I Traveled to NYC with a Backpack: An Essentialist Packing Guide
I’ve always had a slight obsession with New York. This has been the case for as long as I can remember, despite the fact that up until recently, I had actually never been to New York.
I don’t know if it was my childhood in Brazil (where any and everything American seemed as incredible as the invention of block heels), the romanticization of the city in romcoms, or an amalgamation of several abstract notions of New York’s greatness — but in my mind, it was the place to be. It didn’t matter that I had never set foot anywhere near the Big Apple.
So, you can imagine my excitement when I found out that my mom, an avid runner, would be racing a half marathon in New York and wanted to turn it into a six-day family trip. I started dreaming about it right away. Oh, the food, the views, the outfits!
But, there was a catch. To make the trip happen, we’d be rocking it low-budget style, meaning each family member would get to take nothing but one backpack. One. Backpack.
Granted, our definition of “backpacks” are these rather large duffel bags designed for low-cost traveling: the type with wheels, a pullout metal handle, and fabric handles that you can wear over your shoulders. But for an overpacking, prepared-for-any-situation, heavy-suitcase-carrying Virgo like me, traveling with a backpack – however large – still meant extreme downsizing. Thankfully, I had just learned about essentialism and was ready to put the concept to work in order to do more with less for this very exciting trip.
What is Essentialism?
Essentialism is all about getting rid of the nonessential muck of life so that you can make room for things that truly matter. In his New York Times best-seller, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, Greg McKeown argues that most things in life are expendable. His guiding philosophy can be best explained by the German expression weniger aber besser; in English, less but better.
In contrast to minimalism, which emphasizes less for the sake of simplicity, essentialism is a mindful approach that requires people to assess which values are most important for them, then eliminating what doesn't align. According to McKeown, we are constantly being bombarded by distractions, which fight for our time and attention, clouding our vision from what matters to us most. He shares that pursuing essentialism in a disciplined manner changed his life for the better and gave him back precious time to focus on the essential, like spending time with family and aligning his career with his purpose.
As I recalled the thoughts and practices of the book, I realized it wouldn’t be a stretch for me to relate Essentialism to clothes — McKeown actually does so himself! According to him, “Essentialism is about creating a system for handling the closet of our lives. (…) It’s about learning how to do less but better so you can achieve the highest possible return on every precious moment of your life”.
I started considering: rather than thinking of the backpack just as a damper on my trip, is it possible that taking fewer, but more intentionally chosen items could actually make my trip better?
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the luggage limitations would inevitably force me to prioritize certain items over others, but that this constriction would give me the opportunity to make smarter, more intentional packing choices. This could potentially even make my trip more enjoyable.
Considering that I like being prepared for every foreseeable need (from extension cords to safety pins—baby, I got it), I wouldn’t normally choose to pack light. But, you know what? I thought. This will be the perfect occasion to put essentialism to the test.
What I Packed (And What I Didn’t)
The Essentialist approach can be broken into three stages: explore and evaluate, eliminate, and execute.
For the first step, I started exploring my options. I scrolled through my digital wardrobe and selected some of my favorite items. I grabbed everything I *wanted* to take, laid them out on my bed, and started evaluating with a series of questions. Will I really need this? How much space will it occupy? Will I wear it one time or can I use it in multiple outfits? And most importantly, could I go without it?
One of the best things you can do for your trip when packing on essentialist mode is aligning your choices with your most pressing needs. Keeping the weather in mind is an obvious one, but it's also important to get down to the nitty-gritty of your trip. Think of how you'll be spending your days: whether you’ll be Ubering around or exploring on foot, if most of your planned activities are indoors or outdoors, etc. What will you have to prioritize so that the clothes you pack contribute to making the experience of your trip better?
For this trip in late February, I knew the weather would be pretty cold, and that we would be walking a lot. I also knew that as we explored the city, we would be in and out of heated establishments. I would need items that would shield me from the cold, but also not be too much of a hassle for me to carry around whenever I get hot.
And, considering everything would need to fit one backpack, single items that could be worn multiple times and in different ways would be the best choices for me.
Knowing all of this, I could easily evaluate my items against the values that proved essential: warmth, comfortability, size/weight, and versatility. Versatility can be hard to evaluate, but it was super convenient to use my digital wardrobe to pre-plan outfits to check that certain items would be versatile with the other items I was already planning on taking. And, in just a few taps, I could add all those outfits to a virtual itemized packing list!
After laying out all my options (IRL, and digitally in the Indyx app) and assessing them against my values, it was time to eliminate. As I answered questions about each item, I decided what to take. The more closely an item matched my values, the more essential to my trip. Then, I made as many extra cuts as I possibly could.
Would I really need a handheld mirror? No, I could easily do my makeup in the bathroom.
What about the 64oz water bottle I can’t live without? We would most likely have to purchase drinking water there, so I could actually live without it.
The cold weather ruled out the possibility of exposed legs, so my razor didn’t make the cut (no pun intended).
While some of the things I wanted to take were tough to leave behind, the process of elimination made it much easier to separate the essential items from the unnecessary ones.
Executing proved to be the easiest part. Years of playing Tetris came in handy when fitting everything into my backpack. Of course, sitting on it occasionally to zip it shut…
What made it into my backpack and why:
A black puffer coat (super warm, hooded, comfortable, and neutral; it is big, but wearing it on the plane meant I wouldn't have to stuff it into my backpack)
A light blue puffer vest (also warm, but gave a lighter layering option to the coat)
A white teddy puffer jacket (again…warm! And, easy to match)
Colorful, warm tops and sweaters (to bring personality to otherwise bare outfits)
A couple of slim black fleece-lined sets (for extra warmth; plus, they were small and did not occupy a lot of space)
High waisted mid-wash jeans (the peak of versatility for me)
New Balance 550s (neutral so they would match everything and comfortable for all the walking we'd do)
A multicolored vintage fanny pack (the embroidered fabric would match everything yet still add some personality to my neutral outfits; it was also small enough to carry around with no problem but big enough to carry essentials like my wallet, phone, chapstick, etc.)
