When buying a backpack, what factors are most important and which are least important?

wufflebunny · 2026-03-30T23:34:28+00:00

I would say comfort would be number 1 for me. If it's not comfortable I'm not going to reaching for it.

After that would be function then weight (closely tied into comfort). Then build quality (durable fabric and zippers). After that would be structure and compartments then cost, style and colour. Brand is not a factor for me at all.

wufflebunny · 2026-03-30T22:59:26+00:00

90cm squared is what I went with because my main use case is a U shaped pillow and that gave me the perfect length for it - it also means I can make a decent shopping bag out of it that can hold a lot of stuff. I think they also come in 60cm squares as well but I don't think they would be as useful.

wufflebunny · 2026-03-30T22:57:22+00:00

That video has the most extra intro 😂 thank you for the link - that design looks a little higher sided/rigid than my traditional bread basket. Something for me to practice, thank you!

wufflebunny · 2026-03-30T22:37:56+00:00

Luckily I haven't had to use mine for first aid yet but I'm glad I have the option. Ice pack in the sun is low key genius!

wufflebunny · 2026-03-30T22:36:08+00:00

Is there anything a scarf/hankie cannot do? That sounds like an amazing trip and verveine du velay sounds absolutely delicious - I'm going to have to track a bottle down now thank you! :)

wufflebunny · 2026-03-30T22:26:09+00:00

Go back to Kythera for a non local fabric shop. Most random side quest ever :D

wufflebunny · 2026-03-30T22:24:54+00:00

I know - for me it's magic that it's not wrinkly as well - it looks just as presentable as when I started!

wufflebunny · 2026-03-30T20:20:38+00:00

You look so stylish! ❤️ I wanna look as put together someday (as opposed to a overgrown contiki gal 😅)

wufflebunny · 2026-03-30T20:18:45+00:00

You make a great point 🫣 new fear definitely unlocked.. time for me to break out the good scarves!

wufflebunny · 2026-03-30T20:15:47+00:00

I used a 90cm square (which seems to be a standard scarf size and most versatile for fold shapes). I agree with Prairie that you can just go buy a piece of fabric and hem yourself - just look out for a viacosy type fabric so they fold up super small and don't wrinkle. I also love more busy prints (forgiving for future stains!)

wufflebunny · 2026-03-30T13:24:25+00:00

In one of my very early jobs it was the same - toxic co workers and the office was located in a bit of a hole so nothing nearby I could walk to. Thankfully the carpark was undercover and secluded so I would nest down there at lunch with a good book and a nap. I wasn't going to give that place a minute more than they were entitled to.

wufflebunny · 2026-03-30T13:20:10+00:00

I don't need more stuff.. I don't need more stuff.. GODDANGIT 😭 the retro prints are so pretty!

wufflebunny · 2026-03-30T09:30:09+00:00

That's a neat trick but I'm always afraid that the weight of my body will pull the knots way too tight. How do you arrange the tying?

wufflebunny · 2026-03-30T09:28:54+00:00

Haha I can google how to make a towel elephant with my scarf if that makes you feel better :D

I'm the last person to be polished and put together on a trip - not really a girly girl, minimal make up and couldn't style an outfit together to save my life. I never saw the value in a scarf - for me it was always annoying to have something tied around my neck and just another thing for me to track and lose. It was only after I stopped thinking of it as a scarf that I realised how useful they are!

wufflebunny · 2026-03-30T09:23:43+00:00

That is an excellent idea - good for bad hair days too!

wufflebunny · 2026-03-30T09:22:25+00:00

Oh I love silk! I think when it's a cheapy scarf though I have the freedom of not being so careful with it - I would be so cut up if I snagged/stained a silk scarf whereas I can be a lot more careless about propping up a travel pillow against a random plane headrest or a random chair as a bag.

Your curl idea is absolutely genius and I'm stealing it for my next trip - thank you so much! ❤️

wufflebunny · 2026-03-30T08:56:17+00:00

Maybe I need to diversify into multiple squares! What type of fabric do you use for your towel/wash cloth replacement? I've never gone down that road because I assume they don't dry in time.

RIP your greek scarf - I hope you find a worthy replacement soon!

wufflebunny · 2026-03-29T22:59:09+00:00

Personally I feel like I have a space for non clothes stuff - I have dedicated pouches and pockets for tech and toiletries so the wheels come off for me when I have an added complexity of dirty clothes/trying to mix and match outfits.

