[HN Gopher] OneBag: The Art and Science of Travelling Light
___________________________________________________________________
OneBag: The Art and Science of Travelling Light
Author : navanchauhan
Score : 156 points
Date : 2022-01-03 06:09 UTC (2 days ago)
(HTM) web link (www.onebag.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.onebag.com)
| warning26 wrote:
| I always enjoy these sites that look like they came through a
| time machine. Such an interesting window into past web design
| trends.
| scottwitcher83 wrote:
| tombrm wrote:
| how did this make it to the homepage? :O
| alamortsubite wrote:
| It has to be the folksy Web 1.0 presentation.
| ericpauley wrote:
| I routinely travel with a single small bag and disagree with
| the primary claim of this site: that a packing list is needed
| to travel light. Sure, it is useful in other ways such as not
| forgetting things. But to me packing light is as easy as not
| bringing things I don't need. You could just ask yourself if
| you really need something every time you pack it. If this
| question wouldn't work, I can't see how applying the same logic
| in list form would perform any better.
| zerkten wrote:
| If you are anxious about traveling, then you are likely to
| over prepare for every scenario you think you might
| encounter. It is difficult for someone in this situation to
| do what you suggest because the asking whether something is
| really needed will result in "yes" because it is there to
| solve a situation they have anxiety about.
|
| Without a coping mechanism for the anxiety, it is difficult
| to change the packing behavior. Having a friend review items
| with you is going to be much more effective because they can
| have that back and forth about whether the situation is
| likely or not. This situation is something people discover
| with their partners when they travel for the first time.
| Initially, it is tolerated, but as the relationship
| progresses it becomes more of a challenge either through
| travel constraints, or requirements for joint packing.
| mikestew wrote:
| _If you are anxious about traveling, then you are likely to
| over prepare for every scenario you think you might
| encounter._
|
| That was the conclusion I came to on a motorcycle trip to
| Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, which travels down the 400-some miles
| of the gravel haul road. Everything I had, and everything I
| needed, fit within the two saddlebags, the duffel strapped
| to where the passenger seat used to be, or the tank bag. No
| shit bungied to seat backs and saddlebags, just a nice,
| clean look. Were I out for two weeks or two years, didn't
| matter, I could live off that bike indefinitely with what I
| had.
|
| And then there were the Jed Clampetts[0] of the motorcycle
| world, with stuff strapped everywhere, and little bags
| strapped to the frame, spare tires hanging off the back. I
| saw more of those than I did those that IMO did a more
| reasonable job of packing. Having spoken with a few around
| the campfire, my experience says that the hard-core
| experienced riders pack about like I do (editor's note:
| mikestew is NOT a hard-core rider, though he is
| experienced). Newer folk don't _know_ they 're not going to
| need it on that 2 year old BMW, so they pack it just in
| case the ABS module _does_ go out.
|
| I think life experience is a factor, though I'm a bit scant
| on anecdata for that one. Ever go backpacking? More than
| once? You might be a light packer. Most adventurous thing
| you've ever done is stay in a Motel 6 instead of a resort
| hotel? You might be attached to those two carryons and 125
| litre checked bag.
|
| In conclusion, yeah, "just pack less" doesn't work for a
| lot of folks. That might change later, or it might not. But
| in the meantime, a checklist constructed in conjunction
| with another traveller can set the constraints necessary to
| keep the imagination running wild with what _might_ be
| needed.
|
| [0] http://cdn.speednik.com/wp-
| content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/10...
| larrywright wrote:
| I'll second this. Packing with a checklist means I pack
| less and have way less anxiety. Highly recommended.
| ghaff wrote:
| If you travel a lot, it can also work to have one or two
| small pre-packed kits that contain various electronics,
| repair items, OTC medications, earbuds, etc. I'll adjust
| my electronics kit some--like I'll take out my
| presentation clicker if I'm not presenting. But basically
| I have a travel pile and I mostly just grab some things
| from that pile and toss them in my bag.
| et-al wrote:
| the dream of digital nomadism
| ngokevin wrote:
| Hacking travel
| hubraumhugo wrote:
| Very cool, another backpack enthusiast here! I built a backpack
| review aggregator, dedicated to finding the best backpack
| accroding to the internet. Sources include Reddit, Youtube or
| Outdoorgearlab: https://baqpa.com
| CalChris wrote:
| This reminds me of the book, _The Accidental Tourist_ by Ann
| Tyler, also a movie in which William Hurt plays a travel writer
| who specializes in travel guides for reluctant business
| travelers. It is to travel writing what _Castaway_ is to
| survival, not particularly useful but still a lot of fun.
| [deleted]
| giglamesh wrote:
| I've been a one bag traveller since approximately forever. One
| hitch I encountered after getting married: the spouse's family
| has a tradition of bringing back gifts for everyone from any
| major trip. I understand that back in the olden days, rare and
| exotic items (an orange? for me? really?) could only be shared
| via travel. But those days are gone. There are nearly no other
| remaining friction points left our otherwise awesome marriage.
| kmonsen wrote:
| Can't you just mail things back? We did that from a trip to
| Italy, mostly wines. Almost all local vendors of expensive
| items was well prepared to mail things to the US.
| ngokevin wrote:
| Depends on where. In Latam, I was quoted like $200 to try to
| ship back a small package to the US. We gave up on that
| quick. In Mexico, it was just about $30
| renewiltord wrote:
| My life is in my carry-on plus personal item allowance. Contrary
| to what I expected, this has not been the dramatic shift in
| personal affairs I expected. Perhaps this is because it was
| mostly accidental and not intentional. It has enabled me to live
| on my friends' couches for the last five months though.
|
| But I'll read this since what I've always wanted is an easy way
| to use my top-quality hardware and travel with it as much as
| possible. Some sort of easy organizer is probably all I need.
|
| However, I'd strongly recommend the two-bagging since the
| "personal item" (my backpack) is something I can take on a day
| trip or whatever. That's one meaningful learning for me.
| contingencies wrote:
| artoftravel.net is better.
| gibolt wrote:
| I very much misunderstood the title... Was expecting the physics
| of photons
| shmde wrote:
| A photon checks into a hotel, and the bellhop asks him if he
| has any luggage.
|
| "No", replies the photon, "I'm travelling light."
| mauvehaus wrote:
| Alternative if you're flying: two bags:
|
| 1) A small backpack for anything fragile that goes under the seat
| in front of you.
|
| 2) A SOFT sided duffel for your clothes. Take than m-f'er and
| cram it into the overhead bin. It'll fit in the smallest crevice
| between two rollaboards with enough force.
|
| For minimum clothing volume, pack one set of outer garments
| (optional if you're wearing them on the flight, which I presume
| you are. Maybe throw a jacket in instead if you need it) and a
| daily change of socks and undergarments.
|
| Jeans and a fleece and n days worth of undergarments and socks is
| super efficient. If you can get away with wearing sandals, you
| need only one pair of socks (for airport security. I have no
| desire to go barefoot in the airport).
|
| Edited to add: undergarments meaning something for your bottom
| half and a t-shirt you can wear without something over it. And
| bras if you wear them, obviously.
|
| Actually, if you're going to a conference and feel sporting, skip
| the T-shirts and trust you can get them as swag as needed.
| ddyment wrote:
| My considerable efforts to the contrary notwithstanding, it is
| clear to me that some people take the wrong message from my
| OneBag.com site. Usually they do so as a consequence of a
| superficial reading of the information to be found there.
| Arguably the most important advice there is to be found on the
| "Using a Packing List" page, which attempts to make the case that
| if you have nothing to measure, you have nothing to control. The
| section people tend to focus on is the "A Packing List" one,
| which lists examples of the items that are on MY packing list
| (note the title's use of the indefinite article); there is no
| stricture, however, that they should be on YOUR list, only that
| you should HAVE a list (see first point).
| joeldg wrote:
| waffle_maniac wrote:
| I nomad. Travel with a multiple bags and planning to buy another
| one during the next Europe trip so I can bring back beer and
| licorice.
|
| Also, if you have status with an airline you can bring a checked
| bag free. That sometimes means you can bring comforts and
| supplies that are unavailable or more expensive at your
| destination.
| ipsin wrote:
| It's interesting to me that GoRuck keeps showing up in the
| comments. I've seen it show up in several other contexts
| (geocaching, Ingress, etc.), and ... It seems like a "lifestyle
| brand", but are they also focused on one-bag ergonomics?
|
| Not at all skeptical, just looking for an accessible intro to
| GoRuck.
| et-al wrote:
| To put it in perspective: city-focused travel backpacks that
| were not hiking backpacks weren't common 8-10 years ago. The
| options were pretty much Tom Bihn, Patagonia, Osprey, Minaal,
| and Tortuga.
