Zen and the art of backpacking bag-packing

I used to have a t-shirt with the words “He who travels light travels happy” emblazoned on the front. I loved that t-shirt, not necessarily for the wise words but for the comfortable fit. Oh and the cheery image of a suitcase being carried aloft as if it were a balloon. Nevertheless, it offered advice that any traveller should embrace. 

I’ve lost count of the number of times I have seen someone trying to heft a suitcase that is clearly too heavy onto a train. I could of course help but but I’d much rather tut under my breath and think to myself “they’ve over packed”. Maybe that t-shirt should’ve had the words “Smug Git” instead.

Actually the problem isn’t with the individuals but instead with the manufacturers of modern suitcases. I suppose it’s a natural progression from the invention of the wheel. Applied to travelling, first to the cart, then the bicycle, the car and finally the roll-along suitcase. Honestly these things are so huge I don’t know why they didn’t just fit wheels to their wardrobes and take those on holiday. Foreign cities are now chock-a-block with mobile accompaniments, click-clacking their way between hotels and methods of transportation.

Anyway I have digressed. One of the advantages of travelling with a rucksack is that you can’t overpack. The space you have is the space you have. It is quite limiting at first - and seemingly an impossible task to fit all of the clothes and personal items you need for a month away into a very limited space. No matter how hard you try, that third pair of footwear just won’t fit. There is always the option of hanging things to the outside of the bag but that could end in disaster. Think I’m overstating it? Well how would you feel if one shoe went missing? Spending the month hopping doesn’t seem like a whole lot of fun. No, much better to keep everything on the inside. Safely tucked away.

Of course the disadvantage of a rucksack is that everything has to be unpacked and repacked at each destination. Sure it is tempting, after struggling to get everything into the bag, to leave it be and just keep wearing the same set of clothes. But there is your travelling companions to consider. Not sure they would appreciate your lack of enthusiasm for changing your clothing. Especially after a few sweaty days in southern Spanish cities. Besides, with each emptying and repacking it does get easier. A system develops and with it an understanding of the optimum method for making use of all of the available space. A zen like state in the mastering of space and time. Well space mainly. Socks and undies are stuffed into hiking boots, each small space is filled with an appropriate item of clothing. Imagine a game of Tetris but with shoes and clothes instead of colourful blocks. And without the catchy music. 

When done correctly, the tidy ensemble makes a 12kg mobile home possible. And nothing is fastened to the outside….yet.

I’ve just completed my eighth packing, achieved in the semi-darkness of a hotel room and completed in under ten minutes. Not bad. Admittedly it’s not quite as lump free as I would like, but that’s my own fault. I shouldn’t have bought that souvenir t-shirt in Seville - it’s upset the proverbial apple cart and unbalanced my zen like state. 

Never mind, I’ve got a few more attempts to make to get it right. And if I can’t? Well there’s always the option of jettisoning some unwanted items. The US power adapter for example, or one of the three jumpers I brought. Well it was cold when I left New Zealand.