The Pack / Re-Pack

For those of you have not had the distinct pleasure of experiencing the rahrah repack, I intend to catalog it for you. (That would include those of you who have not traveled with me, or had me stay for a longer than a 2 day/weekend period.). It goes a little something like this...

I am an organized person by nature. I'm not sure how it happened or how my stuff gets to where it is suppose to be but it does. This is true with my apartment, my life, office space and of course travel. I prefer to carry a pack when I travel, and sometimes during the repack I wonder why, until the next time I have to hike up five flights of stairs or need use of my arms in a subway. Then I am thankful.

Most packs have one way in which the items really fit that uses the space most economically. The issue is that it is like a puzzle, they only fit one way well. Hence the repack. When you take things out and try to stuff them back in it really doesn't work. Or when you are looking for something that has mysteriously disappeared to the darkest bottom depths of the bag and things get all shoved around, closing it becomes even more unlikely. Hence the repack. Besides the space economy of the pack, it is helpful to do a repack to redistribute clothes that have already been worn, need to be washed, and clothes that are for a change in climate, either making things more or less accesable depending on your needs.

Everyone has a different way of doing this and if they are really lucky they won't have to do it for every location change, but I like to anyways. My personal repack has two stages. If it is an extreme repack, I empty the entire bag, assuming I have the real estate to do that. If I don't or the bag isn't that bad, I only take the really messy things out. After the items are out, I refold and devise a plan for putting them back in which usually involves me just staring at the pack, ha.
Once I see everything I have to put back in, sometimes I think how on earth does all of this fit in there, but then slowly it starts to formulate and fit back in. Like I said, a puzzle of sorts. A geeky organizational puzzle, just my style.


The finished product, or something like it.



The mid pack.

The extreme repack, stage 1, the full empty.


So why am I sharing this? Beside the fact that it amuses me, and the people who have seen it in action, I thought it might be helpful to those considering a backpack on their next journey. It takes a little thought, practice and some patience to use a pack. It's not for everyone, but I highly recommend it!

Sawrah

3 comments:

  1. It is also necessary when you decide to spend every last boliviano on souvenirs for everyone you have or have not yet met! ;-) Definitely got a chuckle out of this one Sawrah!

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  2. I think I have witnessed the repack more than anyone...Its a face RahRahism ;) Good thing I have an extra room in my house!

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  3. No worries Kar, no one is getting gifts from Istanbul, most things were closed :( The repack was quite small as a result.

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