February 17, 2009 Thanks to Kit for reminding me of some interesting pools on Flickr: Lightweight travel, Do you pack light?, What’s in your bag?, and - last but not least - the Hey, what’s in your bag? pool. Here’s Kit’s photo (click on it to find a link to her packing list with weights):
http://www.flickr.com/people/compactmanifold/
February 11, 2009 Here are tips from OBOW poster Paula on beating the liquid rules, personal items - and more:
I have managed to replace all my liquid/gel toiletries / make up with solids, so no need to show these items at security:
Other helpful items:
Metal nail file = replaced by The Body Shop matchbook emery boards.
A microfibre towel is excellent when handwashing clothes, after rinsing and wringing them out, roll them up in the towel and wring it further, it soaks up excess water and the clothes dry that much more quickly. I wished I’d taken two towels with me last trip….they are great on wet hair as well.
One serious tip. If you are going to handwash stuff, for pete’s sake take a sink stopper. For some inexplicable reason some hotels and apartments (especially in the UK) do not supply sink plugs. Last trip, out apartment kitchen and bathroom sinks didn’t have these which made washing clothes / dishes quite frustrating. If you haven’t got one and you come by a plastic tub lid, use that, it’s quite effective.
January 12, 2009 From our Forum - under $35 in blue:
Frank@OBOW
It’s pretty heavy to be made of lightweight nylon (3.6 lbs./420 denier).The weight is probably in the harness. It’s more pack than suitcase, but I’ll bet it’s more comfortable on your back than the average convertible.
Frank@OBOW
Another impressive-looking carry-on pack that’s received some comment in the Forum: the Osprey Porter 46. Looks like it’s not lacking for compression.
October 27, 2008 Lani at Travelite is all smiles after a lightweight Euro trek. Lots of good information and tips to be found in her account. An excerpt:
Weighing every item, and taking only what I planned to use – I had to make some tough decisions about my wardrobe. In hindsight, I wish I’d gone with two short-sleeve shirts and a long-sleeve instead of three of the latter, but I really didn’t expect weather in the high-70s all week in Rome. That said, I still chose the most lightweight of my shirts; they were even lighter than cotton T-shirts. Every liquid toiletry item was carefully scrutinized. Did I need a full ounce, or could I manage with half an ounce?
Using the smallest version of everything – Instead of large and clunky AC adapters, we took a USB-to-AC adapter that was as small as a film canister. A laptop was out of the question, but the iPod Touch gave us the option to send email in wi-fi hotspots (including a free one in a small part behind the Notre Dame in Paris!).
September 15, 2008 
by EASTERCATOBOW reader Esther left a comment on our forum’s travel-sized toiletries thread wtih a link to an excellent photo on Flickr of an excellent assortment of flight-ready personal items. Check it out - your sure to find something helpful.
August 28, 2008 Practical Hacks has an excellent post on one-bag business travel with a helpful illustration of bundle wrapping:
August 25, 2008 Can you one-bag for a cold-weather hiking trip? Graham says you can:
Travelling light is growing in popularity, especially using a single bag which qualifies as airline carry-on luggage. But is travelling this light really practical for a winter trip needing bulky warm clothing and hiking gear? To find out, I took up the challenge on a recent trip to Tasmania…
Having found that cold weather budget travel can be done with one lightweight carry-on bag, I don’t think I could go back to carrying heavy loads … unless I needed special gear like camping equipment or snowshoes. Besides the practical benefits, it felt liberating to travel with such a small load and yet still have with me everything I really needed. - (see his packing list)
August 25, 2008
OBOW reader flerdle went one-bag for one month in Europe and here account read likes a textbook for the novice light traveler. Enjoy:
One month, five countries, one bag: Europe!
(flerdle’s one bag adventure)
I live in Australia, which is a long, long way from just about anywhere (except New Zealand), so when the opportunity to attend a conference in Lausanne, Switzerland arose for mid July, I decided to combine work and play, extend my stay to a whole month, and see how I went traveling as lightly as possible.
I was also recovering from recent major shoulder surgery, so traveling light was an absolute necessity.
Verdict: it certainly worked for me, and I would not hesitate to travel this way again.
I would like to echo John’s comment on a recent thread: “Pack the right gear, get the high-tech, lightweight, quick drying gear, and pack right”. I got an MEI Voyageur, a Rick Steves Civitas daypack, an Asus EeePC, three pairs of light pants from Ex-Officio, and went from there. A complete (women’s) packing list is at the end of this post, with a photo of it all. Yes, despite how it looks all spread out it all fitted in the bag, with room to spare. I didn’t feel as if I was missing anything.
