Zeke -- the person behind the camera of many of our videos -- recently took a trip to Hawaii with his wife and son. Each of them took a Daylight Briefcase and a Daylight Backpack in the spirit of packing light. The first video below shows what and how they packed; the second video is of the trip itself.
Our Q&A with Zeke:
What do you wish you had packed that you didn’t?
I've been ultralight packing for a long time -- over 100 trips by now to all different climates and with stays of all different lengths -- so I've got it pretty dialed in. But I still learn something on just about every trip. For example, I've never owned a strap/band for my sunglasses. You know, those things that keep them from falling of your head. It was so lovely and sunny there I wore my sunglasses to float in the ocean. Next thing you know, a wave plucks them right off my face. They're really nice sunglasses and I felt like a dope. Fortunately my wife is a superhero and when she went in the ocean about 20 minutes later, she found them!
Is there an item that you packed that you didn’t end up using?
I picked up these really cool looking swim trunks for the trip. Turned out they are good pool trunks but terrible ocean trunks! The first big wave rendered the Velcro useless and my trunks around my ankles! Needless to say, we went to a shop and got a proper pair of board shorts for the rest of the trip.
Question for all three of you: what was your favorite part of the trip?
The Wife: Shutting off and relaxing on the beach.
The Husband: The ocean. Floating for hours and hours in the ocean -- and getting to spend quality time with my family.
The Son: Shaved ice for breakfast!
Your trip seemed like the ideal mix of exploring and just totally relaxing by doing nothing. Does that come naturally to you guys or do you have to make an effort to unwind?
We're a type A family. So if we're going to relax we have to work at it. And we're going make sure we do a darn good job of it, too. :)
Full Packing Lists:
The Wife
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In the Daylight Backpack:
Aeronaut 30 Packing Cube End Pocket
Aeronaut 30 Packing Cube Small Laundry
Shorts & Sarong
Shampoo, Conditioner, Gel, Essential Oils
2 Pair Flip Flops
In the Aeronaut 30 Packing Cube End Pocket:
Rash Guard
Dress
Skirt
Tank Top
Bathing Suit Cover-up
In the Aeronaut 30 Packing Cube Small Laundry Packing Cube:
2x Bathing Suit, 4x Underwear, Bra, Skirt, Dress
Bathing Suit Cover-up
In the Daylight Briefcase:
Ghost Whale Organizer Pouch - Small
Ghost Whale Organizer Pouch - Mini
Cubelet
Spiff Kit - Deluxe
Travel Cubelet
Key Straps & Pen
In the Cubelet:
Eye Drops
3x Lip Balm
Tweezers
Mirror & Hairbands
In the Small Ghost Whale Organizer Pouch:
Glasses & Cleaning Cloth
In the Mini Ghost Whale Organizer Pouch:
Noise Canceling Headphones
Earbuds
In the Deluxe Spiff Kit:
5x Make-up, 4x Make-up Brushes,
3x Face Cream, Hand Lotion,
Conditioner, Contacts, Lens Case,
2x Soap, Floss, Toothbrush,
Q-tips, Razor
In the Travel Cubelet:
Credit Cards, Cash, Cell Phone
Lip Gloss, Keys, Sunglasses
The Husband
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In Daylight Backpack:
3D Organizer Cube, Clear
Aeronaut 30 Packing Cubes - Small Laundry
Packing Cube Shoulder Bag
Flip Flops
Small Tripod & Book
In the Clear 3D Organizer Cube:
Shampoo, Conditioner, Bodywash, Toothpaste, Toothbrush
In the Small Laundry Aeronaut 30 Packing Cube:
Rash Guard, 4x Socks, 4x Boxers
In the Packing Cube Shoulder Bag:
Swim Trunks, Shorts, Belt, 3x T-Shirts
In Daylight Briefcase:
3D Organizer Cube Mesh
Cubelet
Travel Fork & Spoon
Water Bottle
Ghost Whale Organizer Pouch - Super Mini
Ghost Whale Organizer Pouch - Mini
Key Straps
Ghost Whale Organizer Pouch - Small
GoPro w/ Handle
Noise Canceling Headphones
In the Mesh 3D Organizer Cube:
4x Camera Batteries, Memory Card, ND Filters, Camera, Battery Charger
In the Cubelet:
USB Adaptors, Pen, Earplugs, USB Cable, Phone Charger, Backup Battery
Handkerchief, USB C Cable
In the Super Mini Ghost Whale Organizer Pouch:
Vitamins, Peppermint Oil, Lip Balm
In the Mini Ghost Whale Organizer Pouch:
GoPro Accessories
In the Small Ghost Whale Organizer Pouch:
Sunglasses
The Son
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In Daylight Backpack:
Fins, Flip Flops, Travel Stuff Sack Size 3, 2x T-Shirts,
Travel Stuff Sack Size 2, 3x Shorts
In the Travel Stuff Sack Size 3:
2x Swim Trunks, 4x Socks, PJ’s
In the Travel Stuff Sack Size 2:
3x Underwear, Rashguard
In Daylight Briefcase:
Book, Earbuds, Ereader, Sunglasses, Chapstick,
Spiff Kit, Water Bottle
In the Spiff Kit:
Mini Ghost Whale Organizer Pouch Filled w/ Lucky Rocks
Toothbrush w/ 2 Heads, Card Game, Belt, Swim Goggles
Zeke Kamm is a filmmaker; he's the person behind the camera of many of our bag videos. His latest projects: The Last Blockbuster and the Unwinder podcast.
Michael - March 23, 2021
The Daylight Backpack is terrifically storable in luggage thanks to the efficient space saving straps and clever “sweater as back padding” interior shelf slots which together allow some real flattening when emptied and stowed. It also looks more conventionally shaped with the tapering of the sides at the top. BUT my personal favorite is the Packing Cube Convertible Backpack, I have one of each configuration variations in the old Dyneema and a single variant (top and bottom compartments) in the thinner ballistic black, which can hold oh-so-much and still pass muster as a “personal item” at my seat in economy.