Anyone ever travel gearless and fearless?

[Deleted member 29963]

It's okay for recreational hoboing, I learned the hard way what I needed to have with me by doing this sort of thing for a few years when I basically still lived with my mother. But to echo what some other people have written: it can be disastrous. I lost almost all of my gear trying to hitch east from East St. Louis in 2017 and still haven't exactly gotten back on top of my gear game, nor am I so enthusiastic about hitchhiking off of the west coast or outside of Arizona.

 

[Wildflower]

Never gearless but many trips ditched the tent for extra room and weight and carried just my sleeping bag in my pack and a change and enjoyed the lightweight travel of it all and the stars. Had a tarp for emergency rain. The bivy sack would have been enjoyable but I ended up buying one second hand from a gear store to stay lightweight and easy camping and I actually got pretty wet in it.. I have been stuck in situations where something happened to my gear and I ended up spending the night if I had to sleep curled up in my clothes trying to breathe hot hair into my shirt to stay warm through the night until I found some more gear...

 

[Anagor]

I have been stuck in situations where something happened to my gear and I ended up spending the night if I had to sleep curled up in my clothes trying to breathe hot hair into my shirt to stay warm through the night until I found some more gear...

I was lucky insofar that I never lost my sleeping bag(s).

Happened that I had no shoes in February in England or ragged clothes in cold weather. I had my backpack stolen from me once while I slept, but I still had my sleeping bag always. Lifesaver.

But yeah, I used to breathe hot air in my clothes or sleeping bag in cold nights as well.

 

[Romanriff]

Never gearless but many trips ditched the tent for extra room and weight and carried just my sleeping bag in my pack and a change and enjoyed the lightweight travel of it all and the stars. Had a tarp for emergency rain. The bivy sack would have been enjoyable but I ended up buying one second hand from a gear store to stay lightweight and easy camping and I actually got pretty wet in it.. I have been stuck in situations where something happened to my gear and I ended up spending the night if I had to sleep curled up in my clothes trying to breathe hot hair into my shirt to stay warm through the night until I found some more gear...

That's usually how I travel now. I got a sleeping bag and bivy sack and I make it out in the rain fine, I just look for dry spots and cardboard.