;)
MEI VOYAGEUR If anything, the Voyageur is possibly a little too big if you are trying to keep the weight down, which is vitally important on international flights because the limit is usually 7kg (15.5lb) and you will get asked to check it if it is too heavy. They will weigh your cabin (carry-on) baggage when you check in. The dimensions were never a problem but it is tempting to overpack for weight, and a smaller bag might have been sufficient. I chose the Voyageur because it has the best harness system and allowed me to carry the full bag over long distances using the substantial hip belt and one shoulder strap (because of my shoulder problem). I had very little trouble getting it onto the plane, despite the initial “huh?” from the check-in person – it appears that traveling without check-in luggage is still rare on the Kangaroo Route (Australia to Europe). I had to put my iPod, phone,GPS unit and note/phrase/guidebooks into my pockets, wear my fuzzy vest and jacket and hold my computer and liquid baggy in my hand and that brought the bag down to the magical “just under 8kg” (17-18lb) that they let through.
Of course I put it all back in my bag as soon as I got through security, and carried the bag casually slung behind me (on additional shoulder strap) onto the plane. On the plane I transferred a few essentials to the daypack and used it for the approx 23 hours of flying time from Melbourne to Zurich.
Actually, and this is perhaps something to be aware of, the lack of a check-in bag possibly caused a few odd moments in the transfer from Cathay to Swiss in Hong Kong. They had a very close look at my boarding pass which got flagged/rejected at the transfer gate (there was no double seat allocation or other issue), and they asked about bags, both at the gate and later on the plane. It might have been something else in their system, but I doubt it; I was not the only passenger transferring at that point but I was the only one questioned, and I never have been before. The only difference I could see was the lack of checked luggage. The return flight was uneventful.
I spent almost a week in each of Switzerland, France, England and Sweden, with a couple of days in Amsterdam at the end. I stayed in 1-star to 3-star hotels and with friends. I flew from Paris CDG to East Midlands (BMI baby) and Heathrow T5 to Arlanda (British Airways) and Arlanda to Schiphol (SAS), with trains elsewhere. I always tended to check in reasonably early. I am not sure how staff’s attitude changes as the lines get longer and the pressure up, but I never had to check in a bag.
About half of the time I was able to wash clothes in the normal way since I was staying with friends, and the rest of the trip I hand washed every day or two. I had no trouble with things drying in at most a day (despite taking cotton smalls anyway) but be aware this might not be the case in winter. Synthetic or specialist underwear might be good, if you can find it in your size. It is most important to be comfortable, and work around that.
Most of the time I could have been quite casual but the conference required reasonably “good” clothes and this was not difficult even with only several changes of clothes chosen to coordinate properly. The pants from ExOfficio were very light but two of them could pass for more stylish wear, and I had one “good” blouse and some crisp t-shirts. I think I possibly still brought too much “stuff” – I could have left out one t-shirt at least and one entire set of clothes at most – but I chose to spend a little less time washing and more time working/relaxing! The French phrasebook and Amsterdam guide were heavy luxuries but extremely useful and I do not regret taking them. The GPS unit could have been combined with an expensive enough mobile phone, but again, I found it extremely useful. I took photos with my mobile and blogged them for folks at home using the EeePC which lived up to expectations in all respects.
;)
SNACK-SIZED PC Halfway through the trip I sent my second set of shoes, makeup kit, thermal pants and some collected postcards and papers from the conference home by post, but apart from that I used everything I took the whole time. As it was sunnier than I had expected, I did buy a cheap floppy hat after the first week. I mainly used postcards as souvenirs rather than buying trinkets. I was tempted to buy a t-shirt but resisted. I bought a couple of books near the end of the trip as well.
So what could I have left out? Well, the computer is the obvious candidate if I hadn’t have had to work but at 1.25kg for computer and cables it was not that much of a trouble anyway. The sarong I used the least but would have used it more if more traditionally backpacking in which case I would have added a silk sleeping-bag liner. In winter the swimsuit would have been replaced by more thermal underwear. The red fuzzy vest was not used as much as the cardigan, which probably should have been a bit thicker - it was a touch chilly when it was raining. The real killer for weight is actually paper (and technology).
So: do it! It isn’t hard at all.
