Planning to try a minimalist overnight kit in a Pilot...

[PaulT00]

I haven't actually done this for real yet, but I've done a quick test pack this afternoon and it looks doable...

Pre COVID, I often did overnights in London for work, sometimes as many as 4-5 days in a row but more usually just a single night. This was usually packed in my A30, or for more than a couple of nights in one stretch I'd upgrade to my original 45-litre Aeronaut.

Post COVID, and having sharpened up my style a bit, I've been using my Tri-Star - which is fractionally larger in capacity (32 litres as against 30 for the A30). Things are complicated slightly by two issues:

* I tend to overpack - e.g. for one night I'll take two changes of clothing in case I get stuck (which has happened in the past) or get asked to extend the visit by an extra day (which has also happened more than once). But I'm also a bit of a "just in case" packer, and often carry stuff which I might need but which actually doesn't get used. In my defence, I do need multiple pairs of spectacles (myopia+astigmatism+presbyopia=a blasted nuisance), multiple chargers for bits of kit, etc.

* because of Reasons, I usually need to carry two laptops - my personal 13" MacBook pro, and a work Lenovo. Until very recently the latter was a P15s (aka "the boat anchor") but because of Reasons it's now been swapped out for a T14 which is a very similar size to the MacBook.

When the T14 was ready I made the silly mistake of putting it in the Tri-Star and carrying it home alongside the MacBook Pro and the P15s (the latter because I needed to test the T14 in my home office setup...) - and nearly put my back out with the extra weight. The Tri-Star, like the Aeronauts, appears to include a pocket black hole and a dimensional stabiliser subsystem such that there's always room for one more thing... however inadvisably heavy that might make the bag!

So.
This afternoon I did an approximate test pack of my Nordic/Solar Pilot - 13 litres, to save people checking the specs! - with the following:

main pocket
macbook pro in cache
lenovo T14 (naked)
zest PCSB in packing cube mode, with 2 x underwear, 2 x pair socks, 2 x undershirts

front left
my old cardinal ballistic TB Kit (remember those?), with toothbrush, toothpaste, shower gel, deodorant, enough medications for 2 days (plus spares) in a little tower of Muji pill boxes
small grass Ghost Whale, with spectacle wipes, GTN spray, painkiller tablets, band-aids, toothpicks, a couple of q-tips...
mini coyote Q-kit full of tea-bags

front right
small black nylon case from Muji with contact lenses and spare hearing instrument batteries (at the bottom)
azure cubelet, condensing the vital bits from my electronics and chargers kit (MacBook pro charger brick, lightning cable, USB-C cable, multi charger for my mini power bank, lightweight HDMI cable, Apple digital AV adaptor (HDMI, USB-A, USB-C) )
intermediate (office) spectacles - Lindberg 6508, in a flat case which came with some Moleskine spectacle frames (tucked into the organisation slot at the back of the pocket)
case for main spectacles - Lindberg Thintanium 5504, which have a folding case which is very small and triangular in section
slim metal spectacle case containing 3 fountain pens (because!) tucked into the organisation slot next to the intermediate specs case.

centre front
Coloral stainless steel insulated bottle.

This would all assume that I'm going to wear the same outfit, mostly, two days running - which isn't really a problem; at a pinch I could probably squeeze another fine merino rollneck into the packing cube, to swap out with the merino rollneck I wore on day 1. There are a couple of bits which will have to go in the back pocket of the Pilot (the one with the zipped passthrough) such as my AirPods Pro, the small storage case for my hearing instruments, my office pass and Oyster card. But that probably isn't a major issue.

Going from 30 or 32 litres down to 13, especially when carrying two laptops, seems like a major stretch but I feel it may focus my mind a little on what is essential and what... isn't. Even doing a standard overnight with the Tri-Star I found it heavy going last week, I'm still working my way back to "match fitness" for London. Maybe the solution to packing light is just not to have the room to overpack? Plus, the Halcyon Pilot is something like a third of the weight of the ballistic Tri-Star (475g vs 1525g) which is a hefty saving on its own.

I'll footle with this setup a bit more, I have another overnight in London scheduled for 26th-27th October and I think I'm going to give this a go... if it all goes horribly wrong it's not like I'll be stuck in the middle of a wasteland, miles from civilisation!

