Best Travel Gear for Minimalist Travel

Y'all, this backpack is the champion of all champions. The Osprey 55L backpack is amazing for minimalist travel because it's super durable, comes with a detachable day pack, and it comfy to carry around. It's so comfy in fact, that we used it to climb to the summit of Mt. Fuji without any fuss. The Osprey 55L has made it on to every single flight we've taken, making it the perfect bag for minimalist travel. Also a huge bonus: it's water resistant!

The Lowepro Electronics Bag has been a total lifesaver when it comes to protecting our very expensive vlogging equipment. It allows us to keep every we own safe, but also tightly packed so that it makes it on to every flight. This bag is perfect for minimalist travel because it's small size keeps you from buying unnecessary items. Some great features that we LOVE about this bag is that it's SUPER compact. It's our heaviest bag, but is also the tiniest! This Lowe Pro bag has adjustable velcro compartments, is fully padded on the inside, and is very comfy. It's the perfect electronics bag for minimalist travel vloggers.

I could seriously NOT LIVE without this toiletry bag. Why is it so badass? The little hook that it has on top lets cling to any bathroom doorknob, keeping all of our toiletries organized and DRY! I love this bag for a million reasons but the top are that the zippered, see-thru pockets let you keep everything organized and neat! This toiletry also folds up small making it a perfect addition to your minimalist travel gear!

I know this one of the weirder items on this list, but let me explain. We use our dry sac as our laundry bag because it keeps all of the stinky smells inside. The air inside can also be squeezed completely out so it's almost like vacuum sealing your gross cloths when you have to travel with your dirty laundry. AND true to our multifaceted minimalist travel gear requirement, this sac is a rockstar on days when we're doing water excursions and want to keep our electronics safe! When it's not in use, it folds up to basically nothing and takes up very little space! This is an amazing addition to your minimalist travel gear that you cannot live without!

If you're not traveling with packing cubes, we can't be friends. I'm totally just kidding but on a serious note, these travel cubes are a MUST have for minimalist travel. These packing cubes fit more clothes than you would expect, have the most durable zippers we've ever seen, and keep all of your clothes small and neat. They keep everything we own organized, compartmentalized, and clean. We literally use our travel cubes like drawers when we are on the road, and these specifically have a lifetime warranty. We could succeed at minimalist travel with out this amazing addition to our travel gear.

Travel neck wallets are one of those things that people feel like they don't need until they leave the country and realize they need a safe place to keep their passport. These are super handy because no matter where you go, you know your money and personal items will be safe. I don't like to fear monger, but the truth is some places are known for having sneaky pickpockets. This is one of those situations where I recommend you are better safe than sorry. Also, these suckers last forever! We use a travel wallet that is literally 20 years old.

Hopefully, you know that when traveling carry-on only (which we have a WHOLE guide on how to do that here), you have to keep your liquids in a single quart-sized bag. We have found that these bags are useful for so much more than being TSA compliant. We use them for transporting wet swimwear, keeping our medicine in one place, transporting spill-able liquids, and even keeping our chargers in one place. This is something very handy any minimalist traveler wanting to travel ultra-light should pack.

Needless to say, a Universal Converter in absolutely essential if you're planning on traveling abroad. A lot of people think that they can get away with the smaller adapters, but what they don't realize is that the different voltage WILL fry your electronics. I've had to kiss many a hair iron goodbye because of it. This converter has your back no matter what country you're going to or coming from and keeps your electronics safe from power surges! I love that this one, in particular, comes in a little pouch that keeps it all together. If there is one item that we literally use every single day, it's this one.

Nothing has proven more useful on travel days than this little power bank! Don't think you'll use it? Yea, me either... until I was on a 17-hour plane ride from Beijing to Chicago, ran out of phone battery and had to look at the back of my chair for 12 hours.

Features:

• holds 4 full phone battery charges
• is teeny tiny and fits anywhere
• Can charge multiple devices at once!

