In the spirit of Tynan, who was the first to cast his minimalist glamour over me, I decided to post my own list of gear. This has evolved very slowly over the years, trying to incorporate my daily EDC into travel packing, and then trying to bring in elements of my Bushcraft and camping hobbies. What you see above is definitely not my packing for this trip, but rather what was required for a week in the Arctic at -32 degrees Celsius (-26 Degrees Fahrenheit). If anything, it acts as the other extreme to what I’m trying to go for in my travel packing.

When I started packing I had to look at my aims for how versatile I wanted my clothing to be, how I wanted to move, how reliant I wanted to be on electronics.

As discussed in the last post, I’ll be travelling primarily through South East Asia (SEA) first, followed by some time in New Zealand. That means I will have to pack for hot weather and send warm weather clothing over to friends in New Zealand as it is their winter when we arrive. This on the whole dictates the versatility of my clothing. A single pair of shorts and trousers will be more than enough for SEA, and these can be supplemented with merino wool base layers for a cold New Zealand winter. My darn tough socks won’t smell at all for SEA, and will keep my feet nice and warm for NZ, although I suspect that I may regret not getting lighter socks for the hot weather.

I want to move as light as possible. I’ve walked with a fully laden 23kg camping rucksack in 30 degree heat. I am not repeating that experience. To achieve this, I consider what I really need versus what I really want. If any item makes me think “eh, i might need it”, I don’t pack it. At least, that’s the theory. It works about 75% of the time. But, thankfully, even that less than perfect success rate means I’ve managed to get my travel pack down to a 27 litre bag, weighing a little under 7kg. I’m rather proud of that.

As for electronics, I’ve tried to pack as few as possible. My initial plan for a laptop, a camera, a kindle and phone has come down to a tablet, a camera, a kindle and phone. In the last two days that has dropped down to a camera, a kindle and a phone. For a laptop I can use internet cafes, or even my girlfriends laptop (she’s bringing one for editing travel videos). For this blog I’ll use my phone. Electronics use power, and power is either inconvenient or weighs alot. The less I have to use it, the better.

The Kit

This is all of it. Almost. Not included in the camera, my Panasonic Lumix LX-7, my trainers and my Prana Zion Stretch trousers. I’ll be sure to review the camera and the trousers at some point for your reading pleasure, but for now, trust me when I say they’re good. Really good.

As said above, it all weighs in at just under 7kg and fills up about 27 litres of sexy sexy bag *drools*.

Luggage

The Bag

So, anyone that knows me knows I have a problem. I’m a bagaholic. I love them. Specifically backpacks/rucksacks.

Humans can carry things, but not very well. Our arms are gangly and our hands weak. Ask any human to hold a full bag at arms length and they will feel the burn. Hell, ask them to just hold it like a bag of shopping. They’ll swap hands, complain about sore fingers, try to pawn it off on someone else.

But put the bag of their back and they will walk all day . If they complain it’ll be about their feet, or sweating, rather than about the act of carrying the bag (unless it’s 23kg in 30 degree heat. Shut-up!). And if it’s designed well, it’ll be comfy as anything. On your back you can carry everything you need to live, thrive and survive. Hell, you can carry babies! Backpacks are just great. And so is this one.

The Lowe Alpine Aeon 27 is comfy in all the ways it shouldn’t be. It doesn’t have one of those trampoline-style backs. The straps are paper-thin. There is no organisation to speak of. I should hate it, but I don’t.

I’ve searched for a very long time for a bag that both opens like a clamshell (like a suitcase), and has a good hip belt. You can find “travel” bags, but they have no hip belt, only a shoddy strap that acts like a tourniquet around your stomach. Or you can have your hip belt with “outdoor” bags, with the proviso that you must now cram all your stuff into a bottomless black pit of your possessions, with no hope of organising it, and the very real possibility something is going to bite your hand off.

I thought a long time about contacting someone like Osprey and begging them to make something like this, but I never got around to it. And many people will also say that they have the Farpoint bags that have both of these features. But they come in at 40-45 litres each. For me, that is far too large.

