What are the best toiletry options for minimalist travelers?

This is where you can really save a lot of room and weight. Where possible, pack dry versions of toiletries. They pack lighter and they last longer, so you can pack just the amount you need. Examples include tooth powder rather than toothpaste, and “crystal” deodorant rather than gels or roll-on.  I’ve used a couple of these solid deodorants which were ineffective, or irritated my skin, before I discovered this awesome one while traveling in Australia.  Highly recommended.

This will vary from airport to airport, but as recently as 2 months before this writing I have been asked to remove my liquid and gel toiletries into that little 1 quart plastic bag. When you pack dry versions, you don’t need to separate them along with the wet stuff.

Why limit it to 3 ounces?

Somehow, over the past several years, the 3 ounce bottle has become the standard for on flight toiletries. That’s actually way more than you need of many products. Save tiny shampoo bottles from hotels and repurpose these to carry smaller amounts of product. One of my favorite travel hacks in the past couple of years – don’t remember where I saw it first – is using a contact lens container to pack tiny amounts of liquid product. I use the right side for moisturizer and the left side for hair paste.

Not that razors and toothbrushes take up a lot of space, but in the spirit of packing as compactly as possible, I use collapsible travel toothbrushes and this tiny razor which actually uses regular size blades.

Many hotels will provide you with sample sizes of toiletries that you have forgotten to pack, but in my experience the shaving cream product they typically offer is subpar. It works in a pinch, but it’s not a great shave. The look and feel of this stuff suggests that it might actually be hair conditioner. Interestingly enough, many minimalist travel devotees recommend hotel room conditioner as a substitute for shaving cream. Try it, your mileage may vary. 

Something that has always bugged me about tiny containers of shaving foam is that it’s almost impossible to determine how much product is left, so you get a surprise mid shave. I was super optimistic about ultraportable shaving oil – and the prospect that you only need a few drops to get the job done – but in my experience these products gave me a worse shave even than hair conditioner. My favorite solution here is to fill a tiny hotel shampoo bottle with shaving cream from the guys at The Art of Shaving. Even their travel size bottle is way too much for most of my trips, so I save space and weight here by packing just what I’ll need.

If you like to wear cologne, you may have struggled with how to bring your favorite scent along on your travels. A fantastic solution is this tiny (holds about 1/10 of 1 ounce) bullet shaped refillable spray bottle, designed specifically for this purpose. It’s easy to fill, and mine hasn’t leaked in about one year of use.

If you plan to travel from more than one week, especially if you are on the hairy side, you might tuck one of these tiny trimmers into your bag. No sense in letting eyebrows and nose and ear hair get out of control.

Pro Tip:  Put together an ultralight first aid kit in a small Ziploc bag. In addition to any of your regular prescription medication, you might include melatonin or other sleep aid, aspirin or other pain reliever, and something for indigestion. Adhesive bandages and a small amount of antibiotic ointment are also first aid essentials. If you plan to hike upon arrival, a bit of moleskin packs easy and can be blessed relief. In the very unlikely chance that my hiking will leave me stranded, I thought this super tiny water filtration straw, a Mylar blanket, and waterproof matches. Avoid off-the-shelf first aid kit which are often housed in a bulky lasting clamshell type container, may include stuff you don’t need.  Rather, pack the first aid items which are important for your unique activities and travel style.

Get more travel tips and 1-bag packing secrets in my e-book, now available at Amazon!

A minimalist wallet for minimalist travelers

I started using the “as seen on TV” Slim Clip wallet for beach vacations when I only wanted to have a few bills and credit cards in my pocket. My reasoning was that I didn’t want to carry around a dozen supermarket savings cards, piles of receipts, and loyalty punch cards while wearing light summer shorts. 

Then, at some point, I wondered why I would ever want to carry all this junk around with me. Moreover, it was around the same time that a chiropractor friend of mine suggested the big lump in my pants pocket is not good for my long-term back health and comfort. At this point, The Slim Clip is my only wallet, and I don’t miss the weight and heft of my old one.

