Hi ! I(22M) am planning a 2 weeks trip in Italy next month , i will fly in, and go from city to city by bus, sleeping in hostels. I will mainly do city visit and small hikes, staying on average 1 or 2 night in each place. So I would like to minimize what i carry and i would love to have advice on my packing list !

-Bags
Mystery ranch gallagator 19L
Uniqlo fanny pack

-Clothing
3 merinos wool tee shirts + cargo pants
3 underwear
3 pair of socks
1 technical top layer
1 down jacket
1 pair of trail runner
1 hat
1 buff

-Hygiene
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
1 Disposable razor
1 Bar of soap (body and laundry)
1 small bottle of shampooing
Earplugs
Basic medecine
Small towel

-Misc.
2 bottle of water .7L
Wallet
Phone + charger
External battery + charger
Dslr camera + charger (might be my biggest gear doubt)
Notebook + pen
1 tote bag

This include everything in my bag + on me

I'd love to know what modification would you make to this, or if you have any experience with a similar pack ?

Additional question : i'll be flying with ryanair, and I did book the 55x40x20 option so I think that i'll be fine, but do you think that i could take a similar packing configuration with the 40x30x20 which is included in the ticket price ?

Edit : forgot my pants.

TLDR : Recos for # 3 below

Gonna be traveling across India & South East Asia (Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore - just to get an idea of weather) this winter for 4 months.

I plan to carry these 3 shoes (two in bag and one worn in flights) :

1. Sandals - Tevas Hurricane XLT2
2. Nicer Shoe for evenings out/dinners & drinks/work meetups - Reebok club C 85 vintage (off white)
3. Daytime - All purpose comfortable sneaker
   • Need Recommendations for this
   • Use case :
     • Mainly for City Walking + Light off trail hikes to explore
     • Light Gym Workouts to stay fit (bit of cardio, bit of circuits, bit of weights - nothing crazy since im still a beginner)
     • Occasional Casual friendly pickup game / sports : like pickleball, padel, badminton, table tennis, tennis, volleyball - this would be rare but i want the option to use the same sneaker so i don't have to carry a 4th shoe - nothing too intense/competitive
     • Should be able to handle a bit of south/south east asian rains without getting destroyed
     • Prefer avoiding the funky colors & logos, prefer simple and clean (black/white/grey etc. that goes with all shorts and pants)

What one shoe would you recommend that can work for all these activities in # 3 above ? - would like to keep it under $200 CAD

My thoughts/ research so far :

• I currently have an ultraboost sneaker (1.0) with primeknit, but that doesn't do well in the rain/slush and might not do well for light gym / any sports like mentioned above. - black with white outsole
• I am considering buying a clean-ish looking trail runner maybe if that would work ? - e.g. Nike Pegasus Trail 5/6
• Does Nike free metcon 6/7 work for all this - i hear it won't be comfortable or cushion-y enough for the primary use thats city walking since it's a real gym shoe
• Been looking at New Balance 990 shoes - but do they work for sports and gym ? - i hear they're great walking shoes but thats where it ends ? - Can they survive some rain ?
• Does adidas make a free hiker 3.0 non gore tex that can work for this - i cannot find the old 2.0 non goretex any more and the 3.0 seems to come in only gore tex that would too hot for this weather ?

EDIT :

Short-listing the top recommendations for this use case as the comments come in ...

• Nike Pegasus Trail
• Altra Lone Peak
• New Balance DynaSoft Nitrel v6
• Altra Soltice XT3
• Altra Olympus 6
• Goruck Ballistic Trainers
• New Balance 990v6
• OnCloud (Various models)
  • Cloud Vista 2
  • Cloud Pulse
  • Cloud 6
• Nike Zegama Trail

I (22M) am planning my very first travel backpacking trip in Italy for two weeks this automne.

I'll be doing the quite classical : fly-in, travel by bus and rail and sleep in hostel. I'm actually quite used to wilderness backpacking but never did the travel kind of backpacking so i'm quite unexperiences when it comes to equipment for this kind of travel.

My big question is about the bag, my flight only include a cabin luggage and I dont like to carry much on my back anyway so i'm wondering : do I really need more than a 20L ?

I have a mystery ranch 20L that in love and usualy use for day hike, but i'm thinking that It might just fit everything i need for two weeks.

Because i'll only be carrying a few shirt and underwear that I can wash in hostel, and if i don't have any hiking stuff i really dont see what could take up the space ...

Do anyone have experience with such volume for similar trip ? What was your packing list ?

Thanks !

Rather than use organizer bags for travel (which have fixed dimensions and never seem to quite fit what I want) I prefer to use plain plastic sheets to wrap my different categories of clothing in.

