Bring everything you need and nothing that you don’t
There are two kinds of travelers in the world: those who love to pack, and those who dread the very thought of it. The packing-dreaders seem to cling to their need to have many options. Like it overwhelms them to narrow down all the choices available to pull out of full closets, bathroom drawers, and garages of gear. Packing is too much of a commitment. What if they pick the wrong shoes? Will it ruin their travels? It’s a stressful situation.
On the other hand, the love-to-pack crew gets a rush of adrenaline just looking at their black hole duffles and rolling hardsides. They compare features of new travel backpacks and packing cubes. They stash away little refillable containers (under three ounces in volume) in hopes that soon they’ll be off to explore a place where shampoo is not provided. Most importantly, they look at luggage as a fun facilitator. Packing is part of the anticipation of travel, a way to preview the adventures, flavors, and experiences ahead.
I am solidly in the love-to-pack camp. I pore over gear lists and ponder how to layer clothing for maximum use. Like the orchestral overture of a musical theater, packing provides the teaser preview of the drama, comedy, thrills and chills to come. For those of you too tense to enjoy the overture, here are a few suggestions to make it your superpower…or at least less stressful.
Gather the goods early, then add or subtract.
In other words, pick a spot to begin gathering everything you want to pack. A table, some floor space, it doesn’t matter. Just be sure you can lay the items out and no one else will try to put them all away or use them. Give yourself several days to begin the packing process.
Did I say there are two kinds of packers? Actually, the love-to-pack folks fall into two camps as well: the adders and the subtractors. The adders, those who start out by gathering the minimal items they’ll need to get by on the trip. When they see how it fits into their luggage, they add on. Another shirt, an extra hat. The book that seemed to big to lug around but now they see there is space. The subtractors do the opposite: they start by collecting every possible thing they could use on their trip, then take away the extras. Two swimsuits instead of six; a set of colored pencils for their travel journal instead of a palette of acrylic paints. Both approaches work well, and can result in an organized bag where everything (mostly) fits.
Take a photo of all your packing items
Before you begin stuffing the duffle with all the items that you’ve added or subtracted to the mound on your table, take a moment to lay them out nicely. Yes, it makes for an excellent social media post, but there really are some valid reasons for taking this shot — beyond making all your FB and Insta-friends drool over your travel plans.
First, documenting every item that you plan to leave home with is important in case your luggage gets lost. I recently missed a flight coming home from Belize, but my duffle bag did make the flight. Meaning that my bag, along with some expensive fly-fishing rods and reels inside, would be hanging around my home airport, unattended. With the packing photo, I could verify exactly what was in the bag, should any items go missing. (Fortunately I’ve never needed to do this, for the fishing gear or anything else.)
Second reason to photograph your packing? The image is a better record than your written list or your memory. I’m leaving soon for an annual raft trip — the photo above shows me everything I brought last year. It’s a quick way to share and compare notes with your travel companions on what each of you are bringing, so you don’t end up with four decks of cards but no first aid kit. It’s also a final tally of sorts — seeing all your stuff laid out nicely for a photo helps recognize when you have made a glaring error, like packing your husband’s hiking shoes instead of your own, which is a surprisingly easy mistake.
Invest in smart luggage
By smart I mean durable, functional, and a little sassy — not smart in the techie sense of the word. Look for the Mary Tyler Moore of baggage. Able to manage it all and keep rolling. My personal favorites are a bright red North Face backpack duffle bag* and my vintage leather backpack, but they don’t work together very well.
I recently added a Fishe dry bag backpack*, and strangers would stop me to ask about it every day. Eye-catching and practical for any kind of water action from scuba diving to fishing, but as an airplane carry-on it’s kind of a bottomless pit. Carry-ons like this require bags-within-bags, to organize your stuff and also so you’ll have a smaller tote to use on daytrips.
One last tip for the superpower packing?Packing cubes keep clothing organized — I save the plastic zippered cases from sheet sets. They let you see what’s inside, and the price is right.
*No affiliate marketing here, just strong opinions. When you shop please support your local independent outdoor stores!