I’m a notorious over packer. It doesn’t matter if the trip is one day or one month- I will bring anything and everything I can shove into the crevices of my suitcase. The longer the trip, the bigger the suitcase. When I found out I was going on a 10 week trip over the summer, I couldn’t even imagine how many clothes I would have to bring. That’s when the rude awakening happened- I was only allowed to bring whatever fit in a large backpack that I would have to carry on my back. Needless to say, I was shocked. How was it possible for me to fit everything I needed for 10 weeks in my tiny backpack?

For weeks, I was in denial. I couldn’t believe what was going on. Finally, it was time for me to pack. As my mom lugged my backpack into my room, I dumped all of the clothes I wanted to bring on my bed. My mom took one look at the massive pile and began laughing. She told me that I had to pick six shirts, five shorts and a few pairs of leggings. That was all the clothing I could bring- the rest of the space was taken up by hiking boots, gear and toiletries. Whatever additional space was left, of which there was not a lot, should be saved for items bought along the way. Even though I protested at first, I quickly realized that there was a point to the light packing. My family couldn’t bring suitcases because a large part of the trip is backpacking. Therefore, anything we wanted to bring, we had to carry in our packs. If your bag is too heavy, it would be impossible to actually carry it around for long periods of time. When I tried to pick up my bag for the first time, I realized how heavy it can get without even being full.

I’ve finished packing now, and my bag stands in the corner of my room ready to go. Even though I ended up packing a lot less than I originally thought, it ended up working out, and now the trip seems closer than ever before.