In 23 hours, I’m catching the first of many trains which will eventually lead me to Denmark. This is a brief post, as my to-do list stretches outside my room, but still I’m procrastinating writing this by eating mettwurst with a pen knife while in my underwear. Sorry, mum…
I decided to lay out all my gear in that pseudo-hipster-but-also-kinda-cool way to see how it looked. I was pleasantly surprised.
My life for the next 3 months
This pic features everything I’m taking except my shorts/bathers, toiletries, and sleeping bag – ’cause I forgot to put them in. The shorts and toiletries take up practically no space; the sleeping bag gets – for lack of a better word – lashed to the outside of my pack, attached right where the rain cover is stored in the bottom of the pack.
Because I feel like this post should have some actual content or something, here are some packing tips:
- Heavy things go near the back so they don’t affect your centre of gravity
- Be mindful of how often and how urgently you’re going to need something – I would recommend against packing the toilet paper at the very bottom (pun intended) of the bag
- Don’t underestimate the power of ‘knick-knacks’: a lighter, a compass you can clip on to your bag, a handwritten note from a close friend – these weigh almost nothing and can all aid you in times of need
- A well-timed swing of your bag can unbalance most large mammals and small children
- Large rocks make poor souvenirs
Thanks for reading – next post will be written from a Malaysian train (jalan-jalan bagus!)
‘Til then
– Alex
P.S. Thanks to Matt for the post idea