Travel locks are very important to take on your trip. Since we travel carry-on only, we don't really need it for the luggage (although it's nice to have). What we do use them for is putting our valuables in lockers when we are at hostels. Most hostels will have lockers, but don't provide the lock. If you don't take one, get ready to overpay for a heavy one with a key when you're there. We really like these because:

• I can't lose a key
• the flexible locking mechanism allows me to put it around any kind of locker

Obviously, any old toothbrush will do you just fine. I really like this one because it's:

• electric
• small
• comes with its own cap
• has no charger

We used to carry around our old Sonicare toothbrush, and I really don't recommend you do that. It was huge, needed to be charged, and a Thai outlet completely fried it. Use a converter and NOT an adapter, friends!

Tooth Powder is one of those things that's nice to have if you're going to be traveling for a long time. The limit for liquid or gel items in a carry on is 100ml, which is usually surpassed by any toothpaste tube. I like this toothpowder because:

• It's TSA compliant and doesn't have to go in the liquid bag
• It lasts a really long time!
• It's organic (I'm kind of a hippy, and I like it)
• It surprisingly tastes VERY good

Smelling good abroad is something Daniel and I deem necessary. When you travel long term there are going to be days where you can't find a shower and you knock yourself out with your own stench. I don't need to tell you that cologne and perfume bottles weigh 1000lbs and don't even fit in your liquids bag. This little sucker:

• smells amazing
• last a long time
• is tiny!
• weighs next to nothing

I have unfortunately not been able to find a female scent that I like and would recommend. If you find one, help a sister out and let me know here!

Goob Tubes!! OMG. Let me tell you the love affair I have with these things. They have this awesome little suction cup in the back of them that allows them to cling to any tile and glass. We use them to fill up on soap, shampoo, and conditioner for the times that the hostel/airbnb doesn't provide it. I really like that they're color-coded so I know exactly what I'm grabbing, AND it has a built-in label that you can change based on what you put in there!

We have literally owned our microfiber towel since our first trip in 2015, and we couldn't be happier with it. It:

• folds up very small
• dries like a champ
• doesn't get smelly
• lasts forever
• has a zippered pocket to keep valuables when you're at the beach

This towel is literally our bath towel, beach towel, and sometimes blanket! I recommend you get a dark color because it will stay looking nice much longer.

Because we have a YouTube Channel, we can't get away with looking homeless on the road. Daniel owns a beard trimmer because although we are minimalist travelers we literally live on the road. I don't think this will be necessary if you're doing a trip shorter than two weeks, but if you are traveling long-term (as a guy) you will need this. This beard trimmer is nice because:

• it doesn't break the bank
• comes with every sized head you would need
• packs up small
• comes in its own zippered bag

• It's TSA compliant and doesn't have to go in the liquid bag
• It lasts a really long time!
• It's organic (I'm kind of a hippy, and I like it)
• It surprisingly tastes VERY good

If the 30,000 reviews on this straightener don't convince you that this is the best in the world, let me tell you. I've owned this thing since 2012, and it has been all around the world since 2015! I've dropped it on the ground, chipped the ceramic on it, and even plugged it into outlets around the world without it frying. I LOVE the hair straightener because:

• it's literally indestructible
• Can take any voltage from around the world
• heats reliably
• leaves my hair looking amazing
• It's the cheapest hair iron I've ever owned and is also the best hair iron I've ever owned.
• Even if you're not a traveler, you need this!

I personally take this straightener on short trips because I like my hair straightened. But if you're going to a place that is excessively humid or you just don't want to take a hair iron, I have a heatless travel hairstyles video I created for you right here!

• smells amazing
• last a long time
• is tiny!
• weighs next to nothing

I have unfortunately not been able to find a female scent that I like and would recommend. If you find one, help a sister out and let me know here!

When we travel, we don't like having to carry a giant first aid kit to keep things like Advil, Immodium, and and bandaids. Instead we use this tiny pill organizer to condense the meds we need without having to carry bulky and space consuming bottles.  This pill organizer is awesome because the different compartments let you take several different medications, and keep them organized. 

