Dung Beetle Dad: [Pushing ball of dung] Do we have to bring this crap? I’m there’s have crap where we’re going!

Dung Beetle Mom: [Offended] Uh! This was a gift from my mother.

— Ice Age:  The Meltdown

While packing for an overnight trip today, I included a change of clothes, my shaving kit, my laptop, my tablet, and chargers for a few things.  It all fit in a small knapsack.

The rest of the family filled the trunk of Irish Woman’s car.  I’m not sure what the purpose of it all could be, but apparently they couldn’t live without it.

Overpacking seems to be a common human habit, even with our everyday carry.  How many of us wake up one morning and realize that between carry gun, reloads, cell phone, multiples of knives, flashlight, and whatever else seemed like a good idea at  the time, we’re carrying more crap than Batman.  I choose my laptop bags specifically because they are too small for me to carry around more stuff than I absolutely need.  Otherwise I eventually end up with more stuff in my laptop bag than I used to carry in my rucksack.

Simplifying makes life easier.  Cutting down on the layers of cruft that build up over time gives us more resources to enjoy that life.