New travellers · 6 min · updated 2026-04-18
Packing for two weeks in one bag
The four-day rule, why merino keeps coming up, and the two decisions that do most of the work.
Pack four days, not fourteen
The correct quantity of clothing for a fortnight is roughly four days' worth plus a plan for washing. This sounds like a compromise and is not one: you will wear a rotation of favourites regardless of what you bring, so the extra ten days are volume you carry and never use. Decide where you will wash once, and the whole bag halves.
One fabric decision does most of it
Merino at around 190gsm stays wearable for several days, dries overnight, and does not announce itself. Two shirts genuinely replace six cotton ones. This is not a brand argument — it is the single substitution with the largest effect on bag size.
Make the bag adjustable, not bigger
If more than one person might carry it, a harness that adjusts without tools matters more than another five litres. The second-best feature is bottom access, so reaching a rain shell does not mean unpacking on a wet platform.