The World Race Packing List – Minimizing

After a long hiatus from blogging about the world race I have decided to share a little more information about my journey that took place three years ago. One of the most popular blog posts for the Race has always been the packing list. I went through many revisions in my packing list needs and wants.

Mentality of Packing

I have been transforming more and more into a minimalist over the past five years. Having a deep-seated desire to only own the things that I need and make me happy, I’ve been slowly purging things from my life that I no longer need and don’t serve any purpose to flourish my life and happiness. A few years ago, while doing research and gathering ideas about minimalism, I heard someone bring up a very important step for minimalism. He said we must understand and always remember that “sentimentality is not happiness.” When I look at something and feel a wrestling within me on whether I should keep it or not, this phrase comes to mind and it usually is the immediate deciding factor whether I keep something or not. “Does this serve a purpose? Does it make me happy? Can I digitize it?”

Planning for the World Race

With this mentality in mind, I started to plan for the World Race. It seems like such an important factor in going on the trip. “I’ll be gone for a year, so what I decide to bring is important. Right?” Well, kinda. Originally, I was all on board for the minimalist setup and bringing what seemed to be the bare-minimum. Yet, as training camp and launch got closer I started to doubt my ability to cope without certain things and doubted those who had gone before me who proved that this trip could be done with very few material things.

So as training camp came I decided that I would pack everything. The tent, hammock, too much clothing, sleeping bag and pad, tarp, day pack, and all the other non-essentials. Granted, my setup allowed me to put everything, including my day pack, into my hiking pack (which was a ridiculous 90L pack.) The month between training camp and launch allowed me to decide on a few things not to bring — like my sleeping bag and a few other items. However, I still filled my 90L pack and it weighed just under the standard 50 pound weight limit for most checked baggage.

First Downsize

Month 3 Debrief | The Philippines
My friend Sarette was the catalyst for my decision to downsize during our month three debrief. She was downsizing and sending some things home — a lot of things in fact. She was downsizing to her 40L daypack and that made me jump on board. (In fact a lot of people jumped on board and got rid of things and swapped things during this transition.) What made it easiest was the fact that all the things we were getting rid of would be going to the people of Tacloban where the typhoon had just hit days earlier.

So I downsized to just my daypack. I had some S-biners and paracord, so I tied some things onto the outside — such as my hammock, shoes, and bible. I dropped my $200+ hiking pack, my $150 boots, my rain jacket, sleeping pad, tent, and a lot of clothes. (some of these things, like the pad and tent, squadmates took.) It was nice to have less and be responsible for less. There was less distraction and I didn’t have to check a bag when going through an airport. Life was a little easier.

The In-Between Stages

There were moments when I wanted things that I had dropped. Like my boots (oh, how I still mourn your loss) (update: I recently acquired a new pair of the same boot) or the comfort of a sleeping pad (Haiti and your cruel tile floors) or the convenience of more clothing (and not washing so often). Yet, everything was fine. My Chacos are still going strong (and were worn in Jordan this summer), I wear about the same amount of clothing or less than when I was on the race, and if I would have just asked for some cardboard in Haiti my sleep would have been much better and less painful.

I continued to pickup different items — like books and clothing. But I also practiced a habit of dropping something if I picked another thing up to keep. I would tend to have more items in-country, where I would buy clothing, a book, or a guitar. However, I would drop some things before moving on to the next country. This made things stay simple and keep me accountable for being more minimal in my packing and material possessions.

Extreme Downsize

Month 9 | Atlanta Layover
We had a 24-hour layover in Atlanta while traveling from Laos to the D.R. This was my chance to really put some minimalism into practice. (Though I failed by my own standards, kinda.) My mom came down from Ohio to visit with me and she brought me a different, much smaller backpack, a smaller bible, and a few other things to make life a little more minimal and fulfilling. I still attached some hammock items and shoes to the outside, but overall I had very few items in my last three months of the race.

The Minimalist Sling Pack

Here is what you have actually been waiting for (or you just scrolled down to get to this part).

5.11 Moab 10 Sling Pack

Clothing

• 2 T-shirts
• Short Sleeve Button Down
• Jeans
• Cargo Shorts
• Swim Trunks
• Athletic Shorts
• 3-pair ExOfficio Boxer Briefs
• Ankle Socks
• Chaco Rex Sandals
• *Merrill Minimalist trail shoes
• Watch

Comfort

• Eno Doublenest Hammock
• Eno Atlas Straps
• Eno Fastfly Tarp
• *Eno Bug Net (never used, don’t recommend)
• *Eno Ridgeline (used for a clothesline, not the intended purpose)

Electronics

• Macbook Air 13″
• Charger
• *iPod Classic
• Cheap Earbuds
• Android Phone (wi-fi only)
• Belkin Travel Surge Protector w/ 2 USB
• *30-pin cable
• Micro-USB cable
• Seagate 1TB ext. HDD
• Bose AE2 headphones

Hygiene

• REI Toiletry Kit Bag – small
• Toothbrush
• Nail Clippers
• Tweezers
• Small Comb
• A few Q-tips
• Deodorant

Misc

• Slim Bible
• Slim Notebook
• Pen/Pencil/Highlighter
• *Folding Knife (that a friend checked in his baggage when we traveled)
• DEET spray

*I will not travel with these items again. They either weren’t used, I didn’t like them, or I’ve replaced them.

Conclusion

One thing that doesn’t make it on the list, because even to this day I still lose it, is a water bottle. I lost both of the original bottles I brought on the Race and a least 3 others that I bought. I always seemed to keep hold of the plastic throwaway kind for the longest, so I stopped buying them. Certain things I just bought in country, like a bar of soap or a small tube of toothpaste, because there was no need to travel with these things that were readily available everywhere.

Overall this was a great experience and the evolution of my own packing and travel preferences. Would it have been better to trust everyone and just go minimal to begin with? I don’t really know. However, I do know that because this transformation of thought came from my own experience it gives me a firm foundation for future traveling and continual evolution of the packing process.

Can everyone pack like a minimalist? In a sense, I think yes. Yet, everyone differs in what makes them happy and helps them to flourish. So the minimum amount of gear that I take might be the maximum for someone, while the maximum I would take might just be the start for someone else. The lesson is basic: challenge yourself. Challenge yourself before you leave to remove some non-essentials and continue doing this each time you travel. It doesn’t have to be dramatic the first time, there just needs to be some sort of uncomfortable action for growth to occur.

Do you have a packing list to share? What’s the most essential thing you pack every time you travel? Let me know below in the comments section. 

Be sure to follow this blog and check out my Facebook page and Website for more information about my past and current ministries. Stay-tuned for another post about my current packing setup and what I packed for my trip to Jordan this summer.