=====
;)
CLICK FOR FULL-SIZE
3 pr long pants (Ex-Officio 2 x Excursion black and 1 x Nomad khaki)
3 tshirts (2 would probably be sufficient depending on destination, or substitute other blouses)
1 good shirt (black, long sleeve)
1 short sleeve travel shirt (lightweight Columbia #TL6635, colored)
4 undies
4 bras
4 pr socks
swimsuit
sarong
singlet and light very casual elastic-waisted slacks/pajama pants (for sleeping or very casual wear)
fleecy vest
rain/wind jacket (Mountain Designs)
lightweight synthetic cardigan
thongs (i.e. flipflops)
hiking/walking/day shoes (rockports, women’s, walking)
dressier girly shoes (flat)
light thermal underwear (bottom only) OPTIONAL/dependant on season
iPod video 60GB and usb cable including wall adapter
EeePC and power supply
2 plug adapters (uk, europe)
Garmin Etrex Vista CX (GPSr) - for geo-caching and navigation in five countries
mapping software dvd (to be sent home at the earliest opportunity - only taken due to tax reasons)
2 extra AA batteries
mobile phone and charger
usb cable for phone (no bluetooth in eeepc)
2 usb memory sticks
French phrasebook (Collins Gem)
Frommer’s “day by day” guide to Amsterdam (very small but useful – was still working out itinerary)
small spirax notebook, 2 pens
set of 3 thin Moleskine journal/notes
old sudoku book (removing pages as I go!)
moneybelt
wallet
watch
papers (hotel, e-tickets, passport, copies)
In 3-1-1 bag: toothpaste, moisturiser, clothes washing liquid, lipstick, concealer, lip balm, white flower oil*, shower gel, hand sanitiser.lush solid shampoo (combined shampoo/conditioner available) in a tin,solid deodorant
toothbrush
dental floss
small powder compact and blush in small bag
medicines
feminine supplies
pack of bandaids, various sizes
2 small packs tissues
40”x20” very lightweight towel
small facecloth
(*white flower oil is useful for clearing the nose and sinuses on
plane descent. http://www.omnieast.com/health/pfy.htm )
Civitas daypack
collapsable bowl (“Sea to Summit X-bowl”)
forkspoon(“lightmyfire”)
1 litre “playtpus” collapsable water bottle (wanted 500ml but not available)
twisted elastic clothesline with hooks on the ends
3 plastic clothes pegs (good for closing food packets too)
2 inflatable hangers
extra plastic bags (ziplok and others)
universal sink plug
small roll of stickytape (couldn’t find duct tape but sticky tape is great for getting hair and fluff from clothes anyway)
string, rubber bands, twist ties, paper clips, needle, thread, buttons - enough to fit in an “eclipse mints” container
glasses + hard case
sunglasses + soft case
inflatable travel pillow
earplugs (enough for average usage for a month)
lindfold
tiny torch (clip-on LED, $3!)
keyring/bottle opener (shaped like a moose)
small lock with two keys
2 half cubes, 2 quarter cubes, 1 small sack (all eagle creek) – theyadd weight but they certainly make it easier to organise all the bits.
stuffed toy wallaby
MEI Voyageur in Coffee :-)
(Taken this trip but obviously situational!: rehabilitation elastic cord for shoulder exercises squeezy ball for shoulder/arm exercises extra painkillers for shoulder, taking up surprisingly more space than you’d think shoulder exercise instructions on paper.)
Notes:
All up this weighs about 10kg (including jacket but not counting the shirt, pants and shoes worn onto the plane). This is a SUMMER list for this particular trip, and the pants are summer weight (Ex-Officio, each about 250g). I added the thermals – they ended up fairly reduntant - because I had tried the pants out at home and was a bit uncomfortably cold especially when it was windy or under about 15 degrees (celsius). I had found that the weather in Europe can be wet and cold even in summer, depending on latitude and altitude and luck. Thermals can always be worn onto the plane anyway to save weight; I always get cold there! Of course skirts and/or shorts could be substituted for pants; I just don’t wear them. The Excursion Pants in particular can be suitably crisp and dressy, and they come in a reasonable range of sizes. I couldn’t find a decent scarf at home butI definitely would recommend taking one or buying it there. Otherwise dressing things up could be done with either that or some chunky jewelry or a pendant watch, depending on personal style.
Frank@OBOW
Takeaways from flerdle’s excellent adventure:
Thanks again for a helpful and thorough report!