|
| Anyways, Goruck bags were a welcome addition at the time
| because they were relatively discreet, easily accessible with
| their fold-open design, extremely well built (arguably
| overbuilt), and comfortable to carry heavy loads.
| kemayo wrote:
| They're kind-of lifestyle, in that they do strongly convey a
| certain "woo special forces oo-rah!" vibe (that I don't
| actually like -- though you can occasionally buy versions
| without all the MOLLE), but they do originate from being an
| accessory for a specific sport/exercise routine: rucking. I.e.
| long hikes in mud with heavy metal weights in your backpack.
| You don't _need_ one of their bags to do it, but they 're well-
| optimized for the task. Specifically: they're famously
| incredibly durable and last _forever_ , and have good load-
| bearing traits so you can stuff 50lbs into them and expect to
| carry it about as well as possible. You can imagine how this
| translates well to less-demanding activities like walking
| through airports with all your clothes. :D
|
| The main thing that might make you _not_ want them is that they
| 're very unstructured. They're a big empty box on your back
| with only minimal pockets, and if you want to impose any
| separation on gear you put in there you're going to have to do
| it yourself via other bags (e.g. packing cubes). This is in
| contrast to brands like Tom Bihn who have a bunch of
| specialized compartments to help you split stuff up. This is,
| of course, very much a matter of taste.
| awelxtr wrote:
| > also focused on one-bag ergonomics?
|
| Considering that they offer bags up to 40L, I guess go.
|
| My GR1 23L bag has served me well thus far. Although I gotta
| say they are rather pricey.
| diamondage wrote:
| I met a man who travelled the world with three socks. Two to
| wear, one to wash and dry. Rotate.
| 0xbadcafebee wrote:
| The site focuses too much on the bag and not enough on the
| context that determines _how_ you travel. For some kinds of
| travel, you don 't need a bag at all. For some you have to
| compromise on what you bring. For some, carrying more than one
| bag is just optimal.
|
| Most of my international travel has used one bag. In many cases I
| use hacks to avoid even paying the carry-on fee, and very rarely
| I'm caught and have to pay for the carry-on. But for my last long
| trip, I checked my bag, and carried a small bag onto the plane. I
| wanted to be able to transport stuff they won't allow as carry-
| on, and it was just less hassle to check it.
|
| My favorite bag is a small soft roll-top backpack with a waist
| strap. Because it's a roll-top it can expand or be packed down
| tight, and it's narrow so it ends up fitting more places when
| it's packed tight. Outside straps and mesh water bottle
| compartments let me carry an extra pair of shoes (or water
| bottles). One exterior zip pocket, one interior zip pocket. I
| think one version of this bag has a padded laptop sleeve with
| zip, but I don't really need the feature. And I found one that
| has an internal frame which makes it more breathable and easier
| to carry when heavily packed.
| OJFord wrote:
| I found this a particularly interesting page:
| https://www.onebag.com/wheeled-bags.html ('Wheeled Bags (A
| Disputation): The Dismal Downsides')
| 0xbadcafebee wrote:
| This misses a common reason to avoid wheels: upcharge on
| carriers that charge for carry-ons. If you are carrying a tiny
| bag/purse and it has wheels, it is at a minimum considered a
| carry-on, so you'll have to pay for it, and sometimes check it.
| Every time I take a cheap flight I hear some poor flight
| attendant explaining how having wheels puts it in a specific
| price class.
| ubermonkey wrote:
| It's a weird article of faith for OBers that wheelies are bad,
| but for a huge chunk of travelers they're exactly the right
| option because their travels are comprised of home to car to
| airport to plane to taxi to hotel, all on smooth surfaces.
|
| They're the rule for business travelers and (significantly) air
| crews, and those choices aren't made out of fashion or inertia.
|
| I mean, if you're trekking in Nepal, yeah, it would suck, but
| it seems like the OB faithful have a one-size-fits-all disdain
| for the whole category.
| Jtsummers wrote:
| At the bottom he links to another page:
|
| https://www.onebag.com/business-bags.html#carts
|
| Where he discusses luggage carts as an alternative to a
| wheeled bag. Which is actually pretty sensible, since
| removing the permanently attached wheels and extending handle
| from your bag gets you more carrying capacity and, even
| combined, lower total weight. So maintain capacity at a
| modest weight increase, or reduce capacity at a higher weight
| increase. At least he provides an alternative.
| ubermonkey wrote:
| Having two things when combined hybrids exist and work well
| is anathema to simplified travel.
|
| If your travel pattern is home to car to airport to hotel
| and back, a wheeled bag is a great idea. Again, there's a
| reason why they are so popular.
| larrywright wrote:
| I haven't used a wheeled bag in years (including several
| international trips) and I would recommend it if you're
| physically capable. Particularly if you ever fly on regional
| jets. Whenever I'm boarding a full flight the flight crew
| starts going around asking people to gate check their wheeled
| luggage. Not once have they told me I need to gate check mine.
| ghaff wrote:
| Modern wheeled luggage can be a godsend with heavy checked
| luggage. But I've never owned a carryon with wheels. They
| obviously make sense if someone has trouble carrying their
| carryon around. And I can see them for people who are dressed
| up. But I do think a lot of people default to them who would
| be happier with something else.
| WillPostForFood wrote:
| I'm a hardcore backpacker, but one baggers can stray into
| religious fervor on the subject of wheeled bags. My wife won't
| backpack, and it has never been an issue, including on fairly
| off the beaten path trips in Asia. Backpack is marginally
| better, but the main advantage is just having one bag,
| regardless of type. I vehemently disagree with this assertion,
| "few places worth visiting are conducive to rolling a bag
| behind you."
| idop wrote:
| Always happy to see OneBag shared, even if the forum doesn't seem
| to be apt. This incredibly comprehensive work by Doug Dyment has
| made me into the traveler that I am today. I have been following
| his guidelines and recommendations for almost 12 years now with
| great success.
| meristem wrote:
| I wonder (aloud) how much of one bag ethos is linked to being a
| man. Culturally (my experience is US/EU/Latam) women are expected
| to change clothes often. And in some countries that also means
| changing belts and shoes. If traveling for business, even worse:
| few professional clothes designed for women are
| compressible/washable/fast drying.
| throwJan22 wrote:
| Flying in America is horrible with all the people bringing huge
| bags into the cabin. Everyone is fighting to get on first with
| their massive luggage banging around. I wish they'd enforce a
| 20lb weight limit like in Europe.
| ubermonkey wrote:
| I've seen this site before. It's, um, zealous.
|
| I travel light. I have since the 90s. I _never ever ever_ checked
| a bag before 9 /11, but since then I've often done so for two
| reasons:
|
| - Absurd restrictions on liquids in the cabin; and
|
| - Equally absurd restrictions on carrying my Swiss Army Knife.
|
| Once you check a bag, you need another bag to carry some
| essentials aboard the plane.
|
| Even on a short weekend trip, though, if I buy sample sizes and
| ditch the SAK, I end up with a small additional bag. It's easier
| to do that than constantly open the overhead to get a different
| book, or your tablet, or whatever.
|
| One-bagging is also a poor choice for business travel, since you
| likely want a smaller computer bag so you don't have to use your
| much larger "one bag" as your office bag.
|
| OneBag purists also have a WILD hatred of wheelie bags that seems
| rooted in a refusal to realize that, for many people whose travel
| patterns are home to airport to destination hotel/home, they're
| perfect. The extra weight isn't a problem because they roll.
| There's a great reason why they're very very popular with full-
| time/very frequent travelers.
| ghaff wrote:
| I'm not a OneBag purist (and, in fact, always have a fairly
| full carryon backpack and a small shoulder bag). But I don't
| much care for rollaboards in part because I don't like them
| myself and partly because they're a big cause of overfull
| carryon compartments.
|
| I can live with those restrictions fine for city travel, though
| they're a pain. The bigger annoyance is that there's a decent
| chance I'll get a hiking pole confiscated. (They're
| theoretically not allowed.)
| Lio wrote:
| It's odd not being able to take a walking pole considering
| that tripods are on the allowed list.
| throw0101a wrote:
| > _- Equally absurd restrictions on carrying my Swiss Army
| Knife._
|
| You're not wrong, but for possible future reference, multitools
| are fine as long as they don't have a knife (<4" scissors are
| fine):
|
| * https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-
| screening/whatcanibring/...
| anonporridge wrote:
| The TSA can and does confiscate anything they want. If you
| happen to get the wrong agent on the wrong day, they may
| still choose to confiscate a technically compliant multitool.
