The moment I caught myself overfilling my backpack for a weekend trip

Last month I packed for a 3 day trip to Portland and shoved in 5 pairs of shoes like a maniac. Got to the hotel and realized I only wore one pair the whole time. It hit me when I was lugging that 25 pound bag through the airport that I have been doing this wrong for years. The tip off was my shoulder hurting and me unpacking stuff I never touched at the hotel. Now I force myself to lay everything out and cut it in half before zipping up. Anyone else have that moment where you finally see how much junk you haul around?

3 comments

3 Comments

fiona9853d ago

Wait, 5 pairs of shoes for 3 days?

emery_black3d agoMost Upvoted

Oh absolutely, this hits home. Last year I packed 4 pairs of boots for a 2 day trip because I couldn't decide which ones went with each outfit. Ended up wearing the same pair both days and the rest just took up space in my suitcase.

emery_white3d ago

5 pairs of shoes for 3 days" is exactly what I used to do too, @fiona985. It's like we think we're gonna break a heel or something and need backup pairs for every possible weather change. I finally stopped when I realized my bag had more shoes than I had outfits to wear them with. Now I just pick one pair of sneakers and one pair of boots if it's cold and call it good. Still hard to break the habit though... I caught myself last week trying to squeeze a third pair in my carry-on for a work trip and had to talk myself down.