If you had asked me to describe my relationship with my clothing, I would have told you I was a minimalist.
I would have said I was anti-consumerist. I would have explained how my clothing did not define me, that I didn’t care about fashion and that I could easily get rid of most of it without hesitation.
But I would have been wrong.
After I made the decision to sell my house and go on the road in a pickup truck towing a small camper, I knew I’d need to seriously downsize.
What I didn’t realize was how difficult this process would be for me – even with my clothes.
My friend Craig, an experienced outdoorsman (and a bit of a prepper) has been my guide throughout this process.
I believe his exact words to me were,
“You’re not going to like my advice. Get rid of everything you own. Then get a membership to REI and buy exactly what I tell you.”
He instructed me to buy very specific (and quite expensive) gear that is appropriate for living in primitive campsites. He said,
“It’s now all about functionality, weight and volume. Anything you have must serve multiple purposes. It must be lightweight and take up as little space as possible. Start with your clothes. You need to have a few technical shirts, a few pairs of merino boxers, wool socks, 2 pairs technical pants that zip off into shorts, a long underwear base layer, a middle layer and a shell. Almost nothing you own is suitable.”
Naturally, I thought he was crazy. I wasn’t going to get rid of all of my clothes. I have dozens of T-Shirts, 3 nice pairs of polo jeans, 2 nearly new sweatshirts, cotton socks, boxers, jackets and so on. I don’t throw clothes out. I make them last. I’m a frugal guy.
I am certainly not going to get rid of perfectly good clothes then turn around and buy a $50 merino wool thermal shirt and $25 merino wool boxers.
I’m not the type of guy who wastes money on clothes.
So I did it my way. I decided I’d keep just my favorite clothes that I knew would be practical (even though my entire camping experience consisted of one day of camping on a family vacation when I was 5 ).
It seemed like a good plan until I started stuffing my clothes into bins.
My socks and underwear filled an entire bin. T shirts and sweats consumed a second bin. Jackets filled a third and shoes a fourth.
That was 1/2 of my total cargo space!
I knew this wouldn’t work.
Reluctantly, I researched merino wool. It take up very little space. It can be worn multiple times between washings without smelling bad. It dries quickly, on a line or on your body. It keeps you warm when it’s cold and cool when it’s hot.
More reluctantly, I purchased Merino long underwear. Then boxers. Then 4 technical shirts.
And finally, I gave up and got rid of (nearly) all of my cotton shirts, tshirts and boxers.
When I repacked my clothes, everything fit in 1 bin.
Craig was right.
Just like he ended up being right about my cookware, my vehicle and my tools.
But with each of these I struggled to get rid of perfectly good items that worked fine for years (or decades) in a spacious home.
Now I think I’m over it.
- My “kitchen” is now a portable stove and the contents of a 6″ tall plastic box.
- My tools have been reduced from half a garage full to half a toolbox full, plus a pocket knife, a leatherman and a high powered flashlight.
- My house full of furniture is being replaced by an air mattress, a folding table and a camping chair.
I divvied out photos to family. My son is taking most of our antique furniture and his mother’s tchotchkes. I donated household item, ikea crapola and roomfuls of goods to the Salvation Army.
There’s more to come too.