| techsupporter wrote:
| > they may still choose
|
| Which is the biggest problem, the TSA does not have to
| follow its own rules. And if you dare point out the rules
| to them, you will be told that "for your safety and
| security" individual screening is "up to the agent's
| discretion" and asked "do you want to fly today" while also
| being loudly informed that you obviously "do not care about
| the security of others."
|
| This is why I am such a huge advocate for trains, though I
| imagine that if rail got more usable and widespread here
| the TSA would just infest it as well. Until that happens, I
| will always take a train for short regional trips. SEA to
| PDX might be scheduled for 45 minutes on the plane and 3
| scheduled hours on the train, but the experience is so much
| better on Amtrak not having to put up with the sad mess our
| airports are.
| anonporridge wrote:
| Institutional rot corrupts all of civilization. The TSA
| is an example of an institution that has largely become a
| malignant tumor, contributing very little while actively
| contributing to the relentless de-humanization of
| society.
|
| Like Gulliver tied down by hundreds of tiny strings.
| Death by a thousand cuts.
| OriginalPenguin wrote:
| I've never had the TSA confiscate my bladeless Swiss Army
| Knife (it has scissors and a screwdriver).
|
| But I have had it confiscated abroad more than once. Many
| other countries won't allow scissors, or anything that
| looks like a knife, to fly.
| interestica wrote:
| I had all my toiletry containers, specifically chosen
| because they were 100ml, confiscated because they "looked
| big" to the agent. The agent literally said they "looked
| like 110ml versions". I had like 4 total.
| OJFord wrote:
| I had an almost-empty container clearly marked 150ml (or
| something) confiscated because it was.. _marked_ more
| than 100ml.
|
| Also razor blades, I don't know if they're supposed to be
| allowed, being only about an inch long, but nope -
| shaving with expensive junk or growing a holiday beard
| are the only approved options!
| sokoloff wrote:
| > almost-empty container clearly marked 150ml (or
| something) confiscated
|
| That's correct according to the TSA rules.
|
| https://www.tsa.gov/sites/default/files/liquidsrule_examp
| le-...
|
| (We can wrap ourselves around many axles debating the
| utility of these rules, but that's at least a correct
| interpretation of the rule.)
| OJFord wrote:
| Well it wasn't in (or travelling to) the USA, but sure,
| it may have been by whatever book was in use. I'm just
| saying it's nonsensical; that what we put ourselves
| through is quite detached from actual risks and what's
| reasonable.
|
| I can buy a >100ml container post-security, or even take
| an empty one through, and decant there, so what's that
| protecting against?
| ramses0 wrote:
| ...additionally, international security screenings can be
| arbitrary in different ways. A strange one to run in to is
| high-capacity rechargeable batteries.
| NikolaeVarius wrote:
| One guy confiscated my lockpick even though they are
| allowed.
|
| Hate the TSA
| ubermonkey wrote:
| I had a Knifeless Fuse for a while so I could have something
| when traveling, but TSA goons are so, well, goony about
| everything that it became not worth it to explain that it
| didn't have a blade on it even if they managed to notice it
| (which was, we should be clear, nowhere nearly half the
| time).
| ngokevin wrote:
| > One-bagging is also a poor choice for business travel, since
| you likely want a smaller computer bag so you don't have to use
| your much larger "one bag" as your office bag.
|
| I just keep a very small shoulder bag inside my one-bag that
| fits my Macbook and acts as a walk-around. In travel mode, it's
| used to compartmentalize. Likewise, my wife has a small ~15L
| daypack inside her one-bag that is empty and rolled-up in
| travel mode.
|
| No wheels is also great for sprinting to be the first to the
| border patrol line :D
| antman wrote:
| There are expandable backpacks that are business looking when
| compressed.
| ghaff wrote:
| I probably want a small bag with things I want in the
| airport/on the plane anyway. The bag that I normally use--
| which I've had for decades and use for almost everything--
| takes very little space by itself. So it makes sense for me
| to use it for compartmentalization even if I stick it in my
| carryon.
|
| I went through a Timbuk2 phase but this old Mountainsmith
| bag (nee a big fanny pack, now with added strap) works
| better for me these days.
| antman wrote:
| Yes makes sense. I used this
| https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32975256528.html which is
| very cheap and 22lt for daily use expandable to 37lt
| profesdional looming enough.
| weberer wrote:
| FYI: airlines usually allow a purse or small laptop bag for
| free, in addition to your carry-on bag.
|
| Wheely bags just gross me out because you roll them through
| public bathrooms and city streets, then you have to access that
| underside to get at the zipper.
| Jtsummers wrote:
| It's good for the immune system.
| asdff wrote:
| The big annoyance with checking a bag imo is dealing with the
| entire process.
|
| Many airlines charge you per leg per bag. Then there is
| sometimes a holdup at the bag drop. Then there is the weight
| limit. Then after you are done with the flight you have to wait
| at baggage claim which can be quite long at certain airports.
| Then there's the nonzero chance that something catastrophic has
| happened with your luggage; I think we all know a few people
| with luggage fiasco war stories.
|
| With a carry on, you roll in and out and you are gone. No extra
| lines. No extra nickel and diming.
| ubermonkey wrote:
| Oh, absolutely. This is why frequent fliers almost never
| check bags, or at least traditionally don't. I almost never
| did when I was flying all the time.
| munificent wrote:
| _> One-bagging is also a poor choice for business travel, since
| you likely want a smaller computer bag so you don 't have to
| use your much larger "one bag" as your office bag._
|
| For small work trips, I generally just pack all of my clothes
| and toiletries in my laptop backpack. When I get to the hotel,
| I take all that stuff out and leave it in the room and then
| bring the same bag into the office. Works fine for me.
| anonporridge wrote:
| The absurd restrictions on knives really needs to go.
|
| A blade is a necessary tool for a lot of people in everyday
| life. It's time to get over the unfounded fear and face reality
| like adults.
|
| It's especially ridiculous because of how ineffective it is,
| https://onemileatatime.com/tsa-fails-tests-95-percent/. This is
| a worthless waste of resources that only serves to
| inconvenience regular people and give the masses some feel good
| security theatre.
| ghaff wrote:
| And it affects more than travel. I'll never put even the
| smallest knife in a bag I use for airline carryon because I
| _will_ forget it 's there and probably end up losing it.
| anonporridge wrote:
| I once lost a very nice wine corkscrew to the TSA that I
| forgot was in a backpack due the little foil cutter blade.
|
| The guy in charge acted all jubilant, like they
| successfully thwarted a hijacking.
| ramses0 wrote:
| I've _only_ had success with regularly carrying "prong-
| style" wine openers (especially internationally).
|
| https://www.amazon.com/Belwares-Wine-Opener-Two-Prong-
| Stainl...
|
| I'd even gone through the trouble of dremel'ing off the
| foil-cutter blade on a "double-knuckle" corkscrew in
| order to comply with the "no blades" rule.
|
| I was able to exit the U.S. with it fine, but Mexico
| security refused it for simply the corkscrew part (and I
| wasn't willing to argue about it).
|
| I'd just like to reaffirm pretty much every aspect of his
| experience and recommendations. It's great to see so many
| overlaps between my favorite travel-gear and his.
| ghaff wrote:
| I carry one of those cheap corkscrews where you pull off
| the corkscrew cover and insert it through the hole at the
| top of the corkscrew.
|
| BUT they're really crappy corkscrews and I've sometimes
| had a lot of trouble getting the cork out and have ended
| up opening bottles in the bathroom because I was afraid
| I'd get wine flying everywhere.
|
| And I've even had one of those confiscated in Spain.
| rasfincher wrote:
| I've lost two multitools that happen to have small knives
| on them this way. Very frustrating and embarrassing.
| OJFord wrote:
| Funnily enough I have a credit card sized (well, roughly
| triple thickness) thing in my wallet, never occurred to
| me before now, hasn't been flagged in X-ray yet. (I
| suppose now I'll remove it if I remember though.)
| ubermonkey wrote:
| I lost a tiny SAK -- the keychain size -- a while back, and
| it turned out it was stuck in a weird crease in the bottom
| of my computer bag.
|
| I found it, most of a year later, when TSA finally noticed
| it. I had flown with it "lost" in the bag literally dozens
| of times.
| ajmurmann wrote:
| It's so inconsistent too. I cannot bring my safety razors on
| board, but it's ok to bring a bunch of razor cartridges that
| are filled with blades... Even traveling with the safety
| razor but no blades is inconvenient, since the TSA will
| frequently do a secondary inspection to confirm that there is
| really no blade. So you gotta travel with the thing
| disassembled which means I cannot use my regular case.
