How "minimalist" could you go with packing light?

It's possible to spend a month in Tajikistan on a bike without panniers.

Don,

For clothes i had to spend about 6 days with the clothes on my back early this trip. My clothes was given to someone else at the laundrymat i had taken my clothes to for cleaning. I was able to find a shirt and some undies a few days later but for the most part i had to wear what i had on. So sometimes circumstances will make you pack light(er). You learn alot by having to "be flexible" as my managers say.

Of course where and when you go can make a difference too.

there are some things i wont give up like my 2nd pair of shoes and my rain jacket. The rain jacket got a workout this year since it rained in just about every place i visited.

edit to add:

one thing that you can do is to dump most or all of your chargers/adapters. If all of youre e toys are USB powered/charged, you can get a plug adapter with USB ports. i use something like that and all i need are the cables which pack in less space. If the cords are hardwired into the adapter, search for USB cords with the proper connection into the device.

link to plug dapter w USB There are other brands out there too, but you get the idea.

happy trails.

That's about as minimal as I could go, except I would also need my camera plus extra batteries and charger.

Sleeping gear can be Almost anything or nothing. I sleep in thin knit pants and a t-shirt. The pants don't look like pyjamas so they can double as street gear. I always take sandals, but don't use them much. I could leave them at home. I use my mini iPad as a camera, so don't take a camera. I always take a supply of pain meds (Naproxen) and my vitamins. My toiletries are mostly the things in the plastic ziplock bag. My rolling bag, a lightweight 21 inch model, when packed weighed 15 # on my most recent three week trip. I carry a smaller backpack that weighs a couple of pounds when loaded. I think the absolute minimum to carry would be a toothbrush, change of sox and underwear, sunglasses, vitamins, iPad. With a few miscellaneous things thrown in it should weigh no more than 5 pounds.

I did a couple of trips with close to what the OP stated. However, I had a laundry kit (liquid soap, flat sink stopper and clothesline) plus camera gear. Currently I pack more as I don't like doing my own laundry and now either get it done by the hotel (the most usual for me) or visit a laundromat (which has often introduced me to some interesting people.) But I was "snake charmed" by the pack light crowd in the beginning until I developed my own style.

OK, here's how I pack.

On the plane I wear one pair of washable pants (khakis), a dress shirt, and either a lightweight jacket in summer or a down parka in the winter - also one set of underwear and a good pair of walking shoes. I wear the long sleeved, dress shirt over, carry it folded while over there, and wear it home without washing.

In my bag I have four different short sleeved golf shirts, folded flat in a mesh bag, two more pairs of washable pants (different colors), walking shorts for warm days, and two more sets of underwear. The underwear and short sleeved shirts are all cotton/polyester blend. I also take a medium weight sweater to wear under my jacket on colder days. I don't take any other shoes. If I know I'm going to be somewhere with a swimming pool, I take a bathing suit.

In addition to those clothes, I carry a toiletry kit (washcloth, toothbrush, comb, toothpaste, disposable razor, and ivory soap bar), a bag with my netbook charger, USB camera charging bag, and plug adapter, and plastic bag with inflatable hangers for my shirts, drip-dry clothes pins for my underwear, and a twisted clothes line (just in case there is a place to attach it).

I sink wash the shirts and underwear, but the three pair of slacks last me 2 -3 weeks without washing. If I find a place to machine wash them, I do.

All of that weighs just under 10 pounds, and my bag weighs less than 2 pounds, so total is about 11½ pounds. Some day I'm going to make a trip to Cape d'Adge (nudist city in south France). Then all I will need is my netbook and toiletry kit.

I also take along a netbook in it's own case (my personal item) with its mouse, a camera, and whatever info I have hard-copied.

Lee, Cape d'Adge - do they speak German there?

;-)

Donald, I could do that packing list except that I always bring two pairs of shoes to swap out (or if one pair gets soaked in the rain) and the nylon will be too hot for me in the summer :-( and it would depend on where I was going - even poly/nylon can have trouble drying in high humidity. But I aim towards your list...

Interesting question (How "minimalist" could you go with packing light?).

A corollary question is why would you want to be a minimalist? If you are through hiker trying to maximize daily mileage and set time records, packing light is important to achieving that objective. But if your objective is to traveling with some comfort and having fun, how will a minimalistic light weight pack contribute to achieving that goal assuming that you are fit enough to carry your gear.

Packing light certainly makes humping your body and backpack over a 12,000 foot mountain pass more comfortable. But will sleeping in a super light weight summer weight bag (i.e. 40F plus rated) with no tent be comfortable at elevation waking to a frost covered sleeping bag? And while leaving the camera and fishing gear behind to lighten one's pack weight add to the fun one you reach the scenic alpine lake with feeding trout dimpling the still waters? And while freeze dried meals and oatmeal can sustain the body packing some treats (a bottle of wine or a flask of brandy?) may make that meal a bit more pleasurable.

I could go light with one change of underwear and socks, and packing one pair of pants and an extra shirt with my toothbrush. Wear jackets and who needs an umbrella. Leave the shaving kit at home and really enjoy the holiday. Forget the camera and computer/pad. Just bring an extra credit card and ATM card to buy anything else. But would I want to minimize comfort and fun? To each his/her own.

I appreciate all the responses, but if Lee goes to Cape d'Adge I feel that it is only fair that he post pictures of the trip!

