Backpack Believers

There’s no need to carry more than the journey requires.

Frequent travelers have learned a lesson that occasional travelers discover the hard way: overpacking makes the journey harder than it needs to be.

People who don’t often travel tend to imagine every possible contingency. What if the weather changes? What if there’s a formal dinner? What if a pair of shoes becomes uncomfortable? This sort of white-knuckle thinking translates into extra outfits, backup shoes, unnecessary electronics and a mountain of “just in case” items for scenarios that never materialize. The trip itself has not even begun, and you’re wrestling a Samsonite bag to the ground with your full body weight to flatten the pile of clothes inside. And for what … an extra inch of zipper clearance to accommodate all those things you’ll never wear? You’re smugly satisfied until your Uber driver leaves you alone with your overweight luggage, and airports suddenly feel larger, hotel lobbies farther away and every escalator a fresh ...