Lightweight Travel Tip #14: Rain protection

In this Lightweight Travel Tip we discuss incliment weather like wind and rain. As an outdoors person I always take something for wind and rain and, even though I didn't expect much rain on a trip to Mexico, I still had to take some rain protection. If I'm expecting rain, of course I'd take something more suitable. However, these dollar store ponchos work very well - totally waterproof and windproof. However, they're not very durable and you'll sweat inside them.

True story: a friend of mine on a multi-day group hike was literally saved by these disposable ponchos. After days of heavy rain their expensive gortex jackets started letting in the moisture. Being wet and cold is a recipe for hypothermia, but thankfully they had dollar store ponchos with them.

Lightweight Travel Tips is a series of short videos where I showcase the lightweight travel philosophy by discussing specific situations. The individual tips are gateways to the lightweight travel mindset.

I can recall my first trip overseas with overweight suitcases full of things I never used. Even though I have larger baggage allowances than ever, I take less. Less luggage makes it easier to move around, and I'm less likely to lose an item because I have fewer items to track. It's easier to move through crowds and over imperfect ground.

Lightweight travel tips combine my experience in travel and the outdoors to examine what I carry and if I could do without it. I'm not an ultra-light backpacking gram weeny - my outdoors philosophy is more informed by bushcraft, where I learned to make the most out of whatever I carry while keeping necessities and local conditions in mind. So, lightweight travel is a mindset of efficiency - that each item must be helpful or it should be left behind.

At the core of my philosophy is: Passport, Credit card, Phone - everything else is a solvable problem or a luxury item.

This isn't to say you shouldn't carry anything - decide what balances weight, size, convenience and comfort for yourself and where you're going! Figure out what is available where you're going - both free at your accommodation or what you can easily buy.

How do I start thinking through a pack list? First, learn about the trip: what about the weather when I am there? What activities do I expect to do? What can I obtain at the destination if I need it? What equipment must I take? These questions are the genesis of thinking through what to bring.

And the biggest tip: Start with a small bag. If you can't make your load-out fit, it's easier to get a larger bag rather than the other way around. People tend to think in terms of bag size: it's the airlines that make us weigh everything!

Do you have some lightweight travel tips of your own? Please share in the comments.

Until next time.