Nicolas Branson
Minimalism & Lifestyle
A bit of background, I'm something of an "extreme minimalist" and not really a traveler per se, but the "onebag" format is fun and it helps me bring my core possessions down.
Let me explain how this bag works in my daily life. Not all my possessions are in this bag, but the bag has everything I need. This is my EDC bag, travel bag, and weekend bag. It just so happens to contain all my tech and core clothing. This is just about all of my clothing, i also own a formal suit, and a seperate work uniform which is provided to me. I keep another set of toiletries in my bathroom. I have shared kitchen stuff in the house I share with others. This is all of my tech and charging cables.
Clothes:
Merino Protect T-Shirt
- I’ve been wearing a black tee for years as a "minimalist uniform"; I used to own 8 cotton tee shirts now it’s just this one single piece of fabric. Merino wool in theory doesn’t ever smell, but I like being clean so I wash this about once every 20-30 days. This shirt is one of the cheapest merino shirts on the market but has held up great after 1 year.
Meriwool long sleeve shirt
- 100% merino wool just like the tee. I use this to look more formal but mostly for warmth in the winter. This is technically a “base layer” but it looks great on its own. I
Express jeans
- I was eyeing wool pants for odor resistance but found out denim actually goes about weeks without washing at the same rate as merino! TMI but I do change underwear daily, so i avoid odors. Black jeans are sort of sleek enough to pass for slacks/chinos, but these have spandex in the construction so I wear them around the house like sweat pants.
Wooly Weekender shorts
- It’s a merino cotton blend, but smellwise I can't notice the cotton mixed in. I wash them at the same rate as the 100% merino items. I use these pants for everything, gym, swimming, etc. The sizing runs huge. I'm a 33 and the small fits me well. I suspect these may be discontinued - which is a absolute shame. These shorts were very expensive but perfect.
Eddie Bauer Cloud Cap rain jacket
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Wind and waterproof, I use this over my jacket for maximum heat retention in winter and in place of an umbrella. Having a shell like this on top of a jacket gives you more efficient warmth as the air does not cut through the inner jacket because there is this hard impenetrable layer over it. Also it looks good as sort of like a bomber jacket on its own. This jacket is very well priced for it's low weight and small packable size. I'm happy with it. I keep it rolled up tight inside of a stuffsack. This lives at the very bottom of my backpack.
Uniqlo Ultralight down jacket
- The medium only weighs 7.8oz. With the included stuff sack its 8.1- which i do use. I was tempted to purchase the obligatory Montbell Plasma 1000, but I decided to try this... Honestly speaking, Its not very good. I mean its not like I don't notice it when it's on, but I'm noticing similar performance from a $11 Hanes Ecosmart hoodie which is tragic. It's as if I just paid the premium for it's small size and weight which is ok in theory but not in practice.
I try not to have a longing for posessions in my heart but I am very interested in the potential increase of warmth of that Montbell Plasma (for it's similar weight). Maybe one day. It seems silly to be trying to balance cost, warmth, and physical item weight when shopping for a jacket.
Native Jefferson shoes
- Like Crocs, but better looking. I like to think: people just used to do everything barefoot or in leather sandals, so doing everything with a pair of shoes is better; therefore I do not need various types of shoes. Yeah, good for the gym, running, the beach, anything really.
For those asking, these do have a break in period, they are not comfy out of the box and personally made my feet blister and bleed. However they are so awesome once broken in, they clean so easily I have done atrociously messy things with these and with just a little soap and they come back brilliant ice-white. They are really loud though. Like obnoxious flip flops.
Darn tough 1/4 merino wool socks
- Merino and Lyrca blend for strength. I’ll wash these as needed really but that comes to usually 1 week max, (I stuff these into the boots of my work uniform.) When i am not working, I use these more like house slippers. I've learned it’s (sometimes) considered rude to go barefoot in some peoples homes because of hardwood floors and the oils on your feet. I mostly wear the Native shoes without socks. Except in winter.
I used to own Smartwool socks that were 100% merino, and that is a very fragile thing to be shoving into work boots 40 hours a week. Those lasted 3 months before they disintegrated.
