Two weeks in a backpack?!

That's generally the response I've been getting from people when I tell them I'm just doing a backpack and a carry on for my upcoming trip to Asia. But, let me clarify... It's a pretty big backpack. It's Dueter 45L which is a small/medium sized pack. I can't believe how much I fit in this thing though! 

I had such a dilemma preparing for this trip... Do I convert to backpack or do I stick with the rolling duffel or conventional rolling luggage? Well after much dileberation, all I knew was that I really wanted simplicity and versatility and that led me to REI to speak to the experts. Before I knew it I was being fitted for a pack and forking over a fat stack of my cold hard cash for yet another bag. (I have a total bag obsession!) 

So I got the pack, now the real question.... What will I fill it with? Or even more important, how can I fill this the most effective way possible? 

So I started practicing- yes I practiced packing. Call me OCD, but it's not only exciting for me, but therapeutic haha! So I have a whole system I go through when selecting what to pack. But that's another post all in it's own. So I finally got my clothing selection down. And now I just needed to figure out which folding method would work better... Rolling or folding??

See, many people will automatically say rolling but I think it totally depends on the type of clothes you're packing, the size of your bag and whether or not you're using air compression bags. So, I tried it out. I took a big stack of my clothes (contents of bag #1 below) and rolled them and stuffed them in my pack. Then I put them in the air compression bag folded and it was much less bulky thus, SAVING room in my pack! I tried a variety of ways to stuff these suctioned bags in. I found that laying them flat one on top of the other then putting it into my pack also saved some room. So you see... Practice packing pays off. 

Below you'll find an almost step by step photo collage of how I packed my backpack! 

Don't judge me just because I believe in labeling everything! Also, I forgot to take a photo, but here's another tip when packing liquids: Remove the cap of your bottle, and put a piece of plastic on top of the opening, then screw the top back on over the plastic. (I cut a Baggie into little squares) This will prevent any of those annoying spills or leaks during transit. 

My first large compression bag contained 3 dresses, 2 skirts, 2 pants, 1 pair of shorts, and one pair of yoga capris! 

I found one thing that helps when rolling the air out of these bags, is to put your contents in the bag and zip shut 3/4 of the way then start rolling. Once you get to the end finish zipping all the way shut.  

My second large bag contained 5 tee shirts, 4 tank tops, and 4 spaghetti straps along with 2 jammy shirts, and 2 jammy shorts. 

All three compression bags ready to go!

Both large bags in and still so much room!

Keep a few small items loose to fill any little gaps or "holes" every bit of space counts! 

Top with my small compression bag and my toiletry bag and I am good to go. 

I also tied my scarf to the side for easy access cuz I'm always cold in the airport, it's also a great make shift pillow. 

I covered my pack with the waterproof cover for 2 reasons. 1. It will most likely be raining when I arrive in Seoul. 2. I was too cheap to buy a "pack duffel" and I didn't want any of my many loose straps to be ripped off at the airport while traveling on all of those conveyer belts. So I strapped this puppy on and got double duty out of it! 

Some of my carryon items include: Neck pillow, bookmarks to give away at the convention, my travel journal along with pens and glue stick; cash monaaaay, my passport, Polaroid film, Kleenex (you know I'll be crying A LOT) and some reading material. 

My little gifts for the friends... All 1,000 of them! My bag will be a whole lot lighter once I give all of these away! 

Also here's a little travel tip: Buy a combination luggage lock! But if you can't find one or a keyed lock is all you got, I found a way to make sure I never loose my key. Here is my "travel necklace" I keep the key on it at all times and this necklace matches everything I packed so anytime I lock up my things, I just make sure I got my necklace on, and I'm good to go!