Trailspotting's Minimal Onebag
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Traveling as light as possible helps us travel around the US and the world with the least amount of friction.
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 confers several other benefits. Our bags are never out of 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.
Personal item bags must be stowed under the seat in front for takeoff, but once in the air, we can put them behind our 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 inflated water-wing in the top of the bag, and a folded sweater on top, we can get a few hours of medium-quality sleep.
Below is a list of the travel bag and contents, which weighs less than 10lbs (4.5kgs). 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.
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]
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)
Toneof Tripod [2] (collapsing phone tripod)
Nitecore NU20 headlamp [USB-C]
UV Chapstick
Everyone has different needs, and no one-bag looks the same. In addition to the following list, when we're traveling for an extended period of time we may also add a small Windows laptop (a 10" Lenovo Ideapad Duet) with a tiny Anker GaN USB-C 45W charger.
Some folks like to buy specialized backpacks and fill them with long-lasting merino wool clothing and advanced electronics, but one-bagging 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 one-bagging 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
• Equipment: Hiking & Photography Gear
• Facebook Group: Comment, Follow Us
Waiting for a taxi to Athens airport | Onebag hiking to Cuyamaca Peak
Traveling as light as possible helps us travel around the US and the world with the least amount of friction.
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 confers several other benefits. Our bags are never out of 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.
Personal item bags must be stowed under the seat in front for takeoff, but once in the air, we can put them behind our 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 inflated water-wing in the top of the bag, and a folded sweater on top, we can get a few hours of medium-quality sleep.
Below is a list of the travel bag and contents, which weighs less than 10lbs (4.5kgs). 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.
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]
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)
Toneof Tripod [2] (collapsing phone tripod)
Nitecore NU20 headlamp [USB-C]
UV Chapstick
Everyone has different needs, and no one-bag looks the same. In addition to the following list, when we're traveling for an extended period of time we may also add a small Windows laptop (a 10" Lenovo Ideapad Duet) with a tiny Anker GaN USB-C 45W charger.
Some folks like to buy specialized backpacks and fill them with long-lasting merino wool clothing and advanced electronics, but one-bagging 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 one-bagging 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
• Equipment: Hiking & Photography Gear
• Facebook Group: Comment, Follow Us
Waiting for a taxi to Athens airport | Onebag hiking to Cuyamaca Peak
