Absolute minimum to take to India?

After a recent US journey involving four buses and two trains (yes, I am a masochist), I am not looking forward to dragging any kind of luggage around India. Strictly speaking, that's impossible (for one thing, I need my prescriptions, my phone, and my netbook.) But I am fantasizing about bringing only those e things plus enough changes of clothes to take me through a couple days, and picking up the rest as I spend 6 months zigzagging across the subcontinent, leaving dirty laundry and barely-used toiletries in my wake, and saving backpack room for a few gifts for my hosts and whatever textiles I can't resist bringing home. I *love* to shop, so needing to buy X, Y and Z is the perfect excuse I need to do some market-grazing.

Anybody traveled really, REALLY light? Would you recommend it?

Yes! Traveling light is highly recommended! Unfortunately I traveled really, really heavy and was sorry as can be (almost) the whole time, I had to send back about 5 big packages of stuff to the US. We do not need a fraction of what we THINK we need! Everything is available in India.

There's a lot of info on the India for Beginners thread, have you looked thru it all? Plenty of packing tips, all about which bags to take, etc.

My favorite item, zip lock bags, all sizes, eliminate everything that can carry stuff and use zip locks instead. Maybe a packing cube or two (made of weightless netting)...have a good look at the packing tips threads, just use the "search" box and have fun! Make a list and keep eliminating as you find better methods/items. Just ask and we can tell you what is available to buy, just about everything imaginable. Start that list now!

I went last November and packed heavy for a three months stay. I'm leaving in 10 days for a six months stay and this time I'm packing light. Take your electronic items and a power adapter and a lot to lock your backpack. However much clothes you want too. Everything else you'll find in India. And clothes can be found everywhere and it's not expensive (unless you go to the designer stores). I wouldn't worry about leaving clothes and toiletries in your wake though. Laundry can be done just about everywhere and in most circumstances with same day service. And it's not expensive to have done. In some hotels I paid less than a dollar a load (wash/dry/fold).

Take your bare minimum for your stay, get the rest there. I'm taking some gifts too and for that I went to Goodwill and bought a used suitcase which I'll leave behind so I don't have to lug it around.

Enjoy your trip to India!!

I agree, a heavy pack in India is a real hassle. I took a 30 litre pack, pretty middle-sized, about 25 lbs. I can't imagine carrying more! (Especially when running for trains! )

Next time I'm taking even less. Unfortunately, both previous trips I needed warm clothes and I know I could have bought stuff in India, certain stuff I could only get easily in Canada...

Somehow I managed to take a dufflebag that was about 30" x 10" x10" for two weeks to Annapurna Base Camp, so I'm going to try and translate that to another 3 month trip to India...I believe it CAN be done!

Somehow, the older I get, the more toiletry stuff I end up dragging around...not sure why. But if you get sick on the road, its nice not to have to drag yourself out to look for pills.

Anyway, I did make a list of all the stuff in my little dufflebag, if someone wants, I'll dig it out!

Another way of thinking of packing is: get a pack that you think is "carriable" (not too big or heavy), fill it up full of stuff and see how it feels. Then only pack what you can get in the pack.

Lastly, if I buy stuff, I mail it home through the Indian Post Office. Four parcels got home, the only one that didn't was one I sent through an agent from Pushkar.

Traveling light is great. And one actually needs far less then imagined. I once had to travel around India for 2 weeks with only a daypack and a handbag. It was great. I felt very free, and traveling was so easy. And I am sure I could have lasted for several month with the same, with washing and replendishing the consumables like soap or shampoo.
Here is my list:
2 trousers, 3 Shirts (or SKs)
1 sweater (But it was January)
underwear, socks, Nighty
Shawl/scarf/Dupatta
cotton sleeping back
2light cotton towels
Flipflops
comb, toothbrush, shampoo, soap, deo, mossipellent, sunblocker, handsanitizer, washing powder
some first aid medicines
hat, sunglasses
Travel guide, diary, book,
camera and equipment, mobile
torch, waterbottel
papers money, moneybelt

Happy packing!

