Okay, so I planned this trip to Costa Rica, right? Fancy rainforests and beaches. Packing day rolls around, and my suitcase looked like a Walmart exploded in there. Tons of plastic junk, half of it I didn’t even need last time. Felt kinda gross, honestly. So I said, “Enough. Let’s try this low-impact thing for real.”

First step? Dumped everything out on the bed. Made a huge mess. Started sorting: “Nope, that’s single-use plastic crap.” “Eh, this cotton T-shirt’s too heavy.” “Why do I even have six chargers?” Like some kinda clutter exorcism. Felt weirdly good.
The Hunt Begins
Hit local stores first. Total fail. Found “eco” stuff that was basically greenwashed junk – flimsy bamboo toothbrushes that snapped quick, or “reusable” bags thinner than my patience. Ugh. Switched to online digging after that mess. Read a billion blogs (so many ads), wasted hours.
Finally figured it out: low-impact ain’t just recycled materials. Gotta hit three things:
- Lightweight as hell (less fuel to haul)
- Lasts forever (no buying replacements)
- Does double-duty (one thing = many uses)
Simple, but tricky.

Testing Phase Pain
Tried collapsible everything. Bought a silicone water bottle that tasted like a tire. Nope. Tested merino wool shirts – way pricier, but game changer. Didn’t smell after sweating buckets hiking. Wore one for three days straight, no judgment from monkeys. Packed like half the clothes.
Biggest win? The multi-tool soap bar. Sounds dumb. Works magic. One bar for hair, body, even hand-washed unders in sink. Shaved my liquids bag down to toothpaste. Packed a tiny trowel too – bury TP responsibly when trail toilets ghost you.
My Ride-or-Die Kit Now
After that Costa Rica shakedown, here’s what stuck in my bag:
- Foldable backpack – Ballooned into daypack when I bought souvenirs. Crushes flat otherwise.
- Stainless steel straw/spork – Clinks annoyingly but kills plastic forks.
- Quick-dry towel – Feels like sandpaper, but dries fast so no mildew stank.
- Solar charger brick – Slow as heck charging. But dead phone panic? Gone.
- Refillable silicone tubes – For lotion, bug spray, whatever. Looks like alien eggs.
Still adjusting. Solar charger’s useless when cloudy, and folding cups always leak a bit. But ditching that giant shampoo bottle? Zero regrets. Next trip’s suitcase feels like half the weight, twice the freedom. And monkeys approve. Probably.