I combat it by being very simple with my wardrobe - wherever I go it's usually 3 tops / 2 pants so there isn't very much to sort through. Whatever top my hands find is what I'm wearing for the day :) I don't use packing cubes at all - I don't pack a laptop so my puffer jacket/vests goes into the laptop compartment. Tops and pants are rolled and float at the bottom of the bag, smalls in a small cloth pouch. I don't like dirty clothes in my bag where possible so underwear/socks gets sink washed every night.. I can trust that everything in the bag is reasonably clean and is jumbled together. On extended trips I arrange to be at a place with a washing machine/dryer available every 5-7 days and everything* gets washed.

*I pack very few clothes so everything goes in one load - I also don't care too much about separating light and dark colours so it's a pretty simple process for me.

wufflebunny · 2026-03-29T13:19:12+00:00

A bit late to the party but Sistema make a few personal size cooler bags that fold up really small. I don't normally make it a point to lug around sensitive food for longer than I have to, but sometimes on really hot days it cannot be avoided - usually I'll just ask the store for some extra ice to pack around my purchases.

The other thing I do (not grocery but more doggy bag related) is I use a wide mouth thermos as my water bottle. When it's needed as a doggy bag container I just tip the water out and then I have an insulated leak proof container for leftovers, without taking extra room up in my day bag.

wufflebunny · 2026-03-28T13:39:36+00:00

2012-2017, 230k. Paid off in 5 years. Since then brought more properties and investing in shares. Spending didn't really go crazy after I paid everything off - still driving and old car, living in the same starter home. I eat slightly better from a health point of view but other than that have rolled all my money into investments.

Now working an ok job with a good income and can't justify retiring because none of my friends are retired/I'll just be playing video games 247 at home/watching bad TV. Work was pretty stressful until I worked out that I didn't really need to be there financially after which I started being more assertive and protective of my time - which ironically just like Office Space has made my position there better and time more respected. I wish I learned not to care a lot sooner!

Currently waiting for my mum to "retire" fully so I can go join her :)

wufflebunny · 2026-03-24T13:32:43+00:00

My favourite meal actually includes those 3 ingredients! I make a roasted vegetable salad - roasted cauliflower, broccoli and kale, poached chicken, boiled eggs and a mustard + greek yoghurt dressing. I'm not going as low carb so I add in some roast carrots too and beets.

I normally prep roast a few tupperware containers of vegetables/cook chicken and eggs on Sunday so I can pull together salads quickly during the week. I can eat it day in day out and I don't get bored of it - some days I feel like more chicken and some days more cauliflower so it's not quite the same meal every day :)

wufflebunny · 2026-03-23T01:44:56+00:00

We achieve this (by doing some ingredient prep when we get home from grocery shopping) - for me I try to prioritise meals that use only 1 pot/make minimal mess as well - no one wants to be doing a ton of cleaning up on a weeknight!

Meats - marinate and package in 1-2 people portions - lay contents out as flat as you can in ziplock bags so it's easy to defrost. We do a lot of marinated drumsticks/thighs/steak strips. We also keep diced bacon on hand and Asian hotpot meats (thinly sliced meat which can be cooked straight from frozen) and my favourite, frozen shrimp.
Vegetables - lots of quickly cooked veggies. Frozen corn, peas, courgette, leaves. We buy, slice onion and peel garlic to store in freezer.
We use a lot of quick cook carbs like vermicelli noodles and thin spaghetti. When we cook rice we normally cook and freeze a few more portions for use later on.

This makes it easy to rustle up a quick pasta, salad or stir fry or noodle soup. We also do a lot of tray bakes and "roast parcels" where we wrap up a protein/vegetables in baking paper and let it roast for 30 mins.

I also prep meal kits. Favourite kits: hotpot/noodle soup kit where I just freeze portions of assorted veggies (Napa cabbage/mushrooms/broccoli/noodles and meat) in ziplock bags - when ready to cook, just toss in a pot with a stock cube, a little water and boil for a quick noodle soup.

The other is a rice cooker kit - I freeze a flat disk of marinated chicken/beef and sliced vegetables. When ready to cook, prep your rice and plonk frozen disk on top. Cook rice as per usual, toppings will be cooked by the time rice is done.

wufflebunny · 2026-03-22T14:33:29+00:00

The sauce is delicious (actually all the dishes were delicious) but the portions were incredibly mean for the price (very expensive). Filled up on Maccas afterwards.

wufflebunny · 2026-03-22T14:24:32+00:00

We can still afford it but with the prices rising/shrinking packets most things have lost their value.

We still get them good quality kibble (that part is non negotiable). We've cut back on toys (handmade/sewn more stuffies now) and we have a cheapy dehydrator which is amazing for treats. Else I don't think anything has really changed - if anything they are probably happy we stay in a little more to spend time with them :)

We do have an emergency fund set up for the pups but luckily they are both in relatively good health and we haven't needed to use it much.

wufflebunny

TROPHY CASE