[G42]

PaulT00 - Thanks for another interesting packing post - I do so love your writing style and humor!

If you end up using the Pilot and have the time, please post some pics.
and oooooh, for the Cardinal Kit! I have one in Kiwi and think it's a great little accessory.

[Cristina]

PaulT00 I really enjoyed this post. I have had similar feelings related to over-packing and also in trying to get back to a ‘match fitness’ level of packing.

I am eager to hear how it goes with this lighter setup, particularly because I miss quick overnighters in a city. If only I had the packing skills (and bags!) I have now, but the traveling opportunities of my early 20s…

I am pretty sure either bchaplin or BWeaves has done one or two nights in a Pilot, and I apologise to both for not remembering better!

[bchaplin]

PaulT00
I am pretty sure either bchaplin or BWeaves has done one or two nights in a Pilot, and I apologise to both for not remembering better!

I'm not sure! I still have the Pilot, but it's actually been a while since I used it. These days I'd probably end up using the Paragon or another backpack.

[Cristina]

It must have been BWeaves then. I’m sure I remember a story where she next to a man on a plane who made a comment about waiting a long time for the checked bags to come out, and he did not believe her when she pointed to the Pilot and said that was her only bag for the trip.

I'm not sure! I still have the Pilot, but it's actually been a while since I used it. These days I'd probably end up using the Paragon or another backpack.

[moriond]

I haven't actually done this for real yet, but I've done a quick test pack this afternoon and it looks doable...

Pre COVID, I often did overnights in London for work, sometimes as many as 4-5 days in a row but more usually just a single night. This was usually packed in my A30, or for more than a couple of nights in one stretch I'd upgrade to my original 45-litre Aeronaut.

Post COVID, and having sharpened up my style a bit, I've been using my Tri-Star - which is fractionally larger in capacity (32 litres as against 30 for the A30). Things are complicated slightly by two issues:

* I tend to overpack - e.g. for one night I'll take two changes of clothing in case I get stuck (which has happened in the past) or get asked to extend the visit by an extra day (which has also happened more than once). But I'm also a bit of a "just in case" packer, and often carry stuff which I might need but which actually doesn't get used. In my defence, I do need multiple pairs of spectacles (myopia+astigmatism+presbyopia=a blasted nuisance), multiple chargers for bits of kit, etc.

* because of Reasons, I usually need to carry two laptops - my personal 13" MacBook pro, and a work Lenovo. Until very recently the latter was a P15s (aka "the boat anchor") but because of Reasons it's now been swapped out for a T14 which is a very similar size to the MacBook.

When the T14 was ready I made the silly mistake of putting it in the Tri-Star and carrying it home alongside the MacBook Pro and the P15s (the latter because I needed to test the T14 in my home office setup...) - and nearly put my back out with the extra weight. The Tri-Star, like the Aeronauts, appears to include a pocket black hole and a dimensional stabiliser subsystem such that there's always room for one more thing... however inadvisably heavy that might make the bag!

So.
This afternoon I did an approximate test pack of my Nordic/Solar Pilot - 13 litres, to save people checking the specs! - with the following:

main pocket
macbook pro in cache
lenovo T14 (naked)
zest PCSB in packing cube mode, with 2 x underwear, 2 x pair socks, 2 x undershirts

front left
my old cardinal ballistic TB Kit (remember those?), with toothbrush, toothpaste, shower gel, deodorant, enough medications for 2 days (plus spares) in a little tower of Muji pill boxes
small grass Ghost Whale, with spectacle wipes, GTN spray, painkiller tablets, band-aids, toothpicks, a couple of q-tips...
mini coyote Q-kit full of tea-bags

front right
small black nylon case from Muji with contact lenses and spare hearing instrument batteries (at the bottom)
azure cubelet, condensing the vital bits from my electronics and chargers kit (MacBook pro charger brick, lightning cable, USB-C cable, multi charger for my mini power bank, lightweight HDMI cable, Apple digital AV adaptor (HDMI, USB-A, USB-C) )
intermediate (office) spectacles - Lindberg 6508, in a flat case which came with some Moleskine spectacle frames (tucked into the organisation slot at the back of the pocket)
case for main spectacles - Lindberg Thintanium 5504, which have a folding case which is very small and triangular in section
slim metal spectacle case containing 3 fountain pens (because!) tucked into the organisation slot next to the intermediate specs case.

centre front
Coloral stainless steel insulated bottle.