Get more tips and secrets of 1-bag travel in my e-book - it's available at Amazon for cheap (or for free with Kindle Unlimited!)

The 1-bag traveler in winter

Departing from, or arriving to, a colder destination typically involves packing heavier items. Wear the heaviest boots and coats and bulky caps on board the flight, then remove them and store them in the nooks and crannies in the overhead storage. 

Additionally, there is winter wear which can be packed almost as easily as lighter summer wear.  I almost always pack my onion skin North Face jacket.  It’s super thin, packs down to almost nothing. Toss it in your amazingly tiny Sea to Summit Ultrasil packable day pack (I love mine  - packs down to nothing when you’re not using it but expands to a decent size and super comfy and strong pack for day hikes)  and you’re ready for outdoor temperatures down to the low 40s or so.  My jacket came in a hideous orange.  This North Face jacket appears to be out of production at this time, but something like this Montane featherlight, or this EMS jacket, would likely serve the same purpose.

While an onion skin windbreaker is sufficient preparation for the cooler wind gusts, preparing for really cold outdoor activity requires a bit more hard-core winter gear.  A good waterproof shell like the EMS Helix (packs pretty light can also wear this on the flight) and an incredibly packable down jacket or “sweater” will be sufficient preparation for all but the most extreme outdoor cold activity.

What's your favorite easy-to-pack winter and technical gear?  

Share your tips here, and read more of mine in

"A Guy's Guide to 1-Bag Packing: Minimalist Travel Secrets That Save You Time and Money" at Amazon!

MMA Workout

What are the key principles of 1-bag travel?

A great resource for minimalist travelers is the site One Bag, One World: News, Reviews and Community for Light Travelers.  One post in particular makes it clear that 1-bag travel is not for everyone, and lays the groundwork for traveling light. The authors offer these 7 principles:

1) Pack only those items you really need.

2) Don't pack any of the items you usually bring along “just in case.”

3) Each item you pack should pass this 2-step screening:

• “do I really need this?” and 
• "will I use it enough to justify packing if for the entire trip?”

4) Don't count the days and pack underwear, t-shirts, etc., for that number of days.  Learn the fine art of hotel-room laundry.

5) Pack clothing appropriate for 1-bag travel.  Quick-drying, wrinkle resistant, and easily mixed/matched with other items to create multiple sartorial combos.

6) Pack just enough toiletry items to get started -  then replenish as you travel.

7) Everything you pack should fit in 1 bag small enough to stash in the overhead or the seat in front of you.  And the bag should be wheel-less (read why here!)

“One bag travel is not about the bag. It’s not about the packing list. It’s about the mindset.”

Check out my e-book on the topic, A Guy's Guide to 1-Bag Packing: Minimalist Travel Secrets That Save You Time and Money, now available at Amazon!

photo:  freeimages.com

Elegant? No. Flexible/easy/efficient? Yup.

Just got back from doing a few ADHD workshops around Maryland and Virginia.  Boston to Baltimore, then returned Dulles to Boston.  Outbound flight was a smaller plane with shallow overheads, no way my old rolling bag would have fit.  Saved myself  a few minutes by not waiting at Carousel 3 for luggage. Was able to change my return flight super last minute - not something I could have done if I'd checked luggage.

Guy at one of my workshops did say "Wow, that's a big backpack!"  I explained that it wasn't actually a backpack but was the entirety of my luggage and he did a quick eyebrow-raise and "oh."  

The takeaway:  1-bag packing is not the most sleek or elegant way to travel, but it is the easiest and most efficient, and allows for maximum flexibility.

Why wheeled bags are not recommended for ultralight travel

The super helpful blog OneBag.com was the first place I encountered any resistance whatsoever to the almost-universal acclaim for wheeled luggage.  Wheeled bags are the greatest thing since sliced bread, right?  Saves your shoulder, easy to navigate around busy airports, frees up one hand, great place to stash a computer bag?  How could you argue against all this?  Well this article - combined with my own experience - convinced me.