| i_am_proteus wrote:
| I've had TSA open my kit and triumphantly remove a blade
| from my safety razor that I'd accidentally forgotten to
| remove, while missing loose blades I'd also accidentally
| forgotten to remove.
| Swenrekcah wrote:
| Sometimes you can even buy a full set of kitchen knives in
| the duty free shop on your way to the airplane!
| CalChris wrote:
| There's absolutely nothing on a Swiss Army Knife that's going
| to make me want to wait through luggage multiple times for it
| to arrive. There are travel limitations but not prohibitions on
| liquids. TSA sized toothpaste is 3.4 oz. I'll live.
|
| BTW, an up to date passport is worth it, TSA Pre is worth it
| and Global Entry is worth it. GE requires an interview but if
| you live near the office, after you get your appointment, just
| go to the office on a Sunday and wait through line. I took BART
| to SFO on a Sunday morning and waited an hour. Done. The
| California Enhanced Drivers License was much more of an ordeal.
|
| If I'm _not_ going through TSA, sure, bring tools.
|
| If I'm going light, I pack up an REI Flash 22 day bag ($50)
| with whatever. A Macbook Air fits in easily. Side pockets for
| Nalgenes. Ripstop. Light. I can't praise it highly enough.
|
| My daily driver is a Timbuk2 Messenger ($80) bag. I think
| equally highly of it. It is more rugged and so usually the Air
| lives here.
|
| Carryon policy is one bag plus one smaller, personal-type item.
| These two pass muster.
|
| If you must know, yes, I have an American Giant hoodie.
| drakonka wrote:
| I have traveled with checked in luggage three times in my life:
| once when moving to the other side of the world, another time
| when going on a trip from Greece and bringing back presents, and
| again when going on a two-week business trip on another continent
| (traveled there with carry-on only, came back with a couple of
| gifts checked in). Most of the time whether it's business or
| pleasure, I hate having more than one bag with me and just take
| carry-on.
| rooundio wrote:
| I am not associated with that company, but the nomatic (original)
| backpack completely transformed my travel experience to something
| hassle free - I got it years back right in the aftermath of their
| kickstarter campaign.
| dougmwne wrote:
| I'll offer up my one bag take that's very much against the
| mainstream of one bag aficionados. I love traveling light, but
| think the carefully curated list of expensive branded items are
| counterproductive. I'd much rather the bag and everything in it
| to be functional, ugly anonymous and replaceable. If the bag gets
| stolen, I should be able to walk into the nearest mall and
| replace everything that was in it without a second thought or
| single shed tear. And rather than plan for every eventuality, I
| would much rather buy a cheap thing on the spot and donate it as
| I am leaving if it can't carry it home.
| akeck wrote:
| Your approach seems a little like applying certain ultra-light
| hiking philosophies to one bag travel. E.g., Don't buy a fancy
| usb-powered travel toothbrush - buy a plain manual toothbrush
| and cut off the handle to save space and weight.
| dougmwne wrote:
| I admit, I did take some inspiration from the ultralight
| community. Setting off for an expedition with something on
| your back that would hardly make a good shopping bag is a
| pretty radical take and I think can be applied to other areas
| of life as well. Ultralighters are also famous for finding
| bits of paper from construction sites, a little aluminum from
| the garbage and breaking mom's sewing machine to create their
| life sustaining equipment. It's often a good antidote to
| consumerism and traditional minimalism.
| qwertygnu wrote:
| I check out OneBag stuff on the internet every so often.
| Sometimes I'll find good travelling tips or secondary uses for
| items. But so much of it is so wrapped in brands and buzzwords
| and precision it makes me laugh. It reminds me that even if I
| share some of the ideals with this community, I probably
| wouldn't travel well with a lot of them haha.
|
| I'm with you: the more replaceable and maneuverable the better.
| My focus is on freeing myself from as many logistic problems as
| possible while remaining tolerably comfortable. I've travelled
| with one bag in a few different countries, doing a few
| different kinds of things. Every trip I get a little better and
| carry a little less.
| polishdude20 wrote:
| I think things like this are very boring. Functional, frugal,
| practical, efficient but boring. Which is a good thing. But
| people like to romantecise over the most mundane things that
| it soon becomes a fad or a statement and a community. Soon,
| the sellers swoop in and turn it into a brand and a lifestyle
| to get you to buy the expensive stuff.
| uoaei wrote:
| Seeing this right now also in the "bikepacking"/"gravel"
| community. Sure, custom bike bags and nice performance wear
| are comfort-increasing costs, but very quickly things
| skyrocket away from functional/utilitarian toward things
| like brand fealty, collective hype, etc. If you drill down,
| you will usually not be able to justify an expensive part
| vs a cheaper alternative (esp. used!), except for things
| like electronic derailleurs, etc.
| et-al wrote:
| Remember when it was just called bike touring or bike
| camping?
| Thlom wrote:
| In the hiking community travelling light has become an
| obsession for some people. Some going as far as cutting
| their tooth brush in half just to shave of a few grams. I
| get spending a fortune on a lightweight tent and gas
| burner which can save you several kilograms in your
| backpack, but when you go down to shaving off 10g and
| less I think it has moved away from the practical over to
| a hobby in and of itself. Nothing wrong with that of
| course, just saying.
| ghaff wrote:
| I do have a fairly carefully curated pile of stuff I travel
| with. But it's mostly a variety of practical/comfortable
| synthetic or merino wool shirts, pants, a light rainjacket,
| compressible outerwear, etc. It's not replaceable except as a
| stopgap with some cheap stuff from the nearest mall. But it's
| not fancy brands. It's just stuff I'm comfortable wearing,
| looks good but not fancy, and I can wash it in a hotel sink.
| kemayo wrote:
| It does depend a bit on your needs. If you're only traveling
| for a few days, or you have convenient access to laundry, most
| of the hardcore one bag stuff is unnecessary.
|
| A _lot_ of the expense comes from working out clothes that fit
| multiple needs and can be reworn multiple times without getting
| disgusting.
|
| (I will say: a good bag is actually worth the money almost-
| regardless of how long your trip will be. Well designed straps
| and load arrangement make a _substantial_ difference in how
| your back and shoulders will feel after carrying it through a
| trip. Matters less if you 're doing 100% car travel, of
| course.)
| contingencies wrote:
| _I can get another if I break it, so a clay cup trumps a
| grail._ - Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, classical Urdu and
| Persian poet from the Mughal Empire
|
| ... via https://github.com/globalcitizen/taoup
| zeruch wrote:
| "I'd much rather the bag and everything in it to be functional,
| ugly anonymous and replaceable." I agree with all of this
| except 'ugly'
|
| I travel fairly light, and if Im down to one bag, its a durable
| Chrome "diplomat" messenger bag. It's a workhorse for me.
| Invictus0 wrote:
| Yeah, it's a ridiculous take because the specialized things you
| have in a nice onebag setup are not going to be easy to find in
| a random store. Just replacing the backpack itself is going to
| be a major issue if you are outside of the United States.
| dougmwne wrote:
| Exactly, which is what makes the mainstream approach very
| brittle and difficult to recover from failure. If even
| replacing the bag is a major project, then my vacation can
| easily be ruined. You say "nice onebag setup," I say "white
| elephant that wants me to spend my whole trip focused on it."
| sutterbomb wrote:
| planning everything around rare failures seems silly to me.
| If an expensive item has good value, adds utility over a
| less expensive option, and can still be functionally
| replaced in case of rare failure mode, i don't see any
| white elephant in that picture.
| dougmwne wrote:
| I take an iPhone and a laptop of course, but if you look
| at some of these one bag packing lists, they run into the
| thousands with every last sock being highly technical,
| boutique, and exorbitant.
| sutterbomb wrote:
| there's literally nothing brittle about a $15 dollar pair
| of merino socks though, which is the argument I was
| responding to. If you lose it you can still buy a cheap
| backup and still have socks, nobody is spending all their
| time and energy worrying about losing a pair of $15
| socks. Some things really do provide more value for a
| higher price, but everyone's utility curve is different
| for each item.
|
| Mostly though i think it comes down to the old joke
| "everyone who spends more than me is wasting their money
| on exorbitant whatever and everyone who spends less than
| me is a cheapskate."
| dougmwne wrote:
| Here's the top rated packing list on the One Bag
| subreddit, which is pretty representative of what the
| community likes.
|
| https://jeremymaluf.com/onebag/
|
| The list looks like the very definition of brittle to me.
| Every single item is from a different manufacturer,
| possibly rare, bespoke, or hard to find (a Japanese
| version of a highly technical jacket, underwear that even
| says it's hard to buy in the description). We're way
| beyond preferring wool socks here.
