We’ve all see them, backpackers laden down with so many heavy-looking bags you can barely make out the person underneath them all. And what you do see of them looks hot, sweaty and uncomfortable. Yes, you’ve guessed it, I’m talking about the backpacker who brought way too much with them; like the ‘kitchen sink’ way too much.
Unfortunately, these over-laden backpackers seem to be all too common in Australia. Normally they can be spotted at the Greyhound bus station looking like distraught tortoises with their home on their back, as well as their front, side and possibly the ground around them too!
Perhaps it’s because for many people this country heralds their first backpacking experience. As such, they are unprepared and over-weighted, uninitiated and over-loaded. They haven’t been globetrotting enough yet to understand that less is always more when it comes to backpacking; that really the secret to getting the most from your experience overseas is often linked to bringing less of home with you.
Because it is, right? Less is always more when it comes to wandering the world. I’m yet to meet few experienced travellers that disagree with this statement. In fact, many are avid followers of this age-old mantra, so I’m guessing there must be something in it.
From my own experience, I can certainly tell you that there is. I, for example, never embark on a long-term trip with anything bigger than a 45l backpack. Personally I always favour the 35l with expandable pockets, so that I can condense down further if I need, although this rarely happens. That’s because whatever size bag you have you WILL fill! I don’t know why and I don’t how this happens, but it just always does. So, I limit myself from the off by only ever travelling with something equivalent to a large day pack in order to make sure I don’t travel with too much.
And it’s easy to do. Believe me, when you have less you actually realise just how little you need. I travelled for over 2 years in Latin America with my 45l bag and tent and loved it! So, trust me it is possible!
And the reason I’m so committed to only travelling with a small bag?
The reason is … weight. Yes, that’s right, the number one step to making sure you don’t end up lugging the heaviest bag in the world around with you is to limit the size of your bag. Unless you’re packing only bricks and cement, then the best way to keep your bag light is to make it small.
But why is a light backpack so important?
Quite simply because there is nothing more annoying than a heavy one. Whether it’s getting on and off public transport, whether it’s unpacking or re-organising, whether it’s hiking or camping, having a light backpack is crucial to making your life easy and less stressful on the road – it’s less cumbersome, less awkward, less hassle and one less thing to worry about!
Indeed, I’ve come to realise that 15kg is the absolute maximum weight I want on my back. Anything over this and my bag is well on the road to becoming too heavy and uncomfortable, well on the road to giving me sore shoulders and a sore back! Anything over 15kg is already too difficult to carry around, too annoying to load in and off buses and too clumsy to fit onto my lap. In short, anything over 15kg is a big headache!
Because when I start creeping over 15kg, I started carrying things I don’t need. Luxuries or trinkets that are useless or senseless, clothes I won’t wear, books I won’t read and shoes I don’t need. Travelling under this weight helps me prioritise, helps me realise how little I need and helps me remember what’s important.
Because you want travelling to be simple right? You want it to be an experience of freedom, of adventure and of spontaneity. You can’t very well be spontaneous if you are having to lug a heavy suitcase behind you or if you’re carrying all this stuff you don’t need. No, you want something that will allow you to grab the adventure when it comes or seize the moment when it calls. You want something you can fling over your shoulders and head off into the sunset when the mood takes you. You want to travel with less than 15kg in your backpack because you want to be feel liberated and light, because you don’t want to be weighed down by anything or anyone, because you want to feel free.
