Well my lovelies, the time has finally come to start packing up my backpack and triple checking my to do list ready for next weeks great departure!

One of the most exciting things about packing up an ambitiously small 46L backpack for a year of travels is that it highlights just how little you need to get by in life. Once you realise that you have to lug all these belongings on your back almost every where you go, you soon get ruthless to what makes the cut in your final packing list!

What’s been the most interesting about my final backpack contents is just how flexible I’ve had to be with my own ethical interests, in order to weigh up practicality, durability and, naturally, cost. But I’ve tried to stay as balanced as possible, and suspect that as I go on I’ll slowly go without less in my bag in order to keep my arms from falling off!

So whilst not everything I’m packing is 100% ethical, vegan, Fairtrade etc, they will help to serve me in living as minimalist and zero waste for as long as possible. You will also see that a lot of the items below have also been gifted to me by my lovely friends, family and colleagues, so I haven’t spent much money on my final contents!

Continue reading Minimalist Living on the Road: My Backpacking Essentials →