Indefinite Backpack Travel

Summary

Updated September 2025 In 2015 I got rid of everything I owned that didn’t fit in a laptop backpack, and I’ve been living at this level of minimalism since. The idea is to only own what I need, which allows me to focus more, spend less, travel spontaneously and simplify my life. I update this post yearly, with past versions available on the Internet Archive: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017. Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. For more content on this lifestyle, I’ve started sharing videos on Instagram. 10 years in and somehow millions of people have read this page! Thank you for stopping by! :) This post was never meant to be a guide, but whenever it’s shared without exposition a lot of the responses online tend to be the same dozen questions and misunderstandings. So here’s a few words to address those. Onebag travel is unquestionably the best way to travel. Traveling without luggage removes just about every pain point associated with flying, such as checking bags, overhead compartments, bag fees, waiting in line, and needing to drop off luggage before an adventure. Just stroll into the airport an hour before your flight, and walk off your plane directly to your destination. I’m not here to sell you on this. r/onebag is a community built around this and a good place to learn more. As to how I got here, I’ve never really owned much at any point in my life, so once I started traveling frequently this seemed like the natural evolution of my lifestyle. Because I’ve been doing it for so long, it’s really not something I think about often. Of course, I have taken the time to optimize each thing to be the best possible: I’d much rather pack a 4oz jacket over a 1lb jacket. However, it’s worth mentioning I don’t take part in the consumerist side of the travel/hiking communities, which focuses more on expensive brand names than practicality. Buy only what you need; a $100 setup is nearly as good as a $10,000 setup. Sometimes spending more will get better q...