One Bag Through Vietnam with the Pakt Cero 35L
2025
Over 18 days, I traveled the length of Vietnam, from the waterways of the Mekong Delta to the mountains near the Chinese border. With everything I needed packed into a single backpack, this journey became a reminder that the less you carry, the more freedom you have to follow where the road leads.
Start
This trip was harder to pack for than usual. I was traveling across all of Vietnam, starting in the far south near the Cambodian border in the Mekong Delta and making my way north to the mountains by the Chinese border, where I stayed on a small farm. With constant travel in between, I knew I would be packing and unpacking often, so everything I brought had to work across a wide range of conditions.
At the same time, I still wanted to look somewhat put together. I would be visiting temples, relatives, and ancestral homes, places where it did not feel right to just throw on anything. So I kept things light and intentional, capping myself at 35L and sticking to it. The Pakt Cero 35L turned out to be exactly what needed. Some clothes, my camera, a hat, the basic essentials for the entire trip, and off went.
Movement
Saigon hits right away. Heat, noise, scooters coming from every direction. From busy streets in Saigon to tight alleys in Hanoi, I kept the Cero close to my body and it never got in the way. It always felt lighter than expected. For a 35L bag, I never felt like I was carrying everything I owned.
A lot of Vietnam is experienced in motion, often on the back of a scooter, moving through traffic. You feel weight quickly if something is off. This never felt like too much. It moved with me instead of against me.
Transit
A lot of the trip happened in between places. Long bus rides, overnight trains, and waiting in stations where you are not really sure how long you will be there. The Cero fit overhead every time without needing to be reshuffled or adjusted. It just worked. What mattered more was access. Being able to open it quickly, grab something, and close it again without pulling everything out made a difference, especially while standing in a narrow train aisle as it moved.
Whenever I was in transit, I would usually grab the Pakt flat pouch and keep it with me. It held the small essentials I reached for constantly: headphones, phone charger, mints and such. The kind of things you want within reach when you are sitting for hours. After a while, I stopped thinking about the Cero. It was just there, doing what it needed to do.
Routine
Carrying less changes your habits. I did laundry in sinks more times than I can count, usually at night, rotating through a small set of quick-dry clothes like merino wool and linen. Repacking became part of the routine. The clamshell design made it easy to unpack and repack, even on a moving train when I only had a small amount of space and time.
At some point, packing turned into a routine. One-half held all my clothes, things I rarely needed during the day, especially in transit. The other half was for everything I reached for constantly, my camera, tech, and small essentials. It became a simple mental split. I always knew where things were without having to think about it. Most days, I would leave the main bag at my place and head out with just what I needed.
Distance
Somewhere near the Cambodian border, I ended up on a stretch of beach with no one around. I did not plan for it. I imagine the van driver did, but it is those unexpected moments that make traveling light feel so easy. That is what changed. When everything you own is on your back, you stop planning around your stuff. You just go.
By the time I reached the north, my trip started to slow down. Mountains, colder air, fewer people. It felt far from where I started. The Cero had been through all of it. Heat, humidity, long days of travel.
When I first got it last year, the shoulder straps felt a bit stiff but after my first trip with the Cero, it broke in nicely, and by the time I left for Vietnam, it felt lived in. I had no doubts it was the right bag for this trip.
Looking Back
By the end of the trip, I had gone from the Mekong Delta, where I stayed near the Cambodian border, all the way up to the mountains at the Chinese border, moving between buses, trains, and small towns along the way. The Cero 35L came with me through all of it, but it never felt like something I had to manage. It was there when I needed it and out of the way when I didn't. On most days, I didn't think about the bag, but rather thinking about where was, who I was visiting, or where was heading next.
That is probably the biggest thing I took from this trip. When you carry less, you notice more. That's when you're really traveling.
Until the next one,
-Chris
