May and I are travelling to Asia for 3 months. We don’t want to carry much, and we definitely don’t want to check any bags. To do this kind of travel requires some practice in minimalism.
Between snowy Hokkaido and muggy Vietnam, our clothing choice will have to cover a wide range of conditions.
I’m also crazy enough to carry a large camera for video.
Everything except the camera gear fits in my Minaal Carry-On 2.0, which is about 35L.
Here’s my (James’) load-out:
Bags
- Main backpack – Minaal Carry-On 2.0 (Black)
- Camera Bag – Peak Design Sling 10L (Black)
- Daypack – Tom Binh Daylight (Black Halcyon)
- Packing Cubes – Eagle Creek Specter
- Dopp Kit – Eagle Creek Specter Toiletry Bag
- Organizer Pouch – Tenba Cable Duo 4
The daypack rolls up into my main bag during travel. The packing cubes compress and save me a ton of space in my bag.
Is it one-bag travel if I have a small daypack and a camera bag? I’m counting it as long as I can carry everything on.
Clothes
- T-Shirt x2 – Outlier Ultrafine Merino (Black / White)
- T-Shirt x2 – Wool & Prince Crew Neck Wool/Nylon (Black / Grey)
- Shirt – Wool & Prince Button Down (Grey)
- Sweater – Mission Workshop Faroe (Black)
- Raincoat – Uniqlo Blocktech Parka (Green)
- Pants – Outlier Slim Dungarees (Black)
- Pants – Outlier Injected Linen Pants (Black)
- Shorts – New Way Shorts (Blue)
- Shorts – Prana (Black)
- Down Vest – Uniqlo Ultra Light (Black)
- Socks x5 – Darn Tough no-show (Black)
- Underwear x5 – ExOfficio Give-N-Go (Black)
- Waffle Linen Travel Towel
Merino wool is amazing for travel but it’s also expensive. I can wear a shirt multiple days without any smell. If you have the budget go for it, but remember that a new wardrobe could be the equivalent of extending your stay for weeks in Southeast Asia.
ExOfficio underwear are just okay. I’d recommend Uniqlo airism for a cheaper option or merino from Wool & Prince (my butt is too big for these).
Shoes
- Sneakers – Nike Free RN Flyknit (Black / White)
- Sandals – Teva Hurricane 4 (Black)
I’m not a fan of big logos but Flyknits are light, breath well, and dry really fast. I’ve stepped in deep puddles and seconds later my feet don’t feel wet. Unfortunately the laces come undone easily; double knots are a must.
The Teva’s are heavy but really comfortable. Great in hot weather.
Camera Gear
- Main Camera – Panasonic Lumix GH5
- Shotgun Microphone – Rode VideoMicro
- Wide Lens – Panasonic Leica 8-18mm f/2.8-4
- Portrait Lens – Panasonic 42.5mm f/1.7
- Telephoto – Panasonic 35-100mm f/4-5.6
- Weird Tripod – Joby Gorillapod 3k
- Action Cam – GoPro Hero 5
- Variable ND Filter – Tiffen
- SD Cards – Sandisk Extreme Pro
- LensPen
- Cleaning Cloths
I want a lighter camera/lens solution for vlogging but haven’t found one I’m happy with yet. The GH5 is overkill as I only shoot 1080p. Check out tiltyflippyscreen for some other options.
Tech
- Laptop – Thinkpad X1 Carbon (5th gen)
- Mouse – Logitech MX Anywhere 2S
- Phone – OnePlus 3T (GunMetal)
- Backup Drive – Samsung T5 1TB
- eReader – Kindle Paperwhite
I need the laptop for video/photo editing, and some light CAD for work. The Samsung backup drive is tiny and very fast but you’ll pay more for it. If I weren’t shooting videos I’d get something cheaper.
Power
- Skinnyplug Travel adapter
- Laptop Charger (Stock Lenovo)
- Anker Portable Battery Pack 13000mAh
- OnePlus Fast Charger
- Camera Batteries and Charger
- USB A to Micro x2
- USB A to C x1
- USB C to C x1
Just enough cables to charge everything I have. Anker battery packs have been really reliable for me, necessary to keep phones and pocket wifis charged on long days.
Toiletries
- Travel Toothbrush
- Wahl Travel Trimmer
- Tweezerman Facial Hair Scissors
- Various medications
Utilities
- Sunglasses – Eyes on Fremont
- Glasses Case
- Hankerchief
- Earplugs
- Zip wallet (I think it’s from Muji?)
- Coin Purse
Documents
- Passport
- Copies of Passport / Visas
- Travel insurance documentation
- Various tickets etc.
Everything but the camera gear fits in the Minaal comfortably, with room for small extras.
I’m almost certain I’m taking too much stuff, and probably forgot to bring some other things.
Update from 1 month in: I haven’t needed to drop or add anything yet. The GoPro hasn’t been used but we also haven’t been swimming at all. I’m planning on buying a few extra pairs of socks.
One-Bag Travel Packing List Resources
People with far more travel experience than me have better one-bagging advice. If you’re interested in packing light, here are some great resources to check out:
- Tynan’s Gear Post – Tynan is constantly travelling
- HerOneBag – Vicky Lai is a location-independent nomad
- James Clear – Minimalist Travel pack-list from an author/photographer
- Jeremiah Rogers – His entire load-out fits in my daypack!
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