| Jtsummers wrote:
| I mean, if the objective would be to replace with exact
| 1-to-1 replacements, sure that's brittle. But someone
| listing "Levi's Jeans" may also be hard pressed to
| replace them with the exact brand when traveling in many
| countries (ignoring knockoffs and outside of major
| cities). If the objective were to replace the bag with
| good-enough locally available things, the listed items
| are all trivially substitutable for local items, outside
| the tech gear (which I'd consider a problem for anyone
| wanting to travel with expensive electronics regardless
| of their style, one bag or twenty bag).
| Jtsummers wrote:
| Other than contact lenses/glasses, I'm hard pressed to
| think of anything in my one bag setup that I couldn't
| replace easily should my bag be stolen or lost.
| Electronics (phone, usually the only thing I travel
| with), documents, and cash notwithstanding. Those would
| likely be on my person at all times so for them to be
| stolen would mean I'd have bigger problems than replacing
| my clothes and backpack (like having been mugged).
|
| The only reason my setup is worth more than $200 (maybe
| $300) total is because of my glasses and contact lenses.
| et-al wrote:
| I agree that packing lists often devolve to the Minimalist(tm)
| Shopping List.
|
| For me, packing light is about lack of hinderances. I carry two
| bags (!!!) because I find the organization to be easier, but I
| can still ride on the back of a hired scooter and walk 5-miles
| across town if needed. I'd rather just pack more underwear than
| spend time washing it in the bathroom sink.
| PaulHoule wrote:
| I live in a small town where the shopping sucks.
|
| If I am going to a big city I am inclined to leave with one
| bag but go shopping (I like socks and underwear from the Nike
| store) and fill up another bag to bring home.
| Hokusai wrote:
| > I'd much rather the bag and everything in it to be
| functional, ugly anonymous and replaceable. If the bag gets
| stolen, I should be able to walk into the nearest mall and
| replace everything that was in it without a second thought or
| single shed tear.
|
| I do that if it fits the purpose off the trip. I buy clothes
| during the trip if needed and that clothes are a nice memory of
| the trip when I wear them at home.
|
| But quite often, my trip stars as a business trip, so I have to
| carry my laptop, or I want to do photography and I want to
| carry my camera and other equipment. For that I need a
| reasonable bag.
| DoreenMichele wrote:
| Wisdom and making money are often somewhat at odds to each
| other.
|
| I am reminded of a TV show with two guests, one selling gadgets
| and the other a famous author. It was a disaster. The famous
| author kept saying "Why would anyone do that? You can just do
| blah instead and it's better for thus and such reasons."
|
| But you can't readily make money off of blurting "This is a
| better method for X that takes less time and hassle and doesn't
| involve selling a gadget."
| SuoDuanDao wrote:
| I'd be curious to see that... sounds amusing, even if
| unintentionally so.
| contingencies wrote:
| Like the Jack Ma and Elon Musk debate.
| [deleted]
| AlbertCory wrote:
| Laundry is one of the biggest hassles of travel, IMHO. Hotels
| charge extortionate prices to launder your clothes. Many cities
| don't have self-service laundromats, and even if they do, you
| don't feel like wasting two hours using one. I personally do not
| like washing things in my room, but if you do, there you go.
|
| What I've found, though, is that it's easy and cheap to get
| someone else to do it for you. In Sydney, I got a laundry place
| to do my clothes for AUS 15. In Chicago, a _lot_ of dry cleaning
| places will also do your laundry for you, at reasonable prices.
| That 's probably true in any city.
|
| Less obviously: in Rosh Pinna (Israel), there weren't any of
| either type of place, but my B&B had a cleaning staff person who
| took the clothes home with her and washed them, using whatever
| method she uses on her family's clothes.
| antman wrote:
| Easy to dry noniron clothes. Retractable zipline, 5lt mini dry
| bag for a washing machine and mini blowdrier for extreme
| situations. And for hair.
| Lio wrote:
| There's always the old pro-cyclists trick for washing kit.
|
| Back in the day these guys were always moving to a different
| hotel every night and had no real support from the teams,
| unlike know.
|
| They used to was their kit in a sink or in the shower and then
| roll the wet items in dry hotel towels. The towel pulls the
| water out remarkably well.
| ghaff wrote:
| >I personally do not like washing things in my room, but if you
| do, there you go.
|
| The trick is to carry the right clothing IMO. You're probably
| not going to wash jeans or a heavy cotton hoodie. But it's
| pretty easy with lightweight synthetics and wool.
|
| I have used wash and fold places on longer trips especially
| when I've been doing hiking in addition to business/cities. But
| you have to find one. Drop clothes off. Pick them back up.
| Which all takes time even if you don't have to hang around
| while they're being washed.
| kmonsen wrote:
| For me, sure the hotels overcharge a lot but it is so much less
| than the flight ticket there I usually just shrug. For longer
| stays I just buy some detergent locally and was in the bathtub,
| many hotels have a string you can dry clothes on.
|
| Also, when I am backpacking I am OK with wearing some dirty
| clothes. Never had an issue with it, these days dress code is
| pretty optional as long as you present yourself well and can
| pay.
| [deleted]
| smm11 wrote:
| I worked with a guy who was a bag junkie, he'd get a few new bags
| every month, and had bags to carry other bags. The bags carried
| bags, and he'd carry a bag.
|
| I have a nice size bag I usually use. If going away longer, I
| carry an extra one. I'm into some things. Bags is not one of
| those things.
| samschooler wrote:
| My current setup is a Cotopaxi Nazca 28L [0], which I think is
| the ultimate bag for traveling light. It comes in just over (by
| about half to 1 inch) most airlines' personal item size, but
| since it is soft, it can, if needed be pushed into their testers.
| I've never had this happen though of around ~100 flights over 12
| months of continuous travel. At this point, I don't pay for a
| carry on, and if I have to pay the $99 at a gate, its been worth
| it to not over the previous N flights.
|
| The bag is clam shell and on one side I have a single packing
| cube with all of my base and mid layers, then tech in the upper
| section of one side of the clam shell. The other side is my
| jacket + rain coat + quick dry towel + sleeping bag/sheets if I'm
| bringing that. If anyone is interested I can write a full packing
| list. But with this setup I've traveled. 3 x 4 month trips
| without issue in hot and cold climates in the same trip.
|
| [0]: https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/travel/travel-
| backpac...
| jwong_ wrote:
| Would love to see full list. Especially interested in how you
| can fit a jacket, towel, and sheets all together .
| BiteCode_dev wrote:
| I went the other route: I used to be minimalist, now I even bring
| my kettlebells, game pads and different pairs of shoes on my
| business trips.
|
| Even in the moutain, I now have a heavier bag. E.G: my latest
| knife is way bigger, sturdier and so weights a lot more, I also
| have a smaller one as a backup now.
|
| Being minimalist is not an end goal, it serves a purpose. E.G: to
| make your life simpler, easier, to help with focus, or to go
| green.
|
| But I feel like people are more and more travelling light for
| virtue signaling at this point. You cannot just travel light.
| Everybody must know you do.
| mabub24 wrote:
| Do you fly with kettlebells? Isn't that very expensive?
| BiteCode_dev wrote:
| No, for the plane, it's indeed too expensive and I'd rather
| then pay for a gym membership on arrival.
| [deleted]
| mncharity wrote:
| FWIW, I've used nested soft packable mostly-shoulder bags.
| Sometimes adding a semi-disposable interior cardboard half-shell,
| cut from a box, refolded, gaff taped, and edge mashed to transit
| size restrictions. So bag number and volume compress for transit,
| and reinflate at destination.
|
| I envisioned adding optional shoulder pads, backpack strapping,
| waist belt, and even packable strap-on wheels... but the need
| hasn't been pressing.
|
| I'd hoped instead to find a one true travel backpack, but the
| diversity of personal-item size restrictions, a brick of
| thinkpad, and a tech load tightening the volume budget, had me
| failing to find a bag which fit the constraint space, didn't
| regrettably narrow it, and leveraged opportunities (eg, with the
| laptop as pack frame, another would be excess - and it already
| barely fits flat as a United free personal item).
|
| Off topic, I just saw a baggage size checker in an unexpected
| place: a NYC public library local branch. Together with
| additional luggage-in-the-library restrictions. I assume it's
| targeted at homeless, but seemed potentially problematic for
| travelers seeking wifi. I use public transit even in places where
| it's very class segregated, and the line between digital nomad,
| and impoverished homeless with nice kit, can be though-
| provokingly narrow. With an associated need to easily alter class
| flags, depending on who's inclined to hassle you as being out of
| place.