Minimalist golden jewelry (would match everything and tie the outfits together nicely)
A couple of winter items like a beanie and a pair of gloves (I’m Brazilian Floridian… 50 degrees is cold)
How I Mixed-and-Matched During the Trip
Thursday
For only a partial day in the city, we actually did a lot! We walked around exploring some of the most iconic New York tourist spots in Midtown - I saw Times Square for the first time, and we explored the lobby of the Rockefeller Center. For this, I sported a thrifted graphic red sweater, a vintage golf fanny pack, thermal leggings, and my favorite walking shoes, the New Balance 530s. I also had a long black puffer coat that I only wore part of the time because it wasn’t that cold. I’m glad I intentionally planned the first outfit to be comfortable. I didn’t feel like I was missing anything I needed.
The irony: a girl who grew up in Brazil and lives in Florida touring New York for the first time while wearing a Nebraska sweater (another state I’ve never been to).
Friday
An eventful day indeed! I broke out the only other warm jacket I packed: a Nike puffer jacket that feels like a teddy bear. Paired with a thermal layer, a black turtleneck, and my mid-wash straight jeans from Cotton On, the puffer was enough to keep me warm.
Saturday
At first, I felt like I was a bit bold with today’s outfit: no jacket, just layers and a light blue puffer vest (do we sense a puffer pattern here? It’s probably a good style for me to shop to keep a low cost-per-wear wardrobe). I’ve definitely learned the importance of owning a couple of fleece-lined thermal sets to travel in the winter.
But in hindsight, I could’ve probably gone without the puffer vest, since the item did not fit my values very well. It wasn’t very warm and while somewhat versatile, I only wore it once during the whole trip… Going back to the essence of essentialism, leaving it behind would've made more space for other, more essential items that made more sense for my trip.
Sunday
Today was, by far, the coldest day of the trip. So by necessity, my outfit consisted of the warmest items I packed: the long black puffer coat and thick mid-wash jeans. I styled them with a white cable knit sweater, a light pink beanie, small golden hoops, and of course, a full layer of thermal clothing underneath everything.
Monday
I think my body acclimated to the cold, because with each passing day I felt less of a need for layers. Today I wore the white teddy jacket, styling it with a blue vintage sweater, two layers of leggings, ankle socks, and the New Balance sneakers (if it wasn’t obvious by now, I only brought one pair of shoes!)
Tuesday
Luckily, our last day in New York was also the warmest one, so I wore the least layers out of any other day during the trip. There was absolutely no way the coat would’ve fit in the backpack for the flight back, so I knew I’d have to build my outfit around it. I opted for a black bodysuit, the mid-wash jeans, my vintage fanny pack, and a green Brooklyn baseball hat. Let me be a tourist, alright?
Reflections on Travel Essentialism
Packing with the Essentialist method for a six-day trip proved to be quite challenging, but it did teach me a lot. If you’re considering the Essentialist method for packing, I’ll share my own takeaways:
Essentialism, with balance
While packing less helped me leave behind unnecessary items that would’ve added clutter, I definitely made some sacrifices that I didn’t have to. When adopting Essentialism, it’s important to emphasize better, not just less. If there’s an item that might rank lower with the Essentialist criteria but would make a difference for you, I encourage you to take it. (In other words, I should’ve taken my razor).
Mixing & matching is key
One of the most important things I considered when packing my clothes was whether I'd be able to style them in multiple ways. I only took two jackets, but creating new outfits with them every day made every look feel brand new.
Keep some personality
When slimming back to just the basics, it is easy to go a little too far and strip out all personality, but neglecting to include items that express who you are will leave you feeling bland and uninspired. Although the base of my outfits was mostly composed of neutrals and basics, unique items (like my vintage fanny pack) and occasional pops of color (like the green Brooklyn cap) added character and a little bit more of me to every look.
Why Less Really Is Better
At first, being highly selective with what I packed was a necessity because of space (or, rather, the lack thereof). However, as I learned more about essentialism, the more I realized it wasn’t so much for the sake of constraint as it was for what I would be making space for. The items I packed allowed me to get ready with less stress and more preparedness. With only the essentials in my backpack, I had less distractions, and could focus on the most essential of the essentials, the real reason for the trip: exploring an extraordinary new place while spending quality time with people I love.
I came home with new memories that were unadulterated by the stress of not knowing what to wear. As I unpacked, I looked around my closet and noticed how many distracting pieces had lodged themselves in my space throughout the years. With so many items that I’ve outgrown, that I don’t love, or that I promised myself I would fix or fit eventually, it was no wonder that I so often felt paralyzed when deciding what to wear.
And so, although initially I had set out for just an easy packing method, I ended up with answers to some tough questions I hadn’t planned on asking. If I compounded all the hours of my life I’ve spent staring hopelessly at a full closet, would I be surprised at how much time I’ve wasted? And if I remembered all of the times I rushed out of the house in an outfit that made me feel less like myself, would I be shocked at how much of me I lost along the way? I pondered, while reaching for a stuffy corporate button down that I’d happily never wear again in my life, neatly folding it and setting it on the floor to start a Goodwill-bound pile–one that I mentally labeled: nonessential.
Isa is a communications specialist, writer, and content creator. In her free time, she likes reading, thrifting, and decorating her place to feel like a retro-modern Pinterest board. If you see her in public, she’ll likely be enjoying a few scoops of gelato and/or admiring strangers’ dogs.