I could write an entire blog post about the benefits and uses of Shea butter (you can read them here), but I'll keep it short and sweet. I use shea butter for all sorts of things, but mainly to replace my lotion, chapstick, and treat my psoriasis. It's a solid so I never have to worry about being stopped by TSA, it's GREAT for my skin, and it's all natural! So necessary for combating the dry air in long flights and keeping burnt skin moisturized!

Y'all. Sunscreen is SO damn expensive abroad. If you don't bring one from home, be ready to pay between $20-$60 outside of the US. I could literally have paid for two weeks worth of food for the cost of one small bottle of Sunscreen in Asia. This solid sunscreen applies like deodorant and can live in your carry-on without being in the quart sized bag. Also, the solid lasts forever!

• it doesn't break the bank
• comes with every sized head you would need
• packs up small
• comes in its own zippered bag
• It's TSA compliant and doesn't have to go in the liquid bag
• It lasts a really long time!
• It's organic (I'm kind of a hippy, and I like it)
• It surprisingly tastes VERY good

I never realized how weird deodorant is around the world. In South East Asia, they use liquid roll-ons, and in England and Australia, they use the spray kind. Neither of those types are TSA compliant, so I highly recommend you bring a solid deodorant from home! This Secret Clinical Strength Deodorant is amazing and keeps me smelling fresh for days. Even on the days when I'm on a plane all day and don't get to shower (the gross reality of fulltime travel. You're welcome!). Now that's a lot to say!

Apart from being easy to use, and less confronting than other methods, the Diva Cup saves you money on feminine hygiene products and is good for the environment! Not to mention it saves space in your bag!

For a long time, I carried my enormous hair brush and didn't realize how much bulk it added. Having a tiny hair brush like this one ensures that it will fit in your toiletries bag and anywhere else you might need it.

Investing in a good pair of headphones is a great idea before you go traveling. These have great reviews, don't break the bank, and have a long battery life. Any pair of headphones would work, but I specifically recommend you take wireless headphones for a few reasons:

•  sleeping on airplanes is going to be much more comfortable if they're wireless
• You don't have to worry about untangling them for 5 minutes before using them
• You can use them on just about any device

Before you judge me for this one, let me just say we've used this SO much more than we expected! This snuggie is great on airplanes and busses, useful for keeping fragile items safe, and it kept us warm at the summit of Mt. Fuji, and. Yes, we took it on Fuji and you can see us use (and freeze our butts off) here. I would get rid of it if it wasn't so darn useful!

These hiking sandals were a dream come true for Daniel. We tend to be adventure travelers (chase for adventure, get it?!), so we end up hiking through a lot of waterfalls, climbing mountains, and even go Jet Ski island hopping. Daniel has been able to get away with these being the only real pair of shoes he has outside of his flipflops. These hiking sandals are:

• adjustable
• comfortable
• nice enough to wear with all of his clothes
• durable
• Fast drying!

DryFit material is known for being moisture wicking and quick drying. That's exactly why Daniel swears by them. No matter what climate we are in, DryFit shirts keep Daniel dry, they're super easy to wash in the sink, and will be dry by the time you wake up! Added bonus: They roll up super tiny, and weigh almost nothing at all!

I used to be in the camp that thought DryFit Underwear was a silly and frivolous expense... until I learned just how SLOW cotton underwear drys. When you're on the road, it's sometimes difficult to find a laundromat. Daniel literally just takes his DryFit Underwear into the shower with him, washes it and within 30 minutes, the underwear is completely dry! Also, this underwear is:

• comfortable
• soft
• durable
• Fast drying!

I'm a huge fan of not spending tons of money if I don't have to. Although we usually travel to warm places, we take this just in case our travel plans change. When we were in the Thai Mountains, I was so glad we had this in our bag!  This Amazon Basics down jacket is:

• Surprisingly high quality
• folds teeny-tiny
• water resistant
• keeps you warm without making you sweat!

