24 ms·

My 40-liter backpack travel guide

380 points by ronyfadel 4y ago

reustle 4y ago
Bummer to see that he recommends the Nexstand, which is a blatant copycat product of the Roost https://www.therooststand.com https://www.therooststand.com
- whimsicalism 4y ago
  Nextstand is cheaper, so seems they have copied well :) Glad he recommended the affordable option
  - fortuna86 4y ago
    And they say China isn't capitalist.
diego 4y ago
Nobody needs to travel with 8 pairs of underwear. Take two or three high-quality ones (e.g. Ex Officio) and wash them at night. Also, I have yet to visit a civilized location in the world where you cannot buy a decent disposable razor that's better than the electric shaver he carries around the world. I understand they recycle pretty well too, if you're worried about waste.
- isatty 4y ago
  But why not? Washing every other day takes too much effort. Underwear is small and packs efficiently. I always travel with extra underwear and extra pairs of socks.
  - et-al 4y ago
    Yeah, last thing I look forward to doing while on vacation is washing my own underwear in a bathroom sink. Just bring the extra pairs--they weigh nothing.
    - wnolens 4y ago
      This is not vacationing. It's living out of a bag.
    - InefficientRed 4y ago
      > last thing I look forward to doing while on vacation IDK about nomading, but when dirtbagging you have an excess of time. If the sun is down then your day is done. In the winter especially, having chores to do is welcome reprieve from the cold and boredom. And bathrooms or laundromats are so awesome. Warm and dry and bright.
      - cassianoleal 4y ago
        > And bathrooms or laundromats are so awesome. Warm and dry and bright. In my experience campsite bathrooms tend to be cold and wet. Bright, sure, but not a place I'd like to spend any time more than needed in. :D
        InefficientRed 4y ago
        > campsite bathrooms Gotta find a walmart or especially target. They're saunas :)
        cassianoleal 4y ago
        lol ok. I'm in Europe though, and most of the time when I'm camping there are no big stores nearby. :)
- reidjs 4y ago
  I disagree, I can never get them to feel quite clean enough from the sink, so if I’m away a week, I prefer a new pair every day. Quality of life preferences!
  - the_third_wave 4y ago
    I'm tempted to ask what you do with your underwear that makes it so soiled that a hand wash does not get them clean enough but I won't. I'll just state that even a simple rinse tends to be sufficient to get it fresh enough for another day. Hang it on your tent and it'll be dry the next morning - unless it is stolen by a cow or horse, both of which have happened to me. Pitch your tent in the evening on some mountain, wake up the next morning by the sounds of a horse stealing your clothes, the joys of camping in the wild.
    - InefficientRed 4y ago
      > I'm tempted to ask what you do with your underwear that makes it so soiled that a hand wash does not get them clean enough but I won't. There exist non-dudes, and getting caught without a tampon/pad is a thing that can happen for any number of reasons. A hand wash with unlimited water will probably get the job done, but unlimited water is often a luxury.
      - the_third_wave 4y ago
        A bit of soap works, doesn't it? I'll spare you the details on how a somewhat over-aged sausage leads to colourful underwear but a soap block and some water do wonders even in that case.
      - angrais 4y ago
        While true, OP is a man, so it does also leave me wondering _why_ his undies are in such a state after a days use?
- hnhg 4y ago
  Very little gets recycled, in reality. It mostly goes to landfill - e.g. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/21/us-plastic-recycling-landfills https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/21/us-plastic-r...
  - picture 4y ago
    Landfills are a very effective solution for disposing of stuff when they can't otherwise be economically reused or recycled. As long as food waste stays out, landfills are quite inert. They should have clay lining to prevent waste seeping into the ecosystem.
  - maxerickson 4y ago
    Please be more specific if you are going to spread that may-may. It's non bottle plastic that ends up in landfills. Paper, cardboard, metal, #1 plastic bottles and #2 plastic bottles all recycle well.
    - hnhg 4y ago
      I'll try on my side below but that goes both ways - where are your figures coming from, and for which country/geography? You also seem to have switched the topic from how much gets recycled to what can be recycled well. This says that the vast majority of plastic globally is not recycled: https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution Recycling rate for paper is much, much better, granted, in many countries: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/recycling-rates-paper-and-cardboard?tab=chart&country=~ESP https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/recycling-rates-paper-and... The recycling of metals depends on which metal, of course. In general, IMO there is far too much depressing reading like this - 'An estimated 70–80% of the MSW generated in Africa is recyclable, yet only 4% of MSW is currently recycled': https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/30975/Africa_WMO_Poster.pdf https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/30975/... I can't find any figures that say recycling is a success story across the world, or even economically viable and sustainable across most popular types of waste.
  - bromuro 4y ago
- Markoff 4y ago
  I mean why not go commando unless you travel in cold climate. And yeah, that electric shaver he is packing is next to useless, I'd understand packing decent mini shaver, but that thing can't shave anything.
vidanay 4y ago
Why an electric toothbrush and electric shaver? Both of those have well established and functional antecedents that are both smaller and lighter.
- whimsicalism 4y ago
  You can't trim with the functional antecedent.
  - vidanay 4y ago
    Trim what? Do you mean maintaining a 2mm fashion length beard? (You can't trim with the pictured shaver either - it's only for smooth shaving)
    - whimsicalism 4y ago
      I'll admit I hadn't clicked on the article. I don't know what you mean by "fashion length" - as opposed to the fashion length of 0mm? or am I missing a term of art?
      - vidanay 4y ago
        I was trying to figure out what you mean by trimming. On one end of the spectrum is smooth shaved. On the other end is completely un-managed. Somewhere in the middle is where "trimming" would come into play.
- dubswithus 4y ago
  I find an electric toothbrush is much better for busting plaque. I have a Goby.
  - sorokod 4y ago
    so sorry to hear that...
    - 4y ago
xxxtentacijs 4y ago
Vitalik flies commercial?
bertil 4y ago
I’m impressed at how many people coalesce to the same suggestions to save space: simple clothes, layers, etc. However, I’m surprised at how casually he mentionned how much he has travelled, by flight almost exclusively. I’m assuming from the lack of other plug than Type A, he stayed in America where trains are not a great option — but still. I’d expect that to come with some comment about carbon footprint. Am I out of sync with the times?
- bergenty 4y ago
  I only take long distance trains for fun. Flying is way more convenient at all other times. Show up 45 minutes before the domestic flight and get there at least 5 times faster.
  - alejoar 4y ago
    Maybe in the US. In Europe high speed train tends to be more convenient. I live in Madrid and I can travel to any major city in the country by train in less than 3 hours. I don't have to show up early. I depart from the city centre. I arrive at the city centre. 500% more convenient and (mostly) cheaper.
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
    - bergenty 4y ago
      Yeah Europe is a small place compared to the US.
      - genera1 4y ago
        Europe has more both land area and population than the US, in what way is it "a small place compared to the US"?
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
- 4y ago
hrdwdmrbl 4y ago
I use grams instead of cm^3 but otherwise I agree. I just don't want to carry heavy things! I will recommend 1 specific thing that is rarely mentioned which is soap slices, sometimes known as camping soap. They're super portable, light and small. They are perfect for situations while traveling where you just need a little hand wash. It happens more often than you'd think.
throwaway1777 4y ago
Looks like the eth price collapse has vitalik living on the cheap /s
- titanomachy 4y ago
  Yeah that's some real minimalism. I wonder if he's the only billionaire in the world who lives full-time out of a backpack.
  - latchkey 4y ago
    SBF is probably not as minimalist, but he has a similar belief system. I wish more of crypto would adopt that and drop the lambo culture.
  - paulpauper 4y ago
    he probably never was a billionaire . He's lost so much over the past 4 months I don't think he's that rich anymore. i think he also is borrowing against his eth too. He put the eth up as collateral and spends against it without having to sell it.
  - maxerickson 4y ago
    He lives out of a bank account.
- coolspot 4y ago
  His dad is living like a king of Canada though.
  - Scoundreller 4y ago
    czar
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
dubswithus 4y ago
I'm considering adding a second piece of luggage to carry kitchen hardware, electronics, and an air quality sensor. Minimalism is seriously a waste of time. I also only stay in places with washer/dryer and do laundry every day because of running. I'm not going to hang disgusting sweaty clothes. I still have a lot of shirts, shorts, and extra socks because I like to change during the day as well.
- ravenstine 4y ago
  > Minimalism is seriously a waste of time. Depends on what a person values out of their travel. I totally get why people bring lots of things with them during travel. I personally like being nimble and not having to pay extra for a checked back for air travel. Lugging around heavy bags really annoys me. If I'm playing my travel by ear, sticking to one light bag keeps things stress free. Minimalism is certainly not a waste of time in my case. It can be a waste of time if someone gets comfort, pleasure, or utility out of bringing things like kitchen hardware. > I also only stay in places with washer/dryer and do laundry every day because of running. Often times I don't know where exactly I'll end up, in which case I can't count on a washer and dryer. That's just my preference, and presumably that of others. It sounds like you're making the smart choice by traveling in a way that fits your lifestyle. > I'm not going to hang disgusting sweaty clothes. Yeah I agree. I don't rewear anything that's unwashed except for a pair of jeans.
  - dubswithus 4y ago
    Will agree with you on the jeans. Rarely ever wash them to maintain the color. Another advantage is that they still have that factory denim smell. And if I do wash them I use woolite darks and flip them inside out.
    - ghaff 4y ago
      Personally, I don't wear jeans much and they're the last thing I'd bring for lightweight travel. There are lots of synthetic trousers that are super lightweight and easy to rinse out quickly.
Syzygies 4y ago
