Special thanks to Liam Horne for feedback and review. I received no money from and have never even met any of the companies making the stuff I’m shilling here (with the sole exception of Unisocks); this is all just an honest listing of what works for me today.
For the past nine years, I’ve embraced the nomadic life, taking 360 flights and covering over 1.5 million kilometers. Over this extensive travel period, I’ve significantly refined my luggage strategy. I started with a bulky 60-liter shoulder bag plus a separate laptop bag, then transitioned to a 60-liter shoulder bag that could accommodate the laptop bag, and finally, I’ve arrived at the ultimate solution: a 40-liter backpack that neatly holds my laptop bag and all the essentials for my life on the move.
This guide will detail the contents of my Backpack For Travel and share the tips I’ve learned to streamline your travel experience, allowing you to bypass luggage counters forever. While this is my personal system, feel free to adapt it to your needs. Even a hybrid approach, incorporating elements that suit your specific requirements, can significantly improve your travel efficiency.
This guide is rooted in my personal experiences, but remember that many seasoned travelers have shared their wisdom. I highly recommend exploring resources like the /r/onebag subreddit for diverse perspectives and valuable advice on minimalist travel.
The backpack, with the various sub-bags laid out separately. Yes, this all fits in the backpack, and without that much effort to pack and unpack.
My packing philosophy revolves around a bag-in-a-bag system for optimal organization. Inside my 40-liter Hynes Eagle backpack, I utilize smaller bags to compartmentalize my belongings: a T-shirt bag, an underwear bag, a sock bag, a toiletries bag, a dirty-laundry bag, a medicine bag, a laptop bag, and various smaller pouches. This structure ensures everything has its place and remains easily accessible.
Cubic Centimeters: The New Currency of Travel
Think of packing for travel like managing a budget, but instead of dollars, your currency is cubic centimeters (cm3). The goal is to maximize what you can bring while staying within the size constraints of a travel backpack. Like smart financial planning, except perhaps during crypto bull runs, it’s about making careful choices to ensure you have everything you need without excess. While the items I recommend are generally budget-friendly, the primary focus is on minimizing cm3.
This principle drives my choices towards compact and efficient items, such as:
Electric shaver. About 5cm long and 2.5cm wide at the top. No charger or handle is required: it’s USBC pluggable, your phone is the charger and handle. Buy on Amazon here (told you it’s not hard on your dollars!)
And:
Charger for mobile phone and laptop (can charge both at the same time)! About 5x5x2.5 cm. Buy here.
Consider electric toothbrushes, often bulky and space-consuming. However, there are travel-friendly options available. This Philips Sonicare toothbrush is rechargeable via USB-C, compact, and only slightly larger than a manual toothbrush, all for around $30 plus minimal cost for replacement heads. For international travel, a universal adapter is essential. For an even more streamlined solution, the Zendure Passport III combines a universal adapter with a multi-port USB-C charger, allowing you to charge your laptop and multiple devices simultaneously.
The key to maximizing space and minimizing clutter is USB-C compatibility. Strive to choose USB-C compatible devices for everything – laptop, phone, toothbrush, and more. This eliminates the need for multiple chargers and cables, simplifying your travel backpack setup. The increasing prevalence of USB-C in recent years makes this minimalist approach easier than ever.
Embracing Uniqlo for Travel Clothing
Clothing presents a delicate balance between cost, compactness, and presentability. Fortunately, brands like Uniqlo excel at offering clothing that meets these criteria. Currently, about 70% of my clothing is from Uniqlo, making me a self-proclaimed Uniqlo maximalist for travel.
My Uniqlo travel wardrobe includes:
- 8 Uniqlo AIRism crew neck T-shirts: Lightweight, quick-drying, and incredibly packable.
- 8 pairs of Uniqlo underwear: Various styles, prioritizing comfort and compactness.
- 8 pairs of socks: Still searching for the perfect travel socks (more on this below).
- Uniqlo HEATTECH tights: Essential for layering in colder climates.
- Uniqlo HEATTECH sweater: Lightweight warmth without bulk.
- Uniqlo packable jacket: Versatile and easily compressible.
- Uniqlo shorts/swimsuit: Dual-purpose for warmer destinations and swimming.
While other brands offer comparable products, Uniqlo’s accessibility in many regions and consistent quality make it my go-to choice for building a travel backpack wardrobe.
The Sock Conundrum
Socks present a unique challenge in balancing several key features for travel:
- Minimal cm3 footprint
- Ease of wear
- Warmth (when needed)
- Comfort
If you prefer low-cut or ankle socks and primarily travel to warm climates, you’ve found the ideal, space-saving solution. However, my travel needs are more diverse. I visit colder regions, find ankle socks uncomfortable, and require socks suitable for running. Furthermore, Uniqlo’s “one-size-fits-all” socks are not ideal for larger feet like mine – they are difficult to put on, especially after showering, and tend to wear out quickly.
This has led me to explore various sock brands, including CEP and DarnTough. I generally aim for ankle-covering socks, but not excessively high, and I carry one pair of longer socks for snowy environments. Currently, my sock bag is surprisingly large, a testament to the challenge of finding the perfect travel socks and the exceptional packability of Uniqlo’s AIRism T-shirts. Once you find socks you love, buying multiple pairs of the same type simplifies matching and ensures you’re not left with mismatched socks if one gets damaged.
