58 Weeks in 35 Liters: Thoughts on Extended One-Bag Travel (Skylar's Version)
58 Weeks in 35 Liters: Thoughts on Extended One-Bag Travel (Skylar's Version)
Far too many words about backpacks and travel accouterment.
Hey friends,
This week, you’re getting far too many words about backpacks and travel accouterment - enjoy? But first, since it’s been a couple of weeks, there’s a few housekeeping items to get to:
- and I are hosting a get-together for Seattle-based Substack writers on Wednesday, December 6th, at Stoup Brewery in Capitol Hill. If you happen to be in Seattle or know anyone who might be interested, spread the word! All the info is here - Seattle-area Substack meetup.
I’m launching a pop-up newsletter called - drum roll, please - The Morning Tipple! TMT will chronicle an upcoming pub and cask-ale-fueled trip through England and Wales. TMT officially launches next week, so be on the lookout for more details shortly. Consider this a pre-announcement.
Anyway, onto the nerdy gear talk…
58 Weeks in 35 Liters: Thoughts on Extended One-Bag Travel (Skylar's Version)
I can't tell you how often we'd show up at a hostel, hotel, or Airbnb, and the host would look at us for a few seconds and ask, "Is that it?" And then we'd shrug and make some awkward off-handed comment like, "Yup, we're light packers, haha."
I suppose when I think about it, living out of a 35-liter backpack does sound insane. But after the first few weeks, you settle into a type of zen state. The backpack and its contents become an extension of yourself. You develop a connection to your stuff because, often, it's the closest thing you've had to home in quite some time.
I've been a one-bag enthusiast for a while now, fervently championing this philosophy to anyone who will listen like some cult leader. And over the years, I’ve meticulously honed my packing list repeatedly, trying to distill it to the essentials.
For the most part, though, my one-bag endeavors have mainly consisted of 2-3 week trips, maybe a month or two at most. So this last trip, 58 weeks around the world, across varied climates, terrains, and locals, was probably the first true test of how practical, or insane, the one-bag philosophy is.
Well, after 58 weeks of living out of a small backpack, I have some thoughts.
This commentary generally follows the structure of my one-bag packing list and provides some details on what went well and what didn't. So take a look at that first if you haven't already.
On Packing Light: The Complete One-Bag Packing List
And this is just my perspective. Steph also made the trip in a small backpack with me. So, in a couple of days, I'll send Steph's packing list and her experience of one-bag travel after a year, which might be a more helpful (and female) perspective.
General Thoughts
It's hard to relay the feeling you get when everything you need to exist in the world is leisurely sitting on your back.
It's probably not surprising, but if anything, this trip reaffirmed the benefits of traveling light. There were countless situations, especially in transit, where more gear would have been an absolute headache. Travel fatigue is a real thing, and the less stuff you have, the less drag you'll have.
The quality of what you bring and your comfort with it matters. Since you don't have much, you're interacting with what you did bring constantly - wearing it, touching it, putting it on, carrying it, grabbing it, using it, etc. All those micro-interactions add up, so what you bring does become an extension of you.
The implicit trade-off for traveling in a small backpack is compromise. There will be situations you aren't entirely optimized for - nice dinners out, extreme weather, etc. You might be uncomfortable for a time, but that time passes quickly, and you move on.
The Travel Backpack
Undoubtedly, the biggest mistake I made at the onset of the trip was to change my backpack at the last minute. I've tested out many, many backpacks over the last couple of years, and every single time, I always come back to the Minaal 2.0 - it's lightweight, carries well, and for 35 liters, it can hold a surprising amount of kit.
But a few days before the trip, I panicked. I thought I'd need the extra space for my new camera and audio gear, so I took my Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack instead. I also bought a Peak Design Camera Cube to fit inside the backpack and act as my "hub" for all my electronic gear.
The Peak Design is, by all accounts, a great backpack. It's built well, looks good, and has a great ecosystem of accessories (especially for photographers). But damn, is it heavy. The bag clocks in at around 4.5 lbs, while the Minaal 2.0 is at 3.25 lbs. That might not sound like a lot, but backpackers know how much every pound matters.
