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OneBag: The Art and Science of Travelling Light

onebag.com

131–140 of 213 posts

Re: OneBag: The Art and Science of Travelling Light

#131
post #33

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...

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.…

Darn Tough socks are the way.

Re: OneBag: The Art and Science of Travelling Light

#132

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…

> 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 tr…

There are expandable backpacks that are business looking when compressed.

Re: OneBag: The Art and Science of Travelling Light

#133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

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.

Re: OneBag: The Art and Science of Travelling Light

#134

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.

It's good for the immune system.

Re: OneBag: The Art and Science of Travelling Light

#135
post #97
post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

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.

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.

Re: OneBag: The Art and Science of Travelling Light

#136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

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.

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.

Re: OneBag: The Art and Science of Travelling Light

#138

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…

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.)

Re: OneBag: The Art and Science of Travelling Light

#139
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.

Re: OneBag: The Art and Science of Travelling Light

#140

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 focu…

Do you fly with kettlebells? Isn't that very expensive?
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