Here are my favorite 5 arguments against the wheeled bag, paraphrased from this post at OneBag:

• wheeled bags are heavier
• the bulk and configuration of the frame actually takes up room inside the bag
• wheel bags are not collapsible for easy storing or squishing into weird overhead spaces
• awkward on escalators - especially non-functioning escalators, when your only recourse is to pick the wheeled bag up like it's a refrigerator or a recalcitrant 4-year-old child and carry it up/down the stairs. on buses, trams, and other public transportation in many parts of the world
• lots of fragile parts to break - if your own experience, if you've replaced luggage it was probably because the collapsible handle broke

"...Merely adding wheels to a typical bag design increases the weight by 75% and .decreases the carrying capacity by almost half. "

Check out my Guy's Guide to 1-Bag Packing: Minimalist Travel Secrets That Save You Time and Money for more hacks and tips!

photo:  freeimages.com

Hotel room laundry tips for the minimalist traveler

This seems as good an occasion as any to talk about hotel room laundry. The same principles apply for campsite or youth hostel laundry as well. 

Common strategies include washing these items in the bathtub, while you shower, or the more efficient bathroom sink method. I’ve used the bathroom sink method, especially for shorter trips, with great success. I carry along a rubber sink stopper for this purpose; hotel sinks rarely have a tight-fitting stopper.

For longer trips, a more efficient method – it almost rivals machine washing – is the dry sack laundry method. You may be familiar with the heavy dry sacks from a kayaking adventure some years ago. But newer versions of the dry sack, for example the Sea to Summit Ultrasil model (I use the 8 liter model, a medium-size) is a superlight, waterproof, and eminently portable makeshift wash basin.  

With either the sink or dry sack approach, you can use hotel shampoo or – my recommendation – powdered detergent which you’ve prepacked in a Ziploc bag (a quarter cup can last a couple of weeks).  Place a few dirty clothes and a bit of detergent in the dry sack, fill with warm water, seal it off and shake vigorously for a couple of minutes. Drain the water, and then repeat the process once for shampoo and twice for powdered detergent to ensure rinsing. Remove each item from the dry sack, gently wring out excess water, and place the wet clothing on a towel. Roll the towel and squeeze tightly. You can find plenty of YouTube videos in which practitioners of hotel laundry craft which recommend stepping on the towel to further blot excess water; this is my approach as well. 

Using hotel clothes hangers, distribute the damp items around the room, near a vent or window, and allow them to dry overnight. 

Many one-bag aficionados recommend travel clotheslines. I have used a couple of models, and although not essential, I usually carry with me a small latex clothes line (it looks like a string of intertwined rubber bands). I have used it occasionally, for example in hotels with those weird theft proof clothes hangers which are essentially useless for this purpose.

How to handle stains and other accidents? If you typically check luggage, the solution is to have “backup” shirts and pants and even a spare pair of shoes. One-bag packing doesn’t give you that luxury and assurance. More than a few minimalist travelers swear by those stain remover wipes to handle these kinds of surprises. I keep a couple in my own bag – they take up almost no space and have saved me on a couple of occasions as I don’t typically have “backups”.  And along that line, I also toss in a couple of these shoe wipes to keep myself looking presentable.

Get more 1-bag hacks and travel tips in my e-book at Amazon!

A common packing strategy is to count the number of days in their trip, and pack socks and underwear and T-shirts for each day. It’s a reasonable enough strategy, unless you are committed to the minimalist travel lifestyle. For most minimalist travelers, 2 or 3 pair of underwear (and that includes the pair you are wearing on your journey) will suffice. 

I’ve tried several styles and brands.  While ExOfficio briefs are the most common recommendation for one-bag guys (and they are actually quite comfortable and light and quick-drying), I recently stumbled upon the Airism boxer briefs from Uniqlo. In a word, awesome.  In a series of words with periods: These. Are. The. Best. Travel. Underwear. Ever.

Likewise, 2 or 3 T-shirts (ideally, items which can double as undershirts or workout/hiking shirts, like these decent looking ExOfficio quick-dry technical tshirts), 2 pair of technical or merino wool sport socks, and 2 pair of quick-drying dress socks, and that’s it.

