Best products from r/onebagging

Bags

I’m actually a two bagger (don’t kill me!). However that is everything I own. My main bag is a Tortuga Air. I would love to go fully one bag, but I have a CPAP that takes up a bit of room. I also have a Tom Binh Synapse 25 (I just got it, before that I was using a Timbuk2 messenger bag as my personal item). I switched to the Synapse because When I have to carry around both for a while having my heavy gear bag around my neck caused an incredibly sore neck. I needed something with real straps.

Tortuga Air

First I’ll deal with the Tortuga. I love that bag. I’ve been using it for about 1.5 years now and it looks almost the same as when I bought it. I’ve wanted to get a new bag, but I can’t justify replacing it while it’s going so well. Their are tons of in-depth reviews of the Tortuga that will go more in depth then anything I’ll do, but I’ll go over it a bit. I love that it lays completely flat when open and that it has compression straps inside the main compartment as well as the outside. The half mesh zip side of the bag is also nice for separating out smaller things if you aren’t using packing cubes. The mesh is surprisingly strong too. I put my CPAP in that mesh area for the past year and it hasn’t ripped through. Just be sure not to put anything pointy in there (like power cables). It holds as much as you really need.

The only stuff that annoys me about it is that the smaller front compartment can get squished out if you put too much stuff in the mesh compartment. This is probably not an issue for most people, but my CPAP makes the bottom part of the front pocket pretty unusable. Although I managed to put my big li-ion battery in there (20,000 mah). The “Water bottle” pocket isn’t big enough for my water bottle, however I don’t really use the bag for stuff like that. I keep a deck of cards (plastic) and my head torch (Petzl) in that pocket. Always ready for the dark or a good drinking game.

Tom Binh Synapse 25

Like I said earlier I just got this a week or two ago. I got it with the padded hip belt, and the Freudian Slip. The Feudian Slip doesn’t look like something that I’ll use though. It takes up WAY too much room and I use quite a few pens and notebooks but it’s too much even for me. I’m replacing it with some Tom Binh stuff sacks. The hip belt was probably superfluous, but when I’m just going for a couple of weeks the Tortuga is overkill and I figured I could get by with the Synapse. My initial thoughts on the bag when I got it went something along the lines of, “DAAAAAAAAAAAAMN!” I’m very impressed with the overall worksmanship. That nylon is super durable feeling and the zippers are on point. I am pretty rough on bags and I think that this one will do me pretty good for quite a while.

I love the front pockets and the water bottle pocket, although I’m currently using that for my umbrella and have my water bottle (a collapsed Vapur Eclipse). The bottom holds my over-sized but very nice toiletry/first aid kit, and I have cables, pens, batteries, and eating utensils in the side pockets. The inside is one of my laptops, I’ll probably put my iPad in there too, my notebook, my cable/tech organizer, and a small packing cube of clothes. It’s probably a week worth of clothes if you pushed it. This is so that if my main bag got lost while traveling I wouldn’t be screwed.

I know that I could probably get by with just the Tortuga, but well I don’t feel like it and I like having a separate work bag. Also I don’t pack too many clothes. I pack too many cables. WHY do I fell the need to pack 3 cables of every type when I know that micro USB and thunderbolt cables are ubiquitous? I blame society, and my hatred of cables constantly breaking. Oh well, USB C is still pretty hard to find at convenience stores anyway.

Stuff I don’t like about it, hmm, I haven’t road tested it yet. I’m staying with family to help my brother with the baby once he’s born (hopefully today). However I hope to get it on the road in the next month or so, and do a weekend trip in a couple of weeks. The straps are pretty stiff, but I’ve read they break in really well after a little while. I wish the adjustment straps for the main straps had a clip to make them not bounce around when you’re walking. That’s minor and I’ll probably just rubber band them, or maybe make a clip out of something.

Odd Bags

I also just got a Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Day Pack which replaces the old Tortuga packable day pack I had. Don’t grab one of those by the way. Mine ended up having the bottom completely shredding along the seams after about 6-7 months. Granted I was pretty hard on it, but still. It looked like a cat had shredded it finely. No way to repair. I like having an extra bag like this for the beach, or just to grab some groceries.

