There is nothing more liberating that traveling light. Lightpacking means increased traveling freedom and hence better traveling experience. Keep your bag with you all the time: in the bus, on the plane, in a cab. Much safer and faster. Let me show you how to pack light.
Lightpacking: Packing Philosophy
A light backpack is one that you can carry a whole day without a problem. In my case, I travel with a 22L backpack, just one, that is it.
My packing style is more minimal than the average traveler, yet not truly spartan. This means that for the majority of you it will sound barbarically small, while some other hardcore travelers might argue they only need a toothbrush and a phone charger. Whatever.
You need to ask yourself: How often are you going to use this? If you haven’t used it in the last couple of weeks, you probably won’t use it in the next two weeks, and so on.
The rule of thumb is: The only essential stuff are what you use every day. Once a week is relative. Once a month – you can leave it home.
Let’s get started!
How to Pack Light
Cat #1 Stuff You Wear On
The first question is what to wear on. This is my basic combo for most destinations (excluding high-altitude and beach).
- #1 – Long-sleeve T-shirt/Shirt, Layer 1, (black, turtle neck t-shirt)
- #2 – Underwear (trunks)
- #3 – Jeans (black denim slim fit)
- #4 – Belt (black leather belt)
- #5 – Socks (normal black socks)
- #6 – Shoes (Nike Free Flyknit)
- #7 – Wrist watch (with altimeter)
- #8 – Hoodie or Pullover, Layer 2,
- #9 – Notebook (Moleskine with soft cover)
- #10 – Pen (cheap, I keep losing it)
- #11 – Smartphone (Samsung Galaxy S9+)
- #12 – Wallet (small and discreet)
- #13 – Money Belt (RFID Money Belt)
- #14 – Sunglasses (foldable Ray-Ban WayFarer)
Cat #2 Stuff on Your Backpack
Backpack
- #15 – Small backpack
Clean Clothing Bag (fabric bag)
- #16 – 2 pairs of socks (1 light one thick)
- #17 – 2 pieces of underwear (back trunks)
- #18 – Sports long-sleeve t-shirt
- #19 – Extra t-shirt or shirt
- #20 – Swimming suit (doubles as running pants)
Dirty clothing bag (fabric bag)
- Here you’ll put dirty clothes
Flip Flops bag (tough plastic bag)
- #21 – Light flip-flops
Toiletries bag
- #22 – Toothbrush
- #23 – Toothpaste
- #24 – Soap bar
- #25 – Deodorant
- #26 – Ear-buds
- #27 – Nail-scissors
- #28 – Condoms
- #29 – Portable shaving machine
- #30 – Nivea Cream
Miscellaneous bag (in a zip plastic bag)
- #31 – 3-in-1 spoon-knife-fork (“Spork”)
- #32 – Emergency blanket / sleeping bag
- #33 – Binoculars (useful for hiking & astronomy)
- #34 – Padlock (great for dorm lockers)
- #35 – Earplugs (great for sleeping and clubbing)
- #36 – Sleep mask (a must for night-buses)
- #37 – Mini folding umbrella (LifeTek)
- #38 – Aeropress Coffee Maker & Tea bags
Towel
- #39 – Towel (microfiber)
Pharmacy stuff (in a small plastic Zip-bag)
- #40 – Ibuprofen pills
- #41 – Malaria pills
- #42 – Antiseptic lotion
Basic Electronics
- #43 – Headset with mic (Sennheiser CX 5)
- #44 – USB charger (phone and tablet)
- #45 – Solar Power Bank (25000mAh)
- #46 – Travel adaptor (Universal + USB)
- #47 – USB stick (256GB)
Docs (in a zip plastic bag)
- #48 – Passport (put it in the money belt)
- #49 – National ID
- #50 – Driving License
- #51 – Copies of your passport (for visas)
- #52 – Plastified copy of your Passport (for hotel checkins)
- #53 – Passport Pictures
Money stuff
- #54 – Emergency Money:
- at least 50USD/EUR in cash
- optimally 50$ in belt, 50$ in backpack
- #55 – Debit Card (in wallet)
- #56 – Credit Card (in money belt)
Cat #3 – Optionals and Seasonal
While I think the above is enough for some, I do carry the below as well.
Reading
- #57 – Tablet & Books
- Samsung 8″ tablet or Kindle Paperwhite
- Book (Seneca or The Brothers Karamazov)
Photo Equipment
- #58 – Camera body (Sony A7 Mk III)
- #59 – 35mm lens (Zeiss Sonnar 35mm 2.8)
- #60 – 55mm lens (Zeiss Sonnar 55mm 1.8)
- #61 – Extra Camera Battery
- #62 – Fast Battery Charger
- #63 – Small lens Cleaner (Nikon)
Laptop
- #64 – Macbook Air 13″
- #65 – Macbook sleeve
- #66 – Macbook charger
- #67 – Hard drive (4TB)
- #68 – Hard drive case
- #69 – Card Reader
- #70 – SD Cards
Sports Optionals
- #71 – Swimming goggles
- #72 – Swimming cap
- #73 – Heartbeat belt (linked to watch/phone)
Cold Weather Optionals
- #74 – Jacket (Layer 4)
- #75 – Fleece (Layer 3)
- #76 – Hat (Insulate material)
- #77 – Long Running Pants (doubles as underpants)
- #78 – Gloves (Insulate)
One important idea to keep in mind is that it is better to pack clothes you can easily combine to keep warmer. And it is better to take different layers that you can put on. My strategy is to use 4 layers. Layer 1 and 2 are a t-shirt and a sweater listed in the basic clothing I wear on (listed above). Layer 3 and 4 are a fleece and a jacket (listed below)
Remote Areas Optionals
- #79 Toilet paper roll (you will thank me later)
Takeaways
You can travel light too. Now you learned how to pack light. Just have a look at your backpack and sort out what you really need from what you’ve been carrying but never using.
Get rid of everything you don’t need; leave it home, or give it away. In 99% of the cases, you won’t look back. Welcome to the world of lightpacking!
What’s your favourite travel backpack?