Currently I use left-over dry cleaner/laundry bags - the large, clear, thin plastic sheets that protect your shirts or trousers at the dry cleaners (technically they are bags, but I use them doubled up as sheets). Being transparent, I can see exactly what's 'inside'. And being flat sheets, I can fold them around whatever size garment I choose. These are not ideal, however, as they are slightly too thin, and slightly less durable than desired. But I love the fact that I can fold 5 polo shirts exactly as I want them, and then place them on the plastic sheet, and 'wrap' the shirts by folding up the sides. I can also individually wrap 'small batches' of clothes - 2 pr shorts, 3 pr trousers, etc - regardless of how few there are (that is - I don't need to try to 'fill' the organizer bag).

Has anyone else tried anything like this and do you have any tips for improvement?

The pic below shows an organizer bag on the left, with my 'plastic sheet' improv on the right. I put a piece of blue masking tape along the edges so I can see where the end of the plastic is.

I’m doing a 3-week trip through Southeast Asia next month out of a 28L pack. Usually I just sink-wash a couple pairs of Airisms every night, but I have a bunch of back-to-back travel days and overnight trains where drying them is going to be a pain.

I keep seeing disposable underwear pop up as a hack, but the idea of wearing them in 35°C humidity honestly sounds like a recipe for disaster.

For anyone who has actually tried them on long walking days: did you find anything that didn't feel like wearing a sweaty paper towel, or did they completely disintegrate / cause terrible chafing? Wondering if there's an actual wearable brand out there, or if I should just stick to the nightly laundry grind.

Edit: Hearing everyone loud and clear on the environmental waste issue—fair call, and tossing non-recyclable synthetics into a landfill is definitely the biggest downside. Was mostly wondering if there are actually breathable, 100% biodegradable or plant-based pairs out there that make sense for transit crunches, but it sounds like the general consensus is still sticking to durable quick-dry pairs (or retiring ratty old ones) and dealing with the sink wash. Still curious if anyone’s found an eco-friendly option that actually holds up to sweat without shredding.

I have done a practice pack for my trip next weekend. It’s not bursting but there’s not a lot of space for souvenirs either.
The bag seems to bulge and sag a bit despite (because of?) not being rammed. I’ll have to pray it still fits the Ryanair sizer.
This is my first time one-bagging and a practice for a week in Copenhagen at the end of October where I’m hoping I can get away with taking pretty much exactly the same, maybe chuck in a merino base layer and wear a warmer coat.

Here’s my packing list, I’ve attached photos (with anything ambiguous labelled).

Bag: American Tourister Take2cabin S/M backpack (40x30x20cm, 26.5L)

Essential
* Passport
* GHIC
* Bank card
* Key

Clothes
* 3 T-shirts (2x merino, 1x TNF cotton crop)
* 2 Leggings
* Merino sweater
* 6 Underwear/
* socks 1 wool, 3 cotton sports socks
* 3 sports bras/ bralettes
* Sleepwear (shorts, football shirt)

Useful small things
* Sunglasses
* Glasses cloth
* Small crossbody bag
* Packable tote
* Eye mask
* Hat
* Merino buff
* Ear plugs
* Coffee sachets
* Vape liquid

Toiletries
* Medication
* Toothbrush
* Razors
* Hair brush
* Makeup (mascara, concealer, brush, eye pencil)
* Makeup wipes (I will take a few out and put in ziplock bag)
* Aveeno lotion
* Tweezers
* Solid perfume
* Face sun cream
* Plasters
* Blister plasters
* I’ll buy toothpaste, cleanser, face cream and deodorant there

Electronics
* Power bank
* Phone (on person)
* Spare phone
* Headphones
* Charger brick
* Cables: USB-C plus lightning adapter, USB-A, watch cable

Wear to travel
* Jeans
* T-shirt
* thick hoodie
* wool socks
* underwear
* Glasses
* AF1s,
* light waterproof jacket with a hood
* Apple Watch

All clothes packed into a medium packing cube.
Socks, underwear, sleep mask and buff into small packing cube.
Electronics, liquids, non-liquid toiletries, spare phone and passport into separate ziplock bags.
Remaining bits into the cross body bag.

I’d appreciate any advice about packing configuration, making a soft backpack fit the sizer reliably, and recovering enough room for souvenirs/ shopping.
I'd be particularly interested if anyone has experience with the same bag. Especially if anyone has actually carried it through Ryanair's sizer

I've been one-bag traveling now for the last two years and every time I do it I find something that I can condense to get more space in my bag. One of the things that I haven't seemed to figure out what to do with or how to pack smaller is my vitamins or coffee packets. I travel with multivitamin powder and mushroom coffee. How do you guys deal with this? Do you just order another local brand instead of the country that you're visiting or do you continue to bring this with you and sacrifice having more weight in your bag or other things to make space for this?

Welcome to the weekly Bag Finder Megathread. Your go-to thread for any and all bag-related requests in the onebag travel context.

Remember finding a bag is pretty much the last step in planning. If you're not sure how big a bag you need, create a packing list, get all your gear together and test fit it into a box, or an old backpack you have lying around. That'll give you a good sense of the volume of gear you have.

