The Art of Packing

I have nearly everything packed up!  Yes, I did wait the day before I left to do it; a sharp contrast from one of my fellow "study abroaders."  She packed everything up today as well, but she leaves February 5th!  We definitely don't opperate in the same way.  Kudos to her for being on top of things.  Anyway, I am a packing fiend, as it turns out.  I have a large luggage bag that is stuffed completely and efficiently.  Not only is packed tightly, but after packing it all up and checking its weight, it weighed 45 pounds!  For those of you not yet familiar with standard airline policies, checked bags are to be under 50 pounds or an additional fee is accrued: 75 bucks in my case.  I was quite proud of myself.  I do have a bit of a situation which will prove wonderful in one case, but awkard in the other.  The plan is to check two bags: one luggage bag and my Northface 65 liter backpacking backpack.  I ended up packing the luggage bag so nicely that there wasn't much luggage to put into the Northface.  Three large towels, three wash clothes, and some boxers were all that was needed to be packed yet.  They fit nicely on the bottom of the Northface; I was able (after rolling each item up) to create a layer that filled the bottom of the bag.  I then realized that my Kelty (which I plan on carrying on with me and using in Thailand for the month) fit perfectly inside the Northface, and I thought to myself "how nice would it be to only have to carry around two luggage bags when I arrive at my destination!"  So that's the plan as of now.  When I arrive at my destination, I'll pick up the large luggage bag, and the Northface, stuff the Kelty in the Northface and be on my merry way.  The only issue that bothers me as of now is that when the Northface is without the Kelty, it's packed quite awkwardly.  With everything packed tightly on the bottom and literally nothing else, it's prone to bending and squishing in weird ways.  The possibility of it becoming damaged, I feel, is quite high.  I could spread the contents of the Northface vertically, allowing it to be stacked/stored better.  Each time I plan on putting the Kelty in the Northface, though, I'd have to stuff the contents back to where they were originally.  I think this going to be my approach, and I'll let time help me decide if it's a good one.  Some of you may be wondering why I need such a large pack anyway.  Couldn't I just stuff the extra towels and such in the luggage bag?  Yes and no.  Yes, because if I really crammed them in, I could probably get it to zip shut.  However, I'm betting the luggage in the Northface is over 5 pounds; that would set the large luggage bag over 50 pounds.  Furthermore, I plan on using the Northface in Fiji.  Apparently, there are some 4 day field trips in a remote location of the island, and I feel the Northface would be perfect for that situation.  So if you were looking for a story about packing, well, today is your lucky day.  

I must also mention that tonight marks the last night I sleep in Wisconsin for over 6 months!  Wow, with everything packed and tomorrow being my last day here, I'm finally beginning to realize that this is actually going to happen.  Goodnight Wisconsin!