Calvin Klein cotton underwear
- I own 12 of these but I keep about 4 extra in the bag (in a stuffsack), the rest just stay where I am living in a drawer or something. Underwear is the only thing I currently do not re-wear; so I don’t need to buy merino underwear which is crazy overpriced for what they are. If I’m traveling I’ll take more with me so I don’t have to do laundry everyday - but this is good enough if I ever need a change or take a impromtu trip.
From later years I’ve switched these from polyester to cotton, I like the natural fibers vs (plastic) I change into a new pair of boxers nightly after showering and sleep in only those. (no pajamas for me).
Buy on Amazon: Boxers / Trunks
Tech
Lenovo X1 Carbon
- Gen 7 with the upgraded i7 cpu/16gb ram. I got this used for $500 on ebay. This laptop only weights 2.2 pounds!! To compare, the most lightweight MacBooks available today weight 2.7 pounds. Also I prefer Windows to MacOS. This computer also works like a portable speaker and backup battery bank, as it can charge my cell phone (in a pinch).
If this ever bites the dust I am eyeing the Gen 1 Lenovo X1 Nano.
I used to own a full triple monitor gaming PC with 2.1 home theater speakers pointed at my face but tastes and hobbies change so now this is my only computer.
Attached to the bottom of my laptop i keep a modified version of this folding kickstand for better typing ergonomics.
OnePlus Nord N30 5g
- I've been team iPhone for 12 years. The charging port on my 13 Pro Max gave out and I couldn’t see myself financing for 2 years (again) or dishing out $1300. So I decided to see what the android market was like. I am extremely impressed with this phone. It feels like the latest and greatest iPhone; for $250. All my apps carried over no problem, I merged all my purchased iTunes songs, and the perks like USB-C, 3.5mm jack, MicroSD are awesome! This phone in particular was a breeze to transition into, the software feels almost shockingly similar to iOS. If this is what $250 gets me, I'm never going back to an iPhone again.
Affixed is the OEM screen protector and a wallet phone case, (holding my ID and 1 credit card.)
I switched from Verizons $80 service plan to an unlimited data plan from boost mobile for $26.59/mo. It runs off T-mobiles network which has been extremely reliable for me.
Buy on Amazon / N30 Wallet Case
Anker 713 45w Charger
- I'm still in shock how the old laptop power bricks of the 2010s are done away with. The universalization of USB-C is such a beautiful thing. This one wall plug charges all the tech I own.
From my time doing this Onebag, I’ve gotten rid of a 30w charger I tried. The bios screen on my laptop says that it was a lower wattage than recommended, also the charger was getting hot to the touch. This 45w charger is 2.5oz vs the 1.5oz of the 30w which is unfortunate in theory, but it was causing issues with my laptop randomly not turning on and stating “missing battery”. The included charger for this laptop weighed 9.5oz so I'm splitting hairs really lol. Everything works fine with the 45w charger now.
Anker USB-C Cable (10ft)
- I upgraded from my dingy white Apple cable to this nice braided cable. It is 10 feet long which seems preposterous but this is my only cable and I like being able to use my phone or computer in bed or on the other side of my room while being plugged in.
- Not needing Apple's lightning cable any more is so nice.
Anker Q30 headphones
- Over ear headphones are seemingly a splurge item in the minimalist onebag community it seems. The reason I still keep these around because within about 1 hour - in ear type “buds” hurt my ears. Coffee shops always play the same alternative music, gyms play the same motivational nonsense. Having these to pop on and enter into my own space is priceless so I rock these. They are more lightweight than my previous ATH-M50x headphones which is crazy to me considering these are wireless and have a (amazing) battery built in. The EQ out of the box will have so much bass you will get a headache, so please change that in the Soundcore app. These charge via USB-C and sound amazing! Noise cancelling mode is toggled so easily I don’t think I will ever get rid of these.
Apple Earpods 3.5mm
- I have these mainly for making phone calls. I don’t like holding a cell phone up to my ears. The microphone on my Q30 headphones actually doesn’t work well for phone calls which is odd.
