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| I stole this photo from my own blog, circa mid 2000s. |
The first time I traveled abroad, I carried two huge suitcases. Granted, I was going to live in France for three months, but looking back, I now know that I did not need a fraction of the things I brought. Oh well; you live and you learn, right?
In early 2024, when I decided to get rid of everything, I made a list of the things that I "can't live without." Obviously these are different for everyone, but my list was actually not as long as I thought it would be. Of course, I then had to whittle everything down from a 1,200 SF house with a backyard and a garage to...just a bike, which I explain a little in this post. When I created this post, I had two funny comments. One was from NGS, who asked me to break down all of the clothing items that I had in my bag, and then after I answered, Jenny piped up to ask me to confirm that I only had one extra outfit aside from my riding outfit. So I decided to break it down even more and go over all of the clothes that I've had in my clothing bag for the last several months.
First let's talk about base layer tops!
From the top, L to R: (1) a tank top I just recently stole from my friend's outgoing Goodwill bag, because I was tired of wearing active tops! It will be going back into the Goodwill back soon. (2) a Smartwool mountain biking shirt, well used! Also I have a story about this!
Bottom row, L to R: (1) I started this trip with just this one salmon Smartwool tank top! (2) Along the way I picked up the green Icebreakers top.
A quick note about these tops; all three (except for the top L) are made from merino wool. This stuff is NOT cheap. However, I got all three on sale and they do live up to the hype in that they (a) don't smell, even after days (weeks?) of wearing them, (b) are lightweight and (c) wick moisture and/or dry easily! This was so nice to be able to rinse them out at the end of the day and have them be dry by morning. The only negative I have found is that the thinner ones don't hold up too well to daily outdoor use, but I will talk more about this at the end of this post! So, I may be a convert...but I still don't know if I can stomach paying full price (around $100+) for a t-shirt.
Now let's talk about jacket layers.
Top row, L to R: (1) Patagonia Houdini windbreaker. I talked about this in last year's gifts for active people post. I love this windbreaker. LOVE IT. It is a great extra layer when needed, or can be worn over a t-shirt to block the sun. (2) Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer. This is so light and warm, but actually have not worn it a lot on this trip (thankfully!!) I often wear it when I am doing laundry, as it is my only clean item!
Bottom row, L to R: (1) Outdoor Research Aspire. Not really the color I would have picked, but this jacket keeps you dry! There is nothing worse than riding or hiking in the rain, and this actually made it bearable! (2) Uniqlo zip up sunscreen hoodie. This is basically my "nice" outfit at the moment! Pair it with black leggings and I am practically ready for prom!
Last but not least, accessories and pants.
Left panel, top to bottom, L to R: all of the accessories! Arm sleeves, cycling gloves, buff, socks, bra, waterproof gloves, neoprene socks, beanie, lightweight gloves. And yes Jenny, I only have one pair of socks and no underwear! :)
Right panel, top to bottom: (1) cycling shorts, (2) capri pants.
What have I used the least? (1) neoprene socks, (2) waterproof gloves, (3) arm sleeves. I am happy about this, as it means that it has not been horribly cold! What have I used the most? I wore the Smartwool mountain biking shirt pretty much every day for about 40 days, then the Icebreaker shirt after that for about two and a half months. Unfortunately, the Smartwool top faded a lot, so I emailed them and they gave me a refund! So now I have a credit to get something else, which I am very glad about, as that shirt is not really fit for going out in public!
And there you have it; that is literally what I need to survive. You can of course find the rest of the list of items I carry here.
If you could only bring an under the seat backpack on a weekend trip, what are your essential items? Do you own any merino wool items?
This post is part of NaBloPoMo. You can find the rest of my posts for this challenge here. You can find the list of participants and their information here. P.S. This is a draft I started in August 2023! Better late than never!
The fun part is that I've seen most of your wardrobe in person! I just need to tell everyone that the green shirt is fabulous. I can confirm that your clothes do not smell.
ReplyDeleteI'm on a trip now that's Thurs to Sunday. My wardrobe is one pair of jeans, three short sleeved shirts, a long sleeved top layer, a puffer jacket, and a t-shirt and leggings for PJs/loafing. That's about as spartan as I can manage, and the key to luggage management is that I'm always wearing the bulkiest piece, which is my jeans. It still doesn't come close to fitting in an under the seat backpack.
