Suitcase Shaming Has Got To Stop

Before I return to a discussion about politics and our pathetic president, there’s another important subject I feel I need to address: suitcase shaming.

As I mentioned, this past weekend I was at a family bar mitzvah in Texas. Our last event was a farewell brunch- to which my husband and I brought our luggage because we needed to head to the airport right after.

And at that farewell brunch I was suitcase shamed. By a favorite cousin no less. Ouch.

He saw our medium-size suitcases and made a snarky comment about how people would think we were away for a month or two. Or something to that effect. And then… others piled on. Another cousin said that she never wants to wait for her bags because it takes forever. NO IT DOESN’T!! In both directions, our bags were circling the carousel when we arrived at baggage claim. My husband ran to get them before they did another loop.

What made it even worse was that the suitcase shamers are Canadians, who are usually the nicest humans on earth. I felt blindsided.

In my defense, even though we were only away for three days, THERE WERE A LOT OF EVENTS. Like a Friday night service. Followed by dinner. And the Saturday morning service (followed by a delicious Kiddish luncheon- I’m still thinking about the pizza bagels that were served). And a Saturday evening party where the dress code was “club chic.” We also needed casual clothes for mall wandering. And sleepwear. Etc.

Not to mention the fact that my cousin Stephanie warned me that I needed to bring a sweater for the places that blast the air conditioning like there’s no tomorrow. One sweater turned into a few sweaters for my various outfits. And I figured I needed different t-shirts in case I did a lot of sweating.

Full disclosure- I’ve never been a light packer. I really try- I start off strong but then something comes over me and I start throwing things into my suitcase. Because I NEED OPTIONS people. I have a friend that could go to another continent with only a backpack. But that’s just not me.

Having been suitcase shamed, I went to the airport determined to observe what other people did in the way of luggage. Sure enough I saw that most people were wheeling around tiny little cases- barely big enough to fit my hair products. Especially during frizzy season.

Since when did packing light become something to be admired? And why?? I think we need to explore this relatively new viewpoint that less is more. No it’s not!! It’s just less.

And what if you get stuck somewhere and you run out of clean clothes?

When we arrived back in New York and collected our bags, I looked at the other travelers schlepping similar size suitcases off the carousel and thought, “These are my people.”

I even considered starting a club where we meet up and discuss our (over)packing habits. It would be a safe space where no one is judged. And no one talks about how they wore the same pair of stretchy pants for an entire week or how they loved to wash their garments in their hotel’s bathroom sink so that they could bring fewer items with them.

My name is Marlene and I’m an overpacker. I’m okay with that and you should be too.