“At TLTM we’ve been talking a lot about the myth of the”perfect pack”. If you’ve traveled a lot before, you’ve probably got your own system (we’d love to hear about it, below) but when you’re just starting out it can be a daunting task. In this post our roving contributor, Jessyka, gives us her 50 cents on packing the perfect 50 liters”
Warning: This Selfie Brought To You By Packing Panic
Want more on picking and packing the perfect gear for your trip? Visit our guide to all things backpack.
With a little luck and a few hot tips from yours truly, we'll get you packed and out the door without any pre-trip panic or less-than-glamorous "packing selfies".
It sounds obvious, but the best place to start is by making sure you have the bag that suits your body... because you'll be carrying it, a lot. if you are a girl, this means you should pick a female model as it will be custom made for our smaller bodies and sexy booties. If you’re a guy than pick the large and heavy duty male bag which will probably fit you better.
Next step? Size and shape. While buying my current ‘’Black Diamond’’, I stumbled upon my best piece of advice: select a backpack with an opening on the lateral side which allows you to pack like a traditional suitcase, giving you much more visibility.
Once you’ve got THE bag, the one that fits you well and makes your skin tone shine, well you’ve got to fill it up with survival essentials. I have a list and steps I religiously follow to ensure my bag is filled the way I want it to be. This is an exclusive insight on my packing habits, hold tight!
- Always wear sneakers on your feet and only carry slippers or flat sandals. Lie them down on the complete bottom. **Tip: Put them in a plastic so when they become sandy or dusty, it won’t dirty your clothes.
- ROLL YOUR CLOTHES. There is no other way. Folding is a hassle and rolling gives you more space and maximizes the amount of pieces you can carry. I recommend 2-4 shorts/pants/skirts, 5-10 tops/tanks/dresses, underwear for a week, same for socks, one bathing suit and one extra bra if you’re a girl...obviously.
- Only pack one bottle of shampoo and conditioner and MINIMIZE the beauty products. Come on, do you really want to spend money on makeup when it’s all going to wash away during hot weather? Nope, waste of time and remember you can earn an extra fifteen minutes of sleep. Mm sounds so good!
- Pack your pills in your carry on. If your luggage gets lost in transition and it gives you a massive headache then you will be able to swallow those pills and get on with it. Always bring other valuables in your daypack as well, camera, phone, adapter, money, passport, visas, etc. Everything you don’t want to be losing.
- For the guidebooks and all that entertainment stuff, I usually bring it along with me in my day pack as I can write or read when waiting for a bus, train or plane.
So there it is... Let me admit, I do go over a couple times through my backpack and repack the whole thing and try new positions but this is the overall list of steps I use to ensure I don’t lose too much time.