Donald, I think those are pictures we might not want to see!

Eyes.Are.Bleeding.

Just kidding, Lee. DO post those pics ;-)

Hi,

Depends on the duration of the trip, but the max weight regardless of the trip's length is 30 pounds, which includes travel literature written on note pads, otherwise the roller suitcase is cumbersome. If the trip is a month to two months, I keep the weight between 26-30 pounds, plan on doing washing at the sink, and arrange to have one large load to be done at the Pension, all possible if timed correctly. I used to check in both pieces of luggage but found that basically unnecessary after streamlining.

If you are going to pack the very least, you could be doing alot of handwashing. Judy Bikes posted this back in July as a "must have" to help get the excess moisture out of the wash before hanging.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The Absorber - http://www.cleantools.net/products/absorber-xl

Having The Absorber is like having an endless supply of dry towels to roll your wet laundry in to get out the excess moisture. In the typical motel room your lightweight laundry will be dry enough to wear in the morning.

Wash laundry in motel room sink.
Rinse and wring laundry as necessary.
Spread The Absorber out on a flat area. (A big plastic bag on your bed works great.)
Spread laundry item out flat on The Absorber, just as you would on a towel. Large items may have to be folded.
Roll up the clothing item in The Absorber just as you would in a towel.
Ring out the object in the Absorber over the sink, tub, or shower stall in case the excess water drips.
Remove the object from The Absorber and set it aside (on the plastic bag).
Ring out The Absorber. You'll be amazed how much water pours out!
Repeat steps 3, 4, 5, and 6.
Hang the laundered item on a coat hanger.
Ring out The Absorber, and repeat the process with your next laundry item.

You'll find The Absorber in the Auto Supply department of your big box store (i.e., Walmart).

Here's a YouTube description, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGpYnFOwY1M, which explains why you'll find it in the Auto Supply department, but doesn't even mention it's fantastic laundry possibilities."

I once did a week long business trip with three shirts and a pair of trousers and undies and socks in my work briefcase.

"if your objective is to traveling with some comfort and having fun, how will a minimalistic light weight pack contribute to achieving that goal"

@Edger, because packing light gives you freedom, and I want that freedom. For me, traveling with a pack that only weighs 10-12 pounds is almost like being hands free. If I travel for three weeks, at some point I'm going to have to wash clothes anyway, so I might as well do a little every night.

I've traveled this way for almost 21 weeks so far, and I love it. I would never do it any other way.

As for the Absorber, I've never had a problem with using the bath mat to absorb the water. If you need more, you're doing too much laundry at a time.

I agree with Lee that packing light = freedom and I don't need to give up all my creature comforts to do so. Twice, my husband and I have cycled 1000+ km in Europe on a tandem bicycle. Reducing the weight and bulk of our luggage made the trips easier and more enjoyable. We each had one 18L pannier, also equipped with backpack straps. As we rode from town to town, we could stop anytime, lock up the bike, strap on our panniers and be off sightseeing.

This is what I packed for a month last summer in Central Europe:
reversible synthentic dress
pants that also rolled up to capris
cycling shorts
short-sleeved cotton blouse
cotton-polyester blend tank top
pyjama shorts
cardigan
waterproof windbreaker
bathing suit and travel towel
sarong
sandals
1 pair of socks
2 pairs of underwear
2 bras
Toiletries in 3-1-1 bag
Hairbrush
Laundry bar soap and clothesline
iPod, earphones and charger
Novel
Water bottle
Mug and immersion heater

I was comfortable and appropriately dressed for a variety of activities in all sorts of weather, whether I was hiking through the Dachstein ice caves, cycling in 37 degree sunshine or pouring rain, sightseeing in churches and museums, soaking in the thermal baths, dining in lovely restaurants or picnicking in the park. And at the end of the day, I could cozy up in bed with my cup of tea and read. Not a sacrifice at all.

Maggie

Did you check the tandem or rent on arrival? If you transported the tandem, did you use a bike box and how did you store the box.?

The minimalist bike trip would be renting but finding a tandem that fits is on the order of 2 squared more difficult than renting a single.

No pump, tubes and tools? Did you go sans socks while your one pair dried?

Its hard to do carry-on only for active travel.

Quick survey. When you read the words "Twice, my husband and I have cycled 1000+ km in Europe on a tandem bicycle" who else shuddered and wondered if divorce or murder would be the result if you and your spouse did that?

Puts me in mind of Ralph Potts' "No Luggage Challenge".

Ha ha Karen, I'm sure that would be true for many folks! We've even wallpapered together :-)

To answer Edgar's questions:

Sorry, I just listed the contents of my pannier. There's a pump, patch kit and lock attached to the bike and I wore a helmet while riding.

One pair of socks was plenty - all of our clothes easily dried overnight and most of the time I was barefoot in sandals anyway. Technically, I could have gone with one pair of underwear too, but on hot days it was nice to have clean clothes to put on after a shower at our destination.

We took our own bike. I researched rentals and discovered it's difficult and very expensive to rent a touring-quality tandem. For the first trip, we flew Air Transit with the bike wrapped in plastic. This time, Air Canada insisted we box it, but of course it arrived in Prague without the box. I'm sure it was promptly unboxed for inspection upon arrival in the EU. We planned to wrap it in plastic for the return flight but Lufthansa wouldn't allow us. I feel sorry for the folks whose luggage came into contact with the greasy chain.