I've spend months at a time, e.g. Sicilian island hopping, with less than this. For me the critical issue, which drives all clothing choices, is being able to independently do laundry. That is easier in frequent small batches; I can't imagine traveling with eight T-shirts! After washing clothes, layer them in a large wringable synthetic pack towel, roll, and twist. Then they can be hung without dripping, and will dry in a fraction of the time. Wring out the towel and repeat. Or, if one has just arrived at a hotel with towels for four, get busy before they clear three of them in the morning. One needs an ample supply of travel-scaled clothesline and clothespin equivalents. I last traveled with tiny Nite Ize Gear Ties, and a few larger ties with loops for securing the clothesline ends. Be thoughtful about attachment points; foreign construction quality can often be surprising. I can't praise highly enough merino wool T-shirts, even in the hottest weather. I found mine on closeout; they can be expensive. The Aranet4 CO2 meter is an interesting pandemic choice. I own one for monitoring my classroom assignments; they're very well made.
- dubswithus 4y ago
  I love merino wool shirts -- even dress shirts like those by Wool and Prince. But the dress shirts I only dry clean and the t-shirts I have some special things I do to keep them in good shape. I just wear athletic gear most of the time because I'm in a hot climate and sweat through everything immediately. It's just not worth it for me at this point. I really like having a fancy side-loading washing machine because I can run long cycles and use strong detergents that definitely ensure the shirt doesn't smell the next time I wear it. Ideally Persil but sometimes that isn't available. Top loaders have destroyed clothes many times.
  - ghaff 4y ago
    >But the dress shirts I only dry clean Yeah, I bought one and it didn't really hold up very well. Having to dry clean sort of defeats the purpose of having a travel shirt. In general, I really like merino wool but it's expensive and fairly fragile even if I avoid putting it in a dryer.
    - 4y ago
anuvrat1 4y ago
I found decathlon, quality winter wear for the price. Why is he taking Ashwagandha, does it have any verified health benefits?
- koshergweilo 4y ago
  A quick Wikipedia search points to no
  - legionof7 4y ago
    There's some pretty good evidence for it. https://examine.com/supplements/ashwagandha/ https://examine.com/supplements/ashwagandha/
- dubswithus 4y ago
  When someone has vitamins (or extracts or whatever) I never assume they know what they are doing.
  - puranjay 4y ago
    if the placebo effect works, why not?
    - dubswithus 4y ago
      Read this book and find out why: https://www.amazon.com/Trick-Treatment-Undeniable-Alternative-Medicine/dp/0393337782/ https://www.amazon.com/Trick-Treatment-Undeniable-Alternativ... One of their examples was homeopaths telling patients not to get vaccinated.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
kosyblysk666 4y ago
InefficientRed 4y ago
This is interesting because I tend to think of packing as a dirtbag thing rather than a nomad thing... when I'm hotel hopping for extended periods I just bring normal luggage. Maybe I should start bringing my backpack instead. My first impression is that this is a LOT of clothes and the electric stuff is a bit weird. A few differences between dirtbag and nomad (the latter AFAICT is mostly hotel/airbnb hopping?): First, you think a lot about food and water. Especially water, and especially sans car. It's VERY heavy and very necessary. Second, my emergency pack is almost completely different. No vitamin shoppe merch. An ACE bandage, 8 aspirin per day from civ, 1 dose of imodium per day from civ, gauze, anti-bacterial cream, tape, suture kit, and one dose of a more powerful pain killer for serious emergencies if you can get it. No rapid tests (travel usually required a PCR anyways), but a couple KN95s. Cash in both USD (clean, unfolded, new bills) and the local currency. Maps. Third, weight really matters. Fourth, cleanliness really matters. You're essentially homeless. Diners and cafes kick out homeless people if you try to stay 9-5. In addition to organizing my life around being clean, I also had a whole separate emergency "Not A Dirtbag For A Day" kit. I guess the other big difference is that all of my day-to-day stuff fit in roughly 15L so that I could carry 5L water and my gear could consume the other 20L.
- chrisseaton 4y ago
  > I tend to think of packing as a dirtbag thing You think it's dirty to pack things for a trip?
  - pluc 4y ago
    get a suitcase you bum! (/s)
  - tkuraku 4y ago
    Pretty sure they are referring to camping outside with a sleeping bag in the dirt -> dirtbag.
    - chrisseaton 4y ago
      Still don't get it - only people who sleep outside need to pack for a trip?
unnouinceput 4y ago
- wing-_-nuts 4y ago
  What does age have to do with anything here, other than older folks probably needing to pack a prescription med or two?
- ghaff 4y ago
  I am somewhere in the vicinity of 2x 30 and, while many of my specific packing choices differ, this is conceptually how I pack for most of my travel for multiple weeks at a time when I'm not simply driving from my home. I check luggage only when I have to.
cammikebrown 4y ago
Ever since I spent a month in Europe with just my North Face Borealis (28 liters) I’ve never checked a bag again. It’s a lot easier to get around without big bulky pieces of luggage.
Nergg 4y ago
Is it some airpod on the microphone picture ("My miscellaneous stuff") ? Wouldn't be my first choice to maximize usbc usage.
mupuff1234 4y ago
Packing cubes + rolling instead of folding is a great space saver.
wooque 4y ago
Font is so big I can barely read it
- bowsamic 4y ago
  What computer are you using where 16px sans serif is "so big"?
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
splonk 4y ago
I do a considerable amount of long term travel carrying about half of this, but it all depends on what you're trying to optimize for. My personal design goal is that my bag fits under airline seats, so I never have to worry about gate checking a bag and risking lost luggage. The main tradeoff is that I do a lot of laundry in sinks - you really learn the effectiveness of detergent when you see the color of the water coming off some clothes you thought were pretty clean. These days I'm a bit lazier and try to end up somewhere with a washing machine every week or two to break up the hand washing chore. I've done the towel wringing trick but it's not all that necessary with my clothes unless I'm in a damp environment and am short on time. The two things that I mostly agree with - eSIM is a massive improvement (I also use Airalo), and I've also tried to standardize on USB-C (except for my headphones, where I haven't found a good replacement). /r/onebag does have some good product recommendations but is somewhat skewed to young backpackers. I would encourage everyone to ignore anyone telling them they're "doing it wrong" when traveling. You know yourself, make your own decisions. Personally, making an effort to meet digital nomads all around the world sounds like hell on earth to me. Also, it's wasted effort. Trust me, they'll find you and tell you all about themselves.
- hyperhopper 4y ago
  > except for my headphones, where I haven't found a good replacement What issue have you found here? On a weekly basis I use IEMs (Sennheiser IE80) which don't need external power, and Jabra elite active series earbuds which are usb-c. Most options I'm aware of are one of these two categories.
  - splonk 4y ago
    My headphone quality requirements are slim to nonexistent since I mostly only use them on planes and trains to listen to music and block out noise, but my form factor requirements are pretty strict. I currently use Anker Soundbud Slims. I like the wired necklace and the magnets on the earpieces that allow the necklace to be sort of completed, although they're very weak. I pull out one earbud pretty often when I need to hear something, so the necklace lets me just drop it instead of having to faff about with storage. I guarantee I would lose individual detached earbuds pretty quickly. I don't use them for videoconferences, so I don't need a microphone. When I did my USB-C unification the closest equivalents tended to have solid plastic necklaces for more structure and mic mounts (looks like one of your recs has this?), but I store my headphones crumpled up in a tiny pocket. This was a year or two ago so maybe there are better options now, but at the moment my headphones just have a permanent adapter attached to them.
dabedee 4y ago
I wonder if the author has ever calculated how much metric tons of CO2 were produced as an externality of his nomadic lifestyle.
- ksdnjweusdnkl21 4y ago
  Probably a lot less than the blockchains he helped develop and advocated for
keyme 4y ago
Always fun to see that someone that ridiculously rich still lives just like the next dirtbag (me).
olalonde 4y ago
It's funny to read this knowing the author is a billionaire (or maybe a little under with the recent crypto crash). I guess he is HODLin'.
- marginalia_nu 4y ago
  Well he's a hypothetical billionaire. Problem with holding lots of crypto is that you can't really liquidate your crypto without tanking the economy. That's the point of all the crypto grifts going around, to get people to buy into crypto so the whales can exit.
  - olalonde 4y ago
    That's not true, the crypto market is very liquid nowadays. Around 22 billion dollar volume for Ethereum in the last 24 hours for example and multiple known billion-dollar trades (Tesla, MicroStrategy, etc.). He probably could have liquidated all of his ETH by now if he had wanted to. And definitely enough not to have to live out of a backpack.
    - marginalia_nu 4y ago
      How much of that is wash trading?
      - olalonde 4y ago
        It's difficult to know for sure but even if we pick a ridiculously high number, like 90%, we're still in the multi-billion dollar daily volume range.
break_the_bank 4y ago
I got into one bagging a few months ago after looking at Pieter Levels blog post about it https://levels.io/carry-on-world-travel/ https://levels.io/carry-on-world-travel/ and have been operating from one since the 15th of April. Bought a minaal 3.0 Cary On after going through the r/onebag community. Also bought some more equipment like an anker power core. Have to do a wash cycle weekly. A down jacket hangs off the bag. A laptop, kindle and my phone are the only electronics I have. Works very well but in Europe you have to pay for carry on on a lot of airlines and otherwise you can only have something that fits under the seat in front of you. The minimalism makes life easier. Only one pair of shoes & a pair of flip flops. Depend on the hostel / airbnb to provide a towel. Like Vitalik I have a weeks worth of clothes in the bag and one me.
- dubswithus 4y ago
  I hope airlines ban carry on. When we land I would like to get off sometime in the next month or so.
  - techsupporter 4y ago
    No problem, as long as we can go back to checking two bags at no additional fee on the fare and airlines agree to be responsible for ensuring that the bags arrive on the carousel in the same condition they were given to the desk agent. I'm a bit older than the usual HN person, I imagine, and I remember flying before airlines decided that checked luggage was a profit center. Most people only carried on a briefcase or a camera bag, or a small day bag usually with supplies for their children. Everything else went into the hold. Of course, even in the 80s we had the Samsonite ad with the gorilla acting as baggage handler.
    - captn3m0 4y ago
      It was a American Touristet ad, and Samsonite claimed later that most users associated it with them instead.
brocket 4y ago
I'm confused by the laptop setup picture. Does he type on the laptop while it's on the stand? Not ergonomic for me, my hands would get tired too fast and that angle would trigger carpal tunnel. Is there an external keyboard everywhere he travels that's not mentioned? Or is he standing? Doesn't look like it based on picture.
