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Indefinite Backpack Travel

jeremymaluf.com

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Re: Indefinite Backpack Travel

#211

Post by avidiax »

nradov wrote: post #7
pavel_lishin wrote: post #2

> Onebag travel is unquestionably the best way to travel. Traveling without luggage removes just about every pain point associated with flying, such as checking bags, overhead compartments, bag fees, waiting in line, and needing to drop off luggage before an adventure. Just stroll into the airport an hour before your flight, and walk off your plane directly to your destination. This is absolutely true, especially whe…

Not really true since you can't even bring a little pocketknife or other cutting tool with you.

I have heard that people often forget that this is on their keys, and it is very rare that it is noticed:

https://www.swisstechtools.com/product/detail.html?id=111

You could bring the Swiss Army Jetsetter, but the problem with that is that you are almost certain to get stopped by US security every time, and deal with a 1-15 minute delay depending on how well the particular agent you get knows their rules around scissors and how many times they mistakenly call your item a Swiss Army "knife". To save yourself some trouble, just put it on an s-biner on the outside of your backpack, and ideally extend the tools so it is obvious there's no knife.

https://www.victorinox.com/en/Products/Swiss-Army-Knife%E2%8...

Re: Indefinite Backpack Travel

#212

Post by GuB-42 »

owenversteeg wrote: post #55

I've done this before (not indefinitely, but for many trips around the world.) I agree with the author on a lot: 1) it's not a good way to live long term, 2) traveling with as little as possible completely transforms the traveling experience, 3) zero-bag travel is great, 4) a good quality small bag with well designed compartments is critical, 5) M-series Macs are the only way to go, 6) two thumb drives is very conven…

Some of my diverging opinions are:

- I can't do zero-bag travel, bags are just too convenient. I have at least a little foldable backpack. For example, if I have a jacket, I like the ability to put the jacket inside the bag if the weather calls for it. Or maybe I want to carry a water bottle. Zero-bag means stuffing your pockets, carrying stuff by hand, etc... not very convenient if you ask me.

- I don't really like bags with compartments, I find they get in the way more than they help. Instead, I use a regular bag and put stuff in ziploc bags if I need some organization. It also protects from rain.

- For the USB-C cord, I use 3m, even as an everyday carry. It may seem over the top but sometimes, the power outlet not where you want to plug your phone. For example you may want your phone charging on your nightstand while the socket is on the other side of the bed. 3m lets you cross the bed, 2m doesn't.

- I love synthetic fabrics, dries faster than natural fibers, it is important to me as dry time can be a problem when doing laundry while travelling. Merino wool is great too, but I keep cotton for home.

- Not a fan of jeans during travel, take forever to dry, and they are not that hot for how heavy they are. They make great work clothes (their original purpose), and are relatively fashionable, but during travel when I am not going for style, I use convertible hiking pants.

- I don't travel with a knife, too much of a problem with security. Though I sometimes carry a "swisstech utili-key". It has a blade but it really looks like a key, so it is stealthy. It is unusable as a weapon, but if some overzealous security guy takes it away from you, it is super cheap so it won't be a big loss.

Re: Indefinite Backpack Travel

#213

Post by BestHackerOnHN »

rockostrich wrote: post #52
delichon wrote: post #10

I lived out of a backpack for two months on a Pacific Crest Trail hike. I got comfortable with it and told myself that I had overcome my materialism, and could henceforth live happily without a lot of stuff and conveniences. Not so much. Now a couple of decades later, I've got a house and garage crammed with stuff. Yesterday I had a plumber here working on a leak, and this morning I have no running water, and here I…

> It turns out that climbing on the hedonic treadmill is practically effortless, but sliding down it is full of splinters. Not sure if I'm missing a joke, but the whole point of the analogy being a treadmill is that there's nothing to fall down. Regardless of positive (running forward) or negative (going backward on the treadmill) life changes, your happiness will probably stay relatively consistent because you're on…

[dead]

Re: Indefinite Backpack Travel

#214

Post by turrican »

mikestew wrote: post #155
tristor wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's weird, because I am still wearing the same Icebreaker t-shirts I bought in 2015, a decade later, through many many washes. They have thinned out some, and I've added more new shirts over time to my rotation, but the very first one I bought is still perfectly wearable as a daily undershirt. I've never had one shrink, I do have some small holes in the oldest shirts, but nothing that impedes its basic function.

