Packing

I'm getting ready to go on a cross-country train trip from Virginia (where I live) all the way to the Pacific NW (where my family lives), so I've been organizing things that I want to pack. Here are three impressively useful items, all from REI: a pillow, a sleeping bag, and a towel. As is appropriate for items that are supposed to travel with you, they are all a lot smaller when packed than when unpacked. I'm thinking all three will come in handy this trip, since 70 hours of my life this weekend will be spent clickety-clacking west.