You will find this is sufficient clothing to get you through many days of travel (I did this for one month across Australia earlier this year), because you are packing easily washable and quick drying clothing. In most cases, this means you will pack underwear and socks and T-shirts made of technical fibers or silk or merino wool.

Shoes take up an inordinate amount of luggage space, and serious one-bag fanatics will wear one pair and pack another. If at all possible, wear the bulkier pair and pack a light pair of versatile and waterproof athletic type shoe. For several years now, my choice has been the Keen H2  - they pack as light as a pancake, function well in or out of the water, and dry quickly.  Paired with light athletic socks, they work for the gym, including cardio equipment. With heavier short hiking socks, I’ve comfortably hiked miles in these shoes. With dark casual socks, you can get away with pairing them with longer pants for a casual night out. They don’t work for formal occasions, obviously, and are not intended for jogging. And if you are a hiker who needs strong ankle support, these will not be your choice. 

Jeans are really comfortable and, for most of us, a wardrobe staple when we’re not traveling. But they are bulky, heavy, and don’t dry quickly in most climates. Denim alternatives include technical fiber – but remarkably good-looking – alternatives like these Bluff Works trousers.  Rohan offers these fairly typical looking jeans which have an interesting twist – they’re made of a fabric which combines cotton with lighter and quicker drying technical fiber.

Combine one of these trousers with a no-iron oxford shirt (this Brooks Brothers shirt can go for 3 or even 4 days without ironing) and a tie, or with a good-looking but travel friendly microfiber jacket, and you’re presentable and wrinkle free for most work or professional situations. If you decide, however, to travel with jeans you might consider wearing them rather than packing, and choosing jeans which can be paired with a decent shirt and jacket for casual business wear. I’ve done this myself, traveling in these dark colored Banana Republic jeans, switching to something else upon arrival, and then wearing the jeans two to three days in a row with a casual tie and jacket.

Wearing an undershirt goes a long way towards extending the multi-day usefulness of a collared dress shirt. Avoiding white or other light-colored dress shirts gives you the option to choose darker colored undershirts. The value of this is that a dark colored technical fiber V-neck undershirt (like this one from Uniqlo, or a similar ExOfficio shirt) can double for gym wear or for outdoor activity. Just pair them with flash dry shorts, merino or technical fiber athletic socks and your alternate pair of shoes. By pressing the undershirt into extra service, you can get away with packing fewer T-shirts.

What's your favorite travel gear?  Share your tips here, and read more of mine in my "Guy's Guide to 1-Bag Packing: Minimalist Travel Secrets That Save You Time and Money", just published through Amazon Kindle!

What about a good computer bag for 1-bag travel?

Okay, 1-bag travel means just that. 1-bag.  Not 1-bag plus another bag.

One of the great joys of minimalist travel is having both hands free. If you’re packing enough stuff that you’ll need the additional computer bag, it’s too much stuff. You might even be able to get away without the laptop. If there are tasks you can’t manage on your phone or tablet, choose an ultrathin and portable laptop which will fit in your one-bag. And try to select a model which does not require a separate cord or charger, but can be charged with the same cord you are already packing for another device, like your phone.

But if you absolutely positively must bring along additional items which won’t fit in your one-bag, and if you have no shame or pride whatsoever, consider a travel vest.  Scottevest is probably the best-known brand, although I have experimented with a less expensive model by Columbia. The travel vest has multiple zippered pockets, some big enough for small tablets or paperback books, allows for easy access to items you might want during your flight, and is a clever way to remove small but heavy items from your carry-on bag.

Pro Tip:  Women who are minimalist travelers often sing the praises of the travel scarf – versatile for accessorizing an outfit or providing comfort or warmth during the flight. Guys can benefit from a good travel scarf as well. A scarf can serve as a makeshift pillow or blanket during a short flight, and can make you look more sophisticated – or at least European. This latter benefit is worth consideration if you’re wearing one of those dorky travel vests. When I am fully “one-bagged” out - I’m convinced at least in my own head that I look better with the scarf.

