So I went away for two weeks, on a road trip that required careful packing: balancing legal requirements and necessary gear with clothes, cameras and cosmetics.
I tried to plan my packing carefully, therefore, instead of my usual last minute chucking in of anything clean that doesn't need ironing. This time I did internet research on packing lists and tips, and found a wealth of information and conflicting advice for every conceivable type of journey. There are websites that make checklists for you, based on who you are, where you're going, how you're travelling and what you plan to do when you get there. You can - and I did - distract yourself for hours with these online gadgets. I looked at long range weather forecasts and histories for the areas I was travelling through, and thought and agonized and thought and agonized for days until I had what I thought was the most pared down list possible.
Turns out I still packed far more than I needed. I could have got my three bags down to one, even given the bulkiness of my waterproofs. All of which makes me wonder why we think we need more stuff than we actually do. Why do we have such an inaccurate sense of what we can and can't do without? Contingency packing is all very well, but it's all in the odds. Maybe I'm just not good at judging them.
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