Your first time.......

traveling light.  (What did you think I meant?)

What made you decide to try it? What did you carry? How was it?

I was going to talk about my first time one bagging a vacation. It was a two week trip to Europe and I was carrying the original Rick Steves Convertible. (I think it was the only one at the time—there might have been another.). I believe I overpacked as I remember the bag being heavy and sweating anytime I had to walk a few blocks with it. It was March and I was also wearing a coat. The other mistake was that I tried to use the included shoulder strap, which wasn’t very good, rather than just put it on my back.

I realized that I had been sort of one bagging it prior to that for business. For years, I traveled on business trips with a garment bag. In those days, even though they were bulky, thye were allowed to be brought on board (probably not today). This was before the day of roller bags when the garment bag was the standard. It was great for suits and pants, but horrible for everything else.

When rollers came out, I upgraded to a Travelpro Suiter and even took that on vacation for a few years.

But now, it’s mostly non-wheeled bags and I go back and forth between a Tom Bihn Tri-Star and an L.L. Bean Quickload Travel Pack. I also have an Ebags Weekender that I realized I’ve never even used. (Perhaps I shoudl sell it.) Oh, and the good old OPEC bag…..sans shoulder strap.

If I should need wheels, I have an old Ebags Weekender Wheelie that is no longer made. It’s basically the old model Weekender with wheels. I have a few other bags but they are for specialized trips.

Your turn……

(Frank II)

Comments

[Andy Mesa]

I've never checked a bag. As I've said before, I just don't have enough stuff to fit in more than a carry-on. When I first started traveling in my early 20s I bought a $15 wheeled duffel at Target, and that was my only luggage for most of the decade.

I officially got into packing light when I started saving up and planning to take a trip around the world about 3-4 years ago. Though I never took that trip (instead I've been splitting it up) I did take a 95 day 50 city trek through Europe in 2009 and used what I'd learned from OneBag and Rick Steves. So that was my first real packing light experience.

I took an eBags Weekender with about 22lb worth of stuff in it, only to ditch/lose/mail back a lot of it on the way. Though I got a lot of comments for how little I had for such an extended trip, upon my return I realized how ridiculous all the crap I took was. On my next big trip, a 30 day 15 city hop through North America, I started with an 8 lb bag, and again proceed to ditch/lose/mail back stuff, ending with a 6 lb bag when I was done.

Every time I travel I think I couldn't possibly take any less, and every time I end up with less.

[Andy Mesa]

Oh, and my go-to bag, the one I took on the North America trip, is the Patagonia Lightweight Travel Duffel. Holds 36L and weighs only 14 oz.

I also still have the eBags Weekender, and a custom made MEI Voyageur with ripstop nylon instead of Cordura and a couple other modifications I asked for that lowered the bag weight by 1-1.5 lbs.

[Paula S]

2005 - LL Bean Turbo backpack - 25 lbs to UK and Spain.

First two weeks travelling around the UK with 25 lbs, started out okay but after the umpteenth train and hotel, my back and arms were knackered. By the time we reached London (in the last week), I bought a carry-on size roller duffle at Marks and Spencer, re-packed everything into it (plus the Turbo) and ROLLED to Spain.
My husband did not carry-on that trip and he was very aware (I stayed silent), that he was holding us up at baggage carousels and check -ins. The next trip in 2007 he did carry-on only and immediately converted. In fact I've never seen him grin so much at an airport!

Since 2005, I have been on the look out for different bags.....or the perfect bag for me......it doesn't exist for all trips. The variety that I now own cover any number of travel possibilities and back problems.
My second bag (2006) was a Rick Steves convertible, I found it uncomfortable on my back and ended up cutting off the backstraps and only using it with the shoulder strap. Cutting the straps made it quite a bit lighter....I also went mad and sewed appliques on it.....ladybugs, dragonflies, Canadian flag. No one would ever mistake it for theirs. ;-)

I have been looking at a Samsonite spinner, easier for me to roll than two wheelers. The jury is still out on that one.

[Heather]

Andy, I would like to see your packing list!
I took a two-small-carryon trip to Paris for 10 days in September 2006, bringing a Rick Steves Civita pack and a modest Timberland duffel bag that fit under the seat. I think it was Rick himself that convinced me to do carryon-only. The duffel probably weighed 3 lbs. empty (multiple compartments, heavy Cordura, etc.) and it was tough for me to carry on one shoulder once I packed it. I hand-washed undergarments but visited a laundromat halfway through the trip. Travel clothes were still a mystery to me then, so I made do with my office clothes, which were mostly polyester. From this trip I learned:
- nylon is cooler in the heat than polyester
- daypacks without structure/back padding are uncomfortable
- forget the neck pillow, nothing can help me sleep on a plane
- one-shoulder carrying is not for me
- I'm not a pashmina-wearer in real life, so I'm unlikely to be one on vacation
Obviously the experience was positive, though, because I'm still doing it and making the contents lighter.

