Minimalist Packing: Disney Edition
I haven’t shared a travel-related blog post since January and feel it’s about time. In two days, we (the whole family – my family, my parents, my sister, and my brother’s family) are all headed to Disney World.
If you don’t already know, I love Disney World. As an example, my four-year-old daughter is less excited than I am to go, and she is pretty darned excited.
The last couple of years, I’ve been optimizing my packing routine for trips and thought I’d share with you what exactly I’ll be taking with me.
Our six days in Orlando are looking to be perfect weather-wise. Highs in the mid-80s, lows in the 60s. We’ll be staying at a Disney property, so we’ll have easy access to pools and parks. With that context in mind, here is how I’m packing for myself.
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Backpack
When I travel alone, I take my GORUCK GR2 (40L) bag. That’s it. No rolling suitcase, no additional carry-ons, nothing. It is amazing traveling hands-free.
With kids, however, I end up packing a bit of their stuff in my bag so I use my GORUCK GR3 (45L) bag that offers more and easier-to-utilize space for packing cubes. Still no roller bag or checked luggage, just one backpack.
I always warn that these bags are not cheap. But I will never have to buy another backpack again for the rest of my life. That’s a good tradeoff for me.
To be clear, my wife and I are traveling with a four-year-old and a 19-month-old and are checking exactly zero suitcases. We aren’t even checking car seats, we are just renting them with our car.
Clothing
I keep a small collection of clothes used exclusively for travel. My default on-the-road attire is a gray shirt and black bottoms (or travel jeans), just to keep it simple. I can wash any of my shirts or shorts in the sink with these travel soap sheets.
To Disney, I’ll take three Vuori Strato Tech Tanks for everyday wear. It’ll be hot enough and I like getting sun so tanks are perfect.
I’ll also travel with two Strato Tech Tees (also from Vuori) – I’ll take these for the plane and for casual outings. I also have a long-sleeve Strato Tech shirt that I’ll pack in case 60º feels cold at night.
Finally, I have one Strato Tech Polo that I’ll take in the event we do anything nicer (e.g., we’ll be at Disney over our ninth wedding anniversary…).
For pants/shorts, I’ll take two pairs of Myles Apparel Everyday Shorts for, well, everyday wear. These are perfect for walking around the parks in, and can double as swim trunks if necessary. That said, I’ll take two pairs of my GORUCK Indestructible Training Shorts, which I wear for swimming and working out on the road. Both styles of shorts dry fast.
For hanging around the resort, I’ll have a pair of Vuori Ponto Shorts. These are magically soft gym shorts that I reserve specifically for travel.
In case the evenings are cool, I’ll bring a pair of my Public Rec All Day Every Day Joggers. These look nicer than your typical sweats but are very comfortable.
Usually, I’d spend travel days in my Aviator Best Travel Jeans because I hate rubbing my legs against the person next to me on the plane. Since, however, I’ll be sitting with my wife and kids, I’m going to instead wear my Aviator Non Stop Travel Shorts, which I got in black when it was still available.
This way, I won’t have to pack jeans I won’t otherwise use, or boots that I feel obligated to wear with jeans. These shorts are nicer than gym shorts and can work for an anniversary dinner, too (fingers crossed).
The only real “accessory” I take are two hats: my go-to from Ten Thousand and and my Melin A-Game Hydro (the latter is water resistant and more versatile).
Footwear
I’ll stick to Reef sandals around the pool and my Vivobarefoot hiking shoes around the parks. There is also a chance that I take my Allbirds with me as a just-in-case.
I only have two pairs of Vivobarefoot shoes right now, but that is a collection I intend on growing. Quick note on these: they are intended to feel nearly as though you’re barefoot and offer very little support. Vivobarefoot shoes take some getting used to and you’ll be sore for a bit.
Tech/Miscellaneous
I don’t take a lot of other “things” with me when I travel. Here are a few items I am taking to Disney, however:
Toiletries – Nothing fancy here, I just pack the essentials.
iPad Pro – My laptop no longer leaves its dock because this thing is more portable and can do 95%+ of what I need on the road.
Anker Portable Charger – This is perfect for travel; plug it in to charge devices at night and use it as a portable charger for on-the-go.
Packable Backpack – I bought mine from Tortuga when it was only $30. Great for taking into parks or alongside the pool. I’d probably try something packable from Matador if I needed a new one since Tortuga’s new price of $125 is crazy for what it is.
GoPro – I only take this on longer trips with a bit more adventure… or when the kids are experiencing Disney World.
Airpods Pro – These take up no space in the bag, have noise canceling technology, and integrate seamlessly with my phone and tablet.
Sunglasses – I’ve been wearing SunGod sunglasses for travel since 2020 and they’ve held up well. I have the 4KO Polarised (they’re UK-based so they don’t use a ‘z’ for that kind of word) and for around $100 they are great.
Supplements – I’m no longer much of a supplement guy, but I do always have electrolyte pills, berberine (in case something I eat has hidden sugar), and ibuprofen on me. Love using my Matador waterproof canister for these.
Books – I’m making my way through Grokking Bitcoin by Kalle Rosenbaum right now, which is dense and long so I only need one book for this trip.
Journal – As you may recall, I record my memories in a journal each day (as well as progress on goals, reading, etc.). This comes with me everywhere.
All of this, plus a kids’ packing cube, fits in my bag fairly easily. If I end up packing my Allbirds as a backup shoe, that will be trickier, but I’ll make it work.
The good news is that I know there will be no waste. I will use each and every thing I bring with me when I travel. That said, I could probably even get away with less – cut out a tee, a sleeveless, and my sweat shorts and I’d still make it work. But I have space so I’ll use it.
Here’s to hoping for a great and exciting trip, with maybe a bit of relaxing intermixed for the adults. I hope next week is as magical for you as it will be for me.
Am I missing anything in my list? Any packing suggestions you’d share? Send me your thoughts at michael@theothermichaeljordan.com. I hope to hear from you.
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