Packing organizers – keeping it real, easy

These are the zippable fabric envelopes or cubes that you put your stuff into before you put that stuff in your backpack. I confess that I was a great skeptic of these pricey items that seemed like heroin for gear heads. I was wrong, and I now would not travel without them.

Their primary value is containing ‘like with like’, so it is simple to find anything that I search for. They keep clothing reasonably well folded, toothpaste away from fabrics, and ensure that random small things do not fall out of my pack and get lost.

I chose the Eagle Creek products, and carry:

Small envelope. This contains all the electronics that are not used every day, as well as spare glasses.

Bathroom dopp kit. For all the personal hygiene items as well as random small fiddly things.

I used to carry a larger envelope to contain and compact my clothing. But as I have pared down my gear list I no longer need this.

Rather than add specialized containers for wet or dirty shoes and clothes I keep a couple of small thin, disposable plastic shop bags on hand.

Additional organizing items include one wire hangar and dry cleaning bag that protect my dress shirt; a ziplock bag for bandaids as well as phone protection during wet hiking; and a super light linen market bag that I use when buying berries and beers.

Total weight around 160g.