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… the one hanging around your neck. We all have them and I’m no exception. Believe me, coming from someone who spent hours collecting virtual treasure to decorate a virtual house on Skyrim, I’m no stranger to the hoarding urge. In fact, I love it. Stuff, kit, tech, hardware, tools, I want it and I need it. Gimme.
Unfortunately, that stuff really builds up over time. Been through any house moves lately? I have. In the last 2 years I’ve had 4 addresses. These moves really remind you how much you’ve accumulated over the years and it becomes a real pain to shift around.
Then, when you come to planning a long trip, the first and most difficult obstacle to overcome is that very same Albatross.
Are you going to end up paying for a house you’re not living in? Are you leaving work? Can you get out of your broadband contract (if you have TalkTalk then it is not easy!). Is your car going to slowly seize up while you’re away. I guess this is why most people travel before they hit their mid 30’s!
I’ve been lucky and thanks to some awesome friends and one Narnia-like garage, the Albatross is now on ice! But, initially I traded one Albatross for another:
The Backpack
In Canada I had a 40-litre standard rucksack with a further say 20 litres strapped to my front like a ridiculous stuff-filled papoose. That was for only 3 weeks, this time I was going for 3 and a half months! My first thought was “I’ll need more stuff” so I picked up this 70 litre Osprey Farpoint (Jack Russel for scale)
It’s a really great bag. As you can see, it splits in to two when you need a handy 13-litre day-pack, leaving you with 57 litres in the main section. It also has a nice set of straps and a waist support that fold away under a zipping panel. There were so many angry airport staff telling me I needed to tie all my straps together in Canada whom I would now avoid. Finally, it opens like a suitcase so you don’t have look like you’re trying to induce a farm animal every time you want a specific item of clothing!
It is, however, big. With such a capacity it’s not surprising and my packing list seemed to expand to fill the space available.
Perhaps about, a week before I flew, a sleepless night was suddenly consumed with the realisation I had a new Albatross. I knew I’d never be one of those “all I need is my woven sandals and Thai-dye underpants” kind of travellers. But maybe I could be better than this.
The Carry-on
Luckily the fantastic staff at Cotswold Outdoor had no problem whatsoever giving me a swap so I got this 40-litre version of the same bag instead (different Jack Russel for scale):
No removable day-pack on this one but the front pocket is wider and it has all the other features I mentioned, plus a shoulder strap. The best thing about it though, is that it’s carry-on size (56x36x23cm). In Croatia I had experienced check-in desk woe. Long, snaking queues, in which you suddenly become some sort of irritable beast, infuriated if people aren’t shuffling forward quick enough.
Avoiding that was worth the challenge of trying to get the pack down to 7 kg which seemed to be the standard carry-on allowance of the flights I’d chosen. They do all seem to allow you to carry an additional (and much less standardised) “personal item”. This applies to things like laptops and cameras, or in one case a “lady’s handbag”. Once I’m done sewing flowers to my man-bag, I’m going to stick both my laptop and camera in there and hope for the best.
I get the impression as long as it doesn’t look like I’m taking the mickey and the “personal item” fits under my seat, then I should get by alright. Now just the small challenge of making the rest of this stuff fit in:
