This is a bunch of Dopp kits in my backpack – two are pictured, one is not, and all three look different. One is for hygiene things, one is for medications, and another one (not pictured) comes with a strap so I can carry it at my hip for easy access to everyday items when I’m not stowing it in the bag. This solves the problem of having to dig through the contents of the entire backpack for one thing. I also packed a pillowcase in it for laundry to bring back home.
See, a backpack is something you can take with you just about anywhere, unlike a suitcase or duffel bag. In fact I’ve done this before on plane trips and greatly enjoyed not having to wait at the luggage carousel. And Dopp kits are more durable than packing cubes or pillowcases, so you don’t need to worry as much about ripping them in the rigors of travel. So far I’ve taken this thing on one trip and I am liking the results a lot. I have now added a couple more small cloth bags for stuff to package in there to try to reduce the digging-through-the-backpack hassle even more, and an additional canvas tote bag so I can now schlep more things more easily if I find them on the road..
Some more hints on packing more stuff into a backpack:
I swear by rolling up clothes, not folding them. Except for jeans and hoodies, which can be folded flat and packed closest to the back area of the backpack and/or rolled and shoved in the very bottom of it
If you have food things, one bag for mess kit things and one bag for foodstuffs is probably the way to go. Or, keep packaged ready-to-eat things in the exterior pockets
Anything to do with water will probably leak. Store things accordingly
Pen pockets, laptop pockets and notebook pockets are very nice to have. But this is a backpack, and it’s easy to forget you have non-waterproof things and breakables in it. Try not to ruin your things by throwing it around and you can carry all those things in it.
If it’s not waterproof, you should probably be carrying a trash bag in it just in case it rains, to cover the bag with. Nothing’s worse than damp clothing on a rainy day
Good quality reclosable plastic bags inside each Dopp kit are great for things like toothbrushes, soap, packing out your trash, and more
New Book of Days 
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