Feature Photo: Phineas H
Meagan Kelly is not a light packer, and she may not ever be one.
I approach the doors of the departure level towing a cartful of suitcases. I begin to sweat profusely. All I can remember is the time my entourage of luggage got me stuck in a revolving door.
Making it through, I encounter my next foe: the check-in counter. I drag what feels like dead weight. I heave my stuffed suitcase onto the scale. My heart rate climbs in tandem with the rising red digits before me.
48 pounds. 49.3 pounds. I bite my lip. 49.8 pounds. It is a close call. If there were a few more t-shirts in there, I’d have to whip out the credit card, although it wouldn’t be the first time I had to pay an exorbitant amount for excess baggage.
A fluorescent orange tag reading “Caution: Heavy” is slapped onto my enormous suitcase. The entire ordeal is then repeated for my second piece of luggage.
I am relieved to get it all done without paying this time, although my relief is tempered by embarrassment. I can sense the judgmental gazes of airline staff and fellow travelers. I think I hear a whisper, “Really? How much does one girl need?”
Photo: geishaboy500
Every journey I take begins this way: with suitcases full of suspense and a hint of humiliation.
I can’t believe I am admitting this on a travel website, where if you search for “packing light,” over ten pages of results appear. For many, efficient packing is a mantra. For me, it is a mysterious holy grail.
I am an overpacker. Confession is the first step.
I own six suitcases. I have enough vacuum-able packing bags to fill a suitcase. I have spent so much money on baggage fees and international shipping costs that I’m too ashamed to admit the exact amount. While my suitcases are full, my wallet remains empty.
With many long-term trips to a variety of climates and cultures under by belt, I had hoped to nail down the perfect packing list. Yet, my load doesn’t seem to get much lighter.
My first trip overseas was to Rwanda for two months. Before I left, I decided to purchase new luggage. I went into the store and asked the associate for the largest suitcase they had. She brought me to the back and pointed to a black behemoth. It needed an extra set of wheels that popped out of the back.
A suitcase this big could surely fit everything I needed to bring to Rwanda. Therefore, I would only need one suitcase! I was sold instantly, thinking that I was such a clever traveler. How wrong I was.
I began packing a few days before the trip. After filling the suitcase with a mound of cargo pants, t-shirts, and chocolate goodies I knew I wouldn’t find in Kigali, I zipped it up and attempted to lift the mammoth. Nothing. That sucker wasn’t going anywhere.
I forced my dad to hold the suitcase while standing on a scale, so I could calculate the weight of my problem. 80 pounds. My plan was foiled. Instead of rethinking and repacking, I emptied the excess into a duffel bag.
At this point, you might be wondering exactly what I put in my luggage. Nothing especially heavy goes in my bags. Some people pack two pairs of pants; I pack three or four. Trust me, I’ll wear almost every single thing in my suitcase. I like choice. Travel is full of the unexpected.
Photo: d proffer
I packed like a pro for my week-long trip to NYC, with a more suitably sized bag. Before I left, I checked the forecast. NYC was supposed to see sunshine. I arrived and it rained almost every day. How many sweaters did I pack? One. It stunk of body odor by day three. I had to buy new sweaters with my credit card, which is a problem. My wallet is always empty, remember?
I cursed myself for traveling light. “See! This is why I overpack,” I told my mother.
I have a lot more justifications in my bag.
I just bought this shirt, so I have to bring it. These shoes are better with this dress, but they hurt my feet so I need a second pair. I won’t have time or money to shop. I sweat a lot, so I have to change clothes a lot.
I’m not oblivious to my addiction. I am trying to get better at packing. I have read every kind of packing list, website, and guide out there. They just don’t work for me.
My biggest challenge yet lies before me. I am currently preparing for a nine-month journey around the world with the Dekeyser and Friends Foundation. I will be in a lot of places, encountering all kinds of seasons and situations: starting in the Philippines, potentially heading to Africa, and ending in Europe. My packing goal is simple: be under the weight limit and avoid having to ship anything home at the end.
On a sleepless night preparing for this packing nightmare, I realized why I overdo it. I stared at my closet, overflowing with jeans and cardigans. That’s what I miss when I’m away: choice. Call it superficial, but having more than one or two t-shirts reminds me of home. I make a lot of sacrifices to live abroad. When the homesickness sets in, I can find some solace in my suitcase.
I will keep trying to lessen my load. However, I am not likely to ever be the girl who can fit it all in one backpack. I am slowly coming to accept that.
When your baggage is your home, sometimes it’s nice to have a two-story suitcase.
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28 Comments... join the discussion!
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Can we start a support group? I’ve been looking for fellow overpackers my whole life! Right now I have the excuse that i’m packing not just for me but for my 2 kids. When I go someplace alone though, the truth is revealed. Right now I’m on a week-long trip and I’ve got 4 pairs of shoes. Overpackers unite!