I wouldn't worry about leaving clothes and toiletries in your wake though. Laundry can be done just about everywhere and in most circumstances with same day service. And it's not expensive to have done.

My reason in leaving clothes and toiletries behind was so I wouldn't have to carry them. But if turnaround can be that quick, I can certainly get by with my skivvies and the four salwar kameez I now have.

Hembrom, your list is almost exactly the pared-down list I was planning on! I've got a great ultralight 30L backpack, and with all your encouraging words I think that, despite its capacity I will indeed put into it only what I absolutely need for the first couple days and just buy/replace the rest as I go along. When my pack gets too heavy - well, whoever cleans my hotel room will not only get a tip, but have a tidy little pile of virtually-new stuff to distribute.

Ahh. I feel lighter already. Thanks!

And they have all those nice little packs of everything in India: very small shampoo bottles, very small soap, small packs of toothpaste, one-use sachets of washing powder etc.
Shalwaar Kameez pack very light and dry easily, they are great for traveling and washing.

sixrivets, you are going to be in Auroville in the rainy season there. In your situation I would bring a good-quality mini-umbrella and a light rain-jacket or rain-coat along. The problem with buying everything in India is the extremely low quality of certain specialized items. Of course you can also buy rain-gear there, but for instance a rain coat is extremely smelly of plastic, let aside the toxicity aspect. A transparent rain-coat might be good enough for you to bring.

Also bring a good-quality flash-light, and possibly a back-up accu for your netbook as you will have a lot of power-outages during the rainy season, often lasting a whole day, or if it rains a lot even more.

Depending on how fast you feel cold, think also about bringing some thin warm items. If it ever rains for a few days, the temp can cool down quite a bit.

The main question is always whether to bring a sleeping-bag or not, since that takes up a lot of space. Normally I choose not to, but it depends also on your itinerary, where you are in Jan-Feb, and of course in which class of hotels you are staying.

Rather than a sleeping bag we travel with silk sleeping bag liners, very light and compact, but warm. We mainly use them on trains as you can keep passport, wallet etc safe inside them while you sleep. We've also used them in a couple of hotels where we weren't impressed with the bed linen.

I brought s silk-liner last time too, but regretted it in warmer climates. Cotton would have suited me better. But it all depends on how fast one feels cold. I am cold fast, so I bring things along. I always carry my Raymond's Shawl which I buy in India.
Is the AC turned on in winter?

Here is my list that fit in the 10" x 10" x 20 dufflebag: (this was for trekking, so you could leave some stuff out)

-small (book sized) toiletry case with toothbrush,etc
-paperback book
-tensor bandage
-duct tape
-carbiners
-down vest
-merino wool shirt
-toilet paper
-chocolate
-camera and charger
-baseball hat, fleece hat and gloves
-quick dry shirt
-quick dry pants that zip off to shorts
-3 pairs wool socks
-talcum powder
-bug spray
-bandanna
-towel
-ibuprophen, cipro, codeine, diamox
-swiss army knife
-polo shirt
-hoodie fleece jacket
-good rain jacket
-fleece pants
-cotton pants
-underwear
-hand cleaner, eye drops, lip balm
-sunglasses
-bath sandals
-journal

Oh, I was wearing some of the stuff!

I also love to shop- and figured if I bought too much I could just mail it home, but when I looked up FedEx prices they were CRAZY. How much did it cost you to mail stuff home?

Post office is much cheaper than FedEx, and though it may take longer, I've always received my packages.

Seems to me that one of those big Indian shopping bag type parcels cost me around $30 CDN?

Laundry is cheap so you can go light on clothes. Your favourite specialty toiletries or even something close may not be easy to find. Bring what you need. Toothpaste etc. is easy to find. Sunscreen not so much.