A quart into a pint pot - packing it all

My overwhelming pile of stuff. Do I really need 2 tubes of
Vegemite and a sketch book with 5 pencils?

An hour into the first Jaws movie: Roy Scheider is cheerfully shovelling burley into the ocean from the shark-catching boat owned by Quint (Robert Shaw). Without warning, without fanfare, the truck-sized head of the monster shark pokes above the waves, jaws gaping, teeth bared. Shocked and appalled, Scheider's character turns to the skipper in the wheelhouse and murmurs, 

"I think we're going to need a bigger boat."

Two tiny bags

I reached that stage in my packing last week. 

Larger than a monster shark, the mountain of accumulated stuff on the spare bedroom floor loomed over my two tiny empty bags, which looked hopelessly inadequate. 


Every night at 2.30 am I woke to the sound of my own voice warning,

"I think I'm going to need a bigger bag." 

Getting a bigger bag is not a big issue. But I don't want a bigger bag. I want to avoid the cost. I want a bag I can carry myself, up and down stairs, on and off buses. I want a bag that will weigh less than 20 kg (the limit on internal Indian airlines).

Fitting stuff in

Could it all fit? Here's how I packed.

1. Pack the cabin luggage backpack first: down jacket, spare shoes, iPad, kindle, camera, chargers, hand bag (with passports, cash, cards), spare clothes if luggage is mislaid. I'll wear my hiking boots and hiking pants on the plane.
2. Roll each clothing item individually and cram into large sealable freezer bags according to use: trousers in one bag; tops in another; cold weather gear; underwear; night stuff.
3. Stuff stuff sacks according to use: toiletries; emergency/first aid; vital replacement supplies (hand wipes, sanitiser, cable ties, Vegemite and lemon & ginger tea bags)
4. Cram the sleeping bag into one end of the duffel bag, then just keep pushing stuff bags and clothes bags into every square inch of space.

The final verdict

Success! Two bags packed but not filled to bursting; the hold baggage weighs just 16 kg. Fist pump

My most useful item

As ever, my hiking boots. Anything else I can buy new or make do. 

Confession time: my most frivolous (and therefore most useless) item

A dead heat between

• 2 lipsticks (considering I barely remember to wear lipstick at all in Brisbane)
• a travel yoga mat (now I've confessed to packing this item I'll have to post photos of me downward dogging my way around the Mount Kailash kora instead of performing the traditional full length prostrations.)