Note
Notes from browsing /r/onebag. I have not tried formal onebagging yet.
Onebag-ging is the act of traveling with only a single bag. In airline speak, the bag counts as either a personal item or overhead-storable carry-on. The ethos doesn’t have to be followed 100%. Keeping important items in a sling bag or shipping back souvenirs may suit your needs. Onebagging principles can also just help reduce your amount of luggage.
Laundry
Chances are you’re used to bringing more than 1 bag on a trip. In order to fit everything into one bag, techniques and principles must be learned. The key problem is laundry, especially on longer trips. The solution is, well, to do laundry on your trip.
Of course laundry can be done at a local laundromat, but the more interesting discussion is handwashing in your accomodation’s bathroom. The detergent can be laundry sheets, liquid detergent, or regular body soap. Washing can either be done in a plugged sink (might need to bring your own tub stopper), dedicated wash bag (e.g. Scrubba), dry bag, or plastic bag. The basic idea is to agitate clothes and soak as needed.
Drying starts with wringing clothes of excess water. Much of the remaining water can be removed by the burrito method. This involves laying out a towel and clothes flat on top of it. Then you roll the towel up like a scroll. Then you can squish and stomp on the “burrito” to squeeze the water out. Lastly, the clothes are air dried on a clothesline, or just some chairs and hangers.
Note
Airdrying depends on the local humidity. Drying your heavy sweater will probably take longer in Southeast Asia than in Western Europe.
A comfortable minimum amount of clothes is enough for 3 outfits: wear 1, keep 1 for the next day, and 1 is drying. This means each outfit gets ~56 (24 + 24 + 8) hours of drying, assuming laundry is done every night.
Key Principles
Bags
One of the main questions when packing is “Which one bag should I bring?“. Some considerations are:
- Personal Item vs Overhead Bin
- Do I want to worry about finding overhead space? Do I need to retrieve stuff from my bag?
- How much walking will I be doing with the bag?
- Airline Requirements
- What are the allowable dimensions for the two bag categories? How about the weight limit?
- It seems that budget airlines are stricter on enforcing their requirements.
- Roller Bag vs Backpack
- What kind of streets will I be walking on?
- Will I be in tight spaces like public transit or popular stores?
- Auxiliary
- Waterproof/Water-resistant
- Laptop pouch/Tech organization
- Clamshell-style
Don’t stress on the perfect bag, use what you have.
Packing Cubes
Many people swear by packing cubes. These are little zippered cuboids that clothes and items are stored in. Some are able to compress their volume which can increase packing efficiency. Travel backpacks are commonly clamshells— meaning they have one large main compartment. So, packing cubes help add organization for the cost of a bit of space.
I personally like packing cubes for the organizational aspect. Using them means I don’t have to stuff my bag and worry about re-stuffing it on the intermediate travels or the return back.
Layering
When it comes to colder climates, the bulk of warm clothes becomes apparent very quickly. One of the ethos of onebagging is layering. Wording it this way sounds a bit pretentious— it simply means approaching garments as easy to put on and remove (and stuff in a bag).
For example, one heavy rain jacket can be replaced by two lighter shells, say one waterproof and one just for warmth.
It goes without saying that thin clothes are easier to layer, tighter to pack, and quicker to dry. Apparently people swear by “technical” clothing. As you can see by the quotes, I have no idea what technical means. I have inferred that they are something like blends (polyester, etc.) commonly seen in athletic, athleisure, and hiking gear.
Reducing Your Packing List
When reducing your packing list, it is critical to ask yourself if an item is for “just in case” or a “what if” scenario. Of course having a first aid kit is important, but how much more than bandages and pain killers do you really need? Decanting toiletries and pills into smaller containers can help save space.
Part of this approach is seeing how items can be multi-purpose. Maybe you can watch movies on your phone instead of a laptop, unless you need it for work. A pair of trail runners could replace hiking boots and running shoes. Bringing charging adapters (Micro-USB to USB-C) could eliminate a power brick. Utility items like tape (duct or gaff), paracord, clips, and plastic bags can also be used in crafty ways.
![notes] Utility Items
- Paracord
- Duct or Gaff Tape
- Ziplocs
- Plastic Bags
- Binder Clips
- Folding Hand Fan
- Chopstick, Spoon, Spork
It is also important to remember that you’re probably traveling to places where other people live. That means drug stores, clothing stores, convenience stores, etc. This doesn’t mean buy everything at your destination of course, but be comfortable with buying an umbrella or a disposable razor.
Lastly, after understanding your essential needs, afford yourself some luxuries. Maybe bringing a tablet to watch some movies helps you relax. I personally opt for a nice pair of headphones (IEMs).
Iteration
Testing
Onebagging can be daunting if you’re used to two-bagging. It is recommended to test out the idea before applying it to a serious international trip. This can involve trying handwashing at home, seeing how fast your clothes air dry, and onebagging on small local trips.
Reflection
In the philosophy of always improving, do some introspection during and after trips:
- Which items have I not really used?
- How can I accomplish this task with fewer or smaller items?
Misc
- Backpack Brands
- Name Brand: Osprey (26+6), Thule (Aion), Patagonia (Black Hole Micro MLC 22L), Aer, deuter (Freerider)
- Other: Almond Oak (25+5), Moment (Everything)
- Solid Toiletries: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face wash, toothpaste.
- Helps save space and weight
- Requires different storage1
- Other Useful Items (not onebag-specific)
- Tissues
- Hand Sanitizer
- Microfiber towel, Travel towel
- Travel Adapter
- Flashlight
- Pill Organizer
- Eye Mask
- Scan/Photograph your passport/ID/credit cards.
- For passport, keep a paper copy on your body but separate from the physical.
- Upload to the cloud (Google Drive, DropBox)
- You can bring a packable bag— so you have one bag on departure and return with two bags.