>FOUR-WHEELED SUITCASE
PROS:Highcarryingcapacity;canbeusedasaseat
CONS: Cumbersome and noisy; a poor choice
for ninjas
Over the next 15 years I experimented
with travelling light, favoring a backpack.
These come in all sizes, but a good
b a c k p a c k s h o u l d l imi t o n e t o a
comfortable carrying capacity while
simultaneously offering the tantalizing
possibility that one might, through force of
will, cram in
just one more thing
indefinitely. Being a Lonely Planet author,
the backpack seemed a natural choice, as it
met the expectations of my readers that I
was footloose and fancy-free. But about
the time that staying at hostels stopped
being fun I realized that my choice of
luggage needed to again evolve.
>BACKPACK
PROS: Flexible storage capacity, can sometimes
pass for carry-on
CONS: Backpackers assume you’re
one of them
My current bag is a medium-sized LL Bean
suitcase, just small enough to be considered
carry-on (with the occasional raised eyebrow)
>BINDLESTICK
PROS: Easily disposed of; stick can be used for
defensive purposes
CONS: Diminished carrying capacity; out of
fashion (except in hobo circles)
Having packed too lightly for my first
outing, I went the opposite direction 14
years later on my first overseas trip. The
hard-shell, four-wheel Samsonite was a
gift from my father, though whether an
amend for driving me from home all those
years ago or an attempt to ensure the
present journey was more successful he
didn’t say. Among the things I crammed in
it were a month’s worth of clothes, a dozen
paperback novels, three pounds of coffee,
and a metal stovetop espresso maker.
Pushing the cumbersome beast through the
mercilessly humid and scooter-filled
streets and sidewalks of Taipei in 1994
made a lasting impression on me. The
squeak and clatter of its wheels could be
heard over traffic noise, so I assume it
made an impression on others as well.
aggage choice, like travel
s t y l e a nd p r e f e r r e d
b r e a k f a s t c e r e a l , i s
something that ought to
e v o l v e c o n t i n u a l l y
throughout one’s life.
The first piece of luggage I traveled with
was a stick-rag combo known as a
bindlestick, favored by hobos of the dust-
bowl era and children running away from
home. Having been scolded by my father,
I’d packed a few possessions for comfort
and sustenance and hit the road, intent on
walking as far as my ten-year-old feet
would carry me.
This turned out to be about a mile.
Sitting down in a playground, I took stock
of the contents of my bindle — a sweater,
two Twinkies, and a Star Wars action
figure. I ate the Twinkies, wore the
sweater, and carried the action figure back
home in one hand, keeping the stick in the
other to ward off dogs. My absence had
barely been noticed.
B
Backpacks and
STORY BY JOSHUA SAMUEL BROWN ILLUSTRATIONS BY I YING YEH
20
enVoyage
Perspectives