So when I came across this bag, I was a very happy Matt.

Those paper thin straps are so comfy as to be insulting. The whole suspensions systems hugs it to the contours of your back, and the hip belt wraps around to support to full weight without any hotspots or pressure. Plus, those straps are so thin that they don’t hold any sweat, meaning you don’t have to deal with the icky dampness when you put the bag back on.

The clamshell opening and the two top pockets, one interior and one exterior, means I can use a few small packing cubes to hoold everything how I like. It doesn’t open fully, but the side of the packing cubes means they stick above the end of the zip, so I can grab them easy enough. Mesh side and front pockets are great for sandals and umbrellas, and the hip belt pockets are meshed so not to give you a sweaty waist.

At £80 it’s far less than the cost of Tom Bihn or Peak Design, and in my opinion it’s much more versatile and practical than either.

I’ll also be taking a raincover I stole off my old Osprey Escapist 25 bag. Simple, bright as anything and just works.

Wow, sorry about that. I told you I like bags. I’ll be sure not to harp on too much about the rest.

Packing Cubes

These are Gonex packing cubes from Amazon. I would have bought Eagle Creek Spectre cubes for their Silnylon goodness, but I had no hope of affording them. These were about £20 for a huge set, including two more and a laundry bag that won’t be coming with me. They have a secondary zip for compressing your items, but I would say that it mostly just helps to tighten everything up so satisfy my OCD.

Daybag

This is a simple gym bag I’m using for a day bag, should it not be practical to take my usual bag with me. As light as I’m packing, I don’t see why I wouldn’t be able to walk around with it, but this is as a backup. I can also use it for dirty washing on the way to the shower.

Money Belt

This is something I stole from my father a few years back. While I only mildly rate Pacsafe for their items, this has proven to be a real winner. Two pockets that lie very flat, a strap with a steel cable running through it and a buckle that is held elastically inside a sleeve so it can’t be undone by any quick fingers. Love this thing and it has never done me wrong. Please do not buy any Pacsafe locks however.

Clothing

Tops

I’ll be taking 4 tops with me: 3 t-shirts and a tank-top. The tank-top is nothing special, just a cotton one and two of the t-shirts are in the style above. They are from North Ridge, a store-owned brand for GoOutdoors, a British outdoor retailer. They have a section of mesh on the sides, and are quite light and airy. I find them to be very comfortable and well constructed for the price.

The other t-shirt I’m wearing is an Adidas Climachill top. The material feels the same as the North Ridge ones, but through some witchcraft it doesn’t show sweat. You still get sweaty, of course, but it never shows through. And the peculiar metal dots on the nap of neck feel cool against the skin when you put it on. This might be a gimmick but they certainly feel nice.

Bottoms

I will be taking two pairs of Prana Zion Stretch trousers, one of which I have cut down to form shorts. I will try my best to refrain from waxing lyrical about them until the full review. However, they are amazing. The fabric is quick drying, stretchy, comfortable without being scruffy. They gusseted crotch allows for a full range of movement, meaning I can climb in them, and even though I haven’t really benefited from them, there are six holes that allow for venting. They also have a built in belt which means I don’t have to take one with me. Very comfortable and very subtle.

My second pair, pictured above, where too short for me, so I cut them down and hemmed the bottoms. Overall, I quite like them as shorts, and they will do me for swimming as well while on my travels. These have been scrunched up, hence the wrinkles, but they don’t last long.

Underwear

Following the review by the Snarky Nomad here, and after becoming sick of both the mention and price of Ex Officio underwear, I decided to try out the Uniqlo Airism boxers. They usually retail at about £9, but I got two pairs for that price during a sale. And I’ve never looked back.

Silky smooth to the touch, and perfectly fitted, I initially tried to save using these until I set off but just ended up using them pretty much every week as part of my other underwear. I entirely recommend these. Plus they weigh absolutely nothing. You could bring an entire weeks worth and still no feel the difference in pack weight. I’ll be packing 3 pairs of these.

