This is a supplemental post to my 2024 gear post. I want to share how an extreme minimalist uses the OneBag in their everyday lives.
I do not travel often at all, I live in a house, and I have a car and a commute; so my possessions match my realistic needs. However, the Onebag format helps me to reduce what I own by simulating as if I were traveling permanently. This means I am constantly light, prepared, and can easily access my simple possessions.
What I do for work has changed quite a bit over the last 5 years. However most jobs require a different set of clothing, some even provide clothing. Unfortunately, I do not work from home or am financially retired like some people on r/Onebag; so my setup is rather down to earth. If I started working from home tomorrow, then I would donate my "work" outfit pictured below. I keep my "personal" wardrobe complete on its own. So in my mind I don’t really consider my work clothes my possessions but I'm going to share them anyway.
Let's start with ALL my clothing. (Yes, I did take this photo in my undies, if you are wondering…)
Pictured on the left is what I wear to work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. This consists of 1x merino wool t-shirt, 1x denim jeans, and steel-toe shoes. The shirt and jeans I wash weekly. This is just what suits me best at my current workplace. Nothing was provided however steel toe is a requirement.
On the right is the clothing pictured in my 2024 gear post here. This is washed monthly and worn after work and on weekends, in public or in private.
Also in the middle is my only pair of socks which is worn for work and occasionally outside of work. More so in winter. Underwear is not pictured but I own maybe 12+ pairs so I can have a fresh one daily and do laundry weekly. I will shower after work and sleep in the fresh underwear.
Every article of clothing I own:
3 shirts (1 work)
2 pair of jeans (1 work)
1 pair of shorts
2 shoes (1 work)
1 jacket
1 shell type jacket
1 Buff (multi-use headwear/scarf)
1 pair of socks
12+ pairs of underwear
1 black formal suit
This spans all seasons and all occasions. In essence, I feel comfortable saying "I wear the same thing every day." it’s a monochromatic outfit with minor variations.
Regarding what stays in the backpack and what does not, I hang whatever clothes I'm not wearing. This is what my closet looks like at all times.
I keep 4 pairs of underwear in the bag and both jackets. If I travel, I bring many more pairs of underwear. Extra underwear and my socks go into a drawer in my bedroom. No shoe ever enters the backpack.
So about that suit I mentioned… I keep a black suit in my closet. I have not worn any piece of it in the past 2 years. I keep it for super formal events but they are so rare, sometimes it's hard to justify keeping this around. But I keep it because it all still fits great and it would be rather costly to replace it all. In case you are wondering, I don’t try to piece together the suit jacket or suit pants with my regular clothing, I cannot be bothered to do this.
I think this may be the least amount of clothing a person could respectfully own. I mean,.. you could be homeless or impoverished and have less, but to stay clean and warm and presentable I perceive this is it. For some people I have explained this to, this seems insane, but I don’t even think about it at all. I wake up and put on my clothes, it's that simple. I'm not even trying to make a big deal out of this. Writing and explaining interesting things like this makes me happy; also I think others could benefit from such simplicity.
In my room, I have a desk, a bed, and a reclining chair. My desk serves as a dinner table, and nightstand. I keep my laptop on it and a water bottle. Also at night, I charge my phone there which is my alarm clock. In the evenings I can eat dinner here and watch something on YouTube. My one wall charger and one charging cable live in this area, it charges my cell phone at night and computer during the day. I keep my Aer backpack on the floor against the wall. I have some workout equipment also stored in the other drawers of my closet.
For toiletries and my bathroom setup, I didn’t want to reach into my backpack every day for things like toothpaste and consequently carry around a set of full-sized toiletries everywhere I go. So I have two sets. One set is all travel size stuff and stays in my backpack all the time (which I documented in my 2024 gear post). My second set is all full size stuff I keep in the bathroom of the place I am staying at, this is simply because I am mostly stationary. Keeping two sets of toiletries isn't very "extreme minimalist" but it works for me, the travel kit is so small and handy in day to day life, like for example if I forget deodorant in the morning, I have some on me.
I use two different types of Dr. Bronner's soaps. Castile soap you use on your body, for example, it is my body wash and my hand soap. Sal Suds is a soap for objects, such as countertops, dishes, laundry detergent, etc. Dr Bronner's Castile soap must be used with a foaming pump dispenser. This is a nice one that i use.
I have not used shampoo, conditioner, hair products, or combs since 2020 with amazing results. I use high quality coconut oil for lotion, scalp treatment, sunblock, and facial moisturizer. Then of course toothbrush, toothpaste, etc. normal bathroom items as pictured. Not pictured is a Wahl trimmer I use for my beard.
That’s all for now, I would like to do a full tour of every little thing I own but I will save this for a later time.
Thanks for reading
-Nick Branson
TheLightMinimalist@gmail.com