- edanm 4y ago
  Some people I believe type on the stand. I sometimes (rarely) do that when using my Nexstand. But most of the time I agree with you, an external keyboard is a must to make this ergonomic for me personally.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
eimrine 4y ago
This is the most differ guide I have ever seen from the mine one, because of the crucial difference in lifestyles. The most underappreciated advice from my PoV is to use warm tights, but I do not see any pros of using men tights with open feet over using women ones.
ruffrey 4y ago
A trick from us dirtbag ultralight backpackers - weigh everything with a kitchen scale and track in lighterpack.com
- almog 4y ago
  Nice to see these world collide here on HN! Hope you don't mind me sharing the truly dirtiest trick of them all: when you realize you didn't hit that sub 10 lbs base weight, start marking them items as worn weight. What, surely that soaking jar can make a fine hat! Seriously though, 40 liter backpack is palatial for front-country travel once I'm in the mindset of taking only the minimum necessary items and taking advantage of multiple use items.
  - ruffrey 4y ago
    Now that’s funny, hiding it in worn weight. You mention multiple use - that’s huge too. Shaving grams everywhere can add up to half a pound if you’re newer. Choosing the lightest of multiple options (lightest base layers, lighter cup, lighter pot) adds up to savings.
kkleindev 4y ago
For a reason I haven't been able to distill I really appreciate it when people known for one facet of their personality (here: being a big shot in crypto) have the courage to be open about other, much less impressive facets (here: writing about mundane practicalities) of their lives as well.
- smallpipe 4y ago
  Ah that explains why he seems absolutely insufferable
  - bowsamic 4y ago
    If you find Vitalik insufferable, who do you like?
    - pcmoney 4y ago
      He is so sufferable that when I disagree with him I feel sad.
birdyrooster 4y ago
Check out the Mystery Ranch Terraframe 50L. It's a fantastic pack that lets you access to any part of the bag without worrying the order in which you load items into it.
amelius 4y ago
I don't need the microphone. How do I optimize the space that is available now?
- egypturnash 4y ago
  condoms a whole lot of condoms
bowsamic 4y ago
I'm most interested to know how he handles accommodation as a nomad. I would guess that he has enough money that AirBnB a lot of the year is not a huge problem
- dubswithus 4y ago
  I pretty much stay in Airbnb's all year long. You don't have to be a billionaire to do it.
  - fuzzzerd 4y ago
    I'd be interested to learn a bit about how that works for you, what part of the wlrld you do it in, and what you spend roughly on it per year.
    - dubswithus 4y ago
      I've done Europe and LATAM. Currently in Ecuador spending $2,000/mo. But I have spent significantly less. Nicer places and amenities make it feel like real life and not just something you're doing for a few months. It's better for mood. I have spent a lot less on Airbnb's in the past. If I like the place enough then I pay directly with a wire transfer and go month to month. And I attempt to negotiate.
      - bowsamic 4y ago
        For reference that is about 3 or 4 times the average rent for an furnished studio apartment in an expensive area according to https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/country/ecuador https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/country/ecuador
chx 4y ago
Laptop stand: u-top. Backpack: Greenroom136 Rainmaker. Especially in VX42 it's just unbeatable. Light, durable, rectilinear, excellent organization, customization above and beyond -- they will even do things not on the website. Charger: Excitrus 65W. If 65W is not enough, Aukey PA-B5 100W. Forget multiport chargers, they suck. Charge the laptop, charge everything else off the laptop.
dukeofdoom 4y ago
I bought the costco black backpack with swiss logo, like 15 years ago. It was under $40, and probably some of the best money I spent. Took it on numerous trips, hiking, got it wet and filled it to the brim with stuff. It still functions perfectly. No rips or tears. The zippers have a haze on them now, but considering the years of use it's kind of great. It has a laptop compartment. They still sell it. So might be a great option for someone.
dabeeeenster 4y ago
"I have lived as a nomad for the last nine years, taking 360 flights travelling over 1.5 million kilometers (assuming flight paths are straight, ignoring layovers) during that time." I guess he really doesn't give a shit about the environment
- INTPenis 4y ago
  Don't put that blame on the consumer. The fact that we fan fly from Stockholm to Riga for 50 euro isn't right. The fact that the EU subsidizes airplane fuel isn't right, the fact that Sweden and many other governments have until recently given millions to airlines isn't right. The consumer simply saw cheap flights and did what they do best. The root of the issue is elsewhere.
  - sooheon 4y ago
    The political machine that handed out those subsidies also responded to the incentives set in front of them. The lobbyists and entrenched interests also were acting naturally in accordance to their incentives. By this logic, everyone can always pass the buck.
    - INTPenis 4y ago
      I'm not passing the buck, I was implying what should be obvious. The blame rests solely with the politicians.
      - sooheon 4y ago
        > The blame rests solely with the politicians This is scapegoating. Who put them in power? > The consumer simply saw cheap flights and did what they do best. The politicians saw lobbyist money and did what they do best. The lobbyists got paid to do what they do best. The special interest groups saw a gameable system and did what they do best. The consumers feed the industries that buy out the politicians. Everyone plays a part and everyone is partly to blame.
- 4y ago
caymanjim 4y ago
I've backpack-traveled extensively. I think I'm pretty good at minimizing my gear. My limiting factor is clothes. I'm a big guy, and my clothes and footwear take up easily 3x as much space as the author's. Same for sleeping bags and blankets and even towels. Even if I were less fat, I'd still have above-average gear weight and volume. It usually means that I have to pack fewer changes of clothes. Can be a real pain in the ass, and often the difference between a carry-on and a checked bag.
- rory 4y ago
  As a fellow bigfoot, IMO for long backpacking: first pair of footwear on feet. Second pair gets tied to the outside of the backpack. Third pair gets cut.
  - caymanjim 4y ago
    My default is hiking boots, flip-flops, and either sneakers or strap-on Tevas, depending on climate. Wear the boots on the move, and the others are manageable, although sneakers often don't make the cut.
    - rory 4y ago
      For me, splitting the difference between boots and sneakers with hiking shoes or trail runners is usually an acceptable compromise.
DustinBrett 4y ago
Traveling light is an enjoyable feeling, at least for me it was. I traveled around the world for quite a few years on an Osprey Escapist 20L, which I just used last week for travel as it's still my main bag. Those packing cubes are indeed great, as is folding clothes. Packing light comes with the acceptance of doing laundry, otherwise for me at least it was quite easy to do and I much preferred the mobility it gave me. I had started traveling originally with a Osprey Kestrel 38L but slowly whittled down my necessities to 20L's. My travel gear from mostly a decade ago when I went to 50 countries: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dustinbrett/albums/72157626006534017 https://www.flickr.com/photos/dustinbrett/albums/72157626006...
wetpaws 4y ago
/r/onebag will get a stroke from this
gumby 4y ago
I don’t like those “wall wart” chargers nor the “all in one” international adaptors. The biggest problem is that the wall warts frequently don’t make a strong enough connection to the wall so gravity pulls them out (weight/strain added by the cable etc). Plugging that into a huge adaptor like the massive one recommended by the author simply compounds the problem. The second problem is that power points are often inconveniently located behind things and/or high on the wall, and not always where you want to be. So instead I use small standard IEC 60320-C1 (AKA “figure 8”) power cable. I carry a US/JP kind and European kind, plus a couple of tiny adaptors. The good thing is if I don’t have the right adaptor it’s easy to find one of these cables anywhere.
- Pasorrijer 4y ago
  My dream is a simple, one plug extension cable about three feet long with a built in travel adapter.
fleddr 4y ago
For travel shaving I love the Philips OneBlade products. Light weight, works well enough and for a 3 week stay I don't even need to bring a charger. They can be used to shave any hair, should you need that. The only downside I can think of is that the replacement blades are expensive, but regularly heavily discounted.
xeornet 4y ago
I'm 4 months into a 46L bag trip and can see a lot of things I can cut down on. Head home in 2 months to reset and head off again!
ubermonkey 4y ago
>I have lived as a nomad for the last nine years, taking 360 flights travelling over 1.5 million kilometers Good CHRIST what a carbon footprint.
- SapporoChris 4y ago
  https://www.edf.org/travel-footprint-calculator https://www.edf.org/travel-footprint-calculator I ran some numbers and the air travel looks seriously trivial compared to the average USA car driver.
  - dag11 4y ago
    Do note that that calculator uses different units for air travel and car travel. It uses MtCO2e for air and kgCO2e for car travel. When I went to the calculator I saw the same as you, but it turns out that with a few dozen flights a year that's still a few times the carbon (once converted to kg) generated by my electric vehicle (presumably from avg power plant emissions).
    - SapporoChris 4y ago
      You are correct and I thank you for the correction. The grand total miscalculates and mislead me. Also, wow, air travel is stunningly carbon expensive.
  - omniglottal 4y ago
    Given this data point about the average, it would be appropriate to establish, then, whether this individual has an above- or below-average footprint. This individual happens to have an extremely above-average usage of air travel, so it follows reason to not treat their usage as though "average" represents it accurately or could be used as a valid comparative reference.
- el_nahual 4y ago
  Legitimate question: what's the logical term for this argument? Those flights would have happened without Vitalik on them, so the carbon footpring is not really attributable to him. Other situations seem similar (ie, "why should I go vote? my vote doesn't really matter?") they really aren't: yes, I shouldn't throw trash in the park, because if we all did we'd be screwed--but we can't all fly every 2 weeks.
ubermonkey 4y ago
I've been doing all my travel for the last few years in a Cotopaxi backpack ("Allpa"); it's 35L, opens flat for easy packing/organization, has sufficient pockets for tidiness, and excellent external handles for managing it when it's NOT on your back. It's also carryon-legal for even international flights, which is handy. I got mine on deep discount for about half the going price now, but if something happened to mine I wouldn't hesitate to buy a replacement at full price. https://www.cotopaxi.com/products/allpa-35l-travel-pack?variant=39514009665597 https://www.cotopaxi.com/products/allpa-35l-travel-pack?vari...
- dataexporter 4y ago
  Isn't is super expensive even at the deep discount that you mention?
  - ubermonkey 4y ago
