Pack-pack-packing

The time to come, the time to pack. Time to fit the contents of my wardrobe (and floordrobe) into a 75L backpack.

Friends, family and colleagues have been quick to lend advice when it comes to packing. I’ve been told to pack what I think I need, and then halve it (are you serious?), that six dresses are too many to take (sooo not too many), do not take heels (pleeeease), and take only what you need (are you crazy I need all of this stuff).

I wrote an initial list of everything I wanted to pack and started setting clothes out on my couch; it began in chaos.

Then over the past two weeks I continually added to and took away from the pile, before reaching a combination of clothing and accessories I was happy with.

Practice packs are essential to gauge not only how much can fit in the backpack, but also how heavy it will be. As many outfits that I want to take away (six months is a long time, you know), I will have to carry everything by myself. Falling onto my back like a turtle would not be ideal.

From my practice packs I learned that pretty much everything I had on my list would fit in my backpack, and weigh close to my goal of 15kg.

So what did I end up taking? Too many clothes and not enough common sense.

But I got my dress selection down to five, an achievement in itself.

Actually fitting stuff into the pack was hard. With the help of my Madre’s Tetris packing skills we managed to squeeze in most items.

Packing cells from Kathmandu have been useful to house different items such as cords, medications, and clothes I won’t need until we hit the warmer climates. As we will be living out of backpacks, these cells or even zip-lock bags are great for dividing different shoes and garments.

Toiletries are freaking heavy. I had to buy travel minis of shampoo, moisturiser, deodorant and the like, to bring down the overall weight.

Take heavy jumpers and jackets on the plane to avoid packing them. They can then be used as blankets or pillows, and act as a little extra comfort for those long flights and whilst waiting in airports.

The most important thing is that the backpack is manageable enough to carry. I travelled around Italy for a month with a broken suitcase, resulting in some painful bruises.

And further advice I was given, whatever we have forgotten to pack we can always buy while we’re over there. Yay, shopping!

Nik-Nik-Nikki