We gave up on unpacking a long time ago; the life of a traveller means we’re rarely in one place for long enough to bother. Plus hostels rarely have wardrobes.
But this does mean half our trip is spent routing through our backpack, flinging our dirty underwear around the room while desperately looking for that T-shirt we just have to wear today, only to find it’s more screwed up than Greece’s economy.
Cue the ShelfPack: a wheelie suitcase which contains a folding stack of shelves. Simply fold up your shorts and T-shirts and put them on the shelves along with your thongs, and fold the shelves down into the case. You can put your accessories and toiletries in the zip-up sections on the front of the case, which then neatly hang alongside the shelves.
Image: supplied
Once you’ve arrived in your room, simply unzip and lift the shelves out, and you have your own neatly stacked mini-wardrobe.
Of course it doesn’t solve the problem for dresses or suit shirts, but if you’re wearing that kind of stuff, we’re sure you’re staying in the kind of place that has an iron anyway.
Although to afford the ShelfPack you’d need to earn a few bob, as it’s priced at US$349 (£221/AU$450). And it is a wheelie case, so backpacker hostels may laugh you out of the building, or make you sleep in the cupboard.
But, hey, it’s a good idea, and one that will hopefully be the catalyst for more suitcase innovation. Until then, our bunk mate is just going to have to put up with our dirty pants.
