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OneBag: The Art and Science of Travelling Light

onebag.com

121–130 of 213 posts

Re: OneBag: The Art and Science of Travelling Light

#121
post #71

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…

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.

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

Re: OneBag: The Art and Science of Travelling Light

#123

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…

Would love to see full list. Especially interested in how you can fit a jacket, towel, and sheets all together .

Re: OneBag: The Art and Science of Travelling Light

#124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

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.”

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.

Re: OneBag: The Art and Science of Travelling Light

#125
post #29

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 s…

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.

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.

Re: OneBag: The Art and Science of Travelling Light

#126
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 behavi…

I’ll second this. Packing with a checklist means I pack less and have way less anxiety. Highly recommended.

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.

Re: OneBag: The Art and Science of Travelling Light

#127
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.

Re: OneBag: The Art and Science of Travelling Light

#128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

> 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 advo…

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.

Re: OneBag: The Art and Science of Travelling Light

#129

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, i…

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.

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