| yosito wrote:
| Since 2018, I've been traveling with a 45L GoRuck GR3 and a small
| backpack for my laptop. I fly carry-on only (1 bag, plus
| "personal item") and manage to cram a lot of useful stuff in very
| small space, including a lot of stuff that many minimalists
| wouldn't carry.
|
| - Two laptops: A company MacBook Pro, plus a personal LG Gram
| with Pop_OS!
|
| - A Keychron K3 keyboard, Roost stand, Apple Magic Touchpad and
| USB/HDMI adapter so I can expand my mobile office just about
| anywhere
|
| - A 30,000 mAh backup battery with solar charger
|
| - A two person hammock
|
| - A collapsible backpack for day trips
|
| - A sleeping bag
|
| - A rain coat and fleece jacket, which combined with two merino
| wool shirts underneath makes a perfect winter coat, but each
| piece can also be used separately in warmer weather
|
| - A week's worth of clothing based on merino wool, 1 long sleeve
| shirt, 1 pair of jeans, 3 jean shorts, 7 running shorts, about 12
| short sleeve shirts for different occasions, 8 pairs of boxers
| and socks
|
| - Running shoes, leather shoes for nice occasions or cold
| weather, hiking sandals, flip flops
|
| - Elastic bands and a yoga mat for workouts
|
| - Assorted other things: toiletries, medicines, documents,
| cables, power adapters
|
| I'm probably forgetting a few things.
|
| Most days, I don't miss anything. The few things I miss
| occasionally are some toys I'd love to play with more: a guitar,
| a drone, windsurf equipment, a bike. Sometimes I rent these
| things, but they're a bit expensive to rent, so I don't do it
| often. I'm thinking about switching to a van lifestyle so I can
| carry more of those things, and also some kitchen supplies so I
| can have more control over my diet.
| istorical wrote:
| I haven't heard of this bag brand and I'm not a one-bag person,
| but just looking at their technology, the 1000 D. Cordura Nylon
| seems interesting, I wonder if anyone knows if it contains
| PFAS?
| antihero wrote:
| Can you get away with not using the yoga mat and just doing
| yoga on the ground? I love my yoga mat but if you are looking
| to stay minimal...I wonder if the original yogis used mats? :)
| yosito wrote:
| Yep, I could, but I'm not trying to be as minimal as
| possible, only to fit everything in carry on luggage, which
| I'm already able to do.
| thedonkeycometh wrote:
| gk1 wrote:
| Ultralight travel is the best. I was first inspired by this post
| from 2007: https://tim.blog/2007/07/11/how-to-travel-the-world-
| with-10-...
|
| ... In the 15 years since then I've gone all over the world with
| just an 25-liter backpack. The biggest benefit I enjoy was the
| freedom to move from place to place without being tied down to a
| hostel/hotel/town just because "my stuff is there."
|
| Oh and it's a lot easier to sprint through an airport to catch a
| flight when you have just a small backpack.
|
| For example here's my packing list for a trans-siberian rail
| journey (which I would've missed if I had to wheel a suitcase as
| I ran through the airport):
| https://www.gregkogan.com/journal/russia-trans-siberian-rail...
|
| An interesting side-benefit I've observed: When you return from
| an ultralight trip, you realize just how little stuff you need to
| be happy. All the crap in your closet feels more than enough, if
| not excessive. So you end up buying less step or even donating a
| bunch of your existing stuff, thus lightening your life overall.
| ngokevin wrote:
| More airport-related benefits:
|
| - Be able to sprint through an airport to be front of line for
| border patrol.
|
| - Not have to wait along with 100+ people at the baggage claim
| and just walk out to grab the first taxi.
|
| - Not have to wait at long and slow lines to check in luggage
|
| - Not having to worry about being first to board a plane and
| search for an overhead compartment
|
| - Not having to worry about lost luggage from the airline
|
| - Not having to worry about checked luggage if a flight gets
| delayed or cancelled
|
| - Save money on checked + carry-on baggage fees
|
| - Not tripping people when dragging your luggage behind you
|
| Also once went straight to an NYC airport to the Museum of
| Natural History and got in with my backpack. Useful to just
| have a backpack when it's too early to check in to your hotel,
| or for the time between your check-out and your flight to
| wander around.
| fouc wrote:
| Also you can walk out of the airport to the main road,
| avoiding the ripoff prices the airport taxis charge.
|
| Also you can hop on the back of a motorbike taxi if you're in
| a country that has those. Can be a huge time saver since
| motorbikes don't get caught by traffic as easily.
| robocat wrote:
| - If you travel light and appear low value, you can often
| also avoid the worst of the taxi touts and thieves at
| airports. It sometimes helps if you can speak a second
| language that isn't English.
|
| - Having a single small bag you can keep on yourself is
| critical if you wish to use buses in poor countries.
| antman wrote:
| Great list, i have all chargers can switched with a multi gan2,
| and some toiletries with mini soap/hair/shower bar.
| ddyment wrote:
| Interesting to see all the "It doesn't work for business
| travellers" comments. I'm now retired, but was a business
| traveller (read: million mile flyer) for over forty years, and it
| has always worked well for me.
|
| Also, there are MANY reasons (not just "less weight") to avoid
| wheeled bags ( https://www.onebag.com/wheeled-bags.html ).
| TylerE wrote:
| Very jealous of those who can manage this. Personally i have to
| have one smallish bag just for my medical stuff (CPAP, ergonomic
| pillow for my neck, bunch of meds, the wrist braces I sleep in so
| I don't wake up with numb hands....)
| steelframe wrote:
| I replaced my CPAP with a mouth guard that keeps my lower jaw
| forward to open my airway just for the purpose of not having to
| lug around a CPAP. Given how much CPAPs suck, I don't know why
| the mouth guard isn't the very first thing they try for people
| with airway obstruction.
| csdvrx wrote:
| Do you have a link? It'd make the most perfect gift for a
| friend!
| ubermonkey wrote:
| Yeah, it's inherently ableist.
| alibosworth wrote:
| An entertaining (if not extreme) take on this general topic is
| the "Vagrant Holiday" series of videos.
|
| I appreciate his dedication to ultra minimalist travelling
| without any of the hype that is usually involved. Nothing about
| expensive gear, just actually not needing much.
|
| https://youtube.com/c/VagrantHoliday
| KineticLensman wrote:
| I once did a three week trip to Africa that involved a light
| aircraft flight into the Okavango Delta in Botswana. We were
| allowed one small backpack and a small non-rigid holdall that
| they supplied prior to the trip. So okay, two bags, not one, but
| still a significant limit given that I wanted to do some serious
| big-lens wildlife photography. I managed quite well although I
| had one day of wet very feet when I flooded my only pair of
| boots. I also grew a beard so that I could leave shaving kit
| behind.
| reiichiroh wrote:
| Is the escort eVest still a thing?
| istorical wrote:
| I tried googling escort eVest and the first google search
| result was your comment :(
| 58x14 wrote:
| I bought a Goruck GR2 (40L capacity) in 2013 and cumulatively
| lived out of it for ~4 years. It's been with me up every mountain
| I've climbed, on 3 continents, on my back as I rode a motorcycle
| through a snowstorm. I've slept on it, swam with it, skied with
| it.
|
| After nearly 9 years, it's in perfect condition, and one of my
| most cherished possessions. I'm not one to anthropomorphize...
| but this one bag is my best friend. It has quite literally been
| with me through everything.
|
| Also, a good bag has got to be the most underrated item in any
| apocalyptic scenario. Travel and scavenging become the primary
| methods of survival - a strong, sizable bag allows you to
| securely store food, water, medicine, ammo, tools, printed and
| digital media. A zipper breaking as you flee from danger may make
| the difference in survival.
| adamrt wrote:
| I've had the GR2 34L since it was released (maybe 6-7 years
| ago) and I've traveled the world with it. I have the same
| affection for it that you have for yours. I can live out of it
| indefinitely as long as I'm not in extremely cold climates.
| Worn in and in perfect shape.
| samatman wrote:
| My GR1 26L has been an ideal travel companion, I was on the
| road with that, a rolling bag, and a shoulder suit duffle, for
| the better part of three years.
|
| On my third rolling bag and suit duffle, the GR1 is untouched.
| It has been hosed out a few times.
|
| This thing is coming with me if I lit out, and no mistake.
| ngokevin wrote:
| I've had a HMG 3400 SW and my wife a Gossamer Gear Mariposa for
| 6 years. We got it for backpacking 5+ days in US wilderness,
| but they act as our one-bags across Latam. We didn't have a
| "one bag" mindset, we always just pack light.