August 12, 2008 Check out this from the OBOW forums: an essentially no-bag strategy. Now I feel like a wuss for taking that extra pair of paints. This approach is proof that anyone can carry less, though hardly anyone will want to go this light:
After years of traveling, I have perfected the art of less then one bag travel. It isn’t for everyone, but if you want to be free of a pack, here is the way to go. I figured instead of bringing different outfits and changing every day, I would wear the same cloths and change location every day, washing items at night as needed…Add a pair of cargo pants (rei), an ultra dry nylon t shirt, overshirt (ex officio) with hidden pocket for passport (I hate those undercover wallets and waist packs) and I am set. With all the pockets, I can cary extra socks, underwear abd go light jacket. Toiletries, mp3 player and sony e book go in the simple bag. I never have to check a bag, never have to stand in line to leave a bag - entire post here
August 5, 2008 
JUVENALThose literate Brits. A London newspaper story contains two great travel quotes - one from a 21st century high fashion designer, one from a Roman satirist of 20 centuries ago:
Diane von Furstenberg - “When you figure out your suitcase, you figure out your life.”
Juvenal - “Travel light and you can sing in the robber’s face.”
I like the old quote better than the new one. Might as well throw in the old Spanish proverb “On a long journey, even a straw weighs heavy.”
Read the story from the Telegraph.
August 5, 2008 One of the readers of the hobotraveler.com blog researched international carry-on regulations to find the lowest common denominator for bag dimensions and weights. He found that a bag of 19 x 13 x 8 inches (48 x 34 x 20cm) should be accepted by an airline in the world, though most airlines allow much larger bags of 45-50” in combined dimensions. As for weight:
5 kg 11.02 lbs (a few)
6 kg 13.22 lbs (several)
7 kg 15.43 lbs (common)
This is helpful info if you absolutely, positively never want to check a bag. The TB Western Flyer at 18 x 12 x 7” is one of the few bags I know that fits comfortably under the size limits. Some recent discussions at the TB forums extol the Flyer as a bag that fits under nearly any airline seat - real plus given the badly bulging bins on most flights these days!
July 23, 2008 
…with powdered toothpaste. Amy at WriteBrained is getting serious about light travel and is testing prodcuts. Read here review of Eco-Dent here. Also, see her excellent in-depth post on a feminine 3-1-1 strategy - very helpful and way above my level of expertise.
Frank@OBOW
…and also for the fairer sex - seven days of outfits in one carry-on.
July 16, 2008 282 miles per gallon and very little luggage storage; the car of the future:
Total storage space behind the seats: 2.8 cubic feet. No steamer trunks or adventure duffels. Read it about in the Daily Mail.
July 11, 2008 You might be a luggage geek if…part of your daily routine is checking an OBOW thread about a piece of luggage that has (to date) only 143 comments. People are talking about us:
“Apparently there is a whole group of people that take immense pride in being one-bag carry-on people. There are whole blogs about it. (One Bag One World). These people debate the differences between brands like Red Oxx and Tom Bihn, MEI, REI, and Rick Steves. Hardly the Tumi vs. Samsonite vs. Swiss Army luggage wars I was used to, but they have many valid points. And the same things that attracted them to each of those brands caused me to consider each of them. These bags are lightweight, well made, well organized and designed to be carried by a real person with today’s luggage limitations.”
Actually that’s very kind. Click here to read the blog post and see which carryon this self-described “geek chick electrical engineer” chose with the help of OBOW and its readers.
And here’s her Europe packing list Polyvore:
June 19, 2008 
This cool digital pocket scale from Magellan’s could pay for itself if it keeps you from going overweight on one flight! It’s way cooler and more portable than my old analog model. Be careful though, everyone in line may want to use it!Frank@OBOW
June 18, 2008 Know someone who doesn’t believe anything until they read it in the New York Times? Well, if they need help going light here’s a piece from the Old Gray Lady to help get them started:
April 25, 2008 Read how an Aussie family goes light and right around the world:
“Travelling light means washing our “smalls” each night, inventively hanging them on wheelie-bag handles and other protrusions to dry. In retrospect, with clean, dry hiking socks at a premium, colour coding would have been a good idea. Fortunately, as hoped, our natural fabric clothing, of silk, cotton and wool, withstands several wears before requiring washing - and, between B&Bs and hotel lodgings, friends kindly show us their washing machines as well as the sights.” - article here
Frank@OBOW
April 23, 2008 An excellent look at the bundle packing method may be found here from lifeapps. You may also see our post with diagram.