For footwear, limit yourself to a maximum of two pairs: durable shoes for general wear and lightweight alternatives like flip-flops for warmer climates or casual settings.
The Power of Layers
Layering clothing is a mathematically sound strategy for maximizing versatility and minimizing the number of items needed for different temperatures.
| Temperature (°C) | Clothing Layers |
|---|---|
| 20° | |
| 13° | + |
| 7° | + |
| 0° | + + |
The base layer, a T-shirt, remains constant to protect outer layers. By strategically selecting N clothing items with varying warmth levels, ideally in powers of two, you can comfortably adapt to 2^N temperature ranges. For moderate climates, two layers (sweater and jacket) suffice. For broader temperature ranges, consider three layers: a light sweater, a heavier sweater, and a heavy jacket, covering 2^3 = 8 temperature ranges from summer to near-arctic conditions. Note that heavy winter jackets are less packable and may need to be worn during flights.
This layering principle extends to pants as well. I use thin pants with Uniqlo HEATTECH tights. The thin pants are suitable for warm weather, and adding the tights underneath provides warmth in colder climates. The tights also double as pajamas, further maximizing their utility in a travel backpack.
Essential Miscellaneous Items for Nomadic Life
Despite striving for minimalism, some items significantly enhance the nomadic work and lifestyle. A quality portable microphone addresses the common complaint about audio quality in remote work.
My workstation, using the Apogee HypeMIC travel microphone (unfortunately micro-USB, not USBC). A toilet paper roll works great as a stand, but I’ve also found that having a stand is not really necessary and you can just let the microphone lie down beside your laptop.
Laptop stands are crucial for maintaining good posture while working on the go. I recommend two options: the Nexstand, which is lightweight and compact, and the Majextand, which is more robust and attaches directly to the laptop:
Both are excellent choices. Additionally, a 20000 mAh laptop power bank extends battery life and provides flexibility when power outlets are scarce.
My medicine bag contains essential health and safety items:
It includes preventative and health-maintenance medications (like metformin and ashwagandha), vitamins, and COVID-19 defense supplies: a CO2 meter (to assess ventilation and virus risk), masks, antigen tests, and fluvoxamine. The antigen tests were from a Singapore government care package and are exceptionally compact. Both COVID-19 defense and health optimization are rapidly evolving fields, so consult current scientific advice rather than blindly following a static list. Portable air filters and far-UVC (especially 222 nm) lamps are also promising COVID-19 defense options.
While currently not carrying one, a first-aid kit is generally recommended for travel. Numerous compact travel first-aid kits are available, such as this option.
For mobile data, ensure your phone supports eSIM. eSIMs are increasingly common and allow you to purchase local data plans online in most destinations. I use Airalo, but many providers exist. Google Fi is a convenient, albeit sometimes less reliable, alternative.
Embrace Personal Joys Beyond Minimalism
While cm3 minimization is crucial, allow space for items that bring you joy. I carry four less-than-minimalist items that enhance my nomadic life:
| My laptop bag, bought in an outdoor market in Zambia. | Unisocks. |
|---|---|
| Sweatpants for indoor use, that are either fox-themed or Shiba Inu-themed depending on whom you ask. | Gloves (phone-friendly): I bought the left one for $4 in Mong Kok and the right one for $5 in Chinatown, Toronto back in 2016. By coincidence, I lost different ones from each pair, so the remaining two match. I keep them around as a reminder of the time when money was much more scarce for me. |
By optimizing space on necessities, you free up room for items that genuinely enrich your travel experience.
Maintaining Sanity as a Digital Nomad
The nomadic lifestyle can be disorienting for some, with many finding comfort in a “permanent base.” While I personally acclimate quickly to new locations after about 7 days, here are some tips to stay grounded and maintain well-being as a nomad:
- Plan Ahead: Know your upcoming destinations at least a few days in advance, including accommodation upon arrival. This reduces uncertainty and stress.
- Establish Routine: Incorporate daily routines, however simple. Mine includes dark chocolate and decaffeinated green tea each morning (Bigelow green tea decaf 40-packs are ideal for travel). Routine provides a sense of stability. Digital nomads often gain routine from consistent computer use regardless of location.
- Cultivate Community: Go beyond superficial tourism. Connect with locals who share your interests (mine are blockchains). Build friendships in different cities. This offers deeper cultural understanding than typical tourist experiences. Connect with other nomads for shared experiences and support. If “home” isn’t a place, it can be a community of fellow travelers.
- Establish Semi-Regular Bases: Revisit familiar places periodically. Returning to known locations reduces mental load, provides regularity, and offers opportunities to build stronger local connections and even store some belongings.
Compromises for Different Needs
A 40-liter backpack for travel is ideal if manageable. It’s carry-on compliant, holds a week’s essentials, and is conveniently sized. Smaller packs become increasingly restrictive. However, if 40 liters is insufficient, consider these compromises:
Two common alternatives offer increased capacity up to approximately 80 liters while retaining many benefits of backpack travel:
Either option expands your capacity to a respectable 80 liters while preserving many advantages of the 40-liter backpack for travel lifestyle. The backpack-plus-mini-suitcase approach is arguably more common. Ultimately, the best choice depends on your individual needs and priorities.