Oh, I am so glad that I don't smell (or at least my SHIRT doesn't!). Your packing sounds pretty light! My issue is generally active clothes, as I would probably go for two runs on a four day weekend trip normally, and this means that I need at least one set of running clothes and shoes (oh shoot, I forgot about my shoes in this post!), and probably a running vest or belt, a couple pairs of socks, and a hat. Otherwise I am with you; jeans, a couple of tops, long layer, jacket. You did not mention undergarments, but I find socks can take up some room too! Usually underwear are not too bulky though. Do you use any compression/packing cubes? They really help a lot!
DeleteNeither you nor your clothes smell!
DeleteI have mixed feelings about packing cubes. If I'm taking a suitcase I use them because it's nice to have my undies in one cube and my workout clothes in another. But for these short trips where I'm just taking a backpack, the cubes that I have aren't "backpack" sized so I feel like they take up more space.
I have also seen these outfits in person! I'm so impressed by your minimalism. I'm a minimalist, but next to you look like a shopping fiend.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I wouldn't have any problem packing light for a weekend away. I always need warm layers because I get cold easily. A toothbrush, a pair of yoga pants + a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, a light/thin sweater, I'd wear my coat, + a headband (my ears get cold SO easily). I don't have any merino wool, but my husband only wears Darn Tough socks and those are merino wool. He loves them!
I am similar to you in that I would really only need a pair of jeans, and a few layers for a weekend trip! Re merino, if you ever see it at the thrift store, you should give it a try. I got the tank at a thrift store and it was literally probably 80% off retail and it has been a good buy! I have also heard great things about Darn Tough, but have not ponied up the dough to buy them yet. That is a great Christmas present though, as a $20 gift is not a huge deal!
DeleteYou are amazing, Kyria! I suppose every item you pack just equals more weight for you to carry, so it pays to be choosy and minimalist. I'm not an efficient packer at all and could never fit my stuff in an under seat bag. The last time I traveled, I took a big suitcase and checked it. I had so much room, I even packed a box of cereal! 🤣
ReplyDeleteA box of cereal! Hahaha. What kind? Funny, I actually often carry cereal on my bike with me. Usually it is granola or oatmeal, depending on whether or not I will have fuel to heat water!
DeleteI brought Life cereal. My favorite! It has just the right amount of sweetness and fiber. Medium healthy!
DeleteLife! Is that still around? We used to eat that as a kid! Mikey likes it!
DeleteThis is still not enough for me. Undergarments! Are you just always wearing a sports bra? What do you wear when you want to be cozy - pajamas, etc. I have so many questions.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE my wool dresses, base layers, and socks. My husband has a wool hoodie he loves. In an IDEAL world, all of my dresses/leggings/tunics would be wool. I'm trying to move in that direction, but, as you say, it is expensive and you have to make sure the wool is coming from an non-abused sheep situation.
Darn Tough socks are practically indestructible and they have a warranty, so I think they're worth every penny. The fit is not quite right for me or my husband, so we tend to go with SmartWool, but SW is not as durable and I find they need to be replaced after three or four seasons. I think you'd find Darn Tough socks worth every penny.
Smartwool does tend to be a little less durable it seems, but they also seem to stand behind their brand. I have never had Darn Tough, but have heard great things, and I actually have them on my gift list, as it is a good thing for people to give me if they don't want to spend too much, but be able to know I will use them.
DeleteRe undergarments. No underwear at the moment, but usually I carry one pair and wash it over and over. One sports bra, which I either wear, or don't wear (I don't really NEED to wear one) depending on the day and what is clean, or whether or not I am doing laundry. Cozy = capris and tank top, no bra, or if I am totally alone in a room with a lock, sometimes my birthday suit. Is that TMI? You asked for it.
Oooh I am always here for clothing discussions! I have two comments: yes, I have merino wool long underwear and a turtleneck which I wear while cross-country skiing or snowshoeing, and they make a huge difference. Two: you've really whittled it down, I am IMPRESSED. I am a bit of a clotheshorse and my closet is pretty full.