[Liz]

It would be the Iraq war, not this one, but the earlier, first Bush one. We moved with all our stuff in a container during the push to Kuwait and our container of all that we owned and "needed" was delayed for 3 months. We adjusted very easily, and when our stuff did arrive, it felt like so much ... stuff. Lesson learned, and I have been paring down ever since.

The OneBag website showed me how to pare for travel and it appealed to me.

I appreciate this website, as there is so much helpful advice. Bless you guys.

[Dan]

The two bags that I reach out the most; for travel are----
LL Bean Quickload pack.When weight is an issue, then this
my go to bag.
The other bag is my Eagle Creek convertible wheeled bag.
I mostly use it in the backpack mode. Though the wheels
come in handy when I need them.( It's an older bag. but has
held up well). I have learned to pack less ; so carrying this bag
in the backpack mode is not a problem for me; especially since
it has more structure than a pack and feels more balanced.

[stevenshytle]

My brother and I went on a 10 trip to the recently reunified Germany. We were determined to not lose luggage and paranoid that we would. He carried half my gear and I carried half of his, so we would never be reduced to nothing if one of the bags came up missing. The irony was we bought some prints on day 2 that we had to lug around and protect for the next 8 days. It was too expensive on our budget to ship them back, so we raided garbage cans for cardboard to make a portrolio with the duct tape roll I had. So much for packing small, but those print are proudly hung in each of our houses.

On that trip we learned the trick to use only one should strap when at the airport counters, especially checking in. Two straps meant the bags were too big for carry on, one strap "must" mean it is small and light. They were these giant Camptrails convertible internal frame packs that we had compressed way down. Overkill for most days, but wonderful when hiking in the Black Forest in Germany.

[Jenny]

My packing light goes all the way back to childhood. On family vacations, my sister and I shared a suitcase and whatever we fit in there was all we could bring, except for a small bag for toys & crayons and such.

I picked up a 'Backdoor' book while planning a European vacation and there was a detailed section on the virtues of traveling light. I decided that would be the way to go because I didn't want to roll a heavy suitcase behind me for 2 1/2 weeks. Neither hubby nor I did a true "one bag" trip that time but we sufficed with a carry-on for clothes and a small tote for the odds & ends & souvenirs collected along the way.

It was a GREAT decision and now I can brag about doing my laundry (in Dutch) while enjoying cocoa & a croissant at a cute little cafe in Brussels. Oh, and for the "what if" crowd out there, I learned that I'm allergic to Boots cough syrup. Live and learn! Now I take 2-3 gelcaps of various OTC meds in my toiletry bag. I'd rather carry an extra ounce of toiletries than repeat that experience!

An eBags Weekender is my go-to bag unless we're flying a carrier that's pedantic about weight restrictions (which is everywhere except the States). When every ounce counts, I use a Jansport duffel bag that converts to a backpack. Packing cubes help Little Miss OCD organized and a ziploc bag serves as a dirty clothes keeper/washing machine.

If I could do that first trip over again, I would budget more for shipping things home. Paying $160 to send one box from Manchester, UK to Texas was sticker shock indeed! I now have the "take only pictures, leave only footprints" mentality, but will leave room in my bag for a Hard Rock Cafe shot class now and then. :)

[Om C]

Hey there! I'm happy to share my story because this blog was a huge help to me!

I detailed my first One Bag experience in a blog post:
http://omchantress.com/content/ten-days-one-carry-how-i-did-it-and-why-i-love-aeronaut

I got really tired of schlepping big bags, the fees, and having my bags lost by a certain airline more often than not. My first trip was 10-days in San Francisco with the Aeronaut. LOVE IT! I will never go back.

There's a packing list attached to my blog post that the one bag ladies might find helpful. I had a hard time finding resources for ladies who want to travel light without sacrificing style. I love seeing others packing lists and methods, too!

[K-eM]

I started one bagging out of necessity.

I was sent to an international boarding school in Nigeria starting with 4th grade and my entire semester of needs had to fit into one suitcase that I (a 9 year old) could carry. We traveled by small plane (one prop, sometimes 2) so we all had to travel light. I returned to it later after I was married on a trip to England. I just got in "boarding school" mode again. I've been trying to get better and better ever since.

I stopped checking my bags in 2006 (I was still checking even though I was packing small) when the airline switched my flight at the very last second and my bags didn't make the transition with me. I was going home so it wasn't a big deal, but I realized that I didn't want that happening the other direction and I had no reason I had to. It saved me the very next year from the same thing happening.

[Paul]

I had been carry-on only for a long time before trying to go truly one bag, but I would travel with both a carry-on roller and whatever laptop bag I was using at the time.

My first, true one bag trip was a business trip from ATL to LA. I had problems with my laptop and accessories (I was expecting to do local support work so I needed more than the power adapter). This was compounded by the fact that I need to take a laptop back, since I would be walking several blocks from the hotel to the office. Yet I still wanted to deal with only one bag at the airport (and this pre-dates finding all the great resouces online, such as this blog).

