It's interesting he has an iPad in the picture of his gear, but doesn't mention it in the article. I, too, waffle on which is best for minimalism, but if I had to choose I'd still go with my MacBook Air. An iPad is nice, but it's not a substitute for a laptop.

I'd want an ereader as well, but when push comes to shove, I can read on my phone just fine. My Kobo Clara BW is small and light enough to be almost unnoticeable.

E reader batteries last a lot longer than a phone. If I read on my phone I’d have to charge it constantly.

You're not wrong. Fortunately it's not a choice I have to make.

i noticed this too and it didnt make much sense to me. my guess is that their work involves using a stylus to draw, or that the ipad works as a second monitor, or that it's simply something they really, really like and its a luxury item

This type of minimalism is not to be confused with 'frugalism'. It has nothing to do with treading lightly on the planet and more to do with blasting the upper atmosphere with jet engine exhaust as often as possible.

For me a bicycle is crucial for getting out and about, and I have done some long distance trips across continents with big mountain ranges to get over, with stove, tent and sleeping bag. This opens up a whole new level of 'minimalism'. Where possible, every item has to be 'dual use' to some extent, so that fleece hoodie doubles up as a pillow. Furthermore, every stupid travel gadget has to go, so no water purifier, no first aid kit, no 'stuff sacks', no special toiletries bags and no evening-only leisure clothes/shoes.

But this is luxury! The real pros are refugees. Imagine walking from Iraq to France, having to avoid every border guard, with no food in your stomach and just the clothes you wear as belongings.

In all fairness to the author of the article, the abundance of tech can be fully justified if he is a web developer and needs to make sure everything works on all of the devices that matter. That doesn't explain the Kindle, however, books (reading matter) has to be a priority item. From past experience, I would get rid of pretty much everything before getting rid of the reading matter.

As far as traveling being a "minimalist" is about making choices and removing things you don't care as much about. Some people care about having a pair of running shoes at hand more than a laptop, so they don't bring the later. Photographers like to take their camera and lens, even though to most people a phone would be more "minimalist". This person enjoys electronics...

I'm one of those.

I'd go iPad only, it's a versatile device after-all, but the truth of it is: it can't beat a laptop for "real work" (unless, real work is replying to emails and running an extremely cut down version of excel).

Yet, a laptop is significantly more awkward to read with or watch media. When flying I have (nearly) lost a screen to someone reclining in front of me while I was using my laptop; this is not an issue with iPads.

As it stands, the iPad is practically an essential, it's just so versatile and useful that it's omission would cut comfort more than it's weight. But I need an additional device, likely a laptop. One can't live without headphones either, and at least a smart-phone for payments, SMS and phone-calls.

So, it looks outsized, but a laptop can't substitute an iPad, and an iPad can't substitute a laptop (yet; it's a software failing mostly)

It is not cool or sexy, but a surface tablet makes a great travel device because it is a full computer that is also a tablet. You can also use it during takeoff and landing when laptops are not allowed.

Surface battery life is something like 1/2 of a Macbook or iPad in real world scenarios.

Certainly not a bad amount (5hrs) but enough that it becomes a conscious "I will have to charge this thing if I use it all day" thought.

I'm not trying to nitpick, this is genuinely what makes my brain hesitate.

It's not that awkward at all. Heck, if you're in bed the laptop even comes with its own stand!

Really the right answer here is a folding phone.

I'm living as a nomad currently, laptop and phone feels mandatory, but I also pack a tablet. I find it useful for hand-written notes, so I carry no pen and paper, and as a second screen for my laptop.

Most who do this aren't concerned with minimalism in terms of anti-consumerism, just minimalism in terms of not over-packing and having to deal with the headaches of paying for, potentially losing, and having to cart around checked-in luggage.

You could make a decent case for an iPad with cellular being the "correct" device for this for an Apple user, since you should be able to just treat it as "your phone" with some kind of VoIP workaround, but also as "your computer."

IMO that's the worst of both worlds - too big to comfortably make calls on but also doesn't have a keyboard to write on. You can carry an external keyboard but that actually ends up being fiddlier to pack than a conventional laptop.

You're not wrong. I can't imagine not having a real computer personally, and the iPad + keyboard solutions are basically a construction kit for a terrible laptop which costs 1.2x what a good laptop costs.

I don't think I'd be annoyed making calls with a tablet though. I'd just use bluetooth. For me the challenge would be that having no phone would mean I'd have to carry something bulkier everywhere. So, in conclusion, I have no great ideas and I'd be forced to do phone + light laptop.

Yes, it all looks very performative - a hobby for those with the funds to support it.