I’m a bit of a minimalist and it definitely came through with my packing. I place more value on experiences than things and my philosophy of minimalism embraces that sentiment. The basic idea is that if you’re moving lightly through life, unencumbered by the weight of things (both physical and mental), you have space to focus making on making memories and taking everything you can from the moment.

I’ve followed a variety of writers and bloggers that focus on minimalism and simplicity, but for packing, sites like OneBag and Pack Light, Go Fast are king. Those two sites definitely guided me through packing light. (Woohoo! I made it on Pack Light, Go Fast. Check it out.)

The result? Everything I need for the next four months - and beyond - are in this bag (Patagonia MLC - great bag), which comes out to about 23 lbs (sorry for quality of photos):

The contents:

Packing list

clothes (one week’s worth):

- 3 cotton / 2 short + 1 long synthetic cotton T-shirt

- 1 cotton / 1 synthetic button up

- 4 socks / 4 boxer brief

- 2 athletic shorts / 2 khaki shorts

- hat, sunglasses, bandana

shoes:

- sandals

- running shoes

electronics:

- MacBook

- iPhone

- Kindle

misc:

- travel towel

- toiletries

- medicine

- journal + pen/pencil

- water bottle

- light backpack for weekend / day trips

- books: Always We Begin Again, Tao Te Ching

- passport + wallet

- important docs

Comes out to about 23 lbs.

Traveling with long pants, pull over and jacket.

Packing light, moving fast.