|
| They collapse down enough that they easily fit underneath the
| seat on a budget airline and look like a college kid's
| backpack. And they expand enough they we've done multiple 4-7
| day treks holding tents and sleeping bags (40L and 50+10L).
|
| And we roll up some smaller day bags inside for daily use.
| 0xbadcafebee wrote:
| > A zipper breaking as you flee from danger may make the
| difference in survival.
|
| In an apocalyptic scenario, zippers are way too annoying to fix
| and replace. Rip out your zippers and replace them with cordage
| through metal grommets, or with button flys. Army duffels use
| overlapping folds of material with metal grommets and one giant
| metal clasp. Roll-top bags just need rolling and can be tied
| closed with cord.
| kmonsen wrote:
| I have the 25L I use for everything for almost 5 years now.
| Still see no signs of wear and I do not treat that thing
| nicely.
|
| I am wondering for the 40L, can you bring it as carry on item
| on flights? For the 25L I can and it is usually large enough
| for me. A bit larger would be nice, but I usually just cut
| something I will not need anyway.
| adamrt wrote:
| The 34L that I have fits under a plane seat even if its
| packed full. I prefer it in overhead obviously, but for a
| short flight with packed overhead, it's nice to have the
| option.
| 58x14 wrote:
| Even packed to the gills, I've never had an issue on any
| domestic or international flight using it as a carry on. I
| can recall maybe one or two occasions where no overhead space
| was available and I needed to remove a few items from the
| fully loaded ruck to fit it beneath the seat, but those were
| situations were outliers.
| ghaff wrote:
| I usually use a 46 liter Osprey which is supposedly carry-on
| size, certainly seems it, and I've never had an issue. It's a
| bit easier to squeeze into tight overhead space if it's not
| too jam packed full.
| brewdad wrote:
| I use the same. I'm not sure it will technically fit into
| the baggage check thingy at the gate if it's packed full
| but I've never had to check it unless the overhead bins
| were already full or on a short hop flight with smaller
| overhead bins where most bags get gate checked.
| ngokevin wrote:
| I have 40L/50+10Ls that I can even fit underneath the seat
| Beefin wrote:
| I fly with my Osprey 40L pack, and it works ~when it fits in the
| overhead~ if it doesn't I'm Shit out of luck because checking a
| backpack SUCKS and completely defeats the purpose.
| fellowniusmonk wrote:
| I used to travel every week as a consultant. I did this for about
| 2 years.
|
| The goruck GR1 26L bag is easily the best one bag travel bag imo.
|
| I'm 6ft tall 200 pounds and I can fit a week and a half of
| clothes in the bag depending on the weather.
|
| After I left my consultant job I took a couple months and just
| traveled around Europe with it. Trains, planes, etc.
|
| The open flat design is critical for good packing.
|
| The bag still looks the same as when I bought it. I've had it and
| traveled with it extensively for ~5 years. It's a buy it for life
| product.
| ubermonkey wrote:
| I was super tempted by the GR bags a while back, but I
| ultimately couldn't get past the "tactical" look. Where I live,
| at least, tactical stuff signals a political leaning I don't
| share.
| et-al wrote:
| They make "slick" versions of their bags without the molle
| strips, but the 1000D or 500D fabric is overkill for most.
| The one external pocket can be hard to dig into if the bag is
| packed full.
| ghaff wrote:
| I'm a big fan of the Osprey 46 liter bag. Used to use the
| Patagonia MLC but I prefer the backpack-first design of the
| Osprey rather than tack on a couple of thin backpack straps
| approach of the MLC.
| fishtoaster wrote:
| One-bagging has its place, but it's not "all the time."
|
| I love to one-bag it whenever I expect to have multiple
| destinations and am traveling via transit, for example. Flying to
| Europe and taking trains between a few cities? Definitely! I have
| a Farpoint55 with a zip-off day pack so I can leave the main pack
| (with my clothes) in the hotel/airbnb/hostel/etc and carry my
| laptop with me in the day pack. I bring a minimal set of light,
| easy-to-wash, fast-drying clothes and pick everything in my pack
| with care.
|
| But plenty of trips don't fit this model. If I'm visiting my
| family or going to a conference, my luggage just goes car to
| airport, roll to the plane, roll back off the plane, car to
| destination. Then the same thing in reverse in a week. Weight
| barely matters - my luggage is rolling on smooth surfaces or
| sitting in a car's trunk the whole time. And there _is_ value to
| optionality in what I pack: several different kinds of clothes,
| chosen to be appropriate at different kinds of events (rather
| than being super travel-friendly). So I use a suitcase or two and
| it 's fine.
|
| Both models have their place - no need to be dogmatic about
| either!
| steelframe wrote:
| I did the "ultralight travel" thing with my partner in 2018 for a
| 3-week trip to England and Europe and a 2-week trip to Japan. In
| short: There were times we were really happy all we had were our
| backpacks, and there were times it would have been nice to have
| "that one thing, that one time," but it wasn't the end of the
| world. Given the fact that we were in Europe and Japan, it's not
| like we couldn't run to a corner store for anything we really,
| really needed.
|
| Both times I took the same 19-liter backpack. The primary thing
| that this did for me is it forced me to be very selective about
| exactly what it was I really needed to bring with me. I bought
| the latest and greatest cell phone with the best camera on the
| market, and I used the phone for all pictures, navigation, and
| all the great things modern phones do. All guides were in the
| form of audio files that I would play through my Bluetooth
| earbuds. I was able to pay for almost everything using my phone
| -- except the Tokyo subway. (Seriously, Japan, let's get with the
| times).
|
| The cell phone pictures turned out just fine. Sure they weren't
| emaculate works of visual art you might get from a dedicated $1k
| camera with interchangeable lens and what not, but they were more
| than adequate, and it was really easy to just whip out the phone
| and snap a picture no matter where we were or what we were doing.
| That ended up getting us some really ad-hoc pictures that added a
| ton of character to our trip album. Look back on the pictures
| now, I really have no regrets about that, and I still wouldn't
| add a separate camera to my (very parsimonious) list of things to
| stuff in the backpack.
|
| For each trip I had 5 pairs of undies, 4 pairs of Merino wool
| socks, 3 Merino wool tshirts, 2 pairs of board shorts, 1 pair of
| pants, and 1 pair of shoes. I brought a few ounces of liquid
| detergent, which at one point put me in a ridiculous position
| where I was washing my clothes in the sink of a ritzy downtown
| hotel in Paris. I had a combo battery/USB Anker charger that
| works on 120v and 240v circuits with some plug adapters. Worked
| fine everywhere in England, Europe, and Japan. No laptop -- the
| phone can run a terminal app just fine if I really needed to SSH
| home for whatever reason. And I'm not going to be wanting to bang
| out novels or anything while I'm traveling. (I did buy a Logitech
| Bluetooth keyboard ahead of time just in case, but I ended up
| deciding it wasn't worth the weight and space). Google Fi for the
| carrier, which worked great and was cheap. A synthetic down
| jacket and GoreTex shell took care of variations in weather, and
| they both compressed down to fit in one of the zipper pockets.
| Carabiner clips ended up being pretty useful once in a while.
| Bought an umbrella from a corner store in whatever city I was at
| if I felt I needed one.
|
| Both going there and back I'd get flagged for a manual bag
| inspection at the airport. I guess traveling overseas with no
| checked luggage is a security flag? The worker would open the
| zipper, see the top part of a compressed mass of clothes, shrug,
| and then close it up again. I didn't care about the "boarding
| crunch" to try to jocky for overhead space. The backpack easily
| slid under the seat in front of me with plenty of foot-room too,
| although I'd just pull the backpack out after liftoff.
|
| While the backpack had only 19 liters of volume, it was pretty
| dense, and so carrying it around for more than an hour or so
| would start to get tiring. The padded waist clip helped, but
| occasionally there were times I wouldn't have complained if I
| could set it on the ground and wheel it for a while. But then
| there were times in train stations when we would zip around
| tourists heaving several huge suitcases around and jockying for
| space to put them on the cars. When we stopped places on the way
| to the hotel we never had to stress out about leaving our stuff
| in rental cars to get stolen. Just grab the backpacks and wear
| them to wherever we were going. Most of the time, we would unload
| all the extra clothes at the hotel room and head out with mostly-
| empty backpacks at our destinations.
|
| One time we decided spur-of-the-moment to watch a play in London,
| and the only shoes I had were my black sneakers. I had a button-
| up synthetic shirt (rayon and cotton I think) and a dark pair of
| pants, so I mostly "fit in," as long as you didn't look to
| closely at my feet. But at the end of the day, I didn't really
| care that much, and I wouldn't have tried to haul around multiple
| pairs of shoes just on the off-chance I'd want to go to the
| theatre and be "completely" dressed up.