Before finding these shoes, I used to use Chacos and honestly hated them. They were uncomfortable to put on and smelled like something literally died in them. These shoes have changed my life! They are:

• comfy
• easy to put on and clean
• Cute! They go with almost all of my outfits
• durable
• and super anti-slip
• Best of all! They don't stink!

I basically own the girl version of Daniel's jacket and I love it. This jacket folds up tiny and can fit in one of its pockets. I love the different colors it comes in, how light it is, and that it's water resistant! Also, I just have to wipe it with a wet cloth to clean it!
As for it's cold resistant, this down jacket does the job! I've worn it in Chinese and South Korean winter (0 degrees C, 32 F) and it kept me super warm!

Any ol' underwear you have should work because our undies tend to be much smaller, and are usually made from quick-drying materials. But if you're looking for undies that are small and affordable, you can get a 6 pack of these for less than $15!

We actually own two of these awesome cameras! The Sony a6300 is a great travel vlogging camera because it's small and packs a punch. As a mirrorless camera, it's much smaller than other DSLR's, has interchangeable lenses, and shoots 4K video. We also love the Playmemories app because it lets us wirelessly transfer photos and video to our cell phone so we can post it straight to our Instagram!

Although we love this camera, if we could do it over we would go with the Sony a6500 because of its internal stabilization!

We use this prime lens anytime we sit down to vlog. It makes everything crystal clear and does great low light, too! For my photography nerds out there, this lens does great bokeh! These are some pictures we've taken with this lens:

• Picture 1
• Picture 2
• & Picture 3

This wide angle lens was actually the only lens we used for a long time! It's great for traveling because it is super wide, and captures everything you would want in an image. These are some of the images we've captured with our wide angle lens:

• Picture 1
• Picture 2
• & Picture 3

Gorilla Pods are a nifty little tripod with adjustable legs that allow you to wrap it around random objects. Out of all of our vlogging gear, this is the item we use the least since our camera is usually attached to our Zhiyun Crane 2. The reason why we keep it is some places we visit don't allow professional stabilizers but will allow a gorilla pod. We also took this tripod on Mt. Fuji since it was light, adjustable, and let us get some killer night shots from the summit. I think this tripod would be good for people who want to travel light and need a tripod that's functional.

We LOVE our DJI Mavic Pro and it's by far Daniel's favorite toy. It folds up small, shoots in 4K, and can even take high-definition pictures! If you watch our YouTube Channel, you know that we use our drone all of the time! If you want to see some examples of the image and video quality, click down below!

• Picture 1
• Picture 2
• Video 1
• Video 2

In the near future though, we are looking at upgrading to the DJI Mavic Pro 2 because it can zoom, can take better low light video, and has a powerhouse camera! I've recommended the bundle above because it's honestly a much better value even if you just use the memory card, extra propellers, and batteries.

Like most other vloggers, we really only use our GoPro whenever we are doing something adventurous. We love that this GoPro:

• Can be controlled from our phone
• Has an AWESOME GoPro App
• Is hella durable
• Is tiny

Here are some of our GoPro video and picture examples:

• Picture 1
• Picture 2
• Video 1
• Video 2

This camera strap is not only adorable, comes in dozens of colors and patterns, but is also just so so comfortable. I love that it:

• wicks moisture
• has pockets to hold 4 Sony batteries
• is easily removable
• is so comfy even when I'm carrying my 10-pound camera set up around my neck.

We own 3 of these hard drives and we love them. If I had money overflowing from my pockets I would invest in a solid state drive, but we're not there yet. So, we just handle our hard drives very carefully. Make sure that you get a case for your hard drive to keep it safe and lower your chances of corrupting it. This is the hard drive case we use and we really like it.

We film tons of footage in a day, and we've only maxed out our memory storage a couple of times. We've considered upgrading to a 258GB memory card, but the way we look at it is it keeps us efficient with our storage. The more we film, the more external hard drives we have to purchase to store that data. This Ultra series has incredibly fast reading and writing speeds and is everything we could need and want. Also, we recommend you stick to the MicroSD cards because they typically come with an adapter, and can be used on any device.