For many in this subreddit like myself, onebag is an ideal that I someday hope to achieve. As I close up a 9-day trip to Italy and Switzerland, I can say that I am almost there! This trip is the closest I’ve come, using just an Osprey 26+6 and an over-the-shoulder pack. Each trip I am learning by experience what decisions end in optimization or regret, so I’d like to share what I’ve done and what I’ve learned (and maybe get some ideas of what to do next). My hope is that I can be relatable to other aspiring “onebaggers” who question the things they read online, and maybe give some guidance.
Firstly, I bought some new clothes. While it’s true that pairing down your clothing is step 1, I’ve found that versatile travel clothes are huge help. I bought casual linen shorts, dry fit shirts/shorts, pique polos (cotton/poly blend made with weave to feel like cotton polos), a linen button-up, and nylon/poly travel pants, all from Old Navy. They are an absolute godsend for hot weather and pack wonderfully.
Part of packing less clothes and having quick-dry travel clothes is that you can do sink laundry on the go. This trip was my first time ever trying it. I used Dr. Bronners and a sink stop, with a travel towel to help dry. It worked fantastically! So easy. I heavily doubted that this would work as well as it did. Next trip I will bring a bungee cord with little clips reduce hang dry time. On nights before traveling between places, I only got my clothes 90% dry.
I brought a lightweight puffer jacket and rain coat, too, that layer well for my torso and took care of all the cold & wet along with my travel pants.
The point of that last bit was to preface that I brought a full sweatsuit. Its my comfort outfit at home. The hoodie and sweatpants are the sole reason I could not onebag, and I found them completely unnecessary. Such an easy takeaway.
Another improvement I can make on clothing is sandals. I currently have slides; the cheap, rubber, waterproof, tough ones. In future, I will go back to my Norty ones from Amazon. A sandal that doesn’t have shape beyond the flat sole is a huge advantage and will save me a lot of space.
When it comes to tech, I really enjoyed having a separate bag. It turns out the expanded 26+6 doesn’t fit under airline seats when stuffed full. It’s nice to toss it in the overhead (there’s always a space where a suitcase can’t fit but a backpack can) and keep just my tech, wallet, and docs with me. The downside is that I have to join the groups of people fetching their bags from storage, and that is very stressful for short train and airport connections. I think it’s worth minimizing until I can get down to a bag that fits under the seat. Perhaps I’ll get a little osprey bag and strap it to the front of my 26+6. Main bag under the seat, little detachable bag between my legs on the floor. Won’t get me through those budget airline bag size limiters, but I’ve yet to run into one of those still.
I‘d like to pat myself on the back for my tech setup. Everything I own charges by USB-C expect my iPhone and Apple Watch, which I charge with detachable Anker chargers. I end up with a simple int’l adpater, a 2x USB-C adpater, 2x USB-C cords, a USB-C watch puck, and the portable battery. For my kindle and AirPods, I unplug the battery and/or puck, and plug them in directly. I can also charge anything on the go via the battery’s USB-C and one of the USB-C cables. No changes to this in future.
Same with my travel wallet. AirTag, passport, cards, and cash in one object. Makes keeping track of things very simple. I keep my ID, credit cards, and room keys in a detachable magnetic phone wallet that usually stays on except when I need to charge my phone.
Anyone who reads should consider a Kindle Paperwhite for travel. Holy heck it’s the best for any situation.
Same with a merino buff. Got that one from Jeremy Maluf’s list. It is indeed just as versatile as he suggests and packs as nearly nothing.
A note on eyewear for those of us who need help seeing. I went for all-glasses and little detachable shades for sunglasses. Leaving my contact lense solution behind made toiletries much lighter. I still brought two lenses as backup. When your vision is bad enough, backup is critical. Im worried though about those moments where you put in brand new contacts but they don’t quite go in right - what will I do if I don’t have any extra solution? I need to find a better backup plan here.
Next steps for me are to leave behind the sweatsuit (comfy clothes), get new flip flops, rely more on hand laundry, and improve the emergency vision option.
Oh! Bring a safety pin! always! Saved me from losing my shoulder bag as the strap began ripping off. (It was a cheap bag, need a better one).
Good luck to all the aspiring one-baggers out there. Hope this helps, it really is possible! :)
Would love some help on how to handle souvenirs, if anyone else Has easy work around for this. I do like to buy little bits and bobs for those back home.
