Help me Onebag better

[thorn]

I got an Aeronaut 45 in hopes it would be a little bigger than my BadBags #3. Turns out they are really, really close in size/space. So I'm packing essentially the same thing for a trip in the A45 and it's filled to the brim, same as the other bag was last time. I weighed it and the bathroom scale is showing 23.5 pounds. It is heavy to wear with the backpack, sternum, and waist straps, frame installed. It's pulling on my neck muscles.

In one end pocket, I have water sandals and Coleman FreeFlow 40 oz mug. In the other end pocket, I have my utilities bag, sunglasses, and a pelican case 0915. In the adjoining zipper slot is a small TB organizer pouch.

1 backpack packing cube with clothes and a regular packing cube with clothes although all the clothes were shoved into one of them last time. Also in main compartment is small packing cube with travel games, and the thin clipboard case for papers.

Seems like each main item I've mentioned all weigh relatively similar. How could I thin it down to eventually work an A30? I do not have shampoo or any big liquid bottles. I prefer to keep this mug for cruising.

[kieri]

What clothing are you packing? What's the quantity on each item, and the material? Three merino shirts takes up less space than three cotton shirts.

[thorn]

cotton socks, button down shirts, probably cotton. 2 pair of swim trunks that double as shorts. One long sleeve button down. Leather Barmah hat. Mostly cotton underwear.

[DWSeattle]

Get a digital postal scale, weigh everything and make a spreadsheet, or use the free online service at lighterpack.com. This is how ultralight hikers get the weight reduced to a minimum. I can go for a multiday hike with less than 12 pounds not including water, food and fuel. I could do it with 8 pounds in reliably warm weather.

You need to cut out as many duplicates as possible, seek out the lightest clothing and accessories, eliminate gadgets, and only take what you will actually use. What-ifs are heavy!

[Katsage]

I 1 bag travel all the time. The key is to minimize pants to 3 or 4 pairs for 7 - 10 day trip. Have enough socks and underwear for the entire trip and mix in enough shirts for half the trip length and do a sink wash half way through the trip. Also I would reduce the number of travel games to your phone/tablet and 1 other item. Also, go through non clothing items and cut them by half. After this trip decide which of the items you have left you didn’t use and remove them.

1 bag travel is a learning process. You have to be willing to not pack in case items and learn to make do with what you have or find new items that do double duty.

Good luck!

[imperator]

One-bag is about compromising priorities. Big water bottle, leather hat, Pelican case...those are good examples of "wants". I would afford myself only ONE of those as luxuries, if it fits. the others would be either eliminated entirely, or pared down to functional essentials

Depending on what you're looking to get out of your Pelican case, there are less intrusive ways of achieving waterproofing or shock protection.

A lightweight hat with full brim or neck drape on a lightweight duckbill is an easy swap for a leather hat (even if it is crushable, leather is heavy)

And water bottles are notoriously replaceable. Even if you don't want a lightweight collapsible one, there are reusable/disposable water bottles at every convenience store on the planet.

Of course, you could keep all three of them, if you eliminated enough of the other things in your bag. That would probably mean $2 flip-flops or foam booties in lieu of water shoes, synthetics or wool instead of cotton, or fast-drying clothes to laundry on the road.

[BWeaves]

Lose the 40oz mug. I never travel with a water bottle and I haven't gone thirsty yet. 40oz of liquid is heavy.

You might want to split out some of the items to a small cross body or hand carry bag.

[thorn]

Pants: I'll wear jeans and only have 2 swim trunks packed. Shirts I wear at least twice each. The pelican case as a waterproof wallet, it is thin and fits inside my jeans front pocket. The mug I use keeps ice through tomorrow and has a great finger carry handle. I think I have 2 or 3 extra underwear and socks. Flip flops are not going to work in the ocean, nor is stepping on jetti rocks barefoot. Maybe I'm not cut out for onebag. I did watch a video on how to adjust all the straps in backpack mode so that may help if I wasn't quite doing it right yesterday.

[kieri]

I would try to swap some of the shirts, underwear, and socks for merino wool or another lightweight technical fabric, then limit yourself to 3-4 each of those. I'd also try picking up a lightweight hat (I really like the Arc'teryx ones). That should cut your weight and bulk down a bit.

[G42]

Maybe just take it slow and experiment... each trip change up just one thing and/or leave it behind and see how it goes. Change is notoriously difficult but you want to give it some time and see if/how you adapt once you get used to it...
On a related/side note - I find that consciously restricting options engenders creativity... I do this with my crafting and that's often how I treat the travel packing... if I restrict myself to just the one bag or a certain size bag - what creative ways can I solve the problem...?
But then, I admit I am a geek!

[Lia]

I would help to know where you're going, for how long, and what you're doing. Maybe then we could tell you what we experienced one baggers would pack?


It's true that cotton is evil: bulky, heavy, water logging.

[thorn]

Mostly cruising warmer climates. Want to eventually do Alaska.

[Katsage]

Mostly cruising warmer climates. Want to eventually do Alaska.

For cruising, I’d have to say travel with 1 outfit that is usable for getting to and from ship port. Don’t bring any travel games at all. Focus on 3 shirts for day and 1 shirt for dress, 2 pairs of swim/shorts and 1 pair of pants for dress, socks and underwear for 3 days, minimal kit for electronics and toiletries. Leave the heavy hat at home and find a crushable lightweight hat or wear the hat to and from the ship. That should get you comfortably into a smaller bag, if you roll most of the clothes into 1 packing cube. Find the lightest weight water shoes that you can and pack them with other items to maximize space.

[imperator]

Some types of travel aren't good for one-bag. I can easily do 2 weeks on my own in my Western Flyer, but if I have to haul work equipment, drawings, or conference stuff I can end up with another bag for a 2 day trip. It's the nature of the beast.

But pleasure travel comes down entirely to what you find pleasurable. Aside from satisfying a particular obsession with efficiency, one-bag is supposed to make your life easier overall. If the benefit of not carrying multiple bags, checked luggage, or thwarting bag thieves doesn't surpass the pleasure of having ice for the day, then it probably isn't worth it.

It's well suited to solo trips involving lots of travel modes, diverse lodgings and activities, and flexible itineraries. It's not such a benefit if you're travelling with a large group together, staying in one place for a long period of time, and doing particular things that require special tools or clothing that is hard to minimize. It could be that this particular kind of travel you are doing is just not well suited, but doesn't mean you aren't cut out for one-bag.

[Lia]

Mostly cruising warmer climates. Want to eventually do Alaska.

Cruising, like literally a cruise on a ship? I'd definitely bring at least two bags on a cruise. Not much benefit to one-bag on a cruise.

I only go into One Bag Mode when there's a high ratio of time spent carrying my stuff to time spent with my stuff stored in a room.