And the Peak Design is just too big. The 45 liters is the "maximum legal carry-on" size for most U.S. airlines, so it's an enticing size that people tend to go with to get the most out of their carry-on. But by the time you end up packing 45 liters worth of gear, the bag will be heavy. With that much weight, you're better off with a proper hiking backpack that has a full suspension system, which defeats the purpose of minimal or one-bag travel.
On the other hand, 35 liters is just about perfect. When I got the Minaal 2.0 back about halfway through the trip, it was truly rejuvenating. And somehow, the Minaal 2.0 fit everything that I had in the Peak Design - they must be doing some black magic with the design of that backpack.
It might be easy to dismiss the backpack and how it carries, but on a trip of this length, you're going to be interacting with the backpack almost every day. If it's not an enjoyable interaction, it'll grate on you.
Other Notes
If you're going on a specialized trip dedicated to hiking, backpacking, or any intense adventure sport, you might want a proper outdoor pack. When we did some more intense overnight hikes, we rented gear, which was fine but obviously not as good as your own backpack.
These packable totes from Peak Design are amazing and highly worth picking up one or two. They're helpful when you need to do some grocery shopping or to have a daily carry around town. Since we stayed in Airbnbs and did a decent amount of cooking when we could, these totes ended up carrying around our spices, coffee, etc., that we didn't want to buy twice.
Living out of a backpack for longer than two weeks is the same as 58 weeks - you'll have to do some laundry. And doing laundry was essentially a non-issue. Most Airbnbs we were in had a washer, and if it didn’t, or we were in hostels, we just went to a laundromat or washed in the sink. It's not as intimidating as it might sound.
Electronics
What isn't captured in my packing list is camera and audio gear - camera body, lenses, microphones, batteries, a tripod, memory cards, hard drives, cables, etc. It's not a lot, but it still adds a decent amount of weight and volume. And it was all a pretty new addition to the kit since I've been starting to do more interviews and photography lately (which is a good thing!). But since I haven't traveled extensively with those, I haven't quite perfected how I carry it all.
I picked up a Bellroy camera sling recently, and the goal is for it to fit all that camera/audio gear for upcoming trips. It’s a work in progress; I think it'll still take time to perfect and trim down to the essentials.
But unless you're a photographer or have some specialized electronics you need on the road, you probably don't need to worry about any of this and stick to the basics.
Other Notes
The 14" Macbook M1 Pro is awesome - great balance of size and power.
They take up a ton of space, but big noise-canceling headphones like the Sony WH1000XM4 remain pretty necessary, especially on a trip of that length and many long-haul flights.
One of the best investments you can make is to get extra-long cables for everything. You never know when that damn plug is halfway across the room.
Clothes
My clothes on this list are optimized for the 40-80 degree (Fahrenheit) range. Anything colder, and I'll start regretting life choices. Anything warmer, and I'll start sweating my ass off in boots and pants.
There are probably two things I found myself wanting - sweatpants and a tank top.
In our 58 weeks, we spent a decent amount of time in the Airbnb or hostel when we just wanted to relax. I had to lounge around in shorts, which is fine, but just not the same. I dearly missed a good pair of sweatpants, especially on some of those cold Fall and Winter nights. But it's a tough trade-off to make since they can be a little bulky and not add much utility outside of lounging around - so I'll have to figure that one out.
And the other was just a classic tank top. We spent a few months in pretty warm weather, and all I had were t-shirts. Existing at 90 degrees on the humid Caribbean side of Guatemala, even t-shirts feel suffocating. I probably should have caved and bought a tank top, but I just dealt with it.
Shoes are always the biggest packing challenge. Boots are a must, and the Lems Waterproof Boulder Boot served me well the entire way. They’re still the most comfortable boots I own and can handle any situation - dress ‘em up or take them up a volcano. It’s hard to beat that versatility. However, as I mentioned above, if we were in tropical climates, I had to wear the boots in transit (I can't fit them in the backpack), which isn't ideal.
