How Living Out of a Backpack Reveals What Really Matters

What Would You Do If You Could Live Out of a Backpack?

For as long as I can remember, people have loved to dream about what they’d do if they won the lottery. I think that’s actually a really cool question. It invites people to dream big, to expand their vision of what’s possible. Good questions lead to good answers, and good answers give us deeper insight into who we are and what we truly want.

When people talk about winning the lottery, they often mention things like buying a larger house, taking an extravagant trip, acquiring a luxury car, or helping others. These answers are telling. Until you stop and think about it, you might not even realize what your real dreams are.

However, I’d like to put a twist on that idea. Instead of asking, “What would you do if you won the lottery?” I ask,
“What would you do if you could live out of a backpack?”

Imagine it: complete and utter freedom. Wherever your legs can take you, you can go, and you have everything you need, right there with you.

Woot Woot for me:  Next month, I have an opportunity to do just that.

I’m not talking about traditional backpacking with tents and campfires. I’m heading across the country to visit a friend, where we’ll go hiking, skydiving, and all kinds of other adventures. All I have to do is fit everything I’ll need for a week into a backpack, hop on a plane, and go.  I’ll be sleeping on his couch in his bus as we head to Glacier National Park. 

And you know what? I’m excited.  

For the first time, I’m deliberately leaving certain comforts behind. Usually, I pack food. I pack bathroom essentials, shampoo, conditioner, creams, the works. This time? None of that. No food. No giant toiletry kit. No creature comforts. Just the essentials.

It’s going to teach me how to live without clinging to the little things I usually think I “have” to have.

My friend KC can already live this way. She can live entirely out of a backpack. AND she’s perfectly comfortable sleeping on the ground if she needs to. Did I mention she is over 70?  Sure, she prefers a tent, but if she had to, she could throw a blanket on the ground, under the stars, and she’d have everything she needs. No piles of stuff weighing her down.

That is freedom.
That is what I love about thinking this way.

When you live out of a backpack, your whole life simplifies. Less stuff means fewer decisions. Fewer decisions mean less mental clutter. Your brain gets to rest. Your life feels lighter, emotionally and literally.

You only have to focus on what’s right in front of you and what you want to do next.
There’s flexibility in that.
Imagine needing to change plans quickly — just turn left, and your whole life turns left with you. No scrambling to pack up boxes, no dragging suitcases behind you. Just you, your feet, and your backpack.

It’s like moving through an airport.
Most people are dragging suitcases and trying to weave their way through the crowds. It’s stressful, it’s cumbersome.
But when you’re carrying everything you need on your back? You just glide through. No baggage claim. No overhead bin struggle. You and your pack are already halfway to the gate.

Living this way also saves money…  BIG TIME.
Every extra thing you own comes with additional costs: maintenance, storage, accessories, replacements, and even just the cost of managing it all.
If everything you need fits in a backpack, you’re not paying luggage fees. You’re not paying higher rent because you need more space. You’re not buying furniture to hold your stuff or paying extra utilities to support it.

Another unexpected benefit?
You get really good at knowing what you actually need. You become more confident facing challenges because you’re not constantly worried about all the things you might be missing. You don’t need to obsess over mirrors or fashion or how perfect everything looks — you’re focused on living.

And maybe the most significant gift of all:
When you’re not investing your energy in possessions, you can redirect that energy into experiences.
Into relationships.
Into health.
Into adventure.
Into truly connecting with nature and the Earth, back to a time before industries, before Wi-Fi, before every moment was measured in notifications.

Living out of a backpack strips away the distractions and gives you a stronger connection with yourself.
You’re not being robbed of your time, your energy, or your spirit by stuff. You’re free to actually live.

I love the idea that I could crash on a friend’s couch, or even live in a cardboard box if I had to — and be perfectly fine — because everything I truly needed would already be with me.

When you really break it down, what do we actually need to live?
We need air.
We need water.
We need nutrients.
We need sleep.
And we need some form of protection from the elements — whether that’s clothing, a tent, or a simple shelter.

That’s it.
Everything else is just extra weight we choose to carry.

And even if living out of a backpack doesn’t lead you straight to enlightenment, it still opens up another important question: Why can’t you do this?

That question can be just as powerful and revealing. Are you tied to soft linens, daily showers, or having a whole lineup of shoes? Do you feel that you need your books, TV, and constant access to Wi-Fi?

The answers you find there are just as valuable as the dream itself, because they show you what’s really holding you back.