I’m a believer that travelling light is a lot better than not. During my last trip to Sulawesi I visited Takabonerate, Tanjung Bira, Toraja, Tentena (Lembah Bada), Donggala and Palu in around 10 days. I got the chance to test my newest Cabinzero bag. It is the Military Collection 28L in Light Khaki.

So, the first challenge of this trip was the amount of places I was visiting. I was playing around the beautiful islands in Takabonerate National Park (yay summer!), needed to dress moderately plus have clothes for the cold temperature of Toraja (it’s in the highlands), and some cool clothes for a short trekking trip in Lembah Bada.

With that being said, I’m determined that I don’t want to bring more than what I need for the trip. More stuff I bring means more time to pack and less time to play haha. I get rid of those “I might need this” items on my things-to-bring list. What was on my mind: I will move around a lot and I think it’s the best reason to bring a backpack.

If you know me well enough, you know I hate it if I need to check my bag in on a plane. I always try my best to just bring carry on luggage. Let’s start from my itinerary in Sulawesi and the packing list and I’ll let you know my thoughts about the Cabinzero bag!

Tinabo island in Takabonerate National Park

My Itinerary for 10 days in Sulawesi

24 June: arrival in Makassar at night. Stay in Makassar
25 June: Flight Makassar to Selayar then a 4-6 hours sailing trip from Selayar to Rajuni Island (in Takabonerate National Park). Stay on Rajuni Island.
26 June: Rajuni to Tinabo Island. Snorkel and explore the islands. Stay on Tinabo Island.
27 June: Tinabo Island. Islands hopping. Return to Selayar at midnight (we rent a boat so we were quite flexible with the schedule).
28 June: Early morning arrival in Selayar. Ferry ride from Selayar to Tanjung Bira (Sulawesi mainland). Visit Tanjung Bira and Aparallang Cliff. Go overland by car to Toraja.
29 June: Morning arrival in Toraja. Explore Toraja. Stay in Toraja
30 June: Explore Toraja. Stay in Toraja
1 July: Depart from Toraja and go to Tentena. Arrive at midnight. Stay in Tentena
2 July: Lembah Bada day trip. Bus from Tentena to Palu
3 July: Arrival in Palu in the morning. Day trip to Donggala. Stay in Palu
4 July: Explore Palu. Fly out from Palu.

If you want to read more about travel tips for visiting Takabonerate, you can check this article.

My travel-mates are posing in front of Lokomata Toraja

Kids in Sesean Toraja

Packing List and Tips

You can see that it’s a lot of travelling over 10 days. In my 28L Cabinzero bag I had to fit a lot of things. We’re talking toiletries, warm jacket, laptop, tops, trousers, swimming stuff and of course my amazing notebook to keep me organised. Basically my bag was overflowing.

Besides my Cabinzero bag, I had a small sling bag to fit these stuff: wallet, camera, extra battery, 1 extra lens, sunglasses, phone + charger, my kindle + charging cable, hat, super small Grover doll and a scarf. It was a lot, but to be honest I pack almost the same amount for 10 days as six months.

I’m not classifying myself as a super stylish person but I do pay attention to what I wear during a trip. I just don’t want to look miserable (you know like those backpackers who clearly have nothing else to wear). I want to look nice and want to achieve that without carrying too many stuff. You get what I mean right? If you don’t, please find below some of my photos during the trip. Looking pretty good eh? 😀

Speaking of light packing tips, you have to be able to mix and match your limited stuff. One thing that you have to remember when you bring an item is how it matches with your other clothes. A lot of people use colour scheme in packing, but I don’t really do that. I just think about the motif, let’s say busy top shouldn’t go together with busy pants/skirt (but sometimes it can works too. That’s very rare though).

Also you want to think about function.

A lot of the time I struggle to choose only 2 or max 3 items of footwear for the trip. How can I choose between: flat shoes, hiking shoes, running shoes, flip flop, and so on? The first question to ask to yourself is: am I going to wear this a lot during the trip? It helps you think about the various activities or things to do during your trip (which usually you can predict). You will instantly know what footwear you’ll need most.

Last tip and always useful: make a packing list. Sounds cliché, but believe me it works. You’ll see things that you don’t actually need (and you can straight away cross them out of the list of things to pack).

So happy that finally made it to visit this place!

My Thoughts about Cabinzero

This is not my first Cabinzero. I have tried Cabinzero before and I think it is a great bag (I’m a big fan of a simple bag). If you want to read my first review, you can access it here. My first Cabinzero bag was 44L, which I admit it was too big for me; I’m 154 cm (yup I’m short). So to be honest I am so much happier with this 28L bag. It is a perfect size for me and it is a perfect fit for a 2-14 days trip.

This is the kind of trip that I end up doing again and again (who doesn’t love a short getaway?).

What I love about Cabinzero, besides its simple design, is the bag itself is actually really light (0.85 kg or 1 lb 14 ounces). It is very important, especially when you are on one of those flights where there are low weight restrictions. Some airlines in Indonesia have a max weight of 6-7 kg for a carry-on bag. Other things that I really like about the bag are the thick padded shoulder straps and the fact that it is water resistant. I don’t need to worry about getting caught in the rain.

I’m happy with my 28L Cabinzero. It was a good fit for the trip. The only thing that I wish I had with me was my snorkel (I regret that I only brought my mask). If you think Cabinzero is your kind of backpack too, you should definitely give them a try!

I would love to hear from you! What is your packing style? Have you ever brought something during your travels that you ended up not using it or needing it?