    List is $200 now. I paid $100. I don't think of that as expensive for a pack at this level of quality.
julisox 4y ago
Isn't Vitalik a billionaire or at least rich by now? Does he really need to worry about saving money and space?
- frozencell 4y ago
  I'm more curious how he has the time for backpacking.
  - bigDinosaur 4y ago
    It might give him the energy and novelty required to be constantly willing to work.
    - frozencell 4y ago
      I wish my employer gave me $30k socks to feel novelty (https://unisocks.exchange/ https://unisocks.exchange/)
- Havoc 4y ago
  He strikes me as the type of dude that does his own thing regardless of what norms say he should be doing. Probably how he ended up where he is
pcmoney 4y ago
People are missing out on a couple key points: 1. Vitalik is a billionaire and chooses this way to live 2. Vitalik isnt “traveling” but a true nomad without a home. 3. Vitalik is working HARD while being a nomad. This aint no “backpacking in Europe for a year”
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
mark_l_watson 4y ago
I bookmarked this as a reference. I dream of a nomad life, but with a twist: my wife and I would permanently turn our house over to a property manager to keep it rented, each have a backpack kit like Vitaly uses for changing locations, BUT: plan to stay 3 or 4 months in each location and have a few large travel trunks for each of us that we would ship to the next destinations. We are both in our 70s, so staying a long time in each place would be less tiresome and provide more time to make local friends. I prefer renting a furnished house and not staying in hotels. Our house is in a top tourist location so we would get enough rent income to pay for short term rentals wherever we stay. I am trying to talk my wife into this - wish me luck.
- prawn 4y ago
  We have done something very vaguely like this twice, in the sense that we rented out our house for several weeks while travelling. There are always people looking for three month rentals because their house build has been delayed, etc. For us, the money helped cover travel costs. If you're in a popular location, you will likely do far better than we managed. Obviously the logistics for travelling are one thing, but on your side the work you can absolutely start doing now is compartmentalising the personal parts of your house. Have a lockable area (garage, spare room, etc) that you can store personal possessions. Make it so that as many of your things are easy to box up and stash. It will help if the lockable area is somewhere you can naturally use in daily life; e.g., if it's a study, you can have all your papers in there already, electronics, whatever. Have a clear idea of what things you'll leave available for tenants (crockery, staples, in our case kids' toys). In our case, the pack-up process was non-trivial - hundreds of items of clothing, shoes and so on getting boxed up. I think that's deterred my wife from rushing to consider it again. Edit: Looked you up - yep, you're in a great spot. What a dream! House swap?! ;)
- Ayesh 4y ago
  I'd say, go for it! I've been on a similar lifestyle for about 9 years now, and I don't plan on stopping. This may sound counter intuitive, but one thing that worked so well for me is to book a place for a shorter period (like a week), and then look for a place to stay longer. I like to feel the place for myself before making a commitment. It's also easier to negotiate a better deal when you meet the owner face to face. Shipping travel trunks can be annoying most of the time though. Within the same country, it will be cheap and convenient. Across countries, not at all. Even within the Schengen zone, moving a large trunk can get expensive, and unless the place you stay has an elevator, it will be inconvenient as well. Assuming you lived at your current place for a long time, you might get snail mails often. I'd arrange a way to get them scanned and emailed to me if I were you, or get one of those services and gradually change the mailing address there.
walrus01 4y ago
Rather than a backpack these days I'm trying to optimize for the most useful stuff, and clothing that can fit in an item of luggage that will weigh 48.8 lbs on a hanging scale, so I can check it in with most airlines without absurd fees. For business trips, the longest possible length of time I can go without needing to do laundry mid trip is a time saver.
eric4smith 4y ago
After years and years of traveling - if it can’t fit into a really small “school size” backpack I’m leaving it behind. Laundries are everywhere. Toiletries are everywhere. And in a pinch you can do a wash almost anywhere. There is an amazing feeling walking past the people at the baggage carousel waiting for the bags to even come off the plane — while you’re heading outside to grab a taxi. The feeling is palpable when you’re checking in and the attendant asks “where is your luggage” and smiles knowingly when you point your thumb at your shoulders. For travel, minimalism is underrated and most of the stuff we take we usually never use.
- AdrianB1 4y ago
  I did a few motorcycle tours across Europe and laundry was one of the challenges, they are not everywhere. In US it was supposed to be true, until I had to stay a month in a city where all laundries were closed.
thematrixturtle 4y ago
I lived out of a rollaboard suitcase for several years and I dropped both the electric toothbrush and shaver in favor of a simple toothbrush and regular Gillette-style razor. Much smaller and lighter, never needs charging or breaks, trivially replaceable anywhere on the planet when they wear out. Contrary to popular belief, you don't even need shaving cream, just shave 'raw' after a hot shower when your skin is already moistened up.
- caturopath 4y ago
  Mach 3 is an amazing technology (find the dumb razor that works for you), and I don't touch shaving cream. I'll use some soap for some lubrication if I want any. Modern electric toothbrushes actually clean your teeth better. More of a hassle, but with a payoff.
  - thematrixturtle 4y ago
    I haven't had a cavity in 30+ years, so regular toothbrushes seem to work just fine for me. YMMV.
paulpauper 4y ago
To people accusing him of having a huge carbon footprint, it's not like they built the airplane specifically for him. If the plane can hold 200+ passengers, how much does one additional passenger contribute vs. the seat being empty?
- alephnan 4y ago
  They’re just mad he’s a crypto billionaire
gorgoiler 4y ago
Merino wool for everything is another nice tip. It doesn’t build up nearly as much grime as cotton and is very easy to rinse and drip dry. Being dirty is one of my worst fears when I’m on the hoof and merino really solves that problem. I’ve not found merino shorts though. It seems like wool, as a technical fabric at least, is less durable for shorts / pants? Or just less popular? Any recommendations gladly received.
- aluminaient 4y ago
  I can highly recommend Wool & Prince shorts (wearing them now while living out of a backpack). They make pants too. They are a nylon blend, which is much better than other brands i've found because one of the benefits of wool is it is oleophili (doesnt absorb oil) and nylon shares this property. Any other synthetic blend and you lose that property. Their wool shirts are also the only ones i travel with.
crossroadsguy 4y ago
If I’ve a base when I am travelling and have a predictable route then — I’ll carry my cabin carry size Samsonite trolley bag (an ultra light/thin Decathon day back in it) and I’m not keeping anything on back and shoulders, my “very useful so far” Osprey FP 40 be damned. Period. No matter how “life changing” the backpack is it’s no fun on the shoulders and back. I learnt that this works for me. > if…… you're doing it wrong You might want to stop reading or listening at that point in most cases. Besides there’s no one way to backpacking, it takes a long time and hit and trials to know what works for you and also important what options you have in your region. e.g this bag OP mentioned - Hynes Eagle Travel Backpack 40L - gave me shoulder and back pain by just looking at it, but I’m pretty sure it works for OP.
Pakdef 4y ago
"This contains a combination of various life-extension medicines"
iancmceachern 4y ago
My best travel purchase in years has been my silicone butt pad. It makes longer flights so much better.
- fortuna86 4y ago
  Got a link for your favorite model ?
  - iancmceachern 4y ago
    My favorite one is a wondergel, which has since been bought by purple: https://purple.com/seat-cushions https://purple.com/seat-cushions It's pretty heavy but super comfortable. There are also inflatable ones you can get that are way more portable but also way less comfortable
charlie0 4y ago
Just got off a plane. My current setup is a 45 liter backpack with adjustable straps so I can compress it when not using the full capacity + a 25 liter NF backpack, which carries my electronics and also serves as a day pack for long hikes or walks through the city. My 45 liter is max carry on. There's nothing like being able to just exit the plane and not worry about standing by a conveyor belt for 20 minutes waiting for luggage.
anonuser123456 4y ago
I find it interesting that other programmers engage in bizarre levels of almost ritualistic minimalism. I say others because Im 100% guilty. I’ve figured out how to fit my life in a small closet.
- thirtyfivecent 4y ago
  Yeah I can everything i own into a luggage bag and backpack and aim to keep it like this forever
POPOSYS 4y ago
Guy producing a lot of climate destructive code feels proud to fly 1.5 million miles. Something is seriously broken with our civilization and the humans it produces do behave like a very stupid software bug. How can an understanding of fundamental values be so wrong? We need to start educating our children not to be proud of destroying the planet.
- yownie 4y ago
  Are you as critical of other major industries that contribute far higher amounts of CO2 (mining, banking ,entertainment, oil/gas production, fishing/farming)? Otherwise it's hard to take your comments very seriously.
  - POPOSYS 4y ago
    We all now that there are other destructive industries, yes, of course we should talk about these too. But for obvious reasons right here what is it about? It is about blockchains - an industry that has not only extraordinary large energy footprint for what it achieves, but also has a very special property: nobody needs it.
  - TinkersW 4y ago
    Difference being crypto serves no purpose and nobody needs it.
    - omniglottal 4y ago
      People having needs which you don't even know about, yet they can fulfill via transactional exchange, are precisely why it's needed. If your fiat currency cannot buy it, but it can be bought, your currency has a bug likely built in as a "feature". Crypto addresses this class of bugs while your currency provider was established to create them.
Markoff 4y ago
that's way too much clothes, travelled Asia for a year with 28L backpack and still had plenty of space, though without laptop, but even with laptop it would make no difference and I was not really missing anything, at that time it was just camera + charger, phone + charger, clothes, thick guide book, USB hub/card reader and some basic hygiene stuff the guy has too many clothes and unnecessary things (electric shaver/toothbrush, though I'd still have space for these even in my smaller backpack) the thing is to wear the big/thick clothes during transfers if you are limited with size of backpack plus anyway it seems he doesn't really travel in cold climate
sudhirkhanger 4y ago
Those who are nomad or tend to travel a lot, do you stroll or visit places during work day (weekdays for most). Or do your working days look the same as your home base.

380 points by ronyfadel 4y ago

Bummer to see that he recommends the Nexstand, which is a blatant copycat product of the Roost https://www.therooststand.com https://www.therooststand.com

whimsicalism 4y ago
Nextstand is cheaper, so seems they have copied well :) Glad he recommended the affordable option
- fortuna86 4y ago
  And they say China isn't capitalist.

diego 4y ago

Nobody needs to travel with 8 pairs of underwear. Take two or three high-quality ones (e.g. Ex Officio) and wash them at night. Also, I have yet to visit a civilized location in the world where you cannot buy a decent disposable razor that's better than the electric shaver he carries around the world. I understand they recycle pretty well too, if you're worried about waste.

isatty 4y ago
But why not? Washing every other day takes too much effort. Underwear is small and packs efficiently. I always travel with extra underwear and extra pairs of socks.
- et-al 4y ago
  Yeah, last thing I look forward to doing while on vacation is washing my own underwear in a bathroom sink. Just bring the extra pairs--they weigh nothing.
  - wnolens 4y ago
    This is not vacationing. It's living out of a bag.
  - InefficientRed 4y ago
    > last thing I look forward to doing while on vacation IDK about nomading, but when dirtbagging you have an excess of time. If the sun is down then your day is done. In the winter especially, having chores to do is welcome reprieve from the cold and boredom. And bathrooms or laundromats are so awesome. Warm and dry and bright.
    - cassianoleal 4y ago
      > And bathrooms or laundromats are so awesome. Warm and dry and bright. In my experience campsite bathrooms tend to be cold and wet. Bright, sure, but not a place I'd like to spend any time more than needed in. :D
      - InefficientRed 4y ago
        > campsite bathrooms Gotta find a walmart or especially target. They're saunas :)
        cassianoleal 4y ago
        lol ok. I'm in Europe though, and most of the time when I'm camping there are no big stores nearby. :)
reidjs 4y ago
I disagree, I can never get them to feel quite clean enough from the sink, so if I’m away a week, I prefer a new pair every day. Quality of life preferences!
- the_third_wave 4y ago
  I'm tempted to ask what you do with your underwear that makes it so soiled that a hand wash does not get them clean enough but I won't. I'll just state that even a simple rinse tends to be sufficient to get it fresh enough for another day. Hang it on your tent and it'll be dry the next morning - unless it is stolen by a cow or horse, both of which have happened to me. Pitch your tent in the evening on some mountain, wake up the next morning by the sounds of a horse stealing your clothes, the joys of camping in the wild.
  - InefficientRed 4y ago
    > I'm tempted to ask what you do with your underwear that makes it so soiled that a hand wash does not get them clean enough but I won't. There exist non-dudes, and getting caught without a tampon/pad is a thing that can happen for any number of reasons. A hand wash with unlimited water will probably get the job done, but unlimited water is often a luxury.
    - the_third_wave 4y ago
      A bit of soap works, doesn't it? I'll spare you the details on how a somewhat over-aged sausage leads to colourful underwear but a soap block and some water do wonders even in that case.
    - angrais 4y ago
      While true, OP is a man, so it does also leave me wondering _why_ his undies are in such a state after a days use?
hnhg 4y ago
Very little gets recycled, in reality. It mostly goes to landfill - e.g. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/21/us-plastic-recycling-landfills https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/21/us-plastic-r...
- picture 4y ago
  Landfills are a very effective solution for disposing of stuff when they can't otherwise be economically reused or recycled. As long as food waste stays out, landfills are quite inert. They should have clay lining to prevent waste seeping into the ecosystem.
- maxerickson 4y ago
  Please be more specific if you are going to spread that may-may. It's non bottle plastic that ends up in landfills. Paper, cardboard, metal, #1 plastic bottles and #2 plastic bottles all recycle well.
  - hnhg 4y ago
    I'll try on my side below but that goes both ways - where are your figures coming from, and for which country/geography? You also seem to have switched the topic from how much gets recycled to what can be recycled well. This says that the vast majority of plastic globally is not recycled: https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution Recycling rate for paper is much, much better, granted, in many countries: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/recycling-rates-paper-and-cardboard?tab=chart&country=~ESP https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/recycling-rates-paper-and... The recycling of metals depends on which metal, of course. In general, IMO there is far too much depressing reading like this - 'An estimated 70–80% of the MSW generated in Africa is recyclable, yet only 4% of MSW is currently recycled': https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/30975/Africa_WMO_Poster.pdf https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/30975/... I can't find any figures that say recycling is a success story across the world, or even economically viable and sustainable across most popular types of waste.
- bromuro 4y ago
Markoff 4y ago
I mean why not go commando unless you travel in cold climate. And yeah, that electric shaver he is packing is next to useless, I'd understand packing decent mini shaver, but that thing can't shave anything.

vidanay 4y ago

Why an electric toothbrush and electric shaver? Both of those have well established and functional antecedents that are both smaller and lighter.

whimsicalism 4y ago
You can't trim with the functional antecedent.
- vidanay 4y ago
  Trim what? Do you mean maintaining a 2mm fashion length beard? (You can't trim with the pictured shaver either - it's only for smooth shaving)
  - whimsicalism 4y ago
    I'll admit I hadn't clicked on the article. I don't know what you mean by "fashion length" - as opposed to the fashion length of 0mm? or am I missing a term of art?
    - vidanay 4y ago
      I was trying to figure out what you mean by trimming. On one end of the spectrum is smooth shaved. On the other end is completely un-managed. Somewhere in the middle is where "trimming" would come into play.
dubswithus 4y ago
I find an electric toothbrush is much better for busting plaque. I have a Goby.
- sorokod 4y ago
  so sorry to hear that...
  - 4y ago

xxxtentacijs 4y ago

Vitalik flies commercial?

bertil 4y ago

I’m impressed at how many people coalesce to the same suggestions to save space: simple clothes, layers, etc. However, I’m surprised at how casually he mentionned how much he has travelled, by flight almost exclusively. I’m assuming from the lack of other plug than Type A, he stayed in America where trains are not a great option — but still. I’d expect that to come with some comment about carbon footprint. Am I out of sync with the times?

bergenty 4y ago
I only take long distance trains for fun. Flying is way more convenient at all other times. Show up 45 minutes before the domestic flight and get there at least 5 times faster.
- alejoar 4y ago
  Maybe in the US. In Europe high speed train tends to be more convenient. I live in Madrid and I can travel to any major city in the country by train in less than 3 hours. I don't have to show up early. I depart from the city centre. I arrive at the city centre. 500% more convenient and (mostly) cheaper.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - bergenty 4y ago
    Yeah Europe is a small place compared to the US.
    - genera1 4y ago
      Europe has more both land area and population than the US, in what way is it "a small place compared to the US"?
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
4y ago

hrdwdmrbl 4y ago

I use grams instead of cm^3 but otherwise I agree. I just don't want to carry heavy things! I will recommend 1 specific thing that is rarely mentioned which is soap slices, sometimes known as camping soap. They're super portable, light and small. They are perfect for situations while traveling where you just need a little hand wash. It happens more often than you'd think.

throwaway1777 4y ago

Looks like the eth price collapse has vitalik living on the cheap /s

titanomachy 4y ago
Yeah that's some real minimalism. I wonder if he's the only billionaire in the world who lives full-time out of a backpack.
- latchkey 4y ago
  SBF is probably not as minimalist, but he has a similar belief system. I wish more of crypto would adopt that and drop the lambo culture.
- paulpauper 4y ago
  he probably never was a billionaire . He's lost so much over the past 4 months I don't think he's that rich anymore. i think he also is borrowing against his eth too. He put the eth up as collateral and spends against it without having to sell it.
- maxerickson 4y ago
  He lives out of a bank account.
coolspot 4y ago
His dad is living like a king of Canada though.
- Scoundreller 4y ago
  czar
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]

dubswithus 4y ago

I'm considering adding a second piece of luggage to carry kitchen hardware, electronics, and an air quality sensor. Minimalism is seriously a waste of time. I also only stay in places with washer/dryer and do laundry every day because of running. I'm not going to hang disgusting sweaty clothes. I still have a lot of shirts, shorts, and extra socks because I like to change during the day as well.

ravenstine 4y ago
> Minimalism is seriously a waste of time. Depends on what a person values out of their travel. I totally get why people bring lots of things with them during travel. I personally like being nimble and not having to pay extra for a checked back for air travel. Lugging around heavy bags really annoys me. If I'm playing my travel by ear, sticking to one light bag keeps things stress free. Minimalism is certainly not a waste of time in my case. It can be a waste of time if someone gets comfort, pleasure, or utility out of bringing things like kitchen hardware. > I also only stay in places with washer/dryer and do laundry every day because of running. Often times I don't know where exactly I'll end up, in which case I can't count on a washer and dryer. That's just my preference, and presumably that of others. It sounds like you're making the smart choice by traveling in a way that fits your lifestyle. > I'm not going to hang disgusting sweaty clothes. Yeah I agree. I don't rewear anything that's unwashed except for a pair of jeans.
- dubswithus 4y ago
  Will agree with you on the jeans. Rarely ever wash them to maintain the color. Another advantage is that they still have that factory denim smell. And if I do wash them I use woolite darks and flip them inside out.
  - ghaff 4y ago
    Personally, I don't wear jeans much and they're the last thing I'd bring for lightweight travel. There are lots of synthetic trousers that are super lightweight and easy to rinse out quickly.

Syzygies 4y ago

I've spend months at a time, e.g. Sicilian island hopping, with less than this. For me the critical issue, which drives all clothing choices, is being able to independently do laundry. That is easier in frequent small batches; I can't imagine traveling with eight T-shirts! After washing clothes, layer them in a large wringable synthetic pack towel, roll, and twist. Then they can be hung without dripping, and will dry in a fraction of the time. Wring out the towel and repeat. Or, if one has just arrived at a hotel with towels for four, get busy before they clear three of them in the morning. One needs an ample supply of travel-scaled clothesline and clothespin equivalents. I last traveled with tiny Nite Ize Gear Ties, and a few larger ties with loops for securing the clothesline ends. Be thoughtful about attachment points; foreign construction quality can often be surprising. I can't praise highly enough merino wool T-shirts, even in the hottest weather. I found mine on closeout; they can be expensive. The Aranet4 CO2 meter is an interesting pandemic choice. I own one for monitoring my classroom assignments; they're very well made.

dubswithus 4y ago
I love merino wool shirts -- even dress shirts like those by Wool and Prince. But the dress shirts I only dry clean and the t-shirts I have some special things I do to keep them in good shape. I just wear athletic gear most of the time because I'm in a hot climate and sweat through everything immediately. It's just not worth it for me at this point. I really like having a fancy side-loading washing machine because I can run long cycles and use strong detergents that definitely ensure the shirt doesn't smell the next time I wear it. Ideally Persil but sometimes that isn't available. Top loaders have destroyed clothes many times.
- ghaff 4y ago
  >But the dress shirts I only dry clean Yeah, I bought one and it didn't really hold up very well. Having to dry clean sort of defeats the purpose of having a travel shirt. In general, I really like merino wool but it's expensive and fairly fragile even if I avoid putting it in a dryer.
  - 4y ago

anuvrat1 4y ago

I found decathlon, quality winter wear for the price. Why is he taking Ashwagandha, does it have any verified health benefits?

koshergweilo 4y ago
A quick Wikipedia search points to no
- legionof7 4y ago
  There's some pretty good evidence for it. https://examine.com/supplements/ashwagandha/ https://examine.com/supplements/ashwagandha/
dubswithus 4y ago
When someone has vitamins (or extracts or whatever) I never assume they know what they are doing.
- puranjay 4y ago
  if the placebo effect works, why not?
  - dubswithus 4y ago
    Read this book and find out why: https://www.amazon.com/Trick-Treatment-Undeniable-Alternative-Medicine/dp/0393337782/ https://www.amazon.com/Trick-Treatment-Undeniable-Alternativ... One of their examples was homeopaths telling patients not to get vaccinated.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

kosyblysk666 4y ago

InefficientRed 4y ago

This is interesting because I tend to think of packing as a dirtbag thing rather than a nomad thing... when I'm hotel hopping for extended periods I just bring normal luggage. Maybe I should start bringing my backpack instead. My first impression is that this is a LOT of clothes and the electric stuff is a bit weird. A few differences between dirtbag and nomad (the latter AFAICT is mostly hotel/airbnb hopping?): First, you think a lot about food and water. Especially water, and especially sans car. It's VERY heavy and very necessary. Second, my emergency pack is almost completely different. No vitamin shoppe merch. An ACE bandage, 8 aspirin per day from civ, 1 dose of imodium per day from civ, gauze, anti-bacterial cream, tape, suture kit, and one dose of a more powerful pain killer for serious emergencies if you can get it. No rapid tests (travel usually required a PCR anyways), but a couple KN95s. Cash in both USD (clean, unfolded, new bills) and the local currency. Maps. Third, weight really matters. Fourth, cleanliness really matters. You're essentially homeless. Diners and cafes kick out homeless people if you try to stay 9-5. In addition to organizing my life around being clean, I also had a whole separate emergency "Not A Dirtbag For A Day" kit. I guess the other big difference is that all of my day-to-day stuff fit in roughly 15L so that I could carry 5L water and my gear could consume the other 20L.

chrisseaton 4y ago
> I tend to think of packing as a dirtbag thing You think it's dirty to pack things for a trip?
- pluc 4y ago
  get a suitcase you bum! (/s)
- tkuraku 4y ago
  Pretty sure they are referring to camping outside with a sleeping bag in the dirt -> dirtbag.
  - chrisseaton 4y ago
    Still don't get it - only people who sleep outside need to pack for a trip?

unnouinceput 4y ago

wing-_-nuts 4y ago
What does age have to do with anything here, other than older folks probably needing to pack a prescription med or two?
ghaff 4y ago
I am somewhere in the vicinity of 2x 30 and, while many of my specific packing choices differ, this is conceptually how I pack for most of my travel for multiple weeks at a time when I'm not simply driving from my home. I check luggage only when I have to.

cammikebrown 4y ago

Ever since I spent a month in Europe with just my North Face Borealis (28 liters) I’ve never checked a bag again. It’s a lot easier to get around without big bulky pieces of luggage.

Nergg 4y ago

Is it some airpod on the microphone picture ("My miscellaneous stuff") ? Wouldn't be my first choice to maximize usbc usage.

mupuff1234 4y ago

Packing cubes + rolling instead of folding is a great space saver.

wooque 4y ago

Font is so big I can barely read it

bowsamic 4y ago
What computer are you using where 16px sans serif is "so big"?
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

splonk 4y ago

I do a considerable amount of long term travel carrying about half of this, but it all depends on what you're trying to optimize for. My personal design goal is that my bag fits under airline seats, so I never have to worry about gate checking a bag and risking lost luggage. The main tradeoff is that I do a lot of laundry in sinks - you really learn the effectiveness of detergent when you see the color of the water coming off some clothes you thought were pretty clean. These days I'm a bit lazier and try to end up somewhere with a washing machine every week or two to break up the hand washing chore. I've done the towel wringing trick but it's not all that necessary with my clothes unless I'm in a damp environment and am short on time. The two things that I mostly agree with - eSIM is a massive improvement (I also use Airalo), and I've also tried to standardize on USB-C (except for my headphones, where I haven't found a good replacement). /r/onebag does have some good product recommendations but is somewhat skewed to young backpackers. I would encourage everyone to ignore anyone telling them they're "doing it wrong" when traveling. You know yourself, make your own decisions. Personally, making an effort to meet digital nomads all around the world sounds like hell on earth to me. Also, it's wasted effort. Trust me, they'll find you and tell you all about themselves.

hyperhopper 4y ago
> except for my headphones, where I haven't found a good replacement What issue have you found here? On a weekly basis I use IEMs (Sennheiser IE80) which don't need external power, and Jabra elite active series earbuds which are usb-c. Most options I'm aware of are one of these two categories.
- splonk 4y ago
  My headphone quality requirements are slim to nonexistent since I mostly only use them on planes and trains to listen to music and block out noise, but my form factor requirements are pretty strict. I currently use Anker Soundbud Slims. I like the wired necklace and the magnets on the earpieces that allow the necklace to be sort of completed, although they're very weak. I pull out one earbud pretty often when I need to hear something, so the necklace lets me just drop it instead of having to faff about with storage. I guarantee I would lose individual detached earbuds pretty quickly. I don't use them for videoconferences, so I don't need a microphone. When I did my USB-C unification the closest equivalents tended to have solid plastic necklaces for more structure and mic mounts (looks like one of your recs has this?), but I store my headphones crumpled up in a tiny pocket. This was a year or two ago so maybe there are better options now, but at the moment my headphones just have a permanent adapter attached to them.

dabedee 4y ago

I wonder if the author has ever calculated how much metric tons of CO2 were produced as an externality of his nomadic lifestyle.

ksdnjweusdnkl21 4y ago
Probably a lot less than the blockchains he helped develop and advocated for

keyme 4y ago

Always fun to see that someone that ridiculously rich still lives just like the next dirtbag (me).

olalonde 4y ago

It's funny to read this knowing the author is a billionaire (or maybe a little under with the recent crypto crash). I guess he is HODLin'.

marginalia_nu 4y ago
Well he's a hypothetical billionaire. Problem with holding lots of crypto is that you can't really liquidate your crypto without tanking the economy. That's the point of all the crypto grifts going around, to get people to buy into crypto so the whales can exit.
- olalonde 4y ago
  That's not true, the crypto market is very liquid nowadays. Around 22 billion dollar volume for Ethereum in the last 24 hours for example and multiple known billion-dollar trades (Tesla, MicroStrategy, etc.). He probably could have liquidated all of his ETH by now if he had wanted to. And definitely enough not to have to live out of a backpack.
  - marginalia_nu 4y ago
    How much of that is wash trading?
    - olalonde 4y ago
      It's difficult to know for sure but even if we pick a ridiculously high number, like 90%, we're still in the multi-billion dollar daily volume range.

break_the_bank 4y ago

I got into one bagging a few months ago after looking at Pieter Levels blog post about it https://levels.io/carry-on-world-travel/ https://levels.io/carry-on-world-travel/ and have been operating from one since the 15th of April. Bought a minaal 3.0 Cary On after going through the r/onebag community. Also bought some more equipment like an anker power core. Have to do a wash cycle weekly. A down jacket hangs off the bag. A laptop, kindle and my phone are the only electronics I have. Works very well but in Europe you have to pay for carry on on a lot of airlines and otherwise you can only have something that fits under the seat in front of you. The minimalism makes life easier. Only one pair of shoes & a pair of flip flops. Depend on the hostel / airbnb to provide a towel. Like Vitalik I have a weeks worth of clothes in the bag and one me.

dubswithus 4y ago
I hope airlines ban carry on. When we land I would like to get off sometime in the next month or so.
- techsupporter 4y ago
  No problem, as long as we can go back to checking two bags at no additional fee on the fare and airlines agree to be responsible for ensuring that the bags arrive on the carousel in the same condition they were given to the desk agent. I'm a bit older than the usual HN person, I imagine, and I remember flying before airlines decided that checked luggage was a profit center. Most people only carried on a briefcase or a camera bag, or a small day bag usually with supplies for their children. Everything else went into the hold. Of course, even in the 80s we had the Samsonite ad with the gorilla acting as baggage handler.
  - captn3m0 4y ago
    It was a American Touristet ad, and Samsonite claimed later that most users associated it with them instead.

brocket 4y ago

I'm confused by the laptop setup picture. Does he type on the laptop while it's on the stand? Not ergonomic for me, my hands would get tired too fast and that angle would trigger carpal tunnel. Is there an external keyboard everywhere he travels that's not mentioned? Or is he standing? Doesn't look like it based on picture.