Check out my Guy's Guide to 1-Bag Packing: Minimalist Travel Secrets That Save You Time and Money at Amazon.  And share your minimalist travel hacks right here!

Your on-flight wardrobe is part of the 1-bag travel system

Remember that your on-flight travel wardrobe is an important element of the 1-bag travel process. The goal here is to “pack” as much clothing as possible by actually wearing it - but stopping short of looking like a hobo who’s wearing everything he owns.

If I am teaching workshops around Denver and planning to do some snowshoeing afterwards, I will wear my heavy outdoor gear on the flight, and put the lighter items in my carry-on bag. On a trip to Hawaii, I included a raincoat in my gear, and chose to wear the raincoat on the flight in order to save room in the carry-on. I removed the coat and popped it in overhead storage once I was on the plane. 

Most commonly, I find myself headed to a destination where the appropriate casual gear will be something light, so I pack that stuff and wear my sweater and sports jacket onto the flight. Also, wearing a tie on the flight is a pretty good way of keeping it from getting wrinkled. If you decide to pack a tie, one solution is to roll it tightly inside a toilet paper tube and stash that into one of your packing cubes or into some corner of your luggage.

Pro Tip:  Don’t pack two items that serve the same function. For example, if you are packing a raincoat, don’t bring an umbrella along as well.

Get more travel hacks and tips in my e-book, available at Amazon!

My in-flight comfort and entertainment items for easy and efficient 1-bag travel

My in-flight comfort and entertainment items include the following:

• Noise canceling (not just noise reducing) earbuds. I’m sure those big Bose noise canceling headphones are awesome, but I was looking for something much more portable, and the Audio Technica QuietPoint buds did the trick for me.
• External battery for my cell phone. I have a couple of sleepy time playlists which, in combination with noise cancellation ear buds, greatly facilitates airplane naps. When I’m awake on a flight, I’m usually watching a movie on my phone, playing a game on my phone, reading newspapers and blogs or books on my phone’s Kindle app. For flights longer than 3 or 4 hours, it’s good to have backup power.
•  A sleep mask – you can pick these up at a drugstore, or you may have a couple of freebies you picked up from previous cross country or international flights.
• Inflatable neck pillow, so you don’t end up snoozing and drooling on the passenger next to you. These things actually give me a huge pain after an hour or so of use, so I’ve experimented with both the Travelon 1^st Class Sleeper, and the ridiculous looking Travelrest Ultimate Inflatable Travel Pillow .   I like both of these products better than the neck pillow, although both take up a bit more space and both are a bit goofy looking, especially when you’re inflating or deflating them.
•  Collapsible water bottle (like Vapur or Platypus). The half-liter model fits easily into the travel vest. It is my goal to fall asleep as the plane is taking off and to get in a good 15 or 30 minute nap before a long flight. That often means sleeping right through beverage service. In fact when I do sleep through beverage service, I consider it a huge win. I’ll be much more fresh and rested for any reading or work I want to do on the flight, and I’ll feel better upon arriving at my destination. But you want to stay hydrated in-flight, thus this recommendation. Fill the bottle after you go through security and before you board the flight. Oh – and try to book an aisle seat. If you are drinking enough water to stay appropriately hydrated for good travel health, you will probably be using the airplane restroom a couple of times on even medium length flights.
• Trail mix or nuts. Some portable and high-protein snack to get you through a longer flight and provide greater nourishment than airplane pretzels.
• Optional: for overnight flights, a silk sleep sack or lightweight sleeping bag liner provides an alternative to airplane blankets, vaguely simulates the feeling of being in bed, especially when paired with the 1^st Class Sleeper or the Travelrest Pillow.

     And you?  What are your secrets for tolerating coach, getting work done onboard, and enjoying a long flight?  Share your tips here, and get more of mine in my "Guy's Guide to 1-Bag Packing: Minimalist Travel Secrets That Save You Time and Money" at Amazon!