Socks

Well of course these were going to be on here. If you have read any Onebag articles or sites these will pop up, and their reputation is well deserved. They are comfortable and other fit very well, and other than the smoothing over of the surface yarn, they show very little wear and tear. They might possibly be too warm for SEA, but we will see. I’ll be taking 3 pairs of these.

Weather and Temperature Protection

I love this top. Other than it being a fleece, which I love anyway for never feeling cold, there is nothing special about it. It’s just been around for a while and refuses to die. The only damage too it is where my girlfriend scorched it, but I’ll say it was done out of love to assuage my paranoia that she’s trying to kill me.

I bought this Berghaus raincoat from Sportspursuit when they were selling a few exclusive pieces. It’s fairly bombproof, but it is quite bulky and heavy, so I’m still on the hunt for something good. I always have my eye on Patagonia, but that is wayyyyyy out of my price-range. I keep it rolled up and bound with some elastic so that it can slip down the side-pocket of the bag.

I quite like this hat. Just a very basic sun hat with mesh to keep my head cool. I don’t have any hair, so without it I crack like an overboiled egg in the sun.

This is a small silnylon pouch I keep a few thermal items in: a hat, a buff, and a pair of gloves. Honestly I don’t expect to need them so may leave them out. They might however be very useful if we head into any of the mountains. The merino wool buff, however, is amazingly warm, useful, and will be going with me even if I have to leave my underwear behind!

Umbrella

Just an automatic umbrella. The thing opens with the force of a freight train, and I’m slightly worried about the fact that it sounds like you’re cocking a gun when closing it.

Footwear

Trainers

I seriously regret buying these New Balance 574 trainers. I’ve always been very particular about the shoes that I buy. I love walking. I used to practice Parkour. I love hiking. So the bits of rubber and fabric I wear on my feet are very important to me. These cost me £60 and they are stiff, hot, and slip on pretty much every surface. I spent months searching for the right pair of shoes, and I ended up with these. Now I know you are probably thinking, “Just go and buy a new pair of shoes,” but I appear to have now developed a fear that whatever I buy from now on will be equally as awful, so like an agoraphobic claustrophobian, I can’t do a damn thing.

Sandals

These are a pair of Teva Classic Sandals. The few times I’ve worn these thus far, they’ve rubbed a little, but are generally comfy and don’t shift too much. I can’t stand flip-flops, hence going for the classic “Dad on holiday in Majorca” look.

Electronics

Phone

I hold onto phones for far too long. My first phone, a ZTE Blade, held on for 3 years, then my Motorola Moto G struck out after 2. My most recent is this Sony Xperia Z1. That’s right; a 5 year old phone. I’ve replaced the back bezel, the vibration module, the back plate and the battery. It is an absolute trooper. I mean, it sounds like a dying asthmatic budgie when it vibrates, but it calls people, accesses the interwebs and takes a half decent picture (See camera photo below).

Electronics Pouch

As the packing cubes I’m using fit like a glove into my bag, I knew I needed a suitably angular bag to fit in the remaining space. So I stole my girlfriend’s Molton Brown toiletries bag and crammed all my electronics into it. There’s nothing particularly special about my selections. The only mentions are the Anker 5000 mAh Battery pack, which fits really nicely behind my phone in my pocket when its charging, and the Kikkerland adapter. I haven’t used it yet, but judging by all the reviews, it should be good! Review to follow.

Kindle

I was not an immediate convert to the Kindle. Like most people that refuse to embrace an e-reader, I preferred, and still do prefer, the feel, the smell, the history of an actual book. But once I bought one, specifically a Kindle Paperwhite, I realised that it fit in quite nicely with my minimalist travel ethos. I have filled it with free books, and seeing as I’m not taking a laptop, I have no excuse to avoid catching up on all the classics.

Camera

This has been my camera of choice for the last 4 years, and except for an aftermarket lens cap, I haven’t changed it. I knew very little about photography prior to buying it, but it was instrumental in getting me interested in exactly what I wanted from my photos, and how I could go about it. It was recommended to me by Paul Kirtley, a Woodsman and Bushcraft expert that currently runs the Frontier Bushcraft school. His recommendation was followed by some pretty extensive research and I finally happened upon an article by Ming Thein. While it’s about the original Leica that Panasonic re-skinned into the LX-7, it still showcases the amazing capabilities of the camera.

I’ve used this in -32 degrees Celsius, holding it close to my body when the cold leeched the power from it, winced through a whole host of knocks and bashes, and ran the battery into the ground, all without a hitch. Even if this is the trip that proves the mortality of this camera, it will have served me well. As an aside, the picture of the camera was taken on my phone. Even if the camera did fail, my phone might do a pretty good job.

I’ll be adding a magnetic Gorillapod Mini to this, and 3 spare batteries with the charger.

Misc

Lock

Over the past year I’ve become quite interested in lockpicking, hence the link above in the Pacsafe hip belt entry. As such, I’ve determined that you should avoid Masterlock at all costs, don’t bother with a non-hardened steel shackle, and that no lock is unbreakable. The most you can do is increase the time it takes for someone to break the lock, or add such a level of security that it discourages would-be thieves.

The Abus Titalium series are made out of Aircraft-grade aluminium alloy, meaning that while still being very tough, its also significantly lighter than a usual padlock. It also features security pins, which add a significant level of protection against lockpickers. This will primarily be used on lockers and rooms, and on a security cable if I use one.

Sugru

Shortly before I left my job, I was given an Amazon gift card for suffering through a long spate of building work that went on right beside my desk. An obvious bribe, but hey, I’m fickle. With it, I bought myself a lot of random items, and a set of Sugru was one of them.

Sugru is a type of silicon rubbery plastic (look at all them sciencey words!) that air cures 30 minutes after the packet is opened. You can stick it to anything, stick anything together with it, stick sticks together. sticky stick stick stick. It sticks. I don’t know how I can make it any clearer to be honest. But I’ve seen lots of inventive hipsters use it and I feel left out.

I have yet to actually put it on anything, but I’m taking a few sachets with me in case they come in handy along the way.

Spork

As you might have worked out from my spiel about my bag, I’m an avid camper. That has dictated both this and the next item in my bag. I’ve carved enough spoons to know that just having a spoon on hand makes everything so much easier. Plus it’s titanium, so it weighs nothing. And it’s got a bottle opener on it. No brainer really.

Possibles Pouch

Like I said above, my history of camping has made me pack this. I just can’t be without some way to light fire. But it is known as a possibles pouch, meaning it covers a few different eventualities (Moving clockwise from the top left):

Headtorch: If you have ever tried going to the toilet in a dark forest while holding a torch in one hand, and suffered through the panicked rush of trying to undo your fly and pull down your trousers with just the other hand, you know the benefits of having a headtorch. This Petzel TacTikka 2 has been with me for about 6 years now, and is still going very strong.

Cord: Always need cordage. You could be setting up a washing line, tying something to your bag, using it as a shoelace, kidnapping a diplomat. It’s always good to have some.

Pen/Pencil: Both of these were provided by a good friend in my last job. The pen is a JetStream 1mm, and just writes so smoothly without blotching or scratching. The mechanical pencil is a Pilot Kuru Toga. As you write, a small mechanism turns the pencil lead by a fraction of a degree with each push of the hand against the paper, meaning that you are constantly writing on the sharpest edge of the lead. The lines stay crisp, and my heart soars.

Vaseline Cotton Balls: Gotta have a way to light a fire. I don’t care where I am, if I can’t light a fire, I feel naked. There are ways to do it by rubbing sticks together, but i’ve always loved how effective these cotton balls are. The cotton fibres will catch a spark instantly, even if using the flint from a butane lighter is your only option, and the vaseline, which is otherwise known as petroleum jelly, will add the long lasting fuel needed to get the fire actually going. I’ve stored these in an old energy-shot bottle, wrapped with rubber innertube from a bike wheel, which will also light and keep burning very easily.

Ferrocerium Rod: Needed to get all my firelighting items actually lit. It’s a Light My Fire Army version, and, unlike the cheap chinese versions, the hardness of the ferrocerium means you can grind a very small amount of to make a shower of sparks without creating a huge divot in the rod. The striker also comes with a whistle, because why not?

Duct Tape: Not even going to justify having this. It just is, and so shall be.

Waxed Paper: More firelighting stuff. This paper is impregnated with wax, and so works in almost exactly the same way at the Vaseline cotton balls, except less messy. Doesn’t burn quite at long though.

Spare Batteries: For the headtorch.

Compass: This is a Silva Ranger SL compass, the little, lighter brother to the Silva Ranger. For its size, it has sighting mirror, graduations, and a sun watch. It comes with a clip for hanging it off your chest whilst hiking, and comes wrapped in a durable case. I love this thing and have been thankful for having it numerous times.

Kevlar Cord: This was given to me by the same good friend that gave me the JetStream and Kuru Toga stationary. For 4 years he harked on about how good this little case of Kevlar cord was, extolling the virtues of its strength, versatility and value. Then, on my last day at my job, he went and gave it to me. Out of all the gestures people made, I think this one choked me up the most, considering how much I knew he loved it. I don’t know if I’ll find a use for it, but it’s damned well coming with me. Thank you Frank.

Notepads

I like jotting down my random thoughts, or recording any pertinant timetable information if I’ve got to be somewhere. The one on the left is some random notebook I picked up because of the beautiful cover, and the other is an off-brand Rite In The Rain pad I’ve had around for years.

Sleeping Bag Liner

I bought this off of Amazon when I was told that the cleanliness in some hostels leaves much to be desired. Since receiving this, however, I’ve been told that people only ever seem to use them once or twice at most on a trip. I may end up binning or giving it away in a few weeks. For now though, it’s incredibly light, and the design is beautiful.

Sunglasses

Being a spectacle wearer, getting sunglasses that aren’t prescription means I’m either blind while I wear them, or they have to be propped up over the top of my normal glasses. So I decided to imitate the older generation and get clip-ons. They match the shape of my spectacles and are able to flip up. I’ve put them in a slim case that was originally used for a pair of Pince-Nez glasses. It’s sturdy little case and the perfect size.

EDC

Keychain

This is what’s left of my keychain after I removed all the keys once I’d left my flat. All that’s left in my MecArmy Illuminex-3 Copper Torch, a titanium bottle opener and a 64GB TAB USB Flash Drive. These have been with me for a few years now, and they are as tough as nails.

The MecArmy torch itself is astoundingly powerful for it’s size, packing a 130 lumen punch, is USB rechargeable and the copper has gained a wonderful patina from the time spent in my pocket. I highly recommend MecArmy as a brand, and the aluminium versions of these torches only cost around £15.

Knife

This Joker No.74 has been in my pocket for 6 years now, and it proven to be a tough little workhorse of a knife. It’s entirely likely that this will be taken off me at the airport security check, but I’m hoping that as the blade is below 6cm in length, they might understand it fits within safety guidelines for carry-on baggage. If not, I’ll buy a new knife in Asia, if not, woot!

Lighter

Never be without a lighter.

Wallet

This is a felted wool wallet that was custom made for me by OhSoRetro on Etsy. This the second of these wallets that I’ve bought, and I would’ve kept the original except it got covered in beer and began to stink.

The workmanship is amazing on this, the colours lovely and striking, and the size perfect. I strongly recommend her products.

Watch

Ever since I watched the docu-drama Longtitude a few year ago, I’ve been fascinated by watches. The mechanical genius that goes into their creation, the unbelievable levels of detail required, the mesmerizing nature of their workings, all of it captivates me. After becoming interested I realised that while I don’t necessarily like the feel of a watch on my wrist, part of me wanted to have one of these marvels regardless.

