Why Can't You Pack a Bag? (2024)

Travelled southeast asia + China for one year with small maybe The basic simple rule usually is - the packing for 3 months or even whole year is no different from packing for 1 week, if there is stable climate. How often do you need things you won't use within 1-2 weeks? Pretty much never, if it's not something you use all the time within one week then it's most likely not needed.

The lighter your baggage is the more mobile you are, you can go easier further to have more accommodation options, more transportation options, good luck carring your suitcase on unpaved road, mountain, forest or just broken sidewalks or high curbs every 10 meters.

Now I travel with my family each summer for beach vacation in Europe, we still pack each person only one small backpack - after all what you need for hot weather in Europe for ~10 days? Bunch of t-shirts (let's say 1 per 2-3 days of vacation, you can rotate them), shorts/dress (if girl), underwear, swimsuit, sandals, flipflops (wear sneakers into plane, they take the most space) and just in case of bad weather light jacket and one long pants, kids are even able to put there plush toy, book, some drawing tools. This summer we just bought sun umbrella for like 8EUR which paid itself in one day compared to renting sun umbrella/berth, though we were unsucessful in selling it, so it was not for free, but we didn't need to lug it with large suitcase as some people. When the kids were small (unable to carry their own backpacks) I could pack all 3 of us into one 50L backpack with wife having her own 24L backpack.

I don't really understand travelling for summer vacation with large suitcase, what are people packing there, are the moving or what? I am always astounded when kids are going to school trip for FOUR nights, they leave Monday morning and Friday noon they are back, yet parents pack these kids large more than 50cm tall suitcases full of things, my kids with one 24L rolltop backpack (rolled down) and smaller (half empty) 15-20L daypack are always kids with smallest baggage, yet they are not missing anything, now I started to pack even towel and 50ml shampoo/shower gel since they have some crappy accommodations not providing it.

There are record 35-40C temperatures in Europe this summer, yet now when they went to camp for one week I saw again all the kids with large suitcases for hot weather, what the heck are ALL these parents packing. Out of 60 kids there was literally ONE other kid which had like 50-60L large backpack, everyone else medium/big suitcases and their accommodation provides shelves to store your things, so they don't need to live out of suitcase which is the only benefit of suitcase over backpack (though there are duffel bags you can wear as backpack).

If it's surprisingly raining you would not bring umbrella anyway and left it in tour accommodation (but you can make simple cheap rain jacket from big plastic bag or trash bag, just tear holes for your neck and arms), so packing things you won't most likely need is useful only for the way to/from airport, while you are at destination there is not much use in things left in the room when the weather suddenly changes or suddenly you need to replace something broken kilometres away from accommodation.

I was hiking through the Malaysian jungle (Tanah Rata, jungle trail maybe 9/9A) in flip-flops (pretty standard in SEA also for hiking in mountains) and one of my flipflop broke, guess how helpful would be knowing I have spare shoes in my accommodation? Tried to fix it will some local plants - didn't work, so had to finish hike slowly until reaching at least unpaved road (ofc it broke in the most overgrown part, maybe made wrong turn), later paved road where I could walk barefoot and hitchhike back to town where I stayed to buy new flipflops (btw. my long-term advice, don't ever buy flipflops for outdoors, they always break (at the worst moment), slides (slippers, whatever you call them) are much more reliable).

> I like protecting my feet from leeches and more importantly snakes, scorpions, spiders, thorny bushes and small holes where you can hurt your angles.

depends where you are and where you go, no such thing in cameron highlands trails, it is quite high and cold, I've met with leeches only in Thai jungle (while on trail), same with scorpions only on some small Thai island unpaved road, most of the time I try to follow some trails if I won't get lost, there are various kinds of jungle, the most dangerous thing I've met on some trail was probably some pretty big monitor lizard

I’ve done lightweight backpacking in the past and usually check in luggage now. I’ve come to the conclusion that for how I usually travel these days - long amounts of time in single places, not trying to cram in many destinations in a single trip - there isn’t a major benefit to keeping it light. Usually I’ll just keep one change of clothes in a small backpack and check everything else. So I don’t need to carry anything until I reach the destination and have a backup in case of delays etc. Unless you’re traveling to the absolute middle of nowhere, if your bag gets lost you can get compensated for that, and buy whatever you need at your destination. Then on arrival I take a cab to wherever I’m staying, where I just have to roll the roller suitcase from the baggage claim to the cab (like 5 minutes of flat walking with ample elevators etc). Make sure that wherever I reserve isn’t up 10 flights of stairs (it usually isn’t a problem). Then that bag will just sit for the entire time I’m on vacation. Finally repeat in reverse.

I find the benefits of lightweight backpacking type optimization overblown for my travel style. Maybe it’s important if you’re speed running 20 destinations in a single trip or are incredibly unlucky with checked bags getting lost, but especially with kids now I just don’t really see much benefit.

I passed through stages of owning no vehicle, then homelessness, then losing all my possessions, then had my own place again, and for the past 23 years, amassing personal belongings again, without owning a vehicle. I've walked around with nothing to my name but what's in my backpack. In those times, I was strict about not becoming a "bag lady" type, no pushing a shopping cart, and no stashing of my stuff: if it didn't fit into the one backpack, something had to go.

A seminal film for me was Up in the Air with George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, and Anna Kendrick. George Clooney plays a nomadic executive who doesn't ever stay home. He visually demonstrates how he packs and how he never uses carry-ons. I took that advice, and I was flying Southwest Airlines.

I routinely went back-and-forth on 90-minute flights; having no checked baggage was a good strategy for streamlining, and cost-saving. Visiting my parents, I could keep clothes and stuff at their place, and there it was waiting for me when I arrived. Don't forget to bring an empty bag for souvenirs! Don't forget the shoes you'll need!

I've built a collection of luggage, and recently used it all, when I went on "Staycation". It was weird, because I only planned for a one-night stay, and I could literally go across town and pick up anything I wanted from home, and I only brought 1.5 changes of clothes. But I filled up about four bags. I packed under time pressure, but I hadn't forgotten anything; in the end, I did not go home to pick anything up, yet I stayed for three days and two nights.