Onebag Packing and Travel List

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Traveling as light as possible helps us travel around the US and the world with the least amount of friction.

The image displays a rectangular, grey box with a red and white sign affixed to its front. The sign prominently reads 'Personal Item Included' in bold white text on a red background. Below, a smaller section provides measurement guidelines for personal items: '42x32x25 cm  17x13x10 in.' Inside the box, a black backpack is neatly placed, serving as an example of a qualifying personal item. This box is typically used at airport check-in areas to verify that a passenger's personal item adheres to size regulations for air travel. The scene suggests an orderly, practical setting related to transportation.
Our bag is swamped by the Play Airlines bag sizer.

Most airlines regard our small bags as personal items, which not only means we can pay the cheapest airfares, but also bestows several other benefits. Our bags are never out of my sight, and we never have to check a bag or wait at a baggage carousel. We don't have to worry about overhead bin space or gate checks. In the past, having our bags with us has also made it easy to switch to an earlier flight.

Upon takeoff a personal item bag must be stowed under the seat in front, but once in the air we can put it behind oury legs and stretch out. For red-eye flights we've also figured out how to use the bag as a pillow. With the bag on the tray-table, a cheap inflatable water-wing on top of that, and a folded sweater topper, we can get a few hours of medium-quality shuteye.

Below is a list of the travel bag and contents. This approach to travel might not work for you, but we're documenting it here for those who may benefit from it in some way. In addition to the following list, when we're traveling for an extended period of time we may also fit into the bag small windows laptop (a 10" Lenovo Ideapad Duet) with a tiny Anker GaN USB-C 45W charger.

Bag
Eddie Bauer Stowaway 20 liter
Cipway 14x10" compression cube (stores all items in the 'Clothes' seciton)

Clothes
Prana Stretch Zion Pants x2
Shirts x2, Tshirt, Socks x3, Underwear x3

General
Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Floss
Deodorant
Benadryl (infrequent-use sleep aid)
Backup Credit Card (kept at car/accommodation)
Small bills (hotel housekeeping tips)
Account recovery codes x2 [1] (encrypted, on paper. Carry one, keep one in car/hotel)
Gatorade 20z bottle
Granola bars (for airplane flight)
Inflatable water-wing (airplane cushion)

Electronics
Apple Airpods Pro [USB-C]
Car socket charger [USB-C]
Goplum car MagSafe charger [USB-C]
Battery bank [USB-C]
Battery bank magsafe [USB-C]
Garmin watch adapter [USB-C]
8Bit Do Lite joypad [USB-C]
USB-C wall charger
USB-C cables x2

Hiking
Pill tube (ibruprofen, acetaminophen x4, imodiumx2)
Leukotape P (blister tape, coiled around the pill tube)
Hat (with optional neck sunshade)
Lanyard and clip (saves my phone from drops)
Saltstick Fastchews (when heat exaustion a risk)
Xero HFS minimal shoes (backup footwear, or water shoes)
Tripod [2] (collapsing phone tripod)
UV Chapstick
Nitecore NU20 headlamp [USB-C]

Everyone has different needs, and no onebag looks the same. Some folks like to buy advanced backpacks and fill them with long-lasting merino wool clothing and advanced electronics, but onebagging needn't be expensive if you work with items you already own and trust. If you'd like to go down a rabbit-hole of onebagging resources, then we recommend the r/onebag subreddit.

Further notes:
[1] Account recovery codes are in case a smartphone is lost and we need to re-activate important accounts and password keepers (that are two-factor-authorization protected) on a replacement device. We carry one on our person, and keep another at the car/accommodation.
[2] For photos on solo hikes, our Toneof 67" cellphone selfie-stick tripod takes 5 seconds to erect or strip down. We use a Spider hammer holster to clip it to a belt.

Tangents:
• About: Trailspotting
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The image is divided into two contrasting sections. On the left, two individuals are walking along a city sidewalk, both carrying backpacks and facing away from the camera. The individual on the left has long hair, wears a gray shirt, light-colored pants, and sneakers. The individual on the right has short hair, dressed in a dark shirt, dark pants, and sneakers. A motorcycle is parked nearby, and there are various buildings visible in the background. On the right side of the image, a person stands on a rocky outcrop, looking out over a sprawling mountainous landscape. This person wears a black cap, black shirt, dark pants, and a backpack. The expansive view includes hills, valleys, and distant mountains under a partly cloudy sky.
Waiting for a taxi to the airport | Onebag hiking to Cuyamaca Peak
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