I didn’t have alot of money either, which limited my ability to get an automatic watch. I could have purchases a quartz watch for practically nothing, but that wan’t what I wanted. While I recognise quartz in vastly more accurate over a longer period, the fact that the automatic watch is charging itself by your own movement is astounding to me.

So I settled on a Seiko 5 Series SNK809. The Seiko 5’s have been a staple of the brand since the 60’s, and while it comes in hundreds of different designs and styles, fundamentally it’s all the same watch. The 5 Series takes its name from the 5 attributes a watch of the series must have: Automatic Winding, Day/Date Window, Water Resistant, Unbreakable Mainspring, Shock Resistant. For the price I paid for it, around £60, to get so much is ridiculous. I’ve used this while thumping axes into logs, climbing, gardening, travelling and pretty much everything else, and it refuses to do anything but function like a top-quality time-piece. Plus, the clear back-plate on it allows me to look at the movement and shiver with delight.

Hygiene and Medical

First Aid Kit

Since I started camping I’ve been keeping a well stocked First Aid Kit, and it often moves between my EDC and my camping bag, depending on what I’m doing. It is most definitely a First Aid Kit though. There is nothing in here to repair any burst appendixes, or perform brain surgery. If you have a cut or graze, however, or need to stop some rampant diarrhoea, I can provide some kind of help. I originally bought a LifeSystems FAK, and have since added to it over the years.

In the front slip pocket I have (from left to right) the First Aid Booklet provided with the FAK originally, a pouch of plasters (Band-Aids for all you ‘Muricans) and blister pads, a set of gloves, and a mixture of some gauze pads and adhesive dressings.

In the zipped pocket I have a mixture of different items. I won’t go through all of them, but a few important mentions are the tick-pullers in the bottom left, the flat-folding nail clippers, tooth floss (also useful for sewing with a needle in the duct tape), and a styptic stick for quickly sealing small cuts.

Towel

I’m taking a rather nice LinenMe 100% linen towel. I decided to get this after becoming quite annoyed with standard camping towels. I’ve gone through a number of different types over the years, from those with a texture like that of velvet, ones that are micro-fibre, and others that feel like a chamois leather. I’ve coped with all of them, but have reach the point where I just cannot stand them any longer. They smell, dry your skin ineffectively, and are surprisingly heavy. I figured why not spend a bit more and try out one of these linen towels?

First impressions are pretty good. It dries well, feels soft, and dries fairly quickly. Plus it doesn’t seem to smell thus far. It’s also huge. Maybe a bit too big. I might have to chop it down before I go. It did come with a fair bit of pilling and pulled threads, but to me it doesn’t affect its usability. The weave is tight and the colour quite pleasing to the eye, at least in my awful sense of taste.

Washkit

From left to right my washkit is made up: Skin So Soft mosquito repellent (wait for it…), Lush Solid Deodorant, Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Dried washcloths, Handwipes, Dr Bronner’s Citrus Soap, Nivea Sun Lotion, Lip Balm. I won’t tell you about my toothbrush or toothpaste, unless you want some information on how I don’t remember where I got it from.

As for the Skin So Soft, it turns out that the Royal Marines of Faslane, Scotland, were being slowly defeated by the humble midge, until they started using their wive’s Avon skin products and discovered it to be surprisingly effective at keeping the biters away. I’ve since used it myself to similar success, so I’ll be taking this with me to see how it does against the mosquitoes of SEA.

Finally, the solid deodorant from Lush, a British natural hygiene shop, was bought as a test a few months ago. I was initially sceptical of it, but now I’m a complete convert. It doesn’t stop me sweating, but it stops any build-up of the bacteria that makes my armpits smell, and lasts an entire day, rather than half an hour life spray on varieties. It transfers easily without much mess, and smells wonderful. Strong recommended!

Conclusion

I’ve travelled for quite a long time using varying types of set-ups, and this is only the newest loadout. I’ve never been on a trip for this long though, so I’m interested how it will adapt over time. I’ll keep you updated. Feel free to ask me any questions, and stay tuned for more posts!