The Compact Traveller

Something. Is. Going. On.

The instant I start packing, Jess the dog is on high alert. She knows that change is brewing - whether it’s a short trip or a long one. She’s not particularly impressed by this step change in activity, and I can’t say she’s much help.

When it comes to actually packing though, it’s like a puzzle. A many layered process. Deciding what to take - and what to leave - means you have to think very hard about what you are doing, where you are going, the weather, the journey and the stops on the way.

Laying out plans....

It’s a plan - laid out in socks and t shirts or waterproofs and rainwear - for the days, weeks or months ahead. It means you lay out your best case scenarios and your contingencies in clothes, shoes and kit. Suddenly things become real as outfits are matched to days of the week. Checking the weather forecast becomes a regular tick as outfits are assessed and shortlisted or discarded.

Then there’s the issue of what you can carry comfortably, what you can take with you on your bus, train or plane - both because that’s what is permitted and also for reasons of realism. Large luggage gets to the point of overwhelming difficulty. I once offered to take a small rolled carpet back from Algeria to Birmingham as a present for some friends. Which I regretted more than once - particularly when trying to find a ladies toilet that would take me and my extensive baggage. A lesson learned.

A slimline rucksack trip... with a Fold&Rºll

If I can, I will take just a backpack - keeping myself nimble on the train. For a week though, and a week or more of meetings and conferences at that, I will take a small case and rucksack and try and plan a multipurpose set of outfits that will look smart over several days.

The floor laid out with folded outfits makes planning real. Each one intended for a day or time. But then there’s the need to double up so that the bag doesn’t get too big, and add alternatives for events and contingencies. There are some clothes that fit into any scenario - a merino base layer and a pair of leggings. Then there are the smart tops for the presentations. Enough underwear. Not too much. Will I need to do laundry? Where can I do laundry?

Compact packing for a two week work trip

Jess looks on as the outfits are sized up, laid out and folded. She does not approve of this disruption to her routine. Once the decisions have been made, I look her in the eye, pile them up and carry the pile to the ironing board.

Jess says that this is not in order.

I iron everything. It makes sure everything is neat and compressed. However I pack it - rolled into a Fold+Rºll or layered in a packing cube - it will come out the other side in better shape.

I love train travel - and particularly the night train which gets me to Paris early in the morning. For this I like to have a set of clothes separately in a Fold+Rºll whether I’ve got a case as well as a backpack or not. It keeps everything organised for the confined space of the couchette. And it makes sure I don’t get crumbs or toothpaste on my clothes.

Sleeper train evening view with added bags (and the SNCF sleeper train kit)

When I pack using a little case I tend to also use a packing cube to keep things as compact as possible. I don’t like mixing clothes with shoes and toiletries so it is good for organising. And I roll my suit into a prototype suit carrier I’ve designed which helps keep it uncreased. It’s a business trip godsend (and I’m thinking about how to make more).

Prototype suit carrier roll protecting my suit from creasing in a very neat bag

Packing for work is different from bike packing or even from the train and bike tours across Europe from England to Eastern Germany (a ferry, train, bike combination). These are different - it relies on the kind of luggage that can fit on a bike. Less structured seat sausages, handlebar rolls, frame bags that fit into the triangle of the bike frame. Rolling clothes that need to stay uncreased - squishing the other ones so that they fit. I like things organised so having some clothes to hand makes travelling easier - especially if it’s a multi-day trip.

Bike packing train trip from Todmorden to the Thüringer Wald - that was another dimension!

Then there is actual bike packing, paring down kit to the minimum so that the bike isn’t weighed down. Stashing it in clever frame bags and attaching it to the bike so that it doesn’t get in the way of enjoying the ride.

A night in the mountains bike packing.

Bike packing lite

The principles are the same though. Clothes that will combine and layer. Enough to weather an emergency or at least adapt to a change of plan or temperature. Having stuff to hand, rolled up to keep clothes smooth. Organised, well laid, plans.

For me the point is to be light and flexible. The compact traveller is more fleet of foot or wheel. The less baggage, the easier it is to step over the threshold and take to the road.

Up the hill and over the pass into the wide blue yonder...