Traveling Ultra Compact is certainly not for everyone - it's a challenge which sometimes involves creative thinking before traveling and on the road.   Maybe it's a sport and an art - with science when it comes to the cool and warming clothes.

I find a pleasure in preparing for a trip: Check the conditions to be encountered. Select gear.    Then on the trip find out if I got it right.   I don't expect many followers, maybe an odd competitor:    "What? Are you lugging around 1 oz, 28 g ? I have only .5 oz, 14 g!

When you have Ultra Compact Luggage you can throw in a pair  of trousers, two shirts and of probably a couple of "things I can not live without", and still travel Very Light - well below 5 kg, 11 lbs.

Traveling lighter  contributes to Greener Travel as you use less resources for the manufacture of your gear and less fuel for transport.

 

I would of course love to hear from you, e g: "I shed 10 kg, 22 lb, luggage in two weeks."   Or, "Starting with little I had plenty of room for all those nice things I wanted to buy on the road."

 

For Ultra Compact Travel you need optimal gear. You also need special knowledge and techniques.   Most travelers just pack the gear they use at home, (it's not designed for travel!)

without probably even thinking if it is a good idea - I have seen many examples.   It gets heavy and many times they are suffering unnecessarily in the heat because of the wrong dress!

What you need when traveling of course depends how you travel. The focus here is on my travel style.    I stay in hotels, eat in restaurants and travel the longer stretches by air.

I am mostly in the tropics. My wardrobe consists of low cost  tailor made clothes. - Back packing style without the back pack.

 

Some of my luggage reductions have not been planned. E.g. I once lost my umbrella while traveling at quite high altitudes - with high UV radiation.  Instead of buying a new one I asked myself: Can I replace it with something easily available or something I already have? I could. Now I no longer carry an umbrella, as a sun shield. It was a considerably reduction in luggage size as luggage already was compact! 

A bit of Necessity is the Mother of making luggage more compact.

 

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Maybe you know that some cars have a spare wheel which is more compact (in order to take up less space) than the other wheels. It can only be used for slow driving.  I use a similar approach for one of my clothes.

 

Traveling is fun - testing limits and developing gear and techniques at the same time makes it more fun

I have mostly been traveling light, around 4.5 kg, 10 lbs, with a small bag. It's a challenge to minimize your needs. From a light bag I went to all luggage in a multi pocket vest, then to all in the pockets without the vest. Then to luggage in a match box. Next the luggage into an iPod Nano case. Actually more volume but requiring slimmer luggage components. It is probably not the end of it. Some of my travel friends call me "Travel Light".

A comments from a traveler: "My toothpaste probably weighs more than your luggage."

I the shop I saw a dental floss package. I could fit luggage for two in it!

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 Last modified Oct. 25, 2009.