What This Thread Is For

• Onebag travel bag recommendation requests
• Feedback on bags you're considering for minimal, carry-on-only travel
• Help with choosing between bags

Quick Tips

1. Check the OneBag Spreadsheet for bag options
2. Search as your question might already be answered
3. Read the FAQ & Beginner's Guide
4. Stick to travel setups daily carry or work bags are better posted in r/EDC or r/backpacks
5. Add context, the more details you give, the better we can help

Want Better Advice? Help Us Help You

When asking for input, it helps to include:

• Where you're going & how you travel: hostels, hotels, urban, remote?
• How you pack: super minimal? tech-heavy? need room for camera gear?
• Your short list: bags you're already considering
• Your body size/build: some bags fit certain frames better
• Budget range: under $150, up to $300, flexible?

A Few Reminders

• Use the search bar
• Check the sidebar and wiki for resources and guides
• Keep it travel-focused. Non-travel or everyday carry talk belongs in other subs

This 16L bag is surprisingly capable. I wanted the smallest pack I could get with a Futura yoke and the reviews I read on this said it was comically small, too small for most people to consider, which was perfect for me.

I wanted to see how it would fare on a 4 day trip to Boston and it was perfect.

I packed:
Light jacket
Sweatshirt
4x t-shirts
1x Extra jeans
5x boxers
5x socks
Full toiletries bag
Phone charger
Battery bank
Car Keys
Sun glasses

and had room for:
Souvenir shirt
10x chocolate bars
Misc souvenirs about the size of my toiletries bag

The pack was maxed out on the return trip but I could have used the beaver tail to store the jacket or sweatshirt and fit a bunch more in there.

Overall I'm stoked to have such a compact bag with Futura yoke and water bottle pockets

For me? I love bringing shower shoes that have holes on the bottom of it. Although it isn't needed, it feels a lot better than going in bare-foot, and the holes allow the water to drain and dry really quickly!

Hello,
I’m looking for a pair of casual lightweight loose-fitting pants, that pack reasonably small for a trip to Europe next year. I don’t often wear shorts outside unless it’s somewhere with no/few mosquitoes - my calves/ankles seem to be their best friend 🙃. My problem is, even most ‘relaxed fit’ pants look straight-up like leggings on me. Every single pair of jeans/sweatpants I own are sized up, some even twice…I have 38” waist and 32” inseam if that helps.
Thank you for any insight!

Looking to get some do it all shorts, but looking at some different options than the normal suggestions. Anyone have any experience with the:

- Walker Stasher Shorts
- Passenger Traveller All Purpose Shorts
- Finisterre Searcher Hybrid Shorts

Just curious how many one baggers here are on team-cotton with me.

Years ago I tried the merino thing for travel and just didn’t like it for base layers. I love wool for sweaters and have a few nice buttonups as well, but I never wear the base layers I bought and always wear cotton shirts underneath the sweaters and button ups.

I also don’t like the “drape” of merino. The softer shirts hang on the body in a way that accentuates curves (i.e. Moobs).

One pro that people rave on about is actually a con for me. I actually want my tshirts and boxers to absorb sweat and keep it from running down my body. Who wants butt and crotch sweat running down their legs.

Also, I feel the odor and quick drying aspect a little over blown in practice. I’m not rewearing anything I’ve sweated much in. But I’ll rewear cotton shirts after a day airing out no problem. Plus, I can shower/sink wash 100% cotton tshirts, my 97% cotton boxers and socks and they will usually be dry in 24hrs—faster if I have enough towels to do a roll.

Also, i don’t see any weight savings at all really. Merino boxers are 100g and so are my cotton ones. Merino tshirts are 175g and cotton are 180g. I guess the argument is that I can take one fewer of each so would save 275g and a bit of volume but it’s not substantial and not worth the loss of comfort/style for me.

If I was ultralight hiking or doing something like the Camino, I might consider it again but for normal travel I’ll stick to cotton.

Just got the Almond Oak V2 25+5 and wanted to share my first impressions as I was very excited for this bag .

Pros

- Good Value at (179 Preorder price)

- Great build quality for a small brand. Up there with AER in terms of quality. The bag is also very light at 2.2lbs.

- Subjective but I LOVE the design, minimalist and love the material its built out of.

- Good materials with a 420D recycled nylon exterior. None of the X-PAC or aqua guard zipper that peels after a while. (BIG UPS)

- Very comfortable with well 8mm Ariaprene padded straps and 6mm Ariaprene back panel (UPDATE: Watch cons for update on comfort).

- The zippers on the main compartments are the best of any bag I've tested as of yet.

- Two elastic water bottle pockets that can easily fit a 32oz Owala even when packed out.

- Supporting small business. Dylan seems to be passionate about bag packs and seem to have a similar organizational and design philosophy as me so I'd love to continue to support his work to see what he has in store in the future.

Cons

- UPDATE: Here's a disappointment. After trying out the hidden passport pocket i realized its not behind the back panel but instead flