Travel has taught me countless lessons over the decades. Among them, that a single small backpack fits everything a man needs — not just for a weekend, but for many weeks away from home. *

The following is a comprehensive list of what's in my pack and why. It's also a homage to the many seasoned travelers that have inducted me into this strangest of cults... I still can't help but grin when I spot a fellow member as we both glide past a crowded airport baggage claim.

Your goals may be different than mine, so I'll start by laying out my preferences:

• Blending in. This means avoiding flashy brands, tacticool accessories, and overt camping vibes.
• Balancing "best" with "disposable." There are some areas where I happily pay more to have the best; others where I prefer generic items that are easy to replace.
• Versatility over specialization. My trips often blend business and personal, so each item must be adaptable to many contexts.
• Just-in-time convenience. Instead of packing for every possibility, I budget for buying things locally, if they're actually needed.

Whether you're a veteran traveler or just venturing forth for the first time, my hope is that there's something useful for you below.

Backpack + Organization

Pick any random topic, and you can find a vast internet subculture that's obsessively devoted to it. Travel backpacks are no exception, with countless boutique brands, dedicated review sites, and exotic fabrics with names like X-Pac and Dyneema.

Yet despite what all that world-class marketing might lead you to expect, my list of actual backpack requirements is quite simple:

• Good organization potential. Multiple pockets, dividers, and places to assign use cases. When every object has a habitual home, it greatly reduces the friction for finding things (and greatly reduces the risk of forgetting them).
• Clamshell / lie-flat design. This means the main zipper goes all the way around the edges, allowing the pack to function like a duffle bag or suitcase, instead of only being accessible from the top.
• Fits under an airline economy seat. On busy routes, the overhead compartment is often full. A bag that qualifies as a "personal item" gives me more options.

Aer City Pack Pro. Home, sweet backpack. Its 24 liter capacity and thoughtful pocket layout form the foundation for the rest of my packing. Ironically, I prefer it to the Aer Travel Pack, which is slightly larger but has annoyingly stiff zippers.

Alternative: The Minaal Daily is my favorite unstructured bag, and noticeably lighter than the Aer, especially after removing the rain cover. But like all unstructured bags, if not fully packed, items tend to "clump" to the bottom of the main compartment.

Vertical laptop sleeve with strap (generic). This thin laptop sleeve slides right into the Aer's own laptop pocket. The extra protection is unnecessary, but it gives me the flexibility to leave my backpack at the hotel while heading out with the laptop.

Packing cubes / stuff sacks (generic). I typically carry at least 3 — one for base layers, one for outer layers, and another for dirty laundry.

Nextpacker sling bag. Essentially a wearable packing cube. Large enough to carry a passport, water bottle, sunglasses, and power bank — plenty for urban day trips. This one is only sold in Asia, but any lightweight sling would do.

Outer Pockets

Thanks to the above-mentioned organization potential, I can keep everything needed during transit in easy-to-reach outer pockets. Successful packing means not opening up my bag's main compartment until checking in at my final destination.

Memobottle. A thin metal water bottle that doesn't entirely resemble a flask. Easily slips into a backpack side pocket, laptop sleeve, or even a back pants pocket. I do still get occasional jokes about my rampant alcoholism, but it's worth it to avoid the bulkiness of a regular water bottle.

Power bank (generic). 10000mAh holds 2+ charges for most phones, which is a good balance if you have many devices. A built-in cord is a great touch — even if your phone supports magnetic charging, many other devices still don't.

Mini Sharpie and pen. It's an ironclad rule of travel that the pens chained to the immigration counter are always unreliable.

Passport sleeve with pockets (generic). When crossing borders, it generally doesn't hurt to appear more professional. Also a great way to keep a boarding pass and various customs forms in one place.

Montbell EX Light packable wind breaker. Weighs next to nothing and packs into the size of a small apple. I originally bought it as a lightweight rain layer, but 90% of my usage has actually been indoors. It's always the tropical places that insist on blasting the AC at temperatures just above freezing...

Aluminum carabiners (generic). Useful for attaching things to other things. Searching "12kN" tends to bring up the lightweight, no-frills kind I prefer.

Electronics

Someday, smartphones (or AI coding assistants) will be capable enough for me to leave my laptop at home. But by then, probably even my socks will need charging...

MacBook Air. "Think Different" ... just like everyone else? Jokes aside, the latest M-series MacBook Airs are excellent, whether you're just browsing the web or spinning up multiple Docker containers. Not pictured above, but you've seen them before. Heck, you might even be reading this on one.

NovaPort Slim Duo chargers. When trying to minimize space, I've found that flatness is often more important that absolute size. Novaport makes great 67W and 45W flat chargers with 2 USB C ports, but I've only seen them for sale in Japan. Alternatives do exist.

Shinobi travel adapter. Smallest, simplest travel adapter on the market. Since my devices have US / Asia plugs, I typically only carry the European half. I also keep a Mogics adapter since it's more stable in certain plugs.

Anker 2-in-1 USB C cord. Charge two devices from the same USB C port.

Multi-head USB cord (generic). For the occasional laggard device that still uses USB A or Micro.

USB stick with both A and C support (generic). Sometimes, you have no choice but to print the damn PDF.

Toiletries + Sleep

Airport security has strong opinions about liquids, and the laws of physics have strong opinions about fitting my favorite mattress into a carry-on...

But between those stubborn extremes, there's still plenty of room to bring along the essential comforts of home.

Muji mesh dopp kit. Let's ignore the fact that Muji brands this as a pen case. This is actually the perfect minimal dopp kit — the loop allows me to attach a carabiner or cord for hanging, while the mesh material allows wet items to air dry. Soggy toothbrushes are a preventable tragedy.

Ecodent toothpowder. That's right. No terrorist liquids or gels on this list. Tooth-powder takes some getting used to, but a small bottle lasts for years — so much so that I even use this at home. Muji sells a tiny plastic bottle that can hold several weeks' worth.

Phillips One toothbrush. My preferred travel toothbrush after trying several. It's not as powerful as a at-home Sonicare, but marginally better than the competition.

Small microfiber pack towel (generic). Not necessary when staying at hotels, but this relic of my early backpacking days still occasionally comes in handy. I prefer the "fuzzy" kind over the ultralight kind — feels more like real towel.

Xiaomi electric shaver. Disposable hotel razors are accidents waiting to happen. After years of carrying a 3-bladed Gillette (easiest to replace), I finally found an electric alternative that's small enough to fit in my kit. Xiaomi doesn't have stores in the US, but it's available in many other countries.

Zwilling nail clipper. Zwilling is best known for its kitchen knives, but this cleverly-designed strip of metal unfolds into a remarkably sharp set of nail clippers.

Solid cologne (generic). I don't use this often, but this tiny canister acts as insurance against the unexpected 3-hour wait in an un-airconditioned airport terminal in the middle of summer. Based on a true story.

Sleep mask (generic). I prefer the larger ones that have cutouts to avoid putting pressure on my eyes.

Ear plugs (generic). Essential for sleeping on the plane, train, or poorly-soundproofed hotel. I recommend trying several brands before committing — did you know that ear canals come in different sizes?

Low dose melatonin (generic). Very useful for resetting jet lag and nudging the body towards sleep. Unfortunately, many melatonin supplements come in massive doses (10mg+) which virtually guarantee unintended side effects. For me, 0.3mg is plenty.

Clothes

It takes immense confidence (or a leap of faith) to pack only 2 changes of clothes for an extended trip. But it also takes committing to a different strategy — fewer pieces, higher quality, and an old-fashioned material with a modern spin...

In other words, brace yourself for some shameless merino wool evangelism!

Merino wool shirts, underwear, socks (generic). These are the basic building blocks of a minimal travel wardrobe. And unlike a decade ago, there are many great brands to choose from: Icebreaker (most premium), Smartwool, Woolly, and others (more value). When expecting cold weather, I'll also bring long socks and long underwear.

Merino wool button up or polo (generic). Collared shirts transform a man from a Scrub into a Sir. I often wear one on transit days, for that marginal chance of better customer service, less immigration hassle, and possible free upgrade.

Merino wool half-zip (generic). The half-zip is a strange mix between a shirt and a jacket. Unlike a full-zip, they somehow vibe "business casual" — equally appropriate for whether seated around a campfire or Michelin star tasting menu.

