Remember Andrew Hyde, the guy who owned only 15 things? Weeeeellll it turns out he has slightly more than 15 things now. Actually he has 39 things. Still doing better than you, bucko!
Hyde has updated his list in the wake of media attention, and one of the most striking things about it is that after eight months, he only owns six of the original 15 things. He’s jettisoned or replaced two shirts, two jackets, a towel, sunglasses, running shoes, a toiletry kit, and his iPhone. So paring down your life doesn’t necessarily mean paring down your waste — at least proportionally. In volume, well … how many things would he have worn out or stopped using if he owned more things? I honestly don’t know. I’m sure there are clothes I’ve stopped wearing in the last eight months, and I had to chuck a pair of Chucks, and I replaced my phone too. Also, my dog has eaten a whopping THREE squeaky dinosaurs. It just doesn’t seem as shocking when you live in a house full of stuff.
The other thing that’s striking, or at least funny, is how much of his new stuff is clothes. Hyde has added five shirts, two hats, a hoodie, a suit and tie, two pairs of shoes, bike gear (including another pair of shoes and another shirt), and Kimya Dawson socks with bunnies on. He’s also stocked up on survival gear:
- Big Agnes Backpacking Tent
- Mamut Sleeping bag
- MSR whisperlight stove
- Water purifier
- Cooking pot
- Sleeping pad
Oh yeah, and he has a car now.
Whether or not you think this makes Hyde a giant poser, it’s an interesting experiment in how little you can get away with owning — and how, in our current culture, that tends to creep up over time.
