In this Lightweight Travel Tip we look at powerbanks. If you're travelling near civilisation then you can probably leave the powerbank behind and just use your wall-charger. If you do take a powerbank then it might not need to be so high capacity and so you can save some weight.
Lightweight Travel Tips is a series of short videos where I showcase the lightweight travel philosophy by discussing specific situations. The individual tips are gateways to the lightweight travel mindset.
I can recall my first trip overseas with overweight suitcases full of things I never used. Even though I have larger baggage allowances than ever, I take less. Less luggage makes it easier to move around, and I'm less likely to lose an item because I have fewer items to track. It's easier to move through crowds and over imperfect ground.
Lightweight travel tips combine my experience in travel and the outdoors to examine what I carry and if I could do without it. I'm not an ultra-light backpacking gram weeny - my outdoors philosophy is more informed by bushcraft, where I learned to make the most out of whatever I carry while keeping necessities and local conditions in mind. So, lightweight travel is a mindset of efficiency - that each item must be helpful or it should be left behind.
At the core of my philosophy is:
Passport, Credit card, Phone - everything else is a solvable problem of a luxury item.
This isn't to say you shouldn't carry anything - decide what balances weight, size, convenience and luxury for yourself and where you're going! Figure out what is available where you're going - both free at your accommodation or what you can easily buy.
How do I start thinking through a pack list? First, learn about the trip: what about the weather when I am there? What activities do I expect to do? What can I obtain at the destination if I need it? What equipment must I take? These questions are the genesis of thinking through what to bring.
And the biggest tip: Start with a small bag. If you can't make your load-out fit, it's easier to get a larger bag rather than the other way around. People tend to think in terms of bag size: it's the airlines that make us weigh everything!
Do you have some lightweight travel tips of your own? Please share in the comments.
Until next time.
▶️ 3Speak
I have a question
Is it always good to to pack all your luggage inside just one bag/box or two?
There's no "always". The answer is it depends on your situation. Generally, one bag is much easier to carry and track, so I prefer to travel with one bag. However, even with a lightweight travel mindset, your trip might require more than fits in one bag. If you fly, there are some items that are check-in only and some that are carry-on only - if you need both types of items, you might need two bags or more.
The lightweight travel mindset is not about being minimal about the number of bags or the total weight of everything, it's about ensuring you get sufficient use out of anything you carry enough to justify carrying it. The gateway to that is to first go minimal, then add back what you actually need.
While I do agree that powerbanks can be heavy, I think they are worth it when going on a vacation. Even a phone that usually lasts a day can run out quickly if you take a lot of photos and videos. The powerbank can be helpful when you are out until the night. It is good that you showed a lighter, smaller powerbank, which is just perfect.
If you will be using a car though, you can get a car charger [USB or something that goes in the cigarette lighter] so you don't have to bring anything else.
Good. You have a great justification for carrying the power bank. If I'm on a road trip, then I also rely on car chargers while moving, and a wall charger when stopped. For some types of vacations, particularly if we're stopping a lot, then it's not hard to find wall chargers and rely on those alone. Of course, if I was doing multiple days in the backcountry, then it's the power brick. Lightweight mindset - every extra thing, and extra weight has good justification.
yes, good tip there.. it's tempting to just pack the BIG size battery.. (I comprimized and chose the 'medium' of 5000 mah to carry around with me)
another thing.. my previous phone still had a battery that I could switch out for a charged one if I needed.. can't really beat the speed, size, weight of that efficiency. Now, most phones have internal batteries that are not swappable like that. :( kinda makes me want to go back to a 'dumb' phone..
There are some phones with removable batteries. I might look into them.
😉🤜 i do enjoy the pixel 7 i got now, but in a way, i miss the smaller footprint, and also the weight, of my old samsung J3. (the screen if only .5 inches bigger on the pixel, yet the phone seems to weigh twice as much)
My previous phone was a Pixel 3XL. I'd love to get a pixel fold for my next one. Though, those mid-range Samsung phones are excellent value for money.
When going for a travel or a journey, I always advice to have more than 1 luggage but it should not be that much so that it will not be bulky also
I used to do that too, but let's explore that a little. Why?