I just got back from REI and bought an Eagle Creek Continental Journey and it was a far cry smaller than the REI camping pack I used the last time. The camping pack was probably 80L and it was PACKED the first time I went and even though this trip is only 17 days I wanted to treat it like it could be forever. But things didn’t fit into the smaller pack.
First it was one t-shirt, then a pair of socks and then underwear. Then my CD player and my crayons and my slippers and a pair of flannel pants.

I’m so relieved to be without most of these things but obviously I deemed them important on some level. I’m a huge music person so I think I might have to get the CD player in there somehow but the rest I can live without.

However, for fall/winter travel, I cannot stress enough how nice slippers, no matter how cheap, were awesome to have. Imagine coming into a hostel and it’s cold and rainy and you’re not going out for a bit. The hostel has some amenities and after cleaning up, you cruise down to the pub in your SLIPPERS! It feels like home no matter where you are because you have your slippers.

oh well, I think I’m glad to be without.