edanm 4y ago
Some people I believe type on the stand. I sometimes (rarely) do that when using my Nexstand. But most of the time I agree with you, an external keyboard is a must to make this ergonomic for me personally.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

eimrine 4y ago

This is the most differ guide I have ever seen from the mine one, because of the crucial difference in lifestyles. The most underappreciated advice from my PoV is to use warm tights, but I do not see any pros of using men tights with open feet over using women ones.

ruffrey 4y ago

A trick from us dirtbag ultralight backpackers - weigh everything with a kitchen scale and track in lighterpack.com

almog 4y ago
Nice to see these world collide here on HN! Hope you don't mind me sharing the truly dirtiest trick of them all: when you realize you didn't hit that sub 10 lbs base weight, start marking them items as worn weight. What, surely that soaking jar can make a fine hat! Seriously though, 40 liter backpack is palatial for front-country travel once I'm in the mindset of taking only the minimum necessary items and taking advantage of multiple use items.
- ruffrey 4y ago
  Now that’s funny, hiding it in worn weight. You mention multiple use - that’s huge too. Shaving grams everywhere can add up to half a pound if you’re newer. Choosing the lightest of multiple options (lightest base layers, lighter cup, lighter pot) adds up to savings.

kkleindev 4y ago

For a reason I haven't been able to distill I really appreciate it when people known for one facet of their personality (here: being a big shot in crypto) have the courage to be open about other, much less impressive facets (here: writing about mundane practicalities) of their lives as well.

smallpipe 4y ago
Ah that explains why he seems absolutely insufferable
- bowsamic 4y ago
  If you find Vitalik insufferable, who do you like?
  - pcmoney 4y ago
    He is so sufferable that when I disagree with him I feel sad.

birdyrooster 4y ago

Check out the Mystery Ranch Terraframe 50L. It's a fantastic pack that lets you access to any part of the bag without worrying the order in which you load items into it.

amelius 4y ago

I don't need the microphone. How do I optimize the space that is available now?

egypturnash 4y ago
condoms a whole lot of condoms

bowsamic 4y ago

I'm most interested to know how he handles accommodation as a nomad. I would guess that he has enough money that AirBnB a lot of the year is not a huge problem

dubswithus 4y ago
I pretty much stay in Airbnb's all year long. You don't have to be a billionaire to do it.
- fuzzzerd 4y ago
  I'd be interested to learn a bit about how that works for you, what part of the wlrld you do it in, and what you spend roughly on it per year.
  - dubswithus 4y ago
    I've done Europe and LATAM. Currently in Ecuador spending $2,000/mo. But I have spent significantly less. Nicer places and amenities make it feel like real life and not just something you're doing for a few months. It's better for mood. I have spent a lot less on Airbnb's in the past. If I like the place enough then I pay directly with a wire transfer and go month to month. And I attempt to negotiate.
    - bowsamic 4y ago
      For reference that is about 3 or 4 times the average rent for an furnished studio apartment in an expensive area according to https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/country/ecuador https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/country/ecuador

chx 4y ago

Laptop stand: u-top. Backpack: Greenroom136 Rainmaker. Especially in VX42 it's just unbeatable. Light, durable, rectilinear, excellent organization, customization above and beyond -- they will even do things not on the website. Charger: Excitrus 65W. If 65W is not enough, Aukey PA-B5 100W. Forget multiport chargers, they suck. Charge the laptop, charge everything else off the laptop.

dukeofdoom 4y ago

I bought the costco black backpack with swiss logo, like 15 years ago. It was under $40, and probably some of the best money I spent. Took it on numerous trips, hiking, got it wet and filled it to the brim with stuff. It still functions perfectly. No rips or tears. The zippers have a haze on them now, but considering the years of use it's kind of great. It has a laptop compartment. They still sell it. So might be a great option for someone.

dabeeeenster 4y ago

"I have lived as a nomad for the last nine years, taking 360 flights travelling over 1.5 million kilometers (assuming flight paths are straight, ignoring layovers) during that time." I guess he really doesn't give a shit about the environment

INTPenis 4y ago
Don't put that blame on the consumer. The fact that we fan fly from Stockholm to Riga for 50 euro isn't right. The fact that the EU subsidizes airplane fuel isn't right, the fact that Sweden and many other governments have until recently given millions to airlines isn't right. The consumer simply saw cheap flights and did what they do best. The root of the issue is elsewhere.
- sooheon 4y ago
  The political machine that handed out those subsidies also responded to the incentives set in front of them. The lobbyists and entrenched interests also were acting naturally in accordance to their incentives. By this logic, everyone can always pass the buck.
  - INTPenis 4y ago
    I'm not passing the buck, I was implying what should be obvious. The blame rests solely with the politicians.
    - sooheon 4y ago
      > The blame rests solely with the politicians This is scapegoating. Who put them in power? > The consumer simply saw cheap flights and did what they do best. The politicians saw lobbyist money and did what they do best. The lobbyists got paid to do what they do best. The special interest groups saw a gameable system and did what they do best. The consumers feed the industries that buy out the politicians. Everyone plays a part and everyone is partly to blame.
4y ago

caymanjim 4y ago

I've backpack-traveled extensively. I think I'm pretty good at minimizing my gear. My limiting factor is clothes. I'm a big guy, and my clothes and footwear take up easily 3x as much space as the author's. Same for sleeping bags and blankets and even towels. Even if I were less fat, I'd still have above-average gear weight and volume. It usually means that I have to pack fewer changes of clothes. Can be a real pain in the ass, and often the difference between a carry-on and a checked bag.

rory 4y ago
As a fellow bigfoot, IMO for long backpacking: first pair of footwear on feet. Second pair gets tied to the outside of the backpack. Third pair gets cut.
- caymanjim 4y ago
  My default is hiking boots, flip-flops, and either sneakers or strap-on Tevas, depending on climate. Wear the boots on the move, and the others are manageable, although sneakers often don't make the cut.
  - rory 4y ago
    For me, splitting the difference between boots and sneakers with hiking shoes or trail runners is usually an acceptable compromise.

DustinBrett 4y ago

Traveling light is an enjoyable feeling, at least for me it was. I traveled around the world for quite a few years on an Osprey Escapist 20L, which I just used last week for travel as it's still my main bag. Those packing cubes are indeed great, as is folding clothes. Packing light comes with the acceptance of doing laundry, otherwise for me at least it was quite easy to do and I much preferred the mobility it gave me. I had started traveling originally with a Osprey Kestrel 38L but slowly whittled down my necessities to 20L's. My travel gear from mostly a decade ago when I went to 50 countries: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dustinbrett/albums/72157626006534017 https://www.flickr.com/photos/dustinbrett/albums/72157626006...

wetpaws 4y ago

/r/onebag will get a stroke from this

gumby 4y ago

I don’t like those “wall wart” chargers nor the “all in one” international adaptors. The biggest problem is that the wall warts frequently don’t make a strong enough connection to the wall so gravity pulls them out (weight/strain added by the cable etc). Plugging that into a huge adaptor like the massive one recommended by the author simply compounds the problem. The second problem is that power points are often inconveniently located behind things and/or high on the wall, and not always where you want to be. So instead I use small standard IEC 60320-C1 (AKA “figure 8”) power cable. I carry a US/JP kind and European kind, plus a couple of tiny adaptors. The good thing is if I don’t have the right adaptor it’s easy to find one of these cables anywhere.

Pasorrijer 4y ago
My dream is a simple, one plug extension cable about three feet long with a built in travel adapter.

fleddr 4y ago

For travel shaving I love the Philips OneBlade products. Light weight, works well enough and for a 3 week stay I don't even need to bring a charger. They can be used to shave any hair, should you need that. The only downside I can think of is that the replacement blades are expensive, but regularly heavily discounted.

xeornet 4y ago

I'm 4 months into a 46L bag trip and can see a lot of things I can cut down on. Head home in 2 months to reset and head off again!

ubermonkey 4y ago

>I have lived as a nomad for the last nine years, taking 360 flights travelling over 1.5 million kilometers Good CHRIST what a carbon footprint.

SapporoChris 4y ago
https://www.edf.org/travel-footprint-calculator https://www.edf.org/travel-footprint-calculator I ran some numbers and the air travel looks seriously trivial compared to the average USA car driver.
- dag11 4y ago
  Do note that that calculator uses different units for air travel and car travel. It uses MtCO2e for air and kgCO2e for car travel. When I went to the calculator I saw the same as you, but it turns out that with a few dozen flights a year that's still a few times the carbon (once converted to kg) generated by my electric vehicle (presumably from avg power plant emissions).
  - SapporoChris 4y ago
    You are correct and I thank you for the correction. The grand total miscalculates and mislead me. Also, wow, air travel is stunningly carbon expensive.
- omniglottal 4y ago
  Given this data point about the average, it would be appropriate to establish, then, whether this individual has an above- or below-average footprint. This individual happens to have an extremely above-average usage of air travel, so it follows reason to not treat their usage as though "average" represents it accurately or could be used as a valid comparative reference.
el_nahual 4y ago
Legitimate question: what's the logical term for this argument? Those flights would have happened without Vitalik on them, so the carbon footpring is not really attributable to him. Other situations seem similar (ie, "why should I go vote? my vote doesn't really matter?") they really aren't: yes, I shouldn't throw trash in the park, because if we all did we'd be screwed--but we can't all fly every 2 weeks.

ubermonkey 4y ago

I've been doing all my travel for the last few years in a Cotopaxi backpack ("Allpa"); it's 35L, opens flat for easy packing/organization, has sufficient pockets for tidiness, and excellent external handles for managing it when it's NOT on your back. It's also carryon-legal for even international flights, which is handy. I got mine on deep discount for about half the going price now, but if something happened to mine I wouldn't hesitate to buy a replacement at full price. https://www.cotopaxi.com/products/allpa-35l-travel-pack?variant=39514009665597 https://www.cotopaxi.com/products/allpa-35l-travel-pack?vari...