I also got a Scrubba to replace my old dry bag I got in the Philippines. It allows me to wash my clothes in it very easily, and it packs down MUCH smaller than my old dry bag, although it doesn’t feel as durable. The old one was just a big bag of rubber and felt like you could throw it down a rocky hill and it would be fine. I also used it as a cooler periodically. That’s actually a pro tip for you guys. Put ice in your dry bag and some beers for the beach. BAM instant (not very effective) cooler.

1. Black Patagonia neoprene half zip - grabbed it at a sports store on clearance, and it has never served me wrong. Looks great over a t-shirt or button down, and can even (sort of) pass as a half-zip sweater in slightly nicer situations. Adds just the right amount of warmth, and great for layering.
   
   
2. Kindle Voyage - bought a refurb on sale to upgrade from my Kindle Keyboard, really makes a size and weight difference, and the backlight won't keep your seatmate or hostel-mates up, whereas the Kindle Keyboard's extendable cover light would. I miss paper books on longer one bags, but you just can't beat the space efficiency of this piece of equipment.
   
   
3. Lewis N. Clark Inflatable Travel Pillow - this thing is amazing. I never understand why people use those ugly, bulking foam pillows when this exists. It is just as comfortable as the foam ones, easy to inflate and deflate with its special valve, takes up little space, and comes with a pouch in which you can also store an eye mask and ear plugs. The designers even made the next part slim so your head stays in a natural position versus the seatback.
   
   
4. My favorite baseball hat - invaluable for those mornings where you can't be bothered to wash up fully and don't want your mop to be out of control. Also serves as a convenient makeshift eye mask.
   
   
5. MacBook 12'' - so light and slim I can't think of a better travel computer.
   
   
6. Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer - they don't make a better packable down jacket, from what I can tell. The down is treated so it is water resistant, and is much warmer than synthetic fill. Still packs down to water bottle size, and doubles as a pillow when packed into its own pocket if needed.
   
   
7. Banana Republic Traveler Jeans - built like a tank in terms of durability, look very fashionable, yet feel like sweatpants when you wear them. Some people manage without jeans, I think they are the most versatile pant you can wear anywhere in the world, and should be part of every pack.
   
   
8. Ex Officio Give N Go Boxer Briefs - same reasons as everyone else. An amazing lifesaver.
   
   
9. Something personal - always great to have a reminder of home / friends / loved ones when traveling.
   
   
10. An envelope - I love to save ticket stubs, business cards from restaurants and the like, etc. when I travel

I'm currently coming home from a one week trip where we did a combination of hiking and staying in hotels / airbnbs. I had purchased a scrubba bag and was anxious to use it. I'm personally on board with the onebag philosophy of doing laundry every night or two so as being able to pack light.

My take on the scrubba bag is it's pretty neat. The nodules do help a little in helping break dirt off of clothes. The air bleed is nice for getting all of the air out of the bag when sealing it up, and the clear window is helpful in seeing the water get cloudy from all the dirt coming out of the clothes. While not using the scrubba I just rolled up a small bottle of non rinse detergent and a clothes line for drying,making it a somewhat simpler process since im doing it every night.

My conclusion is that for a situation like mine, where we hiked through water falls and streams, I would have rather of just brought a dry bag / day pack to use for laundry AND to use as a waterproof day pack. Also I brought a dedicated laundry clothes line when 15 ft of Paracord would have sufficed just fine and been able to use in other situations also. The laundry soap was nice because it was "non-rinseable" but I still rinsed my clothes abyways, so using the same Dr bronners I use for my hair would have worked too.

Here are some links to the products I used:

Scrubba Wash Bag - Portable Laundry System For Camping, Hiking, Backpacking and Travel https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N68XF0O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_t5gaBbFNCAXNX

Soakwash Liquid Laundry Wash, 12-Ounce, Scentless https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KF4HYPK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_i7gaBbGX3CEKV

The ORIGINAL Sun & Sheets Superior Quality Compact Adjustable Travel Bungee Clothesline https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H2MJNT2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_s9gaBbWJ72P2Z



What I may use instead in the future:

Earth Pak- Waterproof Dry Bag with Front Zippered Pocket Keeps Gear Dry for Kayaking, Beach, Rafting, Boating, Hiking, Camping and Fishing with Waterproof Phone Case https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MZ40VQC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_IchaBbYECZDCF

Sea To Summit Lite Line Clothesline https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000T28X4E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_.5gaBbA0RBH9B