How carry-on only travelers board their flights

As I note in my book "A Guy's Guide to 1-Bag Packing: Minimalist Travel Secrets That Save You Time and Money" I heartily recommend that you try to board early in your boarding zone. If you are not accustomed to doing this, it means you need to be at the gate and listening to the announcements. If you are boarding more than halfway through the process, it is likely that staff will have announced that there is no more overhead space and carry-on luggage is now being checked at the jetway. Make sure your bag is in backpack mode and loaded on your shoulders. As your boarding pass is scanned, square your shoulders with the staff member, smile and offer a courtesy, and keep walking. As you make your way to your seat, scan the overhead space and you’ll almost certainly find room for one of these soft carry-ons. Don’t be shy about rearranging items to reclaim lost space. 

As a last resort, you can almost certainly fit one of the bags I recommend under the seat in front of you. The flight attendants will need to be convinced that the bag is safely out of the way. A darker colored bag – mine is black – is less likely to stand out if it is sticking out a bit.

A true minimalist traveler is able to locate his seat, stash his bag, and move quickly out of the aisle.  It’s helpful, then, to have quick access to anything you’ll need for in-flight comfort and entertainment. Spending a lot of time digging around in your bag for these items goes against the spirit of minimalist travel. 

One solution here is the travel vest (I use the cheaper Columbia model), which you will have preloaded with everything you need for the flight. Stash your bag and take your seat. I’ve used this solution successfully and quite happily, although it has been pointed out to me that I look like a big dork wearing this vest.   In summer, the vest really is too hot to be practical.

My summer solution is the Grid-It organizer, basically a heavy card with interwoven elastic bands which grip cords and cables, bags of trail mix and so forth. Right before you put your bag away in the overhead, whip out the Grid-It and stash it in the seat pocket. 

And lately, the F1 Seat Pack by Flight001 has caught my eye, although I haven’t used it myself. I’d be interested in your experience if you’ve tried this product.

Get more 1-bag travel tips and secrets in my booky wooky, now available at Amazon!

Packing cubes and other in-bag doodads

You have to be careful here, because it goes against the spirit of minimalist travel to start adding a bunch of crap to your luggage. But if you choose packing cubes and sorting bags made of Ultrasil or other super thin fabrics, you can get the benefits of these great organizational tools without adding a lot of weight to your system.

A really simple way to pack is simply toss big items in first, then fit the smaller things around the edges, and just let everything settle in there like a box of rocks. The biggest problem with this approach, however, is the huge headache – upon arriving at your destination – trying to find anything in there.

Here are my favorite in-bag organization solutions:

• I had my doubts about whether I would use them, but I thought I'd give packing cubes a try. And I've found these to be a great system for organizing things inside the bag. These packing cubes, in the medium-size, fit perfectly in the bottom of the Weekender Convertible.
• Within those packing cubes, I further organize electronics within one of these lightweight Ultrasil stuff sacks. On occasion I’ve used quart size zippered plastic bags and those work just as well.
• You can pack shoes in anything really – grocery sacks or those awesome plastic laundry bags from hotels.  A number of blogs recommend hotel shower caps fit snugly around shoes to prevent dirty soles from coming into contact with the inside of your bag. This might work best if you have shoes on the smaller side. But for me, a travel shoe bag has been a trusted companion on dozens of trips, doesn’t tear, keeps sandy shoes separate from clothing, and compresses shoes a bit for easier packing.
• I have used several hanging travel toiletry bags over the years, and there are a number of great ones. When I discovered that Sea to Summit makes an Ultrasil toiletry bag, I jumped on it and haven’t looked back. It’s light, doesn’t have too many goofy zippered compartments, and the small enough that it makes me think twice about how much stuff I’m packing in this category.
• As an alternative to packing cubes, you might consider squishing your stuff with these super practical travel bands, or with a compression sack.

Pro Tip: Pack your bag the night before, and allow your clothing and other items to settle in the suitcase overnight. In the morning, the bag will seem less stuffed. Of course the weight will be the same, but your bag will have a slimmer profile. 

For more 1-bag travel secrets, read my book "A Guy's Guide to 1-Bag Packing: Minimalist Travel Secrets That Save You Time and Money" available at Amazon.  And share your own tips here!