dataexporter 4y ago
Isn't is super expensive even at the deep discount that you mention?
- ubermonkey 4y ago
  List is $200 now. I paid $100. I don't think of that as expensive for a pack at this level of quality.

julisox 4y ago

Isn't Vitalik a billionaire or at least rich by now? Does he really need to worry about saving money and space?

frozencell 4y ago
I'm more curious how he has the time for backpacking.
- bigDinosaur 4y ago
  It might give him the energy and novelty required to be constantly willing to work.
  - frozencell 4y ago
    I wish my employer gave me $30k socks to feel novelty (https://unisocks.exchange/ https://unisocks.exchange/)
Havoc 4y ago
He strikes me as the type of dude that does his own thing regardless of what norms say he should be doing. Probably how he ended up where he is

pcmoney 4y ago

People are missing out on a couple key points: 1. Vitalik is a billionaire and chooses this way to live 2. Vitalik isnt “traveling” but a true nomad without a home. 3. Vitalik is working HARD while being a nomad. This aint no “backpacking in Europe for a year”

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

mark_l_watson 4y ago

I bookmarked this as a reference. I dream of a nomad life, but with a twist: my wife and I would permanently turn our house over to a property manager to keep it rented, each have a backpack kit like Vitaly uses for changing locations, BUT: plan to stay 3 or 4 months in each location and have a few large travel trunks for each of us that we would ship to the next destinations. We are both in our 70s, so staying a long time in each place would be less tiresome and provide more time to make local friends. I prefer renting a furnished house and not staying in hotels. Our house is in a top tourist location so we would get enough rent income to pay for short term rentals wherever we stay. I am trying to talk my wife into this - wish me luck.

prawn 4y ago
We have done something very vaguely like this twice, in the sense that we rented out our house for several weeks while travelling. There are always people looking for three month rentals because their house build has been delayed, etc. For us, the money helped cover travel costs. If you're in a popular location, you will likely do far better than we managed. Obviously the logistics for travelling are one thing, but on your side the work you can absolutely start doing now is compartmentalising the personal parts of your house. Have a lockable area (garage, spare room, etc) that you can store personal possessions. Make it so that as many of your things are easy to box up and stash. It will help if the lockable area is somewhere you can naturally use in daily life; e.g., if it's a study, you can have all your papers in there already, electronics, whatever. Have a clear idea of what things you'll leave available for tenants (crockery, staples, in our case kids' toys). In our case, the pack-up process was non-trivial - hundreds of items of clothing, shoes and so on getting boxed up. I think that's deterred my wife from rushing to consider it again. Edit: Looked you up - yep, you're in a great spot. What a dream! House swap?! ;)
Ayesh 4y ago
I'd say, go for it! I've been on a similar lifestyle for about 9 years now, and I don't plan on stopping. This may sound counter intuitive, but one thing that worked so well for me is to book a place for a shorter period (like a week), and then look for a place to stay longer. I like to feel the place for myself before making a commitment. It's also easier to negotiate a better deal when you meet the owner face to face. Shipping travel trunks can be annoying most of the time though. Within the same country, it will be cheap and convenient. Across countries, not at all. Even within the Schengen zone, moving a large trunk can get expensive, and unless the place you stay has an elevator, it will be inconvenient as well. Assuming you lived at your current place for a long time, you might get snail mails often. I'd arrange a way to get them scanned and emailed to me if I were you, or get one of those services and gradually change the mailing address there.

walrus01 4y ago

Rather than a backpack these days I'm trying to optimize for the most useful stuff, and clothing that can fit in an item of luggage that will weigh 48.8 lbs on a hanging scale, so I can check it in with most airlines without absurd fees. For business trips, the longest possible length of time I can go without needing to do laundry mid trip is a time saver.

eric4smith 4y ago

After years and years of traveling - if it can’t fit into a really small “school size” backpack I’m leaving it behind. Laundries are everywhere. Toiletries are everywhere. And in a pinch you can do a wash almost anywhere. There is an amazing feeling walking past the people at the baggage carousel waiting for the bags to even come off the plane — while you’re heading outside to grab a taxi. The feeling is palpable when you’re checking in and the attendant asks “where is your luggage” and smiles knowingly when you point your thumb at your shoulders. For travel, minimalism is underrated and most of the stuff we take we usually never use.

AdrianB1 4y ago
I did a few motorcycle tours across Europe and laundry was one of the challenges, they are not everywhere. In US it was supposed to be true, until I had to stay a month in a city where all laundries were closed.

thematrixturtle 4y ago

I lived out of a rollaboard suitcase for several years and I dropped both the electric toothbrush and shaver in favor of a simple toothbrush and regular Gillette-style razor. Much smaller and lighter, never needs charging or breaks, trivially replaceable anywhere on the planet when they wear out. Contrary to popular belief, you don't even need shaving cream, just shave 'raw' after a hot shower when your skin is already moistened up.

caturopath 4y ago
Mach 3 is an amazing technology (find the dumb razor that works for you), and I don't touch shaving cream. I'll use some soap for some lubrication if I want any. Modern electric toothbrushes actually clean your teeth better. More of a hassle, but with a payoff.
- thematrixturtle 4y ago
  I haven't had a cavity in 30+ years, so regular toothbrushes seem to work just fine for me. YMMV.

paulpauper 4y ago

To people accusing him of having a huge carbon footprint, it's not like they built the airplane specifically for him. If the plane can hold 200+ passengers, how much does one additional passenger contribute vs. the seat being empty?

alephnan 4y ago
They’re just mad he’s a crypto billionaire

gorgoiler 4y ago

Merino wool for everything is another nice tip. It doesn’t build up nearly as much grime as cotton and is very easy to rinse and drip dry. Being dirty is one of my worst fears when I’m on the hoof and merino really solves that problem. I’ve not found merino shorts though. It seems like wool, as a technical fabric at least, is less durable for shorts / pants? Or just less popular? Any recommendations gladly received.

aluminaient 4y ago
I can highly recommend Wool & Prince shorts (wearing them now while living out of a backpack). They make pants too. They are a nylon blend, which is much better than other brands i've found because one of the benefits of wool is it is oleophili (doesnt absorb oil) and nylon shares this property. Any other synthetic blend and you lose that property. Their wool shirts are also the only ones i travel with.

crossroadsguy 4y ago

If I’ve a base when I am travelling and have a predictable route then — I’ll carry my cabin carry size Samsonite trolley bag (an ultra light/thin Decathon day back in it) and I’m not keeping anything on back and shoulders, my “very useful so far” Osprey FP 40 be damned. Period. No matter how “life changing” the backpack is it’s no fun on the shoulders and back. I learnt that this works for me. > if…… you're doing it wrong You might want to stop reading or listening at that point in most cases. Besides there’s no one way to backpacking, it takes a long time and hit and trials to know what works for you and also important what options you have in your region. e.g this bag OP mentioned - Hynes Eagle Travel Backpack 40L - gave me shoulder and back pain by just looking at it, but I’m pretty sure it works for OP.

Pakdef 4y ago

"This contains a combination of various life-extension medicines"

iancmceachern 4y ago

My best travel purchase in years has been my silicone butt pad. It makes longer flights so much better.

fortuna86 4y ago
Got a link for your favorite model ?
- iancmceachern 4y ago
  My favorite one is a wondergel, which has since been bought by purple: https://purple.com/seat-cushions https://purple.com/seat-cushions It's pretty heavy but super comfortable. There are also inflatable ones you can get that are way more portable but also way less comfortable

charlie0 4y ago

Just got off a plane. My current setup is a 45 liter backpack with adjustable straps so I can compress it when not using the full capacity + a 25 liter NF backpack, which carries my electronics and also serves as a day pack for long hikes or walks through the city. My 45 liter is max carry on. There's nothing like being able to just exit the plane and not worry about standing by a conveyor belt for 20 minutes waiting for luggage.

anonuser123456 4y ago

I find it interesting that other programmers engage in bizarre levels of almost ritualistic minimalism. I say others because Im 100% guilty. I’ve figured out how to fit my life in a small closet.

thirtyfivecent 4y ago
Yeah I can everything i own into a luggage bag and backpack and aim to keep it like this forever

POPOSYS 4y ago

Guy producing a lot of climate destructive code feels proud to fly 1.5 million miles. Something is seriously broken with our civilization and the humans it produces do behave like a very stupid software bug. How can an understanding of fundamental values be so wrong? We need to start educating our children not to be proud of destroying the planet.

yownie 4y ago
Are you as critical of other major industries that contribute far higher amounts of CO2 (mining, banking ,entertainment, oil/gas production, fishing/farming)? Otherwise it's hard to take your comments very seriously.
- POPOSYS 4y ago
  We all now that there are other destructive industries, yes, of course we should talk about these too. But for obvious reasons right here what is it about? It is about blockchains - an industry that has not only extraordinary large energy footprint for what it achieves, but also has a very special property: nobody needs it.
- TinkersW 4y ago
  Difference being crypto serves no purpose and nobody needs it.
  - omniglottal 4y ago
    People having needs which you don't even know about, yet they can fulfill via transactional exchange, are precisely why it's needed. If your fiat currency cannot buy it, but it can be bought, your currency has a bug likely built in as a "feature". Crypto addresses this class of bugs while your currency provider was established to create them.

Markoff 4y ago

that's way too much clothes, travelled Asia for a year with 28L backpack and still had plenty of space, though without laptop, but even with laptop it would make no difference and I was not really missing anything, at that time it was just camera + charger, phone + charger, clothes, thick guide book, USB hub/card reader and some basic hygiene stuff the guy has too many clothes and unnecessary things (electric shaver/toothbrush, though I'd still have space for these even in my smaller backpack) the thing is to wear the big/thick clothes during transfers if you are limited with size of backpack plus anyway it seems he doesn't really travel in cold climate

sudhirkhanger 4y ago

Those who are nomad or tend to travel a lot, do you stroll or visit places during work day (weekdays for most). Or do your working days look the same as your home base.