And of course, it works as a shawl as well.

As an added bonus, I bought it for a few euros in Italy, so it’s also a souvenir.

Some other thoughts for those trying to pair down the weight. I love my jeans, but rarely take them with me, and never two pairs. They just take up too much room, and often are too hot after full day of walking. Also, they’re harder to wash in a sink and take forever to dry.

For two months in Hawaii I used the following 4 pieces to keep my bottom half clothed:

1. A pair of light cotton pants with the same cut/style as jeans
2. A pair of what are technically yoga/workout pants (at least that’s what they were labeled at the store). Lightweight and loose fitting, but with pockets.
3. Drawstring sleep pants. These are black polyester and look nice enough that they good enough for for a fancy-ish restaurant and double as my dressy slacks. Only drawback is they have no pockets.
4. Board shorts for daily wear and swimming.

Oh, and of course, my shawl used as a skirt as well.

Both the workout pants and sleep pants are comfortable enough to sleep in, and the workout pants can be worn over the sleep pants. I suppose if it were really cold I could wear all three pants though it would look funny. All 4 are comfortable enough for a full day of walking, hiking or bike-riding. I’m always doing laundry in the shower, (partly because I don’t want to carry so much and partly because I don’t want to take the time to find a laundromat), so I want things that will dry quickly and the material of what I take with is really important to me.

By the time I get back home I can’t wait to get back in my favorite jeans though. Any trip longer than two months and I probably would take a pair, but it’s nice not to be carrying the weight or bulk and they really don’t work well for sink-washing. (Even the cotton pants can push it as far as drying in a reasonable time, but Hawaii is pretty damp/humid).

Anyway, that’s what has worked for me in the past. Great article. I’m so often surprised at what people carry around with them, (though I carry about 12 pounds of camera equipment that others might think of as overkill). Still, I’m always amazed when I unpack from a trip and look at the stuff I took and never needed.

I think it’s amazing you can fit everything into 15kgs. I’ve downsized to a 45+8 litre bag but struggle to get smaller. I am carrying too much electronic equipment though.