Packing for a year with just one suitcase feels like the kind of thing I’d imagine after watching a survivor movie. But in reality, it reveals to me what truly matters, when I am forced to choose between needs and wants.
There is a saying or quote I heard, “You don’t know what matters, until you have to carry it”, of course, it makes sense— but how ironic, a lot of us still carry what doesn’t matter, and it sure weighs us down, still we struggle to let go because we lack clarity.
Packing a suitcase for a year excluding food and water should not be much of a struggle for me. Normally, moving in to my new hostel. All my things fit in a suitcase and a backpack (excluding things like chair, buckets, and bed that can’t fit in a suitcase).
I can confidently say it is not everything I brought that I needed. About half of my clothes are stored in my suitcase and I barely put them on. I only consider them when I have a special occasion. So, removing those things I don’t need, I believe I will be able to fit my necessities for a year into suitcase.
Firstly, I will pack my clothes. Clothes are one of the most important things i consider as my needs. All the clothes I need should fit into one side of the suitcase. I mostly have trousers, tops, and shirts which I can easily interchange to create a different outfit. I will be carrying less of gowns, some shorts and underwear.
Since most of my clothes are light, and I fold using vertical folding (KonMari method) I would normally can fit in about 30 pieces of clothes on one side. So, I could go with 2 black trousers, 1 pattern trousers, 2 jeans, 8 tops and 7 shirts, 3 gowns, 5 shorts, 3 singlets, a towel. Then I will tuck in some of my underwear, 2 socks and 2 scarfs in any space available.
I don’t really need to take a hoodie or sweater, weather here is hot and I barely put them on anyways. I’ll pick clothes that mix and match easily in both colour and texture. That is all I need for clothes, and I am left to fit my other necessities in the other side of the suitcase.
Next, I’ll pack Footwear—just three pairs: A slipper(flip flop) for everyday errands, a sandals for outings, a shoe for more formal occasions. They will all be in colours black, more versatile with all colours and the slippers and sandals will be rubber because it is more durable.
I’ll include 3 bags— a mini shoulder bag, a cross bag and a tote bag. I can also interchange these three to fit my outfit. Then come the smaller things. I’ll go in with my perfume, roll on, two containers of body cream, a mini pack of bathing soap, pads, a toothpaste, a nail paint, a comb and of course, 2-3 of my lipgloss.
My journal, my bible and a pen is necessary to my emotional health. For the little space left, I will pack in my powerbank, charger, wipes, a couple of needle and thread also a shoe gum (god forbid we have torn clothes or shoes). **Realistically**, these are basically what I need to live comfortably for a year.
In the end , the real journey isn’t living off multiple suitcase or a single suitcase but it is the simplicity and clarity that comes along with it. It is less about what I carry and more about what I *choose* to carry. Some things are pretty obvious—clothes, shoes, other miscellaneous— but others are invisible— the clarity that comes with limit, and the subtle confidence of knowing I can make any place a home.
𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆...
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