I was known mainly in school for having a backpack bigger than I was and always having white-out on my hands, because I hated seeing anything crossed out in my notebooks.
They asked for the most delicate silk and the purest gold thread, put both into their own knapsacks, and then continued their pretended work at the empty looms until late at night.
If you're going on a long vacation, I would just check an empty bag and I would buy clothes while I was there and put everything that I would absolutely need to wear in a carry-on backpack.