The second pair of shoes is the one I'll be tinkering with. For this trip, I took the Vivobarefoot Primus Lite III - they look fine, are incredibly lightweight, and are good for exercise. But about 3/4 of the way through the trip, they started to wear on the mesh area right above both of my big toes, which was pretty frustrating. Do I just have weird toes?? None of my other shoes do this… In any case, I'm not totally sold on them anymore and am looking for alternatives for the next trip.
Other Notes
The Western Rise Evolution Pant 2.0 and the Outlier Slim Dungarees remain far and away the best travel pants you can buy. They can handle anything you throw at them (except lounging around in the house, I guess). DUER is great for jeans, though they'll add more bulk.
Merino wool is an incredible fabric and absolutely worth the price. There were stretches where washing clothes was more challenging, and having Merino was immensely helpful. Even after intense use, if you give Merino shirts a few minutes to air out, they’ll be as good as new (honestly). I like the Proof 72 Merino Shirts from Huckberry, but the neck is just a little too tight for me. I constantly feel like I'm getting choked a little. Maybe I need to size up or drop a few lbs? Or get more of the Unbound Merino shirts. Those are still my favorites (you can use “grog10” for 10% off if you’re interested).
I'm on the hunt for a good, packable rain jacket. My old REI rain shell has essentially lost all water-repelling capabilities, which isn't ideal for a rain jacket... I'll probably cave and get an Arc'teryx one now. Or try the Montbell Versalite. If you have any recommendations, definitely let me know!
Toiletries
The only real "problems" we faced on the trip were health-related. Nothing was that severe - digestive issues, sinus infections, weird rashes, etc. If you eat and drink enough weird shit, you're bound to have some problems. For any lengthy trip, I'd keep a pack or two of antibiotics on hand. You can buy them over the counter in most countries outside the U.S. or ask your doctor beforehand.
Other than that, nothing significant here. With a trip of this length, you have to get used to getting whatever toiletries you can find. For the most part, a decent-sized city will have almost everything you're used to, even fancy natural products. The only issue I ran into was deodorant because sometimes, standard drugstore varieties can irritate my skin.
Steph's version will definitely have more notes on toiletries...
Other Notes
There were a few times when melatonin really came in handy, especially when dealing with weird sleeping patterns across multiple time zones.
Misc
The other big mistake and lapse of judgment I made on the trip was not bringing my Aeropress. What the fuck was I thinking? I spent the entire first month in Argentina with poorly made coffee. And if you know anything about me, that is my literal nightmare. I resorted to buying coffee most days, and though Argentina is cheap for the U.S. at the moment, it still does add up.
When we were in Chile, I bought a Moka Pot equivalent, which was fine. Eventually, I found an Aeropress Go, which will never leave my bag again.
Other Notes
Turkish Towels are still the best, and don't bother with any microfiber towel bullshit. You can also use these as scarves/shawls in a pinch.
Don't underestimate having a quality sleeping mask and good earplugs - those came in handy a decent amount of times (even in Airbnbs).
There were a few instances where a TSA-friendly multi-tool, something like Gerber Shard, would’ve been helpful.
Apps
The biggest revelation in the past couple of years has been the eSIM. Gone are the days of having to find a physical SIM card when you're abroad. Hell, most new phones don't even come with physical SIM card slots anymore (which is annoying for other reasons).
You can use apps like Airalo to get cheap and reliable data wherever you go. There are a few services out there like Airalo and Nomad, or you can use esimdb.com to price compare across many eSIM providers and countries.
Another big takeaway is not blindly trusting Google Maps, especially for public transit or restaurant hours. In some places that are more bus-focused, like Albania, it's easier to find the bus stop/terminal with apps like Maps.me for some reason. Just ask folks that live there what app, if any, they use to navigate.
Other Notes
Love it or hate it, WhatsApp is still the de-facto messaging app worldwide (for businesses and people alike).
That's about it, folks. Does this sound crazy? Any questions? Do you have any gear recommendations I should try out?
In a few days, Steph will share her packing list and thoughts after some time on the road.
Cheers,
SR