Jan.
28/10

Don’t Check That Bag!

I HATE checking bags.

Dumpling Dynasty

I know, so do you, but I bet you still do it. I hate it so much that I don’t unless I’m under extreme duress. Or a flight attendant makes me gate-check it.

Whenever I travel with other people, they always marvel at how lightly I travel. I belong to the wrinkles-be-damned school, where I roll up shirts and skirts as small as I can, stuff socks and bathing suits into shoes, and then cram as much as I can between the gaps.

Sometimes I use a rollaboard, but more often I bring a soft-sided weekender bag from Dumpling Dynasty that I bought last year at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. Whereas people always smile and comment at my chicken bag, no one ever knows what to say to this one. They stare, glance at me, stare some more, and often purse their lips. I don’t know if they think I’m incredibly politically incorrect or if they are just truly puzzled.

In any case, it’s surprisingly sturdy and large — 55 cm x 39 cm x 25 cm — but the reason I like it is because not only can I always squish just one more thing into it, but I can also mash it under seats and into overheads. The only downside is that it’s not on wheels, which means that on the way home, it can get pretty heavy and dig into my shoulders.

There’s usually enough room to bring home a few goodies, but I stumbled upon a guy who goes even further than I do:

How to take as much as you like in your hand luggage from Matador Network on Vimeo.