This would all assume that I'm going to wear the same outfit, mostly, two days running - which isn't really a problem; at a pinch I could probably squeeze another fine merino rollneck into the packing cube, to swap out with the merino rollneck I wore on day 1. There are a couple of bits which will have to go in the back pocket of the Pilot (the one with the zipped passthrough) such as my AirPods Pro, the small storage case for my hearing instruments, my office pass and Oyster card. But that probably isn't a major issue.

Going from 30 or 32 litres down to 13, especially when carrying two laptops, seems like a major stretch but I feel it may focus my mind a little on what is essential and what... isn't. Even doing a standard overnight with the Tri-Star I found it heavy going last week, I'm still working my way back to "match fitness" for London. Maybe the solution to packing light is just not to have the room to overpack? Plus, the Halcyon Pilot is something like a third of the weight of the ballistic Tri-Star (475g vs 1525g) which is a hefty saving on its own.

I'll footle with this setup a bit more, I have another overnight in London scheduled for 26th-27th October and I think I'm going to give this a go... if it all goes horribly wrong it's not like I'll be stuck in the middle of a wasteland, miles from civilisation!

PaulT00 - Thanks for another interesting packing post - I do so love your writing style and humor!

If you end up using the Pilot and have the time, please post some pics.
and oooooh, for the Cardinal Kit! I have one in Kiwi and think it's a great little accessory.

For a "those were the days" glimpse, I'll point you to the 10-01-2014 thread started by GoStanford titled Getting a Tom Bihn fix. In this thread she bemoaned the fact that she couldn't identify most of the names of the colors that she saw.

I uploaded a copy of a picture that Darcy posted on Ravelry back in 2011:


You'll notice that the color swatches are grouped (from left to right) as 1000d Cordura, 1050d Ballistic Nylon, 500d Cordura, and 200d Halcyon (then referred to as Dyneema). Cardinal is the Ballistic Nylon color 2nd from the top in the second column from the left. It follows Black and precedes Forest (labeled as Conifer), Navy, Steel, and Kiwi. (Formally, Crimson was no longer available by then as a Ballistic Nylon color, though they managed a final run of bags that they had with left over Crimson). The 500d Cordura fabrics were used as linings or for the outside of the Brain Cells or Snake Charmers at that time. If they had Crimson cordura still up, you would be able to see that the 500d Crimson Cordura was different from the darker Crimson Red Cordura that had been used for the outside of Cafe Bags. The Dyneema (200d Halcyon) colors were Steel, Iberian, Ultraviolet, Solar, and Sapphire. (Wasabi Dyneema didn't get introduced until after Solar was retired for the first time).

The picture was supposed to be offered as proof to all the Ravelry users who had seen Janine 's Sapphire Yarn Stuff Sack, and were clamoring for Sapphire, because the label on Sapphire marked it as "discontinued"

HTH

moriond

ETA: This is a picture of the Kit in Cardinal:

It was uploaded to the Blues and reds in organizer pouches threadfrom08-22-2014

[Cooner]

Sounds like you're cookin' with gas on the minimalistic packing! I got on the minimalist bandwagon in 2017 while planning our trip to Japan … two weeks living out of an eBags Weekender Jr. backpack (about 40L) with a smaller day backpack tucked inside. Since then I've only been honing my packing craft and I'm happy to say the A30 has fit my packing style perfectly for up to a week-long trip easily*, or almost indefinitely given some laundry time and a few extra medication holders.

I'm sure everyone's experience and preference is different, but I've definitely learned that overpacking usually involves a lot of "just in case" carrying of non-essentials, and if you take a good hard look it often turns out that a lot of that stuff you're lugging around you either never use on the road or could have gotten by without using it. Best wishes on your test trip and hope it goes well for you! Let us know how it goes!

*—I love the A30 but one of these days I'd love to see if I could manage a shorter trip with just my CoPilot or Luminary 15. I almost tried the Luminary 15 last month for a 2-day trip to Atlanta (arrived Friday afternoon, left Sunday late morning), but I chickened out and went with a very underpacked A30 because I had to bring along some wedding clothes and didn't want to be an embarrassment to the boyfriend's family if something went awry.