Frank@OBOW
April 16, 2008 Randy S. posted this excellent account (on the (Tom Bihn forum) of a successful transition from wheeled luggage to convertible bag:
“This is my first field test for my new Brain Bag and Aeronaut.
After hearing Leo Laporte rave about his Tom Bihn bags, I rushed to the website and immediately bought a Brain Bag to hold my 17” MacBook Pro and all of the associated stuff that comes along with it. I got the recommended Brain Cell to provide added support for the laptop, and perhaps act as a carry case when I don’t want the whole bag.
I’m a road-warrior, logging between 50 and 100 flight segments a year, mostly domestic US. I had been swearing by my Eagle Creek Switchback, using the daypack as my personal “laptop bag”. However, more than once, my laptop floating around loosely in the daypack has gotten cosmetically damaged.
The Brain Cell is a welcome change! It fits very nice, and the clips hold it well in the Brain Bag, to keep it all from coming apart as I (frequently) pull the laptop out for use or inspection at flight checkin. I also got a Snake Charmer, and can’t imagine working without that convenience now. I put the power cord in one side, and everything else in the other, so that I can easily pull out the power cord without it being tangled in everything else.
After using the Brain Bag for a couple of weeks, I decided I wasn’t ever going back to my Eagle Creek, so now I needed “the clothes bag”. Based on the “One Bag” site’s info about how much space and weight the wheels take up, I decided to try a non-wheeled approach for for the first time in years. This was a brave move, but boy, am I happy with the results.
I picked up the Aeronaut, opting for the smaller-frame backpack since I’m a small (but round) guy, and I don’t think I’ll be backpacking often with this. However, I stepped up to the Absolute Comfort shoulder strap, knowing that my back would be holding the Brain Bag while my shoulder (and neck) would be supporting the Aeronaut. I got a full size packing cell, two half size, and two small end-cap size cells, as recommended. (I’m still sorting out how to use these best.)
After packing the Aeronaut with my usual “reusable one week of clothes”, I couldn’t believe it… I still had space left over, and I could easily support the bag with one hand! My Eagle Creek rollaboard was never this light, even packed with a light loadout.
But the best part was on the outbound leg of this trip I’m currently on, to Brazil. My Delta flight from Portland to Atlanta got an hour weather delay, leaving me 15 minutes to get from the T concourse to the E concourse for my international leg. (Many of you reading know what this is like, I presume.) So, I grabbed the Brain Bag, and threw it on my back, and then slung the Aeronaut over my right shoulder and neck. I slung the bag forward in front of my waist, and grabbed both handles to reduce the weight on the neck. I ran like this to the tram, trammed to E, and then ran the rest of the way down to E1. Even carrying this, rather than rolling, it was still less effort, and I was especially happy not to need a double-wide space that the roller took. I might have looked a bit funny running with a big backpack sticking out my back, and a fullsize carryon in front of my stomach, but it worked, and that’s all that mattered to me.
I made my flight, and as I was getting settled in, I had just one small space over my seat to put my bag, the other spots already claimed by those that had a more leisurely connection. My Eagle Creek with its hard back would not have fit, but the Aeronaut fit nicely by “giving” just a bit since the sides are entirely soft. Again, a win for the Aeronaut. (If you’ve ever fought the center overhead storage in business class on a 757, you know the problems there, especially when someone else has a large rigid barely legal bag.)
So far, I’m very very happy… ” - original post
Frank@OBOW
More from Randy:
I’ve found that even though I look a bit like an oddly shaped Sherpa, the best way to carry my load was having the weight both in back and in front directly. I put my rather heavily packed BrainBag on my back (using the waist belt for longer distances) and I sling the Aeronaut around my right shoulder and neck but hanging immediately in front of my waist. Distributed this way, I found that I could walk rather long distances without having to relieve the shoulder strap weight of the Aeronaut, although I would grab the Aeronaut by the end handles when I was standing in line occasionally to reduce the neck pull. One other advantage of this arrangement is that I found myself standing up straighter… a loaded backpack has not done well for my posture over the years.
I discovered another odd benefit of not using a rollaboard: I have both hands free! It didn’t occur to me until I pulled out my iPhone to check the time and schedule that I was actually using both hands while walking down the concourse… something that is usually awkward and often requires stopping with the rollaboard.
