Menu
Menu
A Breakdown of Minimalist Backpacking for a Europe trip in June
A guide to minimalist backpacking
June’s trip is almost upon us, and what to pack is maybe 25% done. Sound familiar? Not to fear – worst case scenario, about 90% of things packed can be purchased upon landing if needed. Don’t sweat it! To step it up a notch, this trip I will be travelling around the Mediterranean for over two weeks with only a backpack. Let’s give minimalist backpacking a shot! Also, I’ll write a follow up post when I return.
The type of backpack chosen is my trusty REI daypack. Let’s consider it a super carry-on for planes. What I mean by this is most backpacks can be labeled as “carry-on” to cut down on fees associated with checking in baggage. However, this bag does it one better since it can be checked-in as a “personal item,” or something that can fit under you airplane seat. If you can squeeze your personal items into one backpack, more power to you! You can cut down on some major transportation costs and use that money elsewhere on your travels. I’d hope this classifies as minimalist backpacking.
IMPORTANT!
As of 2018, some budget European airlines have put tighter restrictions on "personal items." This means even backpacks like this cannot always get on free of charge. However, I've had no problem flying domestically in the USA to date.
A sample breakdown of what to bring
So obviously, this method for minimalist backpacking doesn’t work for every situation, but I wanted to use it as an example if you happen to be someone considering travelling in this fashion. Now, I’m well aware of the nomads out there who are backpack heroes and can likewise get much more mileage out of a setup like this. I’d like to label this as simply minimalist backpacking. It should showcase just how far you can go with it and some of the pros and cons. The picture below can give you a good idea (with expert packing techniques, of course!), how many things can be brought. Here’s a breakdown. And yes, I have packed and re-packed all this and more to guarantee it’s doable.
- 2x Pants
- 2x Shorts (one pair board shorts)
- 4x Shirts
- 1x Hat and Shoes
- 5x Briefs, 5x socks
- 1x Laundry bag + Microfiber towel
- 1x Light waterproof jacket
- Basic Toiletries and misc. accesories
- GoPro and Accessories
- Random stuff I know I’m forgetting…
Minimalist Backpacking is a balancing act!
See, not so bad. Anything I forgot was smaller items. The list above should certainly cover all the big items. This should get you at least a week before potentially doing laundry. Now everything is a balance, so let’s check out some of the pros and cons of minimalist backpacking for this amount of time.
Pros:
- Always have everything with you
- Quicker board and deboard from transportation
- Lighter and more mobile
- Save on transportation costs (definitely on standard airlines)
Cons
- Play the ‘pick and choose what to bring’ game
- Will have to do laundry at some point (playing a dangerous game here)
- Can be difficult to bring back souvenirs (mail is an option!)
Personally, the pros outweigh the cons in most travel situations. Having the increased mobility and saving some cash does the job. Depending on if you have a few budget airline flights, this could be easily around $100 in savings for one trip. Who doesn’t want that? On top of this, I was still able to pack everything needed for a trip where I’ll be both on land and water. In the end, it’s a trade-off between convenience and cost. Shed some baggage, and save a little extra. I encourage anyone to who’s thought about doing a trip with only a backpack to give it a shot. For goodness sake, just don’t forget the laundry detergent packets!
Michael Lakus
IT professional, athlete, musician, ponderer of many things... Born and raised in Florida, I began traveling internationally after college. I created this site primarily to remind myself of where I've been and to share my experiences on traveling with a quirky, stress-free, travel attitude.
All Posts »