I think it's like Apple cables: for some they're frayed in a month, others still have perfectly serviceable 30-pin cables that they've used daily. Personally, I wear Unbound merino t-shirts and underwear, and they last for years. (I'm also convinced that front-loading washers make clothes last longer because they don't literally beat your clothes to death.)

For what it’s worth, I am washing them in a top loader. I wonder if that does make a difference.

Re: Indefinite Backpack Travel

#215

Post by dlisboa »

plastic3169 wrote: post #107

I am surprised one bag crowd seem to pack so many computing devices with them. Some have phone, laptop, ipad and kindle and pride themselves on being minimalists.

As far as traveling being a "minimalist" is about making choices and removing things you don't care as much about. Some people care about having a pair of running shoes at hand more than a laptop, so they don't bring the later. Photographers like to take their camera and lens, even though to most people a phone would be more "minimalist". This person enjoys electronics...

Re: Indefinite Backpack Travel

#216

Post by kilroy123 »

nadermx wrote: post #49

Before being a digital nomad was cool I went full nomad. I remember being in a hostel in Thailand and just throwing away everything I had brought, going down to the basics. Ended up with a similar setup. The thing is, after years of doing it, learning new languages, making friends all over, and then leaving knowing you might not see them again for ever or for long stints, you start to feel the yearning to be able to…

I was a nomad for almost a decade! Can confirm all of this.

I am trying to build a normal life in one place for the foreseeable future, with a place full of stuff again. :)

Re: Indefinite Backpack Travel

#217

Post by qwertytyyuu »

skeeter2020 wrote: post #186
Arainach wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Where does the money come from that allows one to sleep in hotels, ride in rental cars, travel in airports, and eat in restaurants for years on end? If you keep your standards modest, the math isn't as bad as it intuitively seems. A $100 hotel per night is the equivalent of a $3000 mortgage/rent. And if you're living out of one bag you don't necessarily need that and probably have cheaper options like hostels (or te…

>> worked such jobs long enough to have a few million in assets gathering interest so essentially no one in the entire world?

Esesentially one born in the last 30 years at least

Re: Indefinite Backpack Travel

#218

Post by bluebarbet »

kmoser wrote: post #80
doctorhandshake wrote: post #51

I’m all for minimalist travel but I feel like I picked up a number of cues that the author is buying and disposing of (somehow) items seasonally or even on an as-no-longer-needed basis. Hopefully that means donating the item and maybe even buying used to begin with but it’s not mentioned here. I don’t want to make assumptions but in the worst case this could be a very wasteful kind of minimalism.

Even if the author is literally throwing away seasonal items, the environmental trade-off is that they probably purchase far fewer items than the average person.

This. The disincentive to buy anything is constantly present when you live out of a bag. It's an odd way to defeat the rampant consumerism of modern society, but it works.

Re: Indefinite Backpack Travel

#219

Post by mikestew »

turrican wrote: post #214
mikestew wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's like Apple cables: for some they're frayed in a month, others still have perfectly serviceable 30-pin cables that they've used daily. Personally, I wear Unbound merino t-shirts and underwear, and they last for years. (I'm also convinced that front-loading washers make clothes last longer because they don't literally beat your clothes to death.)

For what it’s worth, I am washing them in a top loader. I wonder if that does make a difference.

We haven’t utilized double-blind tests at our house or anything, but definitely makes a difference in clothing longevity for us. Popular consensus seems to agree, FWIW.
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