4
A chat with a hostel owner in Medellin changed how I pack my bag
I was staying at a place in El Poblado last month and the owner, Carlos, saw me struggling to zip my 40L backpack. He just laughed and said, 'You carry your home, but you pack like you're moving a house.' He showed me his own bag, a simple 28L daypack with two shirts, one pair of pants, his laptop, and a tiny toiletry kit. He said he's lived out of it for three years. It hit different because I realized I was hauling around 'just in case' stuff I hadn't used once in six weeks, like a heavy jacket for a climate I wasn't in. I spent the next day selling or donating about 5 kilos of gear. Now I ask myself if each thing will earn its space in the next 30 days. Has anyone else had a moment that made you cut down your travel load for good?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
keith_bennett1mo ago
My buddy Mark had a similar wake-up call in Thailand. He was lugging a huge bag full of tech gear and extra shoes until a traveler he met just asked, "Why?" @charles_young92, it really is about what you actually use. Mark mailed a whole box of stuff home and said traveling with just a small backpack felt like freedom.
5
charles_young921mo ago
Wait, he's lived out of a 28L bag for three whole years? That's wild. I can't even imagine that.
-1