Adventures in Ultralight Packing

December 29, 2008 by Andrew Hyde Posted in Ideas, Thoughts, Travel
Me on the first day of the trip

Me on the first day of the trip

In November I completed a 25 day 13 flight segment, 3 country, 6 state and 36 city trip.

I did it all with one laptop bag.

I first heard you could do this from Bryce at O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures.  He came to TechStars Investor Day last year with one bag, ready for whatever adventure presented itself.  I’ve started doing this, and I won’t go back, ultralight packing is in to stay for me.

Jeremy Tanner wrote a post this morning about Danger.  Read it.  With that in mind, what should you pack has to go down to needs instead of wants.  What do you really need?

Here is what I packed:

I wore a few more items to start the trip, a Patagonia jacket is in the picture.

That is it.  25 days in one small bag.  I never felt underprepared.

In total, my pack was 15 pounds.  I was able to run off the plane, comfortably walk around cities and catch really random experiences because I dabbled in ultralight packing.  If you need something, you can always buy it on the road.

Try it out, you will find that you like it.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Tags: , , , , , , ,



I don't always promote posts I write here, the only way to keep up on the banter is to to subscribe to my super low tech rss feed. I also do a quarterly newsletter, that is a highly non personal and always funny update on projects I am working on and trends I see in the web.



  • So you wash your exterior clothes once every 6 days, or do you continue to reuse? I wonder if all that would fit in my Axio Hybrid XL.
  • andrewhyde
    Yes, washed them every 6 days or so. With NAU and Patagonia, the clothes are made to be worn and last in the backcountry, so you wouldn't have to if it wasn't convenient.
  • Hmm.. and odor isn't an issue. Very intriguing, very cool.
  • Wait... so you only wash your clothes every 6 days?
  • James Bond variation: Dry clean and FedEx your suit(s), shirts, ties, and dress shoes to and from events and impact meetings. Good for trade show circuits and multi-city conferences or closing. Or pay Garde Robe, FlyLite, CarryOn, etc....
  • andrewhyde
    oh la la! Love the idea of FedExing the suit.
  • Great kit! I am currently packing ULTRALIGHT for a trip to Portland with Nau clothes and a laptop bag...

    I've tried the Bose QC headphones and I have found them to be on the bulky side. If you want (far, imho) superior sound quality and noise isolation at a tiny fraction of the weight and bulk, I recommend:

    1.) Shure SE-530 Triple Driver earphones. Holy grail of sound, good isolation.
    2.) Etymotic ER-4p earphones w/ triple flange tips. Very flat, "critical," honest sound - holy grail of noise isolation. Lacking richness in the bass dept.

    Once you hear the SE-530's.. it really hurts to try anything else. You're hooked for life.

    Both only weight ~ an ounce and are small like a pack of gum.
  • andrewhyde
    When I am in the market for a new pair :)
  • Does all this fit comfortably in the Patagonia Lightwire pack?
  • andrewhyde
    It fits! Not much room to spare though.
  • What do you do when weather is colder? An extra jacket and trousers?
  • andrewhyde
    I just brought a nice versatile jacket. You can double up on your pants if you need to as well.
  • And you don't get banged by the airlines for checking bags, which can be $15 to $100, depending on the airline!
  • Brilliant...and so very common sense!
  • How do you fit the Rebel into the pack? Aren't you afraid of banging up the lens?
  • andrewhyde
    I would put the rebel in a pile of clothes on the top of the pack. When zipped up, I find it more protective than any case I could find.
blog comments powered by Disqus