I got it done going out to LA with a lot of time spent trying different packing configurations and using "travel space bags" my girlfriend told me to buy. For the return trip, after seeing those bags didn't save space and simply added weight, I gave up and went back to using a seperate laptop bag. Not a big deal for domestic flying, but I still am on the lookout for a one bag solution that includes my support gear.

That experience had my next, personal trip go laptop free (and thus one bag) to see how well the iPhone alone handled my non-work geek needs for a week. It did fine so at least on personal trips I'm good to go.

[Frank II]

Paul....Have you checked out the Tom Bihn Checkpoint Flyer? It might be what you are looking for at least when it comes to business travel.

http://www.tombihn.com/page/001/PROD/CHECKPOINT/TB1701

[Andrew H.]

My first time was my second trip to Japan (Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo). Knowing we were going to do a lot of transferring through hotels, I did some research on bags beforehand, and settled on the Tom Bihn Aeronaut. You can find my (outdated) research here: http://zeuscat.com/andrew/personal/info/travelpacks/

We were Japan a little under two weeks, and I did laundry a few times. In Tokyo we stayed in a serviced apartment which had a washing machine, but I've also done a lot of hotel laundry. Here's a sexy photo of me washing socks. http://zeuscat.com/~andrew/sockwash.jpg

I've travelled to Paris, Barcelona, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and numerous U.S. destinations with the Tom Bihn Aeronaut and I definitely still love it. Unfortunately these days I often need to check in for international legs because of the 10kg weight limit (it's really hard to get in under 22 pounds, I'm usually at 24-25). You can find my packing list (which I haven't updated in a couple years, now I usually carry a small netbook, too) here: http://zeuscat.com/andrew/personal/info/packlist.shtml

I use a regular old TravelPro wheeled bag if I think I'm going to need more room or be stuck in a single hotel for a long time, but the Aeronaut is my usual plan. My second bag is usually a messenger bag and sometimes I pack a smaller backpack for day to day use.

[Paula S]

I used to fly with Zoom (now extinct), their carry-on weight rule was 15lbs. I used to cheat by filling my pockets with the heaviest items and making sure my bag was 15lbs or just under. Once airside, I would transfer the pocketed items back into the bag.
I don't need to do that anymore, as I fly with airlines with a higher weight rule.

[Pat Riehl]

1979; after my first and dreary year of teaching, in England, set off across the continent, overland throughout Turkey, south to Aqaba, into the Shitty Little Country (only one of almost 50 countries that I would have no interest in returning to), on to Cairo before heading home rather than venture further south into the Sudan, and the rumors of the "Green Monkey Disease."

I carried a LL Bean brown canvas 20" duffel with a shoulder strap and a surplus English army gas mask shoulder bag. This was so long ago that I got a little thrill out of buying cheap Chinese sneakers in Jordan, because you couldn't buy anything Chinese in the United States :-0

I think I had my Nikon SLR along.

I'm pretty sure I didn't have my netbook ;-)

[Joe Iannazzone]

I have always packed on the light side unless there is a specific need for specialized equipment (mountaineering, diving, etc.). Traveling on September 11, 2001 reinforced the idea that one should either be able to carry everything brought or be willing to leave it behind.

My standard bag is an older Patagonia LBC (Little Brother Carry-on). It has seen me through extended domestic and foreign trips. I also carry an REI Flash Pack (18 liters, 10 ounces) which makes a great stow-away day bag. I usually come in below 15 pounds.

[Andy Mesa]

Heather, here's my packing list for my North America trip

http://andymesa.pbworks.com/AYCJPack

And here's my worse case scenario, any season any length of time list

http://andymesa.pbworks.com/PackList

[Esther]

Sometime around 2000, I was packing for my first trip without family. I knew I wanted to do carry on only, but my only previous experience with packing involved a bag big enough to hold me (okay, me as a 13 year old).
I googled packing with a carry on and came across The Compleat Traveller (a.k.a., onebag.com). Dyment's site transformed the way I looked at travelling. I didn't realize that washing clothing in the sink wasn't some nutty idea. Sink washing, along with other ideas, helped me pare down my luggage. Also, I now have a travel box which is filled with my travel-related items: toiletry bag, zip lock bags, etc.

[CoCoYoYo]

I generally don't check bags when I travel. The majority of my trips are short in duration (4-6 days, max) and I generally stay with family/friends (laundry access -- woot!). While I've never had an issue with misplaced or lost luggage I'm always afraid that will happen.

It's funny: I don't think of myself as a lightweight packer but every time I visit famila and friends they are amazed at the size of my bag (either the eBags Weekender Convertible or a Overland Equipment messenger bag) and what I manage to fit into it. I've just never been one to pack for every possibility (disasters, unexpected dinners out, fancy dress parties, etc.), pack an entire shoe wardrobe, etc. All of my trips in recent years have been within the continental US so quite honestly, if something unexpected comes up I will likely have access to a mall or shopping center to get whatever it is I need.

I still end up wishing that I hadn't brought along shirt A or purchased souvenir B after every trip but for the most part, I'm quite pleased that I manage to bring just what I need and quite possibly a bit more. So far I have avoided having to do laundry in the sink but I'm certainly not opposed to it!