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On my last visit to Japan, I brought home a cheap pair of reusable plastic chopsticks. The hard case they came with lets me toss them into my bag without worrying about them breaking, and usually I wrap a handkerchief or cloth napkin around the case. I use these chopsticks more often than I would have expected. I used to be a fork person, but I've converted – once I got used to using them, chopsticks turned out to work better for the things I'd otherwise eat with a fork. Today I ate some salad on the plane that I brought with me to the airport, instead of spending $8 on wilted lettuce. If you need a utensil, here are some options which I don't own but which seem nice (referral links): - [Plastic chopsticks – $8](https://amzn.to/3YOsCPR) - [Titanium spork – $15](https://amzn.to/3YTYzq4) I have something like this for camping, but the Light My Fire-brand spork seems way expensive these days.
www.matadorequipment.com
Of course a travel lock won't stand up to much abuse, but this one also doubles as a carabiner when used unlocked. $30 from Matador.
* Wear a sling bag for quick access to your stuff without having to go into your big bag on the airplane. * You probably don't need the fancy laundry soap packets to wash your clothes in the sink. You can use a little bit of laundry soap bar in a plastic bag, or in a pinch, some hand soap. * Nice sandals (like [Bedrock](https://bedrocksandals.com/)) and zero-drop shoes (like [Lems](https://www.lemsshoes.com/)) can pack real flat into your bag and reclaim some space. * Bring a [Heroclip](https://www.gearaid.com/pages/heroclip), a carabiner which can double as a hook to keep your nice backpack off the bathroom floor. * Little [A6 notebooks](https://amzn.to/44R08av) fit almost anywhere and are a great way to jot down notes during your trip.
I try to stay minimal in terms of volume, and for me, that means ditching most redunancies when traveling with one bag. I replace the electric shaver with a simple disposable razor, and I only pack one [CeraVe SPF face lotion](https://amzn.to/44LvgYV) that I use for my hands if I need it. For doing laundry in the sink, I use a cut-down bar of [Zote pink soap](https://amzn.to/44Z7Yi0) in the [Matador dry-thru soap bag](https://amzn.to/44KDh07). For my dry goods, I use this [Sea to Summit hanging toiletry bag](https://amzn.to/3OAeOF5) which I bought for ultralight camping. This thing is super light and has plenty of great organization for being so tiny. For the 1 quart liquids bag required for airline travel, I recently upgraded from a ziploc bag to [this generic, durable, clear-sided plastic bag](https://amzn.to/43ProVs) with a zipper and handle. I attach a small carabiner and clip the handle to the hanging bag if I don't have space by the sink. What are your favorite toiletry tips?
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When I'm going on shorter trips and I don't need my clothes to be as organized, I use this bundle packing method instead of my packing cubes to save a bit of space!
nomanbefore.com
I wanted to share this because I recently tried "barefoot"–style shoes and found them extremely comfortable on my feet for long days of walking. These days, my Lems Primal 2 always come with me on a long trip.