Indefinite Backpack Travel

Post by adastra22 » Tue, Oct 07, 2025, 1:55 PM UTC

analog31 wrote: post #261

rockostrich wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As always, moderation is important for any normal person. I think that applies to minimalism as well. Use it to cut unnecessary stuff out of your life, but unless you're some outlier then it's probably not good to try and live the most minimalist life that you can without causing some terrible mental health effects along the way. > I’m shedding hobbies and interests that I have because I believe that they’ve become d…

"Moderation in all things, including moderation." -- St. Augustine

Post by adastra22 » Tue, Oct 07, 2025, 1:58 PM UTC

65 wrote: post #120

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…

Maybe one good thing about the torture of living in NYC is you get used to the torture of living in NYC. My very small, very expensive apartment has had no running water throughout the work day for the past two weeks because of water main construction (which I get woken up to at 7am every day). There's a jerk chicken restaurant next door to my apartment that blasts music all day long outside. Roaches and mice and rat…

Post by adastra22 » Tue, Oct 07, 2025, 2:01 PM UTC

Jedd wrote: post #287

jojobas wrote: post #286

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Relatively few people's economic output can compare with them producing new people. If your last name is not Feynman or Curie your most valuable contribution to the society is a couple of kids.

Counterpoint - the best single thing you can do for the planet, in terms of minimising your consumption / ecological footprint, is to not spawn.

Post by bparsons » Tue, Oct 07, 2025, 2:23 PM UTC

dalke wrote: post #104

octo888 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Back when you could bring the more fun stuff back from Europe (meat, cheese etc) my big suitcase would be well over half empty on the way out. Quite a bit heavier on the way back ;)

On the return from my first trip to South Africa I carried 12 bottles of wine in my luggage. That was back when flights included two free checked items. On my second trip to Europe one of my suitcases was full of T-shirt swag to give out at a conference. Lugging both up the stairs, across the train tracks, and back down was a hassle. Both of these were over 20 years ago. And then there's the story at https://notalway…

Post by sequoia » Tue, Oct 07, 2025, 2:28 PM UTC

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.