Pack half of what you think you need

http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/1268-pack-half-of-what-you-think-you-need

by terpua • 18 years ago

25 18 18 years ago

bootload• 18 years ago

"... Pack light. Lay out everything you think you need. Then put away half ..."

Pack one away, bin the other. The thing is you have to carefully think what you really need. Is this item required. Done right this is a work of art - it matters though. There are things you cannot do with out. Others are a waste of space. Take for example a mate of mine, Alessandro ~ http://www.flickr.com/photos/agentilini/907130017/

lemonysnicket4• 18 years ago

bootload, the gear in the photo wasn't enough and I needed more stuff for a four day "hut-hopping" hike: it's a long way to the enlightenment.

so, under the 37 signals great advice, this is what this guy needed for National Outdoor Leadership School, and he should have taken half?

when in reality, he needed more gear than presented here.

as usual, the signal is too weak, even if they try to filter out the noise.

nocivus• 18 years ago

True but, like everything in life, nothing is written in stone. I think the general purpose of the post (and also of most things I read in the 37signals "real" book) is to serve as a guideline. And it serves it's purpose even if it just makes you take a second look at the gear (product features) you want to take with you :)

wim• 18 years ago

Couldn't agree more.

You really need less than you might think. The whole point of traveling is that you see something new. You're never going to know exactly what you'll run into or do. Trying to prepare for everything is impossible :). Living with limited resources is interesting in itself, and can even get you into cool experiences meeting new people you have to ask for help.

And as for the software, this is actually an interesting analogy. I don't think I pack my backpack much differently from how I try to decide what goes into a program. Whether it's bloated software or a heavy bag, I use 20% of its contents 80% of the time anyway. I could probably do without the rest and find some interesting alternatives along the way.

I guess it takes traveling frequently to find out you should cut on features :)

wallflower• 18 years ago

> The whole point of traveling is that you see something new.

This is an essay I read yesterday on one of my favorite travel-as-personal-experience sites. You might like it.

http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2008/10/02/how-changing-your...

Also, before a big trip, my sister suggested that I use shampoo to wash my clothes and dry them out in the air (next time - I'll bring clothespins). Works like a charm. Why pack lots of clothes if you can wash a small set?

lemonysnicket4• 18 years ago

shampoo or a little packet of detergent.

this is one of the best traveling advice ever.

thorax• 18 years ago

> The whole point of traveling is that you see something new.

This is all probably great advice when you're talking about being a tourist.

As someone who does business traveling a lot, though, it's really hard to argue some of these points.

I, personally, would rather carry a little extra junk through an airport because I decided to include a backup shirt and slacks in case I spill some soup.

When we're talking about business travel, you're talking about things that affect your career or your own company. I take what I need to be 99% sure I'll be successful at the destination-- and I don't worry so much about the burden. Of course often you can go out and get what you need, but you don't want to have to do that (especially at the last minute) if you don't have to. That extra bit of confidence of feeling prepared can make all the difference to let your mind focus on getting business done to the best of your ability.

All this aside, I think the analogy about software is a great suggestion. You really don't know what you should be taking with you (i.e. features) until you get there (i.e. release it to users).

I liken that to a civil engineer building a bridge remotely and then delivering all the pieces without having ever visited the site himself. He or she would have a much worse idea of the dimensions, concerns, or obstacles-- and might have to re-engineer a lot of what they built.

Of course software is more flexible than that, but it's still a great idea to take a few, and not all, of your "best guess" features to the customer until you get their usage/feedback to build on.

davidw• 18 years ago

> I, personally, would rather carry a little extra junk through an airport because I decided to include a backup shirt and slacks in case I spill some soup.

I once managed to make it through a meeting with a huge, gaping hole in the backside of the pair of pants I had on, caused by a spring poking through a chair. I think the client wondered why I was so attached to the bag I was carrying, but didn't say anything.

Carrying backup stuff is a good idea.

niels_olson2• 18 years ago

agreed. I have had to pack for trips for overnight, two weeks. a month, six weeks, six months, and same day. Get some durable, cheap luggage. I had great success at Tuesday Morning with a friend on the phone who was cross checking brands and prices on ebay. Got 4 matching pieces of very good luggagefor $400, less than the price of the rolling garmet bag of the set at a luggage store I had visited earlier in the day. Tuesday morning seems to be better than TJ Maxx. I'm sure there's some ecofriendly-no-child-labor-yet-low-cost boutique in San Fran, but I don't live in SF. Also, never buy a standard case bigger than 27". Anything bigger, when full, will be to heavy and the overweight fees outstrip the cost of buying a new bag.

I can travel indefinitely, as a military doc, with a week worth of casual civvies, a suit, a 'service dress' uniform, working uniforms, study materials, and 'doctor stuff' like whit coat, stethoscope, etc, with a folding garmet bag, a 25" rolling suitcase, and a standard messanger bag for carry on. Volume is about the same as a navy 'seabag' duffle. Tested over four- and six-week trips, doing laundry once a week.

My dad recently did 2 weeks in Japan with a folding garmet bag. A rolling folding garmet is definitely my go-to piece of luggage for city-to-city travel, flying or driving. For travel on ships, I recommend the seabag, as it takes very little room and can double as a backpack in a pinch. Obviously, if you're walking inland, your backpack can double as airport luggage. I tend to use an XL timbuk2 for overnighters.

lemonysnicket4• 18 years ago

great analogy for software

but how many people really need this advice for traveling?

instead of this over-generalized "half of what you need" and then "lose another half" make a short list of the bare necessities -- and why you need it.

but I guess this is advice for tourists? not sure who has three bags going down cobble stone roads.

rgrieselhuber2• 18 years ago

The maxim of packing the same amount for a 2 week trip as for a 2 month trip is certainly true.

I backpacked around the world for a year and my bag was relatively light (avg. 20 pounds) but even that was quite heavy on long hikes. I've since practiced and am now down to about 15 lbs., and I could go lighter, depending on the weather.

lemonysnicket4• 18 years ago

what was your avg dist. on the longer hikes? am curious that 15-20 lbs. was heavy on the long hikes. and where'd you store the extra gear (i imagine a lot of it was weather-related)

jwilliams• 18 years ago

20lbs (9kg) seems pretty light for a long hike - unless this is just baseline travel gear and you're not counting food, water, tent.

kaens• 18 years ago

I've done quite a bit of hitchhiking and travel by foot in the US, and I've also found that traveling with as little as possible is a plus. Focus on utility - not convenience - and you'll be better prepared for whatever situation you end up with.

15-20 pounds is what I average when I'm packing for "general" situations, and while it does start to feel more like 40 or 50 pounds after a while, you get used to it - and the security of knowing that every item in that 20 pounds is the opposite of frivolous far outweighs the inconvenience of the weight.

antidaily• 18 years ago

Is it me or is Matt typically the least interesting 37signals writer?

river_styx• 18 years ago

I'm all for speaking your mind, but what exactly is the point of an idle personal attack like this?

Pack half of what you think you need

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