I’m carrying less these days.

My dad used to travel with a leather case, a lot like this one. The case itself was handsome and sturdy, but perhaps its greatest appeal was that it wasn’t big. What would fit in there? Just a few things. The essentials. He called it his Dopp kit.

I used to think that word was either his own invention (not unlikely) or a military abbreviation (also not unlikely), but it turns out to be a brand named after an early 20th c. leather craftsman named Charles Doppelt. Recently I realized that I’ve kept the image of my dad’s Dopp kit as my ideal for packing well. Clean and organized, simple and spare.

And hard to achieve. For years I’ve traveled with a variety of cosmetics, stuff for my hair and face and ears and toes, stuff in case I have a cold or headache or rash, stuff in case I pick up an entirely different personality when I’m on the road. You know, just in case. But slowly, through the simple lesson of carrying it all and not enjoying its weight or bulk, I let stuff go. Do I fuss that much when I’m at home? I do not. My toilette routine is simple, and the older I get, the simpler it is. Why complicate things while traveling? So, I no longer do.

I’m packing for a short trip to New York City, and I’m keeping it light and easy. I carry a bit more than shown in this photo, but not much more. My little bag is no longer a burgeoning toiletries bag, but something closer to a classic Dopp kit. I’ll have to thank my dad for modeling that spartan pleasure. [Thanks, Dad. <3]