Montbell Plasma 1000 packable down jacket. This puffer jacket weight less than 200 grams, packs into the size of a grapefruit, but is comfortable down to freezing temperatures when layered with merino wool. Default sizes run a bit short, but the company also offers "US sizing" which is to say, wider with longer sleeves.

Lululemon ABC trousers. Your mileage may vary, but I still haven't found a better pair of travel pants. And believe me, I've tried — including multiple wool attempts. The ABC pants look like regular pants (passably dressy if ironed), but are as flexible and comfortable as yoga pants. Because secretly, that's what they are.

Quick-dry hybrid shorts (generic). These serve as normal shorts and, when the occasion arises, swim / surf shorts.

Woven golf belt (generic). Lighter than leather, and sits squarely in the Goldilocks zone between casual and formal.

Zero-drop shoes (generic). Remember the "barefoot" shoe movement and Vibram Five Fingers? "Zero-drop, wide toe box shoes" are the more socially-acceptable spiritual successor. For a while, Vivobarefoot was the only game in town, but more many alternatives have proliferated since then.

Optional Conveniences

There are many items that I never bring because they can be easily obtained in most destinations — shampoo, winter gloves, bath towels, rain gear. But if I'm planning ahead, there are a few things I'll make exceptions for.

Matador packable duffle bag. This lightweight 25L bag packs into its own pocket, so it's small enough to bring as a backup option — mainly for bulky gifts and souvenirs. I like that it looks like a real duffle — not a grocery bag.

Wool hat (generic) and Buff. Once again, merino wool to the rescue.

Unshoes Sandals. "Barefoot" sandals, although these admittedly haven't made the cut for any trips in recent memory.

Blue Lizard solid sunscreen. Protection from UV rays, without added hassle while passing through airport security. The stick form-factor is actually quite convenient.

Optional Extravagances

Finally, we have the completely optional "I can't believe you reserve space in your bag for this" section.

In my experience, most minimalists aren't actually against owning stuff — they just have unusually high standards. Perhaps that's what makes such packing lists compelling — every item is highly curated, even if sometimes a bit wacky.

I won't bring all of these on every trip, but typically two or three will make the cut.

DJI Neo. A tiny palm-sized drone that can be controlled via smartphone or preprogrammed flight patterns. Packs a 4K camera with great stabilization. The 12 minute flight time might seem short, but it's enough for most touristy photo opportunities. I travel without extra batteries since its easy to charge directly from a power bank. The protective case is a custom 3D print.

Instax Evo Mini. A nostalgic instant camera with a twist. It works like a regular Instax but can also print smartphone photos via Bluetooth. Physical photos get looked at 100x more than digital ones, so it's an excellent souvenir-maker. Admittedly, I mainly use it as a printer, so could probably get away with swapping it for the Mini Link.

Insta 360 X. A 360-degree camera is remarkably fun, especially when out in nature. I have the 3rd generation which is already great, but more recent updates have even higher resolution and better battery life.

Backnobber massage tool. Not pictured above, but it's excellent for working knots out of my back after a long flight. Yes, it's a strange-looking, bulky contraption, but I'll happily add mine to the 3000+ positive reviews. No need to carry both halves — keep one half and gift the other to a friend to see their reaction.

Seiko Solar Radio Worldtime. A highly practical travel watch. Quartz movement with titanium casing and sapphire crystal. Not only solar-powered, but also synchronizes with international time radio broadcasts! It's not a true worldtimer (it only tracks one time zone), but the outer dial allows quickly switching between time zones. I preemptively set this to my destination timezone to start my jet lag adjustment.

Tissot Navigator Worldtime, Ref Z197. A highly romantic travel watch. Swiss automatic, circa 1990's. The inner 24-hour dial cleverly displays the local time in all major timezones. Is it practical? Not really. Is it beautiful? Absolutely.

$2 bills. Perfect for tipping. I like to think it makes the recipient feel lucky.

To Be Continued?

I began this journey many years ago, with two bulky backpacks and the suitcase I happened to have on hand. Over time, I fell deeper into the world of optimization — obsessing over ultralight fabrics, pocket placement, and other nuanced details.

But something unexpected happened along the way. All those hours spent refining gear choices, eventually, had the effect of refining something more fundamental...

What should I carry? What should I leave behind?

These are questions that even ancient nomads would recognize. I merely stumbled upon the same timeless truth — it has always been the constraints that teach us what truly matters.

FAQ