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I think you should just bring more money and buy clothes in local markets as you need them. If you are traveling to places like the Philippines and Africa, you can find locally made goods (sweaters, winter gear in colder places, e.g. Sapa Vietnam) right in the town markets. Doing this contributes to the local economy. You can donate what you don’t need anymore to local NGOs and charities. You hopefully won’t grow so attached to the items you buy because they only cost a few dollars, versus something like the merino wool sweater you got for $100 back home. You’ll also feel great about yourself for packing light, buying clothes on the cheap, and giving back to the local community! I know it’s easier said than done… I constantly struggle with packing (I’m starting to prep now- 4 weeks before I leave). Good luck!!!
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My wife and I backpacked in SE Asia a few years ago and constantly wore the same bloody hiking pants, couple of t-shirts, and Chaco sandals. It was a nightmare. Especially going out to dinner or a freaking NYE party and everyone else is wearing something decent.
We don’t do that anymore.
Our last flight to Mexico our suitcases weighed 70 lbs (plus big carry-on backpacks). Mind you, they had folding bikes in them too
I wouldn’t call us “overpackers”…we just have lots of gadgets…especially on our current trip: tent, sleeping bags, gas stove, dSLRs, laptop, inflatable mattresses. And shoes are so bulky…shoes for cycling, shoes for hiking, flipflops, jacket…but everything we do carry, we use. We just use a LOT of stuff!
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I thought I was the only one! I’m more like Carlo, I pack a ton of gadgets. Laptop, cameras, every cable and power adapter I think I might ever need. It’s always too much but I’m terrified I might actually need something if I leave it behind.
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I used to be the exact same way. I have been a notorious pack-rat since childhood. My parents love to tell people about the heaps of nonsense I’d pile into purses and carry around with me as a child. We moved around a few times and I think I convinced myself that I would never have to miss anything if I could just figure out a way to bring everything with me, and being a highly sentimental person, EVERYTHING seemed important.
I have gotten exponentially better about this, but I still slip into my old ways. I got to Ghana with the biggest bag of anyone in my program but I backpacked across Europe with a legitimate school-sized backpack. You’re right, though, about those lists. For me, no guide to what I do or do not need is ever going to affect the way I pack. The only reason that I have changed the way that I pack is because the personal/psychological reason that I overpack has changed. Ghana, alone = scary = over packing. Europe, with my brother = easy = light packing. Simple as that.
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OH THANK GOD. FINALLY I can come clean too. I, Candice Walsh, have a problem. THANK YOU MEAGAN. I absolutely adore this article.
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You guys should start a 12-step for overpackers!
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I totally understand your philosophy. I walk around A LOT when I travel, so I like to come back to my hotel room and change out of basically everything I had on before I go out again at night. So I need twice as many clothes as most people. I also have no internal memory for temperatures (50 degrees? Is that cold, freezing, or sort-of-warmish? Do I need a coat, sweater, or parka? Nevermind. I’ll take two of each.)
And can I admit something else? I take waaaay too many cosmetics with me. Like, a freakish quantity. And while they don’t take up that much room, I literally bring roughly 20 MAC eyeshadows with me when I travel. What? You travel, you take photographs. You NEED make-up.
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Wow, thanks everyone! I had a feeling there were a few closet over-packers out there on Matador and I wanted to reach out
Oh and thank you for the tips. I need every one I can get.
Louise, you make a good point. I always end up shopping at local markets, but I never really thought about it helping the local economy. Makes total sense! I do sometimes find it hard to find clothes that fit me (I’m really tall) , but for items like scarves and pullovers, markets are great. But then I might have to change my article name to ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’
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“They just don’t work for me.” Packing light is not like acne medication — there are rules and you need to make sacrifices to make them work. This article was certainly interesting, but it is just a perfect example of our culture of excess. I can’t believe you took a suitcase full of shit to Rwanda, of all places!
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What’s wrong with shipping stuff? I ship stuff all the time; shipping stuff is one of the essentials to traveling light. You ship everything that is just taking up space in your bag (e.g. souvenirs, items that are no longer necessary, etc.)
I don’t get why this is such a hassle for so many people. I’ve packed *my entire wardrobe* in a carry-on bag, which is actually quite commodious when you use one without wheels and telescopic handles taking up a third of the space. You could easily fit 10-14 days worth of clothes in a carry-on, and just wash every week or two. I can’t imagine why people would need any more than that.
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And your excuse that the one time you packed light you were without essential items? I don’t know what it is you *did* pack, but not packing a rainjacket? That’s the one essential you take regardless of the weather. Hell, I take a rainjacket, a poncho, *and* an umbrella on every trip, because they all serve different purposes.