|
| In short, I'm hooked on the 19-liter backpack way of traveling.
| The space and weight scarcity really forces you to be thoughtful
| about exactly what you really need to take with you, and you can
| focus on the experience rather than stress out about all your
| stuff. (I'm sure there's a broader analogy that can apply to all
| of life here.)
| welder wrote:
| My favorite travel hack: Wool shirts and wool socks. They need
| washing less often so you pack less clothing.
|
| And, showering with hand-sanitizer on arm pits.
|
| https://www.woolly.clothing/collections/190-gsm-shirts/produ...
|
| https://unboundmerino.com/collections/socks
|
| https://www.smartertravel.com/unbound-merino-womens-v-neck-r...
| ngokevin wrote:
| Or synthetic/wicking shirts. Packs extremely small and dries
| very quickly.
| R0b0t1 wrote:
| I have to vote synthetics on this one due to price. There are
| some lower cost mass produced shirts claiming to be >80%
| wool, but the rest of that is probably synthetic.
| ghaff wrote:
| Synthetics are also more durable. I really like merino wool
| and I keep my eye out for a good sale but I generally won't
| pay list price.
| welder wrote:
| Synthetics are the worst on airplane and they smell quickly.
| Yea they dry fast but you have to wash them daily.
| ngokevin wrote:
| Hm, I never had them become smelly. Depends on the fabric
| and body and climate, I guess.
| larrywright wrote:
| They're also just generally more comfortable. Wool insulates
| even when it's wet, so if your feet sweat (or you step in a
| puddle) you don't get that awful clammy/moist feeling in your
| shoes. Wool socks come in varying weights so they won't be too
| warm if you choose the right ones. I traveled to India for a
| week long business trip where the temps were regularly over 100
| F and wore thin wool dress socks the whole week. I was never
| uncomfortable and they never smelled (took several pairs and
| washed them several times in the hotel sink over the course of
| the week).
| ngokevin wrote:
| Darn Tough socks are the way.
| ramses0 wrote:
| Combo with silk sock liners. Change (and wash) the liners every
| day. They dry almost instantly in a bit of sun, and you can
| wash your wool socks less frequently (thicker wool socks take
| longer to dry).
|
| Minimally: https://www.amazon.com/Fruit-Loom-Invisible-
| Breathable-Liner... (gets the sweaty bottom of the feet)
|
| Taller: https://www.amazon.com/Pairs-Ultra-Dress-Business-
| Trouser/dp... (covers calf, etc.)
| ghaff wrote:
| With most of my travel being more casual these days, I just
| carry one Wool and Prince button down collared shirt in
| addition to a few synthetic and wool pullovers in a couple
| different weights and, in warmer weather, synthetic polo
| shirts.
| Jtsummers wrote:
| They also dry very quickly when you do wash them. Very
| convenient for hotel/hostel sink laundry days. My first longer-
| than-a-weekend trip was 2 weeks and I took cotton undershirts
| (mistakes were made). Since they tend to pick up odor quickly
| (at least the way I sweat) I had several days worth and they
| took a while to dry. Switching to wool shirts, I could pack 3
| and do laundry once on the trip and no one would notice, and
| the faster drying time meant that if I _did_ have a
| particularly sweaty and malodorous day, I could quickly wash
| that shirt and it would be dry in a couple hours.
| ncpa-cpl wrote:
| Sometimes I travel with carry on and other times with checked
| luggage.
|
| The part of travelling with one bag that I don't like is
| having to do laundry more often.
|
| Like, I gain 30 minutes by not waiting for luggage at the
| airport, but sometimes that offset by the time spent doing
| laundry.
| Jtsummers wrote:
| That's reasonable, but I've found that switching out my
| cotton (entirely) and synthetics (mostly) for wool (lasts
| longer without odor than both, dries faster than cotton)
| lets me pack 2 pairs of pants, 2 shirts, 3 pairs of socks,
| and enough underwear to last a week if my goal is to do
| laundry only once a week, and even then I could go longer
| if I absolutely needed to without doing a wash of
| everything. Underwear and socks wash easily in a sink and
| dry quickly, so I can get by with 1-2 pairs of packed socks
| and 2-4 pairs of packed underwear with only 5-10 minutes of
| time spent in the evening washing things every 2-3 days,
| and a bigger wash once a week for shirts and pants. All of
| that comfortably fits into most backpacks, I only take a
| larger backpack because I often pack a camera.
|
| I would be annoyed if it took me an hour or more at a
| laundromat every few days, but I haven't experienced that
| since my clothes dry fast enough, I can just spend 30
| minutes or so once a week in the hotel room (morning or
| evening, I don't normally sleep in when traveling so I have
| time to kill when I wake up). Admittedly, I don't travel to
| hot and humid climates, that would change things
| (especially the way I sweat).
| ChrisMarshallNY wrote:
| One of the most impressive folks I ever knew with this, was a
| Japanese manager, at the company I used to work for.
|
| This guy had been _everywhere_. If you mentioned a country or
| city, odds are, he could tell you a good bar, there.
|
| He would go on these marathon business trips, lasting weeks or
| months.
|
| He always took just one bag: A fairly big Zero Halliburton carry-
| on.
|
| Once he got promoted to a VP, though, he had to start wearing
| suits, so he had to add a suit bag.
| Copernicron wrote:
| I haven't done much one bag travel myself, just a couple weekend
| or five day long trips, but one important thing is that it's a
| whole lot easier when you're not obese. I've lost nearly 200 lbs
| and it has become so much easier to fit everything into a single
| bag because my clothes are just so much smaller. The bag weighs
| less too. Or I can fit an extra camera lens in there since that's
| the primary reason I travel these days. A lot of the one bag
| travel advice I've encountered assumes that you're in relatively
| good shape.
| samschooler wrote:
| Reddit has an active community of Onebaggers.
| https://reddit.com/r/onebag. They have often great advice,
| although admittedly expensive taste.
| qnsi wrote:
| I guess this subreddit's wiki gives a good overview of what
| onebagging is:
|
| Anyone can one-bag travel, whether with expensive gear or their
| everyday kit. The secret: pack light, don't pack your fears,
| take only what you need for about a week, and do laundry along
| the way. Plan the laundry into your trip. For some people this
| means booking an airbnb with a washer, and for others it could
| mean only bringing quick-drying clothing to make sink washing
| easier, and for some it might mean washing clothes in the
| shower. Once your clothing is down to a week's worth, pare down
| your toiletries and your electronics to only what you
| absolutely need to take with you. Now everything you're
| bringing should fit in a backpack or a small duffle/suitcase.
| If it doesn't, pare everything down again. A good goal is to
| shoot for a 25L-35L bag.
|
| Onebagging is a trade-off between the convenience of living
| like you do everyday, and the convenience of being mobile,
| traveling light, and fully experiencing the environment you are
| traveling in. A big saving is often electronics: do you really
| need huge headphones, that gaming device, or even a laptop?
| Remember, people almost certainly live wherever you're
| traveling to. If you absolutely need something, it'll be
| available when you get there. You may even have an adventure
| getting it!
| ghaff wrote:
| That's a good summary.
|
| I do carry a second small bag but that's in part because I
| want the bag anyway for walking around once I arrive at my
| destination. So why not compartmentalize?
|
| I also don't pare my electronics and just in case stuff to
| the absolute minimum but that's partly because I like to have
| standard "grab kits" that I can just grab and throw in my bag
| most of the time. (With some exceptions, e.g. plug converters
| which I don't carry everywhere.) But it's all mostly small
| repair, medical, and other stuff that has been useful from
| time to time. I periodically revisit as otherwise it grows
| over time.
|
| Fully agree on the large headphones. Never got the over the
| ear Bose noice canceling for that reason. I do mostly travel
| with a laptop. Never been able to get into working on a
| tablet. But I do have a strict rule of no more than one
| laptop-type device and one tablet-like device (iPad or
| Kindle).
| tristor wrote:
| I don't think you need to buy expensive brands (although I have
| some) to successfully one bag travel. My progression when I
| started out to now was just a succession of YAGNI realizations
| until I got to a point where my trusty Z28 backpack is spacious.
|
| The biggest factor IMO is becoming confident and comfortable with
| skirting some social norms and either planning your trips or
| establishing yourself in such a way that it is acceptable to do
| so. Once that's out of the way it's fairly easy to make 3 outfits
| mix-match into a week, and launder as needed on the way. Clothes
| are the bulkiest items and everything else is tiny by comparison.
| technoplato wrote:
| I thought this site was going to be about photons. Not
| disappointed
| twomoonsbysurf wrote:
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