[PaulT00]

Well, I did it! And (so far, touch wood) it seems to be working pretty well.

One night (plus enough essentials for a second night if required), with two laptops, in a Nordic/Solar Dyneema/Halcyon Pilot. This is an "unpacking at the hotel" sequence because I forgot to take pictures as I was loading it.

The full bag - it's full, and quite plump, but the zips still close easily and there's nothing in imminent danger of breaking out.




Partially unloaded:



And with a couple of the pouches unloaded too so you can see what was in there:



Final pic, from top left:

* 13" Intel Macbook Pro (2020) in its cache
* Lenovo T14 work laptop
* TB Zest Halcyon Travel Tray (which folded flat in the outside back pocket of the Pilot), containing a pair of vintage Persol sunglasses in an Oakley microfibre pouch (which sat on top of the laptops and Packing Cube Shoulder Bag in the main compartment of the Pilot
* stainless steel Coloral insulated bottle - full of Oat Milk! (went in the water bottle pocket)
* TB Zest Stuff Sack (size 3 or 4, not sure which - folded flat in the outside back pocket with theTravel Tray)
* Muji foam bottle full of diluted L'Occitane Lemon Verbena shower gel; Muji stacking pots with several days' supply of medications and vitamins; Pit Rok deodorant spray; toothpaste and toothbrush
* Grass Ghost Whale with GTN spray, spectacle wipes, band-aids, painkillers
* Cardinal TB Kit, which held the Ghost Whale, shower gel, meds, deodorant and dental kit
* 2 pair socks, 2 pair underwear, 2 undershirts (one black, one white)
* cream/ecru Uniqlo merino rollneck to wear tomorrow (swapping out with the wine red Johnstons of Elgin rollneck I wore today)
* Nordic/Solar Dyneema/Halcyon Pilot, Zest Packing Cube Shoulder Bag (in packing cube mode, held all the clothing and went in the main compartment of the Pilot in front of the two laptops)
* Cubelet full of charger and cables for the MacBook
* little black case for my hearing instruments; flat case for my Lindberg "office" specs, metal spectacle case with 3 fountain pens, triangular folding case for my Lindberg varifocals. All of which went into one front pocket.

Not shown (because I'd already taken them out before remembering to take the pics!): little black Muji pouch with contact lenses, which went into the bottom of the front right pocket (as you look at the front of the Pilot) with the Kit on top, and a Coyote Mini Q-Kit containing teabags, which went into the bottom of the front left pocket with the spectacles and charger pod on top.

All told, tight but doable. The Pilot, like the larger TB bags (Aeronaut series, looking at you here!) seems to incorporate the apparently standard TARDIS technology - there was still room for a couple of other small items and the bag was by no means completely stuffed full. This kit goes with my new standard office mufti: tan chinos, a pair of jodhpur boots (black leather on this occasion, I also have brown suede), a thin cotton undershirt under a fine merino rollneck, and my tweed jacket on top. I prefer not to wear the same sweater two days running - the packing would have been less tight had I not brought the ecru rollneck to swap out tomorrow. I may have a little more room on the way home because the wine red rollneck is slightly finer and lighter than the ecru one; I would probably struggle to do this with formal shirts but, with a comfortable smart-casual look based on chinos and a rollneck with a jacket, it works very well! Worth mentioning that even with two laptops and a packing cube in the main compartment, there was no trouble getting the laptops in and out.

On the way home tomorrow I shall be putting used clothing from today into the stuff sack, the packing cube will fold down around its reduced contents so they can coexist in the main compartment.

I suspect I can refine this loadout even further, but even like this it's probably less than half the weight of the Tri-Star - mainly because I'm not carrying lots of unnecessary stuff which I'm not going to use, but also because the bag itself is so much smaller and lighter than the ballistic Tri-Star.

[Chicagoan]

You done good, PaulT00!

I think the overnight bag is a great challenge to help travelers define the bare minimum number of items they need to spend a night away from home.

And don't blame you one bit for packing extra for a second night if needed. I always have an extra day's medications, contact lenses, and underwear/socks.

How did it all sit inside the bag? What went where? I think small organizers really help most in situations like this where you can grab at a specific item without unpacking the entire bag.