ReplyDeleteHowever! I packed for three weeks in Italy with one carryon backpack, and I was impressed with MYSELF for going so skinny on clothes. I packed two short sleeved dresses and wore a fleece one on the plane, four tees (two long sleeve, two short), a pair of pants, a sweater, and a pair of jeans. And a lot of underwear and extra socks/ compression stockings so I didn't have to wash them every day. I also took an extra pair of shoes, a raincoat, and a blanket scarf. It was plenty! Although I do like creating outfits every day, this did make things simple!
That is a great packing list, Nicole! It seems like you had a bit of variable weather too, which makes it a little harder. It is so much easier to pack for a trip to Hawaii or Thailand. It's the coats and the extra shoes that make it harder to fit it in one bag! I actually did not buy any merino before this year, even though I could use it for hiking! But now I am keeping my eye out for when they go on sale!
DeleteThis is minimalism on a whole other level. I wouldn't want to do it but it amazes me to see how you pull it off. I do not own any marino wool shirts. I used to have sweaters but wasn't really a fan.
ReplyDeleteOooh, tell me more! I know that there are different blends and mine are probably less than 50% merino, so maybe your sweaters were a higher amount of wool? Did you not like them because they were not comfortable, or did they fall apart easily?
DeleteI have never had to be this minimal but I can pack light. I can fit things for a 3 night work trip in a very tiny carryon that will fit on any airplane including regional jets. But that is still a lot of stuff compared to what you packed for this cross country trip!
ReplyDeleteI had noticed that the pink tank you wore in MN hadn’t been in pictures recently - now I know why!!
If you mean the photos from NS, that is because I was wearing Elisabeth's clothes! I still have the pink one. It is the green one that faded a lot and I got a refund for. However, the pink one I bought at a thrift store and it was already fairly used, but it has held up well! I do have some bike grease on it that won't wash out, but otherwise, it's not too bad!
DeleteEven when I travel abroad, I always use a backpack for carry on, and I can shove that thing in any overhead bin! I don't pack too much, but I do like having the soft sides so I can squish it in just in case!
I am not a light packer and people who can do it always amaze me. I think my main problem is that I don't plan ahead that far. It's getting better though. I do have one merino wool shirt and love it but I feel like it is a bit scratchy. I like knitting socks and they usually last much longer then my regular socks but in California it's too warm for them most of the time I feel.
ReplyDeleteMy aunt used to always knit socks and give them to us, because where I grew up in CA was cold! However, when I moved to the Bay Area I mostly used them for skiing, and not as much for every day use. I felt like the wool she used was always a little scratchy too and sometimes the beanies would make my head itch. The shirts I have are not 100% merino and so they don't seem scratchy to me at all. I wonder if yours is a higher % of wool?
DeleteI've never even heard of merino wool! I guess that makes sense since I live in Florida and we don't really need that, lol.
ReplyDeleteI am not great about packing lightly. I just want to have OPTIONS. What if I bring an outfit but then decide I want to wear something else?! I guess you don't concern yourself with that, haha.
Actually some merino wool is not for keeping warm; the three shirts I have are all ones I wear cycling, and one of them is a tank top. They are really good at wicking sweat away from your skin, keeping you cooler, not getting stinky and drying fast. So they would actually be perfect for Florida!
DeleteRe options, no, I save a lot of time and worry by basically having nothing. Not that I don't sometimes wish I had something else, but it is kind of nice not to have to dwell on it, since there is no point!
I love merino wool items, they are so warm. I got a few when I went to climb kilimanjaro and then never used them again as we keep living in tropical countries.
ReplyDeleteThat is interesting, as I use all of mine in warm climates. There are different weights and mine are all lighter weight ones. I have actually never bought a "warm" merino wool product!
DeleteGetting rid of everything and selling your house (do you have some stuff in storage though?) was probably a good exercise in what you really need to survive. I have heard great (!) things about merino but yeah, it's expensive AF. I don't own any merino pieces (yet).
ReplyDeleteI do have a few mementos, some camping gear and a set of clothes that are not bike clothes in storage. Merino is expensive, but I have found some reasonable prices on ThredUp if I check in enough, and they also do 40-45% off sales pretty often, so I have been able to get pieces for $15-$20 instead of $150!
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