- I like this for a very different audio experience.. It allows some noise to pass through if that’s what I want. The sound quality is actually very good for earbuds like this. OEM Apple ones just have a magic to them. This earpod shape from Apple is the most comfortable I've found even if it is indeed unbearable after an hour. I'm very picky about audio equipment; for this price, weight and small size I don’t mind keeping it tucked in my bag. This plugs into my cell phone and laptop.
Toiletry kit
- GOX travel bag (small)
- Dr. Plotkas folding tooth brush
- Dr. Bronners toothpaste (travel size)
- Arm & Hammer Essentials deodorant
- Floss, nail clipper, nose hair scissor
- Wahl AA clippers (for my beard)
- USB-C rechargeable AA battery (for the trimmer)
- Silicone ear swab (I'm addicted to swabbing my ears I guess)
- Coconut oil (in a GoToob)
- Dr. Bronners castile soap (travel size)
- Small custom medical kit in a Ziploc bag
Accessories
Aer city pack 14L
- Wow my life fits in 14 liters. Crazy. As a minimalist, this backpack is perfect. If you want to go something this low profile make sure you calculate the volume of the stuff you intend to store. I used all this stuff in a 26L Jansport for a few months and there was a lot of leftover space so I knew I could do better. This pack is the bees knees. It's heavier than a jansport but the construction of the pack spreads the load out across your body so well It feels lighter. This is worth the price - and… having a small backpack is cooooool. "where's all your stuff?" "right here bro".
Merino wool buff (lightweight version)
- Used as a scarf, covid mask, nighttime eye mask, & cold weather face mask. I purchased the lightweight version of this but I percieve it is too thin for serious heat insulation. Get a thicker one.
It can be used as a beanie/hat but I think it looks very strange that way. It makes me look like a "spiritual" white woman.
Nanobag sling
- A very recent purchase. Used for groceries. My local favorite grocery store is reusable-bag-only. Also if ever I acquire too many items for my backpack for whatever reason, this is an extra 19L. However I wish it were bigger. It's questionable fitting a weeks worth of groceries in this. It does collapse down so small though.
Ray-ban Clubmaster Squared sunglasses
- My 4th pair since adopting this style in 2014. They dont break, i just loose them.. I've gotten rid of the case and just keep these in a pouch in my backpack.
Misc.
- Mini pilot G2 pen (yes, mini, these are so cool)
- Sim tool, mini Bic lighter
- Swiss army knife
- PUR mints (usually)
- Hand sanitizer
- Keys
Thats it! I want to add, there are a considerable amount of things I have intentionally removed from this list (and not just forgotten to add them) so I've listed a small graveyard down below with some commentary.
Wrist watch / swiss or smartwatch
- The time is on my phone and every other device in the world.
Pack towel
- I used it to sit down in random places without getting my pants dirty but this was so infrequent I decided against it. I'm not like a vagabond or something I stay at home or in hotels or other peoples houses.
Wallet
- Now I use a cellphone wallet combo mentioned earlier.
Carbon fiber comb
- I just stopped combing my hair lol you don’t need to do that.
Sunglass pouch
- I now store my glasses inside a pouch in my bag. Although I'm thinking about getting rid of the glasses too.
Misc bag case
- I had a case for misc stuff but I put it in the Aer pouches in my bag
Flash drive
- I can move files from my cell to my computer (like uploading photos) with the USB-C to lightning cable I have. Also I make use of free google & Microsoft accounts to store stuff in the cloud as well as local devices.
Eyeglass screw driver
- ???
Sewing kit
- Not going to lie I just keep this at home now instead of putting it in my daily bag.
Note pad
- On the fence about this one. Doodling and sketching with the pen I keep on me is something I do at home frequently.
GoToob (for storing soap)
- Dr. Bronners soap and the beloved Toob have a disagreement together. The soap turns rock solid after a month or so. I keep my soap now in the plastic travel sized Dr. Bronners container, within a plastic Ziploc.
Apple Lightning cable
- Android superiority.
Thanks for reading.
-Nick Branson