I think you've inspired me to try accomplishing the same with my Stowaway - it can fit a small computer, toiletry kit, and change of underwear/socks/shirt.

But I think the secret to traveling this light is relying on versatile shoes and trousers, and wearing your sweater and jacket instead of packing them.

As well as a solid deodorant and/or antiperspirant. I don't use Pit Rok, but I do appreciate that all the small, clinical-strength antiperspirants are sized to carry on.

Seriously impressed you not only managed to fit everything you needed inside the bag but managed to pack it in a way that kept things organized.

I only hope it might inspire some more forum memebers to feature their load outs. Thanks for sharing all this, and it was fun to follow along with your process. Safe travels home!

[PaulT00]

Chicagoan - here's a view of the top of the Pilot with all its zips open, taken at the office after checkout this morning. I'd already taken the two laptops out, but you can see the cache at the back of the bag. All very snugly fitted in!

[hedd]

I am having an internal debate on pilot vs copilot. Is the pilot too awkward for like travel destination carry and museuming? I guess the two things I'm weighing are carrying my 14"mbp vs foot room on the plane and having something to carry around.

[G42]

I am having an internal debate on pilot vs copilot. Is the pilot too awkward for like travel destination carry and museuming? I guess the two things I'm weighing are carrying my 14"mbp vs foot room on the plane and having something to carry around.

I just spent 3 days walking around a major convention in Chicago with my Pilot slung cross body to my back. Coffee bottle, water bottle, business cards (yes, I still have them), portable battery, various personal items, snacks, etc.

Normally I'd prefer the CoPilot for that, because it's smaller & lighter, but I had to carry my work laptop and some files one day and didn't want to bring two bags.

When I was on the plane to & from, the laptop went into the A30 (which I did NOT have to gate check even though all the roller bags in my boarding group did!) and my knitting, Kindle, and neck pillow went into the Pilot. It fits under the seat upright (squished a little) with room for your feet on both sides.

I have more than one of both bags and usually the decision point for me on which one to carry at any given time is laptop and/or folded vest or windbreaker dictating the larger bag.

For both bags, I use the OpTech Mini strap vs the TB ones, partly for the cushioning and partly for the gripping bit on the OpTech being good at staying in place (between the gripping part and how well it conforms) particularly when also carrying a backpack.

ETA: the other thing I like about the mini strap is that the cushion doesn't move/slide around... Takes some fiddling to get it set up the first time tho

[hedd]

I just spent 3 days walking around a major convention in Chicago with my Pilot slung cross body to my back. Coffee bottle, water bottle, business cards (yes, I still have them), portable battery, various personal items, snacks, etc.

Normally I'd prefer the CoPilot for that, because it's smaller & lighter, but I had to carry my work laptop and some files one day and didn't want to bring two bags.

When I was on the plane to & from, the laptop went into the A30 (which I did NOT have to gate check even though all the roller bags in my boarding group did!) and my knitting, Kindle, and neck pillow went into the Pilot. It fits under the seat upright (squished a little) with room for your feet on both sides.

I have more than one of both bags and usually the decision point for me on which one to carry at any given time is laptop and/or folded vest or windbreaker dictating the larger bag.

For both bags, I use the OpTech Mini strap vs the TB ones, partly for the cushioning and partly for the gripping bit on the OpTech being good at staying in place (between the gripping part and how well it conforms) particularly when also carrying a backpack.

Very helpful. Sorry for any derail, but it seemed like a good place to ask about the pilot ergos.

[Chicagoan]

Very helpful. Sorry for any derail, but it seemed like a good place to ask about the pilot ergos.

The CP can manage smaller tablets - I use a Microsoft Surface Go that's got a screen size of 10.5" and it JUST fits the Co-Pilot.

If you have a proper laptop, which I can only imagine is larger than my basic tablet, I'd suggest the full size Pilot just on the basis of being able to fit the computer.

BUT if you don't need to carry a computer, or yours might fit inside the CP, I would 100% suggest the CP.

[Cooner]

Thanks for the photos and description, PaulT00 … you've done all us minimalistic packers proud! I'm sure you'll find new ways to pack or swap items and so on with successive trips, but it looks like you've a great base to start with here for short trips.