Paracord Planet Mil-Spec Commercial Grade 550lb Type III Nylon Paracord 25 feet Turquoise https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ACL4NRI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Z-gaBbFG2WD08

Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps Fair Trade and Organic Castile Liquid Soap, Peppermint, 2 Fluid Ounce https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000Z96LTA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_DahaBbY85PVS8


Also, as a side note, I found these great little bottles for storing soaps and lotions a lot more efficiently than "travel sized" bottles:

MOMA Muji PE Cylinder Bottle with Snap Cap - 12ml https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E4BZC36/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_lehaBb0S2E8F7

1. Huarache sandals. Runners and shower shoes and passable with a dress, all in one lightweight and compact package. Add wool toe socks in cold weather for an extremely fashionable 4-season look.
   
2. Evernew 2L Water Carry and Sawyer Squeeze filter. Enough storage capacity for most backpacking trips, and surprisingly durable and effective for 124g combined.
   
3. Vargo Titanium BOT 700 + neoprene cozy. Useful as a pot, water bottle, travel mug, or small item storage. It's nice when my backpacking gear isn't just dead weight.
   
4. Montbell Breeze Dry-Tec Sleeping Bag Cover. It's a basic waterproof-breathable bivy that actually performs, and allows me to have a full summer sleep system (bivy, quilt, air mattress) in a tiny package that weighs only 1.46lbs.
   
5. Aeropress + Porlex Mini grinder. Good coffee is worth it.
   
6. This hair brush/comb that came in a business class care package. Only 12 grams! I continue to be smitten by it.
   
7. Silk dress shirt. Lightweight classiness that doesn't get wrinkled.
   
8. Prana Halle Pants. Heavy, but I feel like I can do anything in these pants.
   
9. Peak Design Everyday Sling. Fits my mirrorless camera set-up and a Surface Pro in a decently small package.
   
10. Penny board. Great for cruising around town when you don't want to deal with a bike.

THIS is what I brought with me. It seems super expensive compared to the 15 dollar ones, but it survived me lowsiding an ATK 250 in the rain while wearing it.

There are also nicer choices...but they get super expensive.

Recording engineer here. Forget Bose. Forget everything. Best in ear on planet is etymotic er4xr which is pretty pricey and really only for studio/home listening but when I'm not using those I use their almost as good hf3 which is actually a headset and has volume /pause, next track buttons on them. Designed for smartphone travel use. Super small and light. I've purchased probably 20 of them over the years as presents for friends and when I have lost mine. They've all said they're incredible. Because of the seal w the foam tips the isolation is ridiculous and the sound is like the music is coming from inside your head

Etymotic Research ER23-HF3-BLACK-I HF3 In-Ear Headset with 3-Button Remote Control for iPod, iPhone, iPad (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007NTFQEQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_PMX5ybS7AHWAM

It's very easy to taper the legs though.
I did email Prana about the DWR problem. Mine wore out after a couple of weeks and tumble drying would only help a little for a day or so.

> There are a couple of options available in the market in both spray and wash forms. Arcteryx makes a spray that is short chain DWR : http://www.arcteryx.com/product.aspx?country=us&language=en&model=Nu-Water-Repellent-Treatment and there are several of other brands available on Amazon : https://www.amazon.com/Grangers-Xtreme-Repel-Waterproofing-Spray/dp/B00TUERX1Q
>
> The REI website has a great article for restoring DWR to garments here : https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/rainwear-dwr.html

I think you are way better of just adding them to the clothes you already love.. that's the first thing I do when I get a new pair of jeans or shorts..

Any tailor/seamstress can easily sew these wherever you want them.

I keep my ID, credit cards, and large amounts of cash in them.. if for some reason you have to access this during the day go use a restroom or do it where nobody else can see.. not a big deal.

And keep my smartphone and daily spending cash in my regular pockets..

I wear skinny jeans/shorts and it still hides this very well. I also personally think the zippered ones are better than the sellers who offer velcro as they make too much noise..

These are the ones I purchased:
https://www.amazon.com/Two-way-Zippers-Secret-Pockets-Passport/dp/B01DK9689O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1520798032&sr=8-2&keywords=secret+pockets&dpID=413LHXvM%252B6L&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

I have this, and it's brilliant:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mammut-Unisex-Adults-Shuttle-Backpack/dp/B07CHJB2SJ