MichaelDeM's Weblog

My Thoughts On The No Baggage Challenge September 16, 2010

I posted this originally on my Facebook page and would like to share it with the rest of the world.

I wanted to share this interesting adventure/blog that I learned about from Scott Jordan of SCOTTEVEST/SeV. The blog is the No Baggage Challenge at www.rtwblog.com. Rolf Potts is traveling around the world with only the clothes on his back. The ScotteVest tropical jacket/vest he is wearing has numerous pockets for which he can carry extra clothes and other necessaries. A funny thing is that I own several of the ScotteVest clothing items he has and I love them just for the same reasons.

Here is a man carrying only: a ScotteVest Tropical Jacket, 1 pair ScotteVest Ultimate Cargo Pants, a Q-Zip pullover shirt, 2 Performance t-shirts, travel underwear, 3 pair Smartwool socks, a pair Blundstone boots, a belt, and a TEC ballcap. In addition, packed into the jacket no less, are: deodorant, toothbrush & toothpaste, concentrated liquid detergent, All-in-one-soap, glasses, contact solution and case, sunscreen and lip balm, earplugs, iPod Touch, Bluetooth Foldable Keyboard, Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS camera, small flashlight, pen and notebook, Passport, Credit/ATM/debit card, sunglasses, and a few safety pins.

He has already traveled through Europe, South Africa, and is currently in Thailand. He is an interesting read and I love the videos.

Reading the blog makes me think about how I pack for my own trips. Ever the boy scout, I believe that I burden myself with carrying too many “just-in-cases.” My toiletries kit is one such place. Not only does it carry a myriad of hygiene tools and products, it also carries many extra medicines and first aid supplies – “just-in-case.” Need to darn a sock? I’m your man with my sewing kit. Although, I’ve never darned a sock on a trip and probably never will. On the clothing list there are the extra socks, underwear, pants, shirt, and shoes. There may also be a set of dressier clothes packed “just-in-case” I’m invited to a dinner where the wearing of jacket and tie are de rigueur. Depending on the year there may also be a bathing suit and of course we can’t forget our towel. By the way, swim wear styles being what they are, I’ve found a great set of trunks that double as shorts perfectly. With cold weather traveling, the list is practically doubled. And then, there is the other stuff. The phone, the laptop, the camera, the kindle, Molskine notebook, and the various batteries, cables, and chargers for all. This is by no means, a definitive list.

Typically though, if flying, I can pack all that into a checked bag and the electronic gear into a carry on. Traveling on duty assignments for the Army would get crazy sometimes as i would have to pack civilian clothes with uniforms and field gear. Kevlar helmets don’t pack very well in standard suitcases.

However, when traveling by car, you might find a kitchen sink in the trunk. You should see my wife and I when we travel home to South Georgia. We spend about two weeks visiting with my and her families and I think we both tend to bring enough clothes for any occasion. I find there are the extra clothes as well for in case I need a suit to go out for dinner.  Also cold/temperate weather outer wear as it’s freezing when we depart Kentucky but in Georgia the weather can be just as freezing, raining, or warm.

It was like that in the Army too. We would bring so much to the field and packed in such a way to break out depending on the mission. Moving out to the field on the APC or truck, I would bring a map case, day (assault) bag, large rucksack, and two duffel bags of gear, not to mention the kit that is worn to carry ammo, water, etc. By nightfall, I could find myself on OP with just the day bag.

I’m starting to get back into back packing; I want to be as light as possible. There can be challenges there as well. Not only are there the 10 essentials, there are also the requirements of clothing, food, food preparation gear, sleeping gear, and shelter. It can be a lot depending on the time of year and days on the trail. Even there, I find there are lots of “just-in-cases” that may not be used while on the trip but if something should happen, damned glad to have on hand. I think the key is to separate the ‘must haves’ from the items that are there to provide comfort.

Could I do what Rolf is doing? I probably could & could eliminate a few things off his list as well. Still, I sure would like to at least have a ‘murse’, a sling/messenger bag or whatever, to carry some things in with me. It’s something to consider next time I travel. However, I think that the next Christmas trip home will be the same packing chaos.