The rainjacket works as a shell to protect you against wind. The umbrella provides shade, its primary and original use around the world. The poncho is the most versatile of the bunch; I’ve used it as a picnic blanket, a beach towel, a raincover for my bags, a wrapper for clean/dirty or dry/wet clothes, or just a clean place to sit or lie down.
It’s all about versatility; pack things that serve more than one purpose or go with more than one outfit. I’m sure you’ve read all of this before.
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If you decide to start an “overpackers anonymous” group, sign me up. I have yet to be able to go on even a 4-day trip with just a carry-on.
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How is this even possible? Not judging, just curious. What do you take for a four day trip that requires more than a carry-on?
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I definitely max out the weight limit when I move from country to country. As a teacher, it’s essential to have books and book weight adds up quickly. Once my husband and I mailed our books to Pakistan, only to have them show up a few months later, waterlogged as if they’d fallen off the boat. Now we choose to sacrifice clothes and other things in order to bring our most important books in our luggage.
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I took four pieces of luggage for my year-long stint in Japan: one huge black one, one slightly smaller green one, my standard size carry-on, and my (small) backpack. It’s fortunate to land in a country that has safe and reliable luggage forwarding services; when you exit customs, there’s a handy little desk that will send you bags onward to any address in any city in Japan. My second time landing, I decided to forego this service… several Japanese may have noticed the sweaty foreigner hauling three bags on the moonlight express to Kyoto.
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I can echo Heather’s point – personally, it’s not shoes or clothes that push me over the edge when I pack, it’s the books. English books are hard to get in certain parts of the world, and when you find a shop with a selection, it’s often limited to Wordsworth Classics and Dan Brown. I pack them, ship them, order them online. It’s a bad habit!
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All we could get in Pakistan were classics, Harry Potter and R.L. Stine! I found a few places were I could get something I wanted to read…India had much better variety.
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The book claim alone is seriously forcing me to consider a Kindle, a book-lover’s nemesis because you can’t smell the pages…
On my current trip to India I had the idea of ‘just’ buying in local markets. I think I’ve veto’d this for my next trip however. I’d rather spend my time doing other things rather than looking for t-shirts that fit my long torso and flip flops that won’t fall apart in a week (On an interesting note, broken flip flops seem to be EVERYWHERE in India’s mounds of trash… Someone please make something sturdy for these people!)
I wrote my own ideas – not on overpacking, but on dysfunctional packing, shall we say – here. Meagan is actually a friend of mine and I make great reference to her
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I get away with the choice aspect for my trip abroad by packing a couple neutral shirts and at least for me, LOTS of accessories. Scarfs, vests, belts, etc. They´re smaller and allow you to play around more.
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Thank you, thank you Meagan! I’m doing a mini RTW trip this year and as I read these “suggested packing lists” — mostly compiled by male travelers — I just laugh. No thanks.
Yes, schlepping the stuff can be a nightmare. I’ve learned to dread stairs. And cobblestone streets. Many, many times I’ve been the girl biting my lip as my bag is weighed but…I wouldn’t have met the cute produce boy of Positano who insisted on securing me on his moped, tying my bags to the back of it, and personally escorting me to my hotel if I hadn’t have been “the girl with the bags.” And I wouldn’t trade all the treasures I’ve bought over the years for the best -packed, lightest carry-on.
Oh, and btw, SCREW BACKPACKS. I’m taking luggage, Bitches, and I’m fine with that.
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Finally! A kindred spirit! Whenever I read the entries of other travelers I feel really embarrassed about my situation. I really try my hardest not to overpack, but stuff just finds it’s way into my luggage. Luggages are a death trap because of its roomy quality as compared to backpacks, but I truly detest backpacks. I’m a small person so carrying an extra weight all the time makes me more unhappy than having to pay for excess baggage fees.
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Buying cheap items abroad is really not an option if you’re like me (and Meghan) and you’re six feet tall, size 12, and wear size 10 1/2 shoes. (Unless you want to shop in the men’s stores.) Market stalls in Thailand have virtually nothing that fits me, aside from a generic sarong, while German or Scandinavian stores tend to stock my size – but then those countries aren’t cheap. So for now, I’m with Megan – I happily tote my mountain of bags and shrug off the giggles and sneers of the holier-than-thou backpackers. There is not one way to travel. And its not materialistic – simply wanting to have more (rather than less) of your stuff with you when you travel does not equal gluttony. If i was traveling with 30 pairs of Prada shoes, diamond jewelry and fur coats, that would be materialistic, methinks.
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Ahh, I’m quite the overpacker myself. I’m also a little bit of a hoarder, so after spending a year in Germany and Austria, I have no idea how I’m going to get all of the stuff I brought with + all the stuff I acquired back to the US…
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