it quite simple.
Re: gilbar:
I used to carry around little detergent packets precisely so I could do sink laundry in a pinch . . . I bought a little scrub board that would fit in my luggage too but have never ended up using it.
Too much thought. Too much brain damage. I try to get us packed the day before, because day of packing can be stressful. Do we forget stuff? Hell yeh. Her ring was left in the gun safe when we popped over to Las Vegas for much of a month. But overall most of what we forget can be easily replaced.
That all said, I dived travel into different categories. If we are taking a car, I then to overpack. A lot. We tend to buy large SUVs, and if we are desperate, have a rocket box in MT. Flying, if we need at least one large bag, why not 3 or 4 for the same price? And, if I am taking at least one gun, then I was to check luggage anyway. Plus, if we are taking the dog and cat we pretty much have to check luggage anyway there too. On the flip side, I take my backpack if an overnight or shorter trip, or if it’s the two of us, for a couple days, then backpack plus a roll on for the overhead.
Friend swears by this approach: all carry-on travel, uses non-rigid fabric-material upscale duffle-suitcase, stuffed into overhead, plus crossbody day-bag holding important stuff for floorside. Packs predominantly black wardrobe, blue jeans, sneaker-type rubber-soled black shoes, underwear for all days, some tops, socks, shirts get left behind at hotels. Shops here at nice thrift store, so clothes are expendable but high quality, can be abandoned to make room for items purchased during trip.
Abandoned clothes are in good condition, label brands, folded, put on top of magazine set on top of room paper waste-basket at desk, room housekeepers have asked for note acknowledging clothes are intentionally not wanted, not accidentally discarded. Apparently this is a far more common practice that I thought, given protocol.
Like he needs to pack less in his suitcase, he needed to use fewer words.
Washing machines and wearing clothes more than once are the key to packing light
Boy Scouts once taught men to pack light. But now taking the entire wardrobe in suitcase is the rule.
Mr. Elder:
Pack versatile, lightweight items:
- Clothing: Quick-dry, multi-use pieces (e.g., convertible pants, base layers).
- Shelter: Compact tent or hammock, lightweight sleeping bag.
- Food: Non-perishable, high-energy foods; minimize cooking gear.
- Navigation: Map, compass (no electronics).
- Tools: Multi-tool, paracord.
- First-aid: Basic kit for emergencies.
- Water: Purification tablets, collapsible bottle.
Focus on essentials that serve multiple purposes to keep your load light and manageable.
Your friend,
The Grok
A *guy* wrote this???
There seems to be a New York-centric view that whatever you happen to be doing is very interesting and significant because you are doing it. Sometimes it is not.
Recently did a 5- day trip to SF and LA from WI, which meant bringing the jacket I’d need when I returned to 5 degree weather. (Scrunched it into a gallon baggie). I visited friends, the office and attended a holiday party. I knew what I’d wear every day. One top wasn’t worn. It was there as an opti9n.
Amateur. Preparation for a week or more of camping puts the angst of suitcase packing to shame.
Until you've done it hundreds of times. Then, it's easier than a plane trip. The options are much more constrained.
There seems to be a New York-centric view that whatever you happen to be doing is very interesting and significant because you are doing it. Sometimes it is not.
My thought exactly. Seinfeld/Larry David might have made a humorous scene out of this, but as a straight advice piece it's tedious.
The burden of baggage is solved through emulation of planned pauperhood that absolves her choice.
Reminds me of 'The Accidental Tourist (1988) "How to pack a bag" - the opening scene of the movie.
One son and I recently took a brief trip by plane. We each packed only a backpack. It was perfect. Didn't even have to jockey for overhead bin space.
Luigi Mangione, supposedly struggled with a rare debilitating back condition, spondylolisthesis, despite having what he declared to be successful spinal surgery a year ago. He also referenced a backpacking trip to Asia earlier this year.
He described in intricate detail the thought and care he’d placed into finding items that would be the lightest and take up the least space, in his single backpack. At the end of his essay, he asked: “What next? Can it get any more minimal than living out of one bag?”
Obvously, killing using a ghost gun hidden in his backpack is as minimal as it gets.
After decades of travel, I have things to a system. I only use a big roller if I'm going out for at least five days. Then I will check it even though I have a permanent elite level with my preferred airline and board early, I just don't want to deal with it. I do have a half roller I will carry on (I can do three or four days on the ground international with it, if I don't take a computer). When I take the big bag, I always make sure to have underwear and a fresh shirt in my carryon. My preferred carryon in a nice shoulder strapped leather valise, which can hold my computer, my med bag and the change of clothes. I can get two days with the valise if I don't take my laptop. I have a checklist on my phone.
I always intend to pack light but it never ever happens. I really annoy myself!
Reading some of the articles that AA posts, it feels like - and I think we are - stuck in a societal Groundhog Day spanning several years.
Tech gear (and supporting cables/chargers/batteries) add lotsa drag to bag-drag. Computer AND Kindle scream "Too much! Too much!). My preference is an iPad Mini with cellular (you can even leave the phone at home. Now you have your office, library, phone and camera in a single device, small enough to be used inflight (helpful if it's unlocked and has dual or changeable sim).
Hard to imagine an outing like that without a camera (phones have decent-to-great cameras).
If fast and light are priorities, blue jeans are a no-no! Too heavy, no useful pocket storage and take FOREVER TO DRY. Happiness on the road is directly proportional to number of hands free in transit (changing trains/busses, searching for lodging, etc.).
As an almost-every-year alpine hiker, it dawned on me long ago that it made sense to leave hiking gear (boots, poles, ponchos, ice axe, med. kit) in place at destination. Since my outings always include time in Swiss Jungrau region, I have inn-keeeper/friends of many years who are happy to keep my bag in a storage room.
Practice pack! When you think you've done your best, live with everything you've packed for half-a-day (throw it in the car and then strap it on and/or carry it with you everytime you get out of car or change locations). When you're OK with that, ask yourself, "If I HAD TO" what half of this stuff would I leave behind. DO IT.
BTW, if you don't know where you're going, picking just the right stuff is going to take a lot of luck! Have a great time, anyway! I'm heading for Vietnam about 1 Feb and following the warming sun as it heads toward Japan.
It's not too late for Biden to appoint Joshua Rothman Packing Czar so he can straighten this all out for the rest of us.
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