The Correct Amount of Things
Owning things is strange. On the one hand, I find it nice to have stuff. A new bit of clothing or a new toy or book can be a lovely thing. On the other hand, I often find myself frustrated with having stuff. The more stuff I have, the more I have to think about, and when I’m in one place for too long the stuff gathers around me.
Me with all my stuff (an impression)
However, whenever I leave for however long, all of the stuff gets left behind. The things I own at home cease to exist in my mind. I live out of my backpack for weeks or months at a time with a limited amount of things, and life feels so much more clean and simple.
Generally I’m carrying around my sleeping gear (Sleeping bag, mat, hammock), a small handful of t-shirts and underwear, my laptop, a couple of books and pens and my kendama. Not that much stuff to think about at all. Realistically the only items of real value are my laptop, phone and passport.
Everything else is easily replaceable, which gives me a huge sense of peace. Realising there was genuine benefits from not having much stuff was pretty revolutionary for me. Here’s some other benefits I discovered:
Low Effort, Low stress
Theres really not that much to think about. For me, owning a small amount of things gives my head the space to focus on other things. I always know what I’m going to wear and that everything fits into a small space.
Less things means less to manage, less to think about and less to worry about. One less stressor in a world full of stressful nonsense.
Better relationship with items
As stuff gets used all the time, I find I develop a deeper relationship with it. My sleeping bag and mat have been used for countless dirtbag adventures, I have tshirts that always travel with me and my trousers tend to develop their own personality.
Although everything is replaceable, I feel like I gain far more intimate relationship with stuff when I don’t have that much. A perfect example is my hammock. It’s small and light and has been travelling with me for the last five years. It has its own story, and every time I use it that story deepens. At some point I’ll need to move on and replace it, but as long as it’s functioning, we share a lot of history.
The hammock simultaneously reminds me of past adventures, and continues to offer me protection and comfort. It’s like an old friend
More Sustainable
Having less space (Physical or mental) for stuff means that you buy less stuff. Everything has to fit, so everything has to be useful in one way or another. Buying and owning less stuff is great.
Especially if you fix things and buy clothes sustainably, you’re not engaging with fast or unethical fashion. It’s no bad thing to be doing your little bit for the world right?
Even better, it’s financially sustainable. Not spending money on clothes means more money for adventures, experiences, living, eating, saving or anything else.
On the other side of things, there’s certainly downfalls to not having too much stuff. These are the main ones I notice
Keeping Clean
This is for sure the thing I struggle with the most. Having only four tshirts and seven individual socks in my life for two or three months can lead to some pretty gnarly smells, especially if I don’t have access to a washing machine or a shower for a number of days.
There’s definitely ways around this. Deodorant, taking any possible opportunity to swim or be inside water , and constantly being aware of washing machines and being proactive with cleaning whenever you get the chance. In such situations it’s impossible to be fussy.
An example of this occurred a week ago. I was squatting without some friends and we hadn’t showered in a few days. We managed to remedy this by swimming in the sea almost every evening. Being salt crusted is better than being sticky from humidity :)
Material need
Sometimes new things are really nice. Theres definitely pleasure in a new set of pens or a kendama. Not having the space for this, or having to sacrifice one thing for another can be shit. Such is life with not much storage capacity
Ultimately theres a bunch of benefits and flaws to not having that much stuff. For me, one backpack is the optimal amount of space, but this is probably toward the extreme end of things. Realistically a healthy balance is key.
Keep aware of how things you own may also own you <3