Comment by Eleison23 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by Eleison23 | Hacker News Reader

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Once upon a time I was homeless, and everything I owned needed to fit into a normal-size collegiate backpack, or I couldn't keep it.

Fast-forward 20 years; retaining my packrat qualities, I began to realize I was overpacking every time I left home for an errand. I also seldom unpacked when I returned home, and I would just "let it ride" whatever was still in the backpack next time I went out.

So I've tightened a discipline of keeping my bags empty while at home. I try to narrow down my mission each day: what is the core task I need to accomplish? Why do I really need to throw this item in the bag? When I return home, I evaluate each item by its usefulness to me. If I didn't even remember it, or think to pull it out, then it's gonna stay at home.

I also try to use smaller bags. I picked up a nice electronics bag at a thrift store, and it fits my phone, keys, bus pass, wallet. So I don't drag around a duffel bag or backpack if I don't need it. Honestly, it's much easier to find something if I don't need to open a dozen zippers. It's easier to ride around on an e-Scooter if I'm not bogged down by 25lbs of kit.

I also try to run drop-off errands more often. I'll take a bag of donations to the thrift store, or some recycling will go out. Then I can have the satisfaction of emptying out my bag, even discarding it and returning home lighter. This contrasts with packrats who will go shopping or picking stuff up every day and they just accumulate more and more stuff at home. You gotta balance that out at some point.

Ditching unused items isn't really that great of a strategy, as it becomes less and less useful as you approach items to handle less common but more critical situations.

Like bandages, or spare socks, phone battery, a spare ticket, and similar. You won't need them 99% of the time, but if you need them, you REALLY need them.

For travel, I have some small largely pre-packed kits that I throw in my carryon. I revisit the contents from time to time and I may adjust my electronics charger/cable kit if e.g. I have international travel. But for the most part, I find having a kit with spare glasses, first aid kit, a few sometimes needed/wanted over the counter meds and lotions, etc. is worth a pound or two to just have self-contained that I can just grab.

And certainly for group hikes for example, I carry a much larger first aid kit than I have any expectation of needing but I hopefully have the appropriate items if I need them.

That strategy assumes you're not a total moron and follow it unquestionably for everything

Somehow I doubt there are many people out there blindly following this process to throw away their winter coat every summer.

There are quite a few very minimalist people out there. I know several who don't own any tools at all and don't keep at even the crappy ones that come with furniture. Like, not even a single screwdriver, nothing at all. Tools don't spark joy and see use very infrequently, so they get tossed out, but that way a loose screw or a battery compartment with a screw on an item makes it effectively broken, possibly to be replaced with a new one. Then there's that remote acquaintance, late thirties, pretty well off, who last time I checked still owned just a single small table with a single chair. Guests were expected to not sit down at her place, she didn't have many. Not to speak of all the people who like to tag along on hikes way above the tree line wearing sneakers, all cotton clothes, no rain gear or the like and with a stylish little backpack because hiking boots or trailrunners would ruin their aesthetic etc.

"Tools don't spark joy": is this a case of "each to their own" or is it a case of "owning the wrong tools"? There are a lot of people out there for whom tools spark joy (ok, ok, I am one) and given that they provide a much-needed bit of control over your context/environment this seems reasonable.

As for hiking equipment, I think you really need to be somewhere remarkable to be somewhere where kit, rather than understanding and attitude, really makes a difference. These places exist. But there are a lot of places you can enjoy just fine with little or no specialised stuff and I feel the kit fetishists waste a lot of energy and material while putting normal people off.

> Not to speak of all the people who like to tag along on hikes way above the tree line wearing sneakers, all cotton clothes, no rain gear or the like and with a stylish little backpack

I don't like this gatekeeping mentality. You can go hike with pretty much any shoes and clothes. Sure, hiking boots are going to be more comfortable if you hike a lot, but if you don't own any you can absolutely go hike in your everyday shoes.

Same for cotton clothes. They aren't the best for hiking, but you really don't need to go spend 500€ at a sporting goods shop just to walk in the mountains.

You're moving the goalposts here. Parent specified hiking above the treeline, not merely hiking. Yes, light hiking can be done with ordinary clothing, but above the treeline, that is foolish, irresponsible behavior that leads to SAR pickups. That's not gatekeeping.

Meh. There's cable cars that go above the treeline, and there's plenty of easy hikes up there that anyone can do without special equipment. That's typically where you see people hiking in street clothes.

On longer or more tricky routes I have never seen anyone with street clothes.

Also, judging by local news, the most common reason for needing rescue is going on hikes that are too long, not going on hikes with bad equipment. And it happens to people with proper kit all the time.

I can understand your friend. I assume she rents a place that was unfurnished? I do and had to buy a couch just for guests to have a place to sit, I hardly ever use it myself. Getting rid of it will be a pain when I move.

I mean, I get limiting it if you only need it rarely and multitool with some bits can get you thru a lot, but nothing ? I guess it is choosing to be useless at life on purpose...

> Once upon a time I was homeless, and everything I owned needed to fit into a normal-size collegiate backpack, or I couldn't keep it.

> Fast-forward 20 years; retaining my packrat qualities,

Sorry, you're the opposite of a packrat. A packrat carries all the stuff it finds home.

Things currently deposited under our deck by a packrat: a flip flop, 4 fluffy dog toys, 2 treat bones, tennis ball, plastic bottle, foil wrapper, twigs, dog poop, pine needles, ...

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