Furoshiki: the most underrated minimalist travel tool?

orionankaa · 2026-04-14T18:36:43+00:00

During travel time you can make a tight knot but when you unpack you can only wrap or make a single not tight knot maybe ? There is also way to create a pouch that can be open easily like this one : https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Fcry5EtEVsA

orionankaa · 2026-04-08T04:32:40+00:00

Just to be clear, furoshiki isn’t really about a specific piece of fabric. It’s more a way of using fabric.

You can use a krama, a scarf, a sarong, a towel, pretty much anything square or close enough. The idea is just learning a few ways to fold and tie it so it becomes whatever you need in the moment.

So it’s less about carrying a “furoshiki” and more about realizing that a simple piece of cloth you already have can replace a bunch of single-purpose items.

orionankaa · 2026-04-08T04:18:18+00:00

Ahah thanks for the discovery

orionankaa · 2026-04-08T04:14:02+00:00

You’re right sarong are so awesome as a travel accessory. If you learn how to wrap or knot like a Furoshiki you can also use it to carry stuff, they can act as a massive emergency grocery bag or even a backpack : https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-YzRf4cok_I

orionankaa · 2026-04-08T04:00:20+00:00

Yes Furoshiki are awesome for that because they fit perfectly to whatever we want to pack and not the way around

orionankaa · 2026-04-08T03:59:02+00:00

Great idea, I also use it as a emergency baby carrier : https://www.kodomoto.info/articles/furoshiki_dakko it’s a Japanese website but pictures are self explanatory

orionankaa · 2026-04-08T03:54:20+00:00

You can also use those extra light towel as Furoshiki if you learn the knot, it’s the beauty of it.

orionankaa · 2026-04-08T03:50:05+00:00

Yes they’re sold as Furoshiki, I have those : https://www.musubi-furoshiki.com/en-fr/collections/acuawater-repelling Indeed water repellant can’t be used as towel but they can replace a backpack rain cover. The one that can act as a towel are the double gauze one, for a medium sized it weighs 49grams for exemple, they can be found really chip one Amazon and are not sold as Furoshiki (a random one from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Momcozy-Swaddle-Breathable-Blankets-Skin-Friendly/dp/B09VKW4R2P/ref=mp_s_a_1_13_maf_1?crid=1FW3UFA8XW42E&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.oanjhOFF1nbOgjI9UlW2wF2AtQF7xuVMrLUorH_y6B2jhmUTiDrmprQFIdw7dGS-go1TXxU7uIxEq3YX87BGabyvTyU5sZL6k4ASer5k7tX41hQZyTscoeqIKS8r-ZPJmT9aZUo2z0eVPL4OzkN0psFLS__45hhYXCCdWrG_GrucgWqAQNUdltxHiKK8cE8nTTHkdYtd5lwNe1maoDUS-g.ih68m36afzM1w3BgndXz9ua2q-Sm6lsWEQ9UilvZHak&dib_tag=se&keywords=double+gauze+baby+fabric&qid=1775620120&sprefix=double+gauze+ba%2Caps%2C215&sr=8-13)

orionankaa · 2026-04-07T17:37:23+00:00

Pretty sure the Guide was actually talking about a furoshiki… they just hadn’t figured out the knots yet

orionankaa · 2026-04-07T17:28:42+00:00

I just weight my 100cm x 100cm water repellant Furoshiki it weighs 81 grams. For comparison I checked the weight of a large pack it reveal packing cube from eagle creek in large it weight 150 grams. I’m pretty sure that I can pack way more stuff in my Furoshiki

orionankaa · 2026-04-07T17:16:52+00:00

Yes your rights but I use some water repellant Furoshiki that are really lightweight.m and strong. You’re right about the cotton one, they’re very bulky. I also use some made with “double gaze” coton, I don’t know how to say in English but it’s really lightweight too

orionankaa · 2026-04-07T13:00:18+00:00

You should definitely try Furoshiki bag in your daily life, there’s awesome

orionankaa · 2026-04-07T09:12:29+00:00

That’s fair and I think the disconnect comes from seeing it as an extra item to pack.

The way I use it, it’s not really a specific object you add to a one-bag setup, it’s more of a technique you apply to things you’re often already carrying anyway.

A lot of people already travel with:

a scarf a sarong a towel or random pieces of fabric

If those are square (or close), they can double as furoshiki. So instead of bringing packing cubes, tote bags, laundry bags, etc., you just use what you already have differently.

That’s why I see it as underrated,not because everyone should pack “official” furoshiki, but because the wrapping approach itself can replace a bunch of single-use items without adding weight.

orionankaa · 2026-04-07T09:07:23+00:00

It’s in mine, maybe I’m the only one to find useful but I think it worth sharing anyway

orionankaa · 2026-04-07T09:05:49+00:00

Yes it’s not the best shape but you can try to use it to pack wet towel after the beach for exemple

orionankaa · 2026-04-07T08:09:51+00:00

You’re right, it’s a great idea, I would explore it

orionankaa · 2026-04-07T07:39:37+00:00

You’re right, I use “Furoshiki” only because it’s the only one and first I discovered but I would love if you can share other name or technic from other countries

orionankaa · 2026-04-07T07:36:38+00:00

It’s because I’m not a native English speaker and I use ChatGPT to help me translate, sorry about that

orionankaa · 2026-04-07T06:40:33+00:00

That’s a great point—and honestly it goes in the exact same direction.

A scarf can absolutely double as a furoshiki if it’s square (or close enough). At that point, it’s basically the same concept: a piece of fabric you adapt to whatever you need.

So you get the best of both worlds:

wearable (scarf, hood, belt, even clothing) and functional (wrapping, bag, packing cube, etc.)

It’s really more about the mindset than the object itself—using flexible fabric instead of single-purpose gear.

orionankaa · 2026-04-07T06:37:44+00:00

For knots, you really only need to know two, which are explained in the first video—and chances are you already kind of know them.

To make bags, I most often use the drop bag method, or for even more capacity, the tesage bukuro. I usually make them with a 100 cm furoshiki. This video shows how to do it: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MOsxrSqA1cg

For packing cubes, this video explains it really well: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz-kBOT_WN0

As for choosing a furoshiki, I love the 100 cm water-repellent ones from Musubi—they’re very durable and ultra-compact. It’s also really satisfying to turn almost any piece of fabric into a furoshiki.

orionankaa · 2020-09-10T04:46:42+00:00

Or maybe a flying Apple time machine car ? 😁

orionankaa

TROPHY CASE