Packing Light & Living Fast

When Inc. wrote a piece about my travel tips, my sister called me and the hysterics began. As someone who prides himself on packing light, I’ve been know to make emergency trips to CVS after midnight to buy t-shirts, pajama pants, contact lens solution and shaving cream.

(CVS makes a mean Irish plaid in bedtime bottoms. I am not kidding. Although the waistline on those suckers make mom jeans look sexy. Who says your local drugstore can’t be a fashion hub in a pinch? Throw in your Chicago Bears coozy and you can roll to Stanley’s in your handsome jammies.)

After years of such drugstore runs for whatever I forgot on my mission to travel lean and mean, you might imagine my sister had some fun mocking my newfound status as a travel adviser with any level of authority whatsoever.

Touché, dear Monica, touché.

Packing light and living fast is going to lead to some collateral damage, no doubt.  Like being an experimental chef, you have to own the fact that sometimes the food’s going to taste bad. One time I thought: of course, post-Thanksgiving nachos. Money. Have you ever had mashed potatoes and stuffing on top of El Ranchero tortilla chips?

There is a reason you have not done this. Do not do this. 

Back to effortless military-like laser beam strikes for your road game. Make sure you have time to review your ingredients; a checklist is a superb invention I haven’t yet had the discipline to implement.

Without further ado, pour yourself a Boddington’s and take note for this is all you’ll ever need to pack for any one week or under trip: 

• 1 constraining travel bag and 1 clever man-tote.
• 3 pairs of pants or jeans, two in the bag and one on the body.
• 1 genius level blazer and 1 piece of soft cotton outerwear, either a zip or a hoodie.
• 1 order of versatile stuff up top.
• A handful of high impact accessories. Yes I know how that sounds.
• No more than 3 and probably 2 expertly picked pairs of shoes.
• 1 jambox. 1 multi-vitamin + 1 fish oils per day you are gone. 1 New Yorker.
• 2 pairs of shorts and 1 pair of sandals [summer option]

Now don’t shake this, don’t stir it.  We will do a piece a week on packing light until you’re done.

Yours,

@dunn

Comments

[Blake H]

Will this bag ever come back, or must I settle for ze khaki?

[Article Directory]

I like the design of this bag.

[Robert Butler]

Always bring a bathing suit, it takes up almost no space... And you never know what could happen.