Attempting Minimalism Sincerely, the Maximalist
No matter how much I’d like to convince myself, I am not a minimalist. This may be strange coming from someone aspiring to do van life…but it’s true, I like my books and trinkets, and my (probably) absurd amount of clothing. My house is full of art and rugs and blankets and nicknacks. I love it. But this has not contributed well when it comes to one thing…packing. I am a notorious over-packer which is why this month, while on a two-week trip to Florida, I have convinced myself to only bring a backpack.
I will be bringing my 55-liter Gregory Maven pack. This is not small by any means, but I am also known for being the person that has an overflowing suitcase….so if my dreams of backpacking Europe or dirt bagging it in a van are ever to come true I have to learn to downsize.
Let’s break it down. I have come to the conclusion that this is going to be a challenge, mostly because I am naturally inclined to bring fifteen different sweaters because “idk what my mood will be!” But I have narrowed my clothing packing list down to what I consider the necessities.
The Packing List:
Pants
2 Pair of Jeans (one of which I am wearing on the plane)
2 Pairs of Shorts
1 Pair of Sweats
2 Pairs of Leggings
Tops
5 Tank Tops
2 Long sleeves
1 Tee
Layers
2 Button-up layers
1 Light Sweater
1 Fleece
1 Cardigan
Swimsuits
2 Swimsuits
And yes, selfishly I did not count shoes but if you must know...I ended up with my Blundstone boots(which I did not wear once), converse, and a pair of earth runners. I desperately wanted to bring my Birkenstock clogs but decided against it and instead traded them for the far more practical (and waterproof) earth runners.
I would not say I succeeded at being a minimalist on this trip but that wasn’t entirely my motive. Truly, I wanted to see if I could be disciplined enough to only bring what I need and be okay with leaving things behind. Through everything, I did learn a lot about my packing habits, personality, and why backpacking is likely in my future.
Now onto my experience…
When it came to this challenge I was a bit afraid, mostly because I am an overthinker and that leads to my tendency to overpack. I called my mom in a panic approximately five times while figuring out which shorts, jeans, or sweater I should bring.
Another dilemma I ran into was that my closet is tailored to my current lifestyle, one where I work in an office and love my bulky sweaters. Sadly, that doesn’t fit in with this “no-nonsense backpacker chic” I’m striving to be. Many of my clothes require layering or other items to make them work. Example A: jeans. I was going to bring a single pair in order to save space but to my dismay, I had not one pair that would go with everything. So I did was any sensible person would do and brought two pairs.
This made me realize two things: I need clothing that is versatile and I must learn to layer…minimally. Versatility was my biggest struggle on this trip. I have many clothing items that I love but none that go together well, or pack down small enough. In the future, I would hope to have 4-5 staple clothing items that are easily washable and compact, which I can build off of with say a flannel, a sweater, or a light button-up.
My third realization what that clothing is heavy, far heavier than I assumed when I was initially packing for this trip. And since I have primarily used suitcases while flying, my idea of weight was a bit skewed. This pack got taxing and after a while a bit of a burden to carry. If I were to do this again I would consider my needs vs wants. Many items on this trip wouldn’t fly if I were to take the same things across Europe or Asia in this backpack. I would need to be adamant about what I need and what I want.
Example A: I did not need two pairs of jeans and could have lived with just one pair. It was a matter of WANTING to have two pairs just in case.
Example B: Fleece/Longsleeves. Yes, I went to Florida and brought insulating layers. In my defense, it had previously been 40-60 degrees the last two times I had ventured into the state. I wanted to be prepped because there were going to be a few colder days on my trip, but I truly did not need these excess three items of clothing.
Discerning your needs and your wants is crucial if you plan on packing minimally. I am guilty of wanting to bring more than I need, this goes back to me being an anxious packer. I do think this experience was valuable because it taught me that I CAN live on less than I am used to.
I am currently going through the journey of saving up for a van and if you’ve ever saved up for something big before you know that sacrifices must be made. I have stopped buying new clothing, I don’t go out for coffee more than once a week, and I have begun cooking 95% of my meals at home. I wanted to share this because it’s a great example of the need vs. want dilemma.
In our society, we are told that consuming an ungodly amount of physical possessions will make us happy. That when you own more, and buy more, your life will be meaningful. After living in RVs for the majority of my life I was taught the value of experience over belongings and lived that way for many years. It was just recently though that I have been overcome with the need to get back to that lifestyle again, to own less and experience more.
After this experiment of mine, my dreams feel just a bit closer. In the next year, my goal is to buy a van and begin my nomadic journey. And even after something so small, such as packing everything I need for two weeks in a backpack, the idea of owning less and in general needing less feels more appealing than ever!
xoxo, Bella
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