In 2002, I took a trip to Belgium and Holland for a couple of weeks, although it may not even have been that long; my memory might be slightly faulty on this one. To make sure I had everything I would possibly need on that trip, I took the biggest suitcase I owned: a huge red, hard shell thing that was completely unwieldy. I paid for it. Dearly. That case was absolutely the wrong bag (if you can call it that) to take on a European train traveling from Amsterdam to Brussels and back again. Way too big. Especially when I had to sit it on my lap when the food cart came by.
To make matters worse, that wasn't the only bag I took on that trip. I also brought a separate camera bag. Just way, way, way too much luggage.
I didn't learn my lesson in 2002. I took that same suitcase to England and Scotland in 2007 and all the way across the United States in 2011. When I started this blog, I started making an effort to travel lighter. Like much lighter.
Seven plus years later, I think I'm getting the hang of it a little bit. For the past three plus years, I've been traveling primarily with a single bag: a 32 liter Patagonia backpack (the Paxat Backpack 32L, if you must know). I get it; it's small. And there have been a couple of trips where we have elected to bring along a shared roll aboard suitcase, mostly where we've needed some fancy clothes for a wedding or nice dinner or something. But two weeks in Africa in 2018? Just the backpack. The UK and Germany for 10 days later that same year? Just the backpack. A week in Peru and two weeks in New Zealand last year? Well...you get the point.
My travel habits generally require that I bring a lot of stuff. I have needs for creature comforts and modcons, what can I say? So packing efficiently has become somewhat of a labor of love, especially when I only have 32 liters of space to fill. Here's how I maximize my backpack space on a typical trip. We'll go compartment by compartment.
Top Pocket
Three things occupy this compartment: (1) my Ray-Ban Mini-Wayfarer sunglasses (although not in the Ray-Ban case; too big!), (2) my Klipsch earbuds and (3) my pill box. That's it. Nothing else fits. The sunglasses are here for easy access. The earbuds are here as a non-powered backup to wireless headphones, which have superior sound but don't always fit depending on where I'm going (so sometimes the earbuds are the only listening device I have). The pillbox is here because my body is flawed and because it fits here. At the very minimum I need some allergy pills and I have a couple of prescriptions that I need to varying degrees.
Yes, my pillbox has Miffy on it. I found it in my girlfriend's house and liked it. So I adopted it. If I'm heading abroad, I generally take the bottles from the pharmacy that have the prescription information on them; don't really want to take chances bringing unlabeled drugs into some countries.
As an aside, that girlfriend is now my wife. So that worked out pretty well I feel.
Front Pocket
If there's a pocket in my backpack that makes choosing this specific backpack all worthwhile, it's the front pocket. When we were looking for backpacks for travel, one of the main differentiators for the Paxat 32L was that it had a front pocket with a number of different sized compartments for holding different things. This pocket is money.
So what goes here? The question really is...what doesn't go here? Going back to front, the rear compartment perfectly holds an iPad Mini horizontally (the iPad also adds stiffness and structure to the entire pocket). This device always goes with me wherever I go. It's the entertainment system for the entire trip. Music, movies and Netflix downloads. The iPad has a special place in my trips and it deserves a special pocket in my bag.
In front of that compartment are a couple of pen holders, a center pouch that perfectly holds a Jackery Giant+ Portable Charger, and a mesh pouch that holds cords and plugs for charging the iPhone, iPad, Jackery and camera.
Enough stuff packed into the front pocket? No way. There's also a cord with clip for keeping my keys safe and in a spot where I can get to them when I finally get home. That same clip holds the kiwi-shaped bottle opener we picked up at Auckland airport in New Zealand with our last New Zealand dollars.
But we are still not done. On top of all that, there's still space for my foldable sun hat, my portable laundry bag and my toiletries bag (although admittedly all three are sometimes difficult to fit in here; sometimes one gets relegated to the Main Compartment - see below). My toiletries bag by the way measures 7.5" by 5.75" (it's the Patagonia Simple Pouch - Small). Travel light and small everywhere.
Front Stretch Stash Pocket
This pocket is for one thing: shoes. I try not to take more than two pairs on a trip. The bigger pair goes on my feet. The smaller pair goes in the front stretch stash pocket. If you copy me here, pack the shoes in here first before you stuff the rest of the backpack, unless you are packing flops. Trust me; it's way easier. If you don't you run the risk of not being able to shove shoes down in there with the rest of the pack stuffed full. Rockport slip-ons work well for me here. And yes, I have orange shoes.
Right Side Pocket
Another one use pocket: water bottle. I suggest you pack a metal, insulated bottle that keeps liquids cold (or hot) for hours. But mostly cold. Like keeps ice icy even when it's 100 degrees outside and you leave the bottle in the car by mistake. I use a Polar Bottle stainless steel bottle which they apparently no longer make. Shame, because this thing is amazing. I'm sure there are other companies that make similar products. I'm not giving up on mine any time soon.
Left Side Pocket
This zippered pocket on the opposite side of my backpack is permanently filled with one essential accessory: my Patagonia Houdini Jacket, a super lightweight water and wind resistant jacket that folds into its own breast pocket. Light rain or a little cold or windy? Just drop the pack, whip out the Houdini and problem solved. I love this jacket. It's paper thin which might make the $99 price tag seem exorbitant but I can't tell you how many times this thing has come to my rescue, either while away from home or just around town. How often can you pull a jacket out of your pocket?
There's more room in this pouch after I stash my Houdini. It's a great place to stow away some socks or small clothing items. Last Christmas I added a backpack cover (also from Patagonia) for my (now cancelled) trip to Costa Rica. One day...
Laptop Pocket
My backpack's laptop pocket is that in name only. I use this compartment to transport flat goods (like books) back home and I usually keep any maps or printed itineraries here. It also holds my day pack, a deluxe drawstring type backpack with an internal pocket made by geckobrands. This is what I take with me to stroll around a city or take hikes in parks for the day. It folds in half flat and fits perfectly into the laptop pocket.
My day pack is also my secret weapon for bringing stuff home. We sometimes accumulate goods when we travel. When we do, the one bag principle is usually quickly jettisoned and the day pack becomes the personal item on the flight home, stuffed with souvenirs that we probably don't need but some of which we treasure very dearly.
Main Compartment
Everything else I need to take on a trip generally goes here. I mean it has to. There's no room anywhere else, except maybe in that left side pocket if I leave the backpack cover at home. Two thoughts here: (1) packing efficiently really counts and (2) on long trips (like longer than a week) I have to do laundry; how do you think I survived two weeks in Africa in 2018 and New Zealand last year with only this bag?
To pack efficiently, I'm generally a fan of wearing anything heavy like a jacket and maybe even fleeces (anything I can take off on a plane) and rolling clothes that I pack. While I don't need it on every trip, the ranger roll is a much appreciated packing technique for some clothes. It saves a ton of space. Trust me, it's awesome.
And the laundry thing? Yeah, they've pretty much figured out the world over how to wash clothes. Many hotels have laundry service or machines. Call or email ahead to find out and make plans around it. It's expensive to have laundry service done in some hotels so there may be other options. In September of 2019, our hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland offered a bag rate for laundering only (no ironing, although they did fold if I'm remembering right) that was super cheap. Just fill the bag with as much stuff as you can and it's a single price for the whole load. There are bargains to be had if you look for them.
This backpack and I have been to six continents together. We started in Japan in 2017 and hit continent number six last year in Peru. Other than a little dirt here and there (it's light gray; maybe not the smartest choice of colors but there are darker options, including all black) it's holding up really well. It's really no worse for wear for having been dragged all over the globe and stuffed with as many things as I can pack in there.
We sometimes draw astonished looks and get disbelieving comments from hotels, tour operators and fellow tourists for traveling with a single bag this small. If you can do it, it makes moving around on holiday so much easier. Plus it all fits in the overhead compartment, something you might not get with some very large backpacks. I wouldn't trade this style of travel for the world. In the meantime, I'll keep going everywhere with it until it no longer works for me. Can't imagine that day's coming any time soon.
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