Lessons in Minimalism from Four Months of Backpacking in Patagonia

Packing for a trip is a challenge in and of itself; packing for a trip with no end date, no itinerary, and no way to bring more than a 65 liter backpack is the type of packing that someone with a master’s in tetris would find almost impossible.

Thankfully, it’s also the kind of packing that leads to a newfound appreciation for minimalism and a focus on what truly matters in life.

Two and a half years ago, my partner Jake and I bought one-way tickets to Argentina with no real plan and no idea of when we’d return to the states. We had graduated from college that spring with just enough money in our bank accounts to allow us to live on a shoestring budget for a few months, and we’d been obsessing over the idea of “someday” visiting Patagonia for too many years too long to not do something about it. The stars aligned and the cards were stacked: we pulled the trigger and committed to going.

Without knowing it, we’d also committed to learning more about minimalist living than we’d ever imagined possible. Before we even left on our trip, we sold and donated so many of our belongings that what we were left with could easily fit in our two vehicles. (When you don’t know how long you’ll be traveling for and the idea of paying for a storage unit becomes a very real possibility, material possessions quickly lose their value).

Preparing our packs took a lot of trial and error as well as many hypothetical “what if?” scenarios, but at long last, we paired down our 65L packs so that they were filled with just the following:

Four shirts
One fleece
One puffy coat
One rain jacket
One pair of rain pants
Two pairs of pants
Two pairs of shorts
Undergarments
Hat, gloves, scarf
Chacos (sandals)
Running shoes
Small journal
One book
Small point-and-shoot camera
One compressible 18L daypack (for daily excursions)
Sleeping bag
Sleeping pad
Inflatable pillow
Headlamp
Basic toiletries (including a quick-dry towel the size of a sheet of computer paper)
One tent (between the two of us)
Passport, travel documents, etc.

...and not a thing more. Our trip ended up being a four month whirlwind of backpacking in national parks, hiking to iconic views, partaking in work exchanges, and bouncing back and forth between Argentine and Chilean Patagonia - none of which would have happened had we not left the proverbial kitchen sink at home.

Having a lot of material possessions at your disposal makes life easy and comfortable, until you realize the very possessions you thought would set you free are instead chaining you down. Here’s why (responsibly) ditching your things and traveling - or even staying in one place - with just the bare necessities opens up a whole new world of possibility:

You spend less time making menial decisions. “Should I wear this outfit, or this outfit, or - wait - what about this one? Hmm, better try them all on before I decide.” ...is a conversation you will never have while traveling light. When you only have a handful of shirts and a few pants to choose from (and statistically speaking, half of them are probably dirty at any given moment), your choice of attire is often based entirely on two things: what’s the cleanest, and what the weather’s like. “Oh, it’s warm out? My one pair of shorts and one clean t-shirt it is, then!” “It’s cold? Guess I’ll wear my one pair of long pants, my one fleece, and my only puffy. I’ll be ready in 30 seconds!” Less outfit decision making, more adventure decision making. Win-win.

If you want to travel hundreds of miles at the drop of a dime, you can - no problem. There are few more freeing feelings than waking up in one location, hopping on a plane/bus/bike/your own two feet, and arriving in a totally different location without ever having to worry about what to bring. When you already have everything you need in one easy-to-put-on backpack, traveling hundreds of miles is just as easy as traveling five miles down the road. Our countless “comfort” items seem much less comforting when you realize they stand in the way of many of our travel goals. Plus, when you stop spending money on unnecessary items, your travel funds instantly increase.

Your level of innovation - and patience - goes from zero to 100 overnight. Your inflatable pillow sprang a leak and you don’t have a patch kit? No problem! Just stuff a large ziplock bag with some of your clothes and voilà! Ready for sleep. Accidentally broke your sunglasses and don’t have any duct tape? Good thing you have a spare hair tie! And don’t worry, no one will notice your new interesting sunglasses setup because they’ll be too focused on how impressed they are by your macgyvering abilities. Wait, what’s that? You just showered and don’t have a towel? Good thing you have a (semi) clean shirt you can use instead!

Traveling threw these scenarios and hundreds of others just like them at us time and again. Pretty quickly, we learned that we could be upset that we didn’t have the “right” tool for the job, OR - we could get creative and *make* the right tool out of whatever we had on hand. The only perfect solution is the one you come up with, where you are, with what you have.

Your priorities change - in the best way. When you have all of your creature comforts, it becomes so easy - too easy, in fact - to trick yourself into thinking that the most important part of, say, your morning, is to spend ample time making sure you look flawless before you head out the door for the day. When you ditch the comforts and are left with only the necessities, you realize that the best way to make yourself “look flawless” (while wearing the same mildly clean outfit you wore yesterday) is to feel great - by getting excited about what adventures you’ll have that day, connecting with new, interesting people around you, and seeking out the best food to fuel your body with. When you are no longer surrounded by hundreds of distracting material possessions, your focus shifts to experiences and people - in other words, what really matters.

When Jake and I settled back down in Boulder after our extended adventure, sure, we indulged in the fact that we had full-size towels again and could wear a different shirt every day of the week, amongst other comforts. However, we realized that there was a lot we could live without. For example, we paired down our dishware to only two of each item: two spoons, two bowls, two mugs, and so on. (And when we had friends over for dinner, we used our acquired innovation skills and got creative!). We got rid of our couch and used the extra floor space to practice yoga more consistently. We looked at items we hadn’t used in years, took pictures of them if they had sentimental value, and then sold or donated them. And you know what? I can honestly say I haven’t missed a single item I’ve given away. I prioritize friends and experiences more, I worry less about my appearance, and if I ever had to, I could load up my whole life into my car and relocate.

Pairing down items is never particularly easy. It takes a lot of work to remind yourself that your possessions do not define you - rather, your attitude and actions do. However, whether you’re traveling the world or just staying at home, setting yourself free of the things that weigh you down by default makes you more mobile, more focused on your priorities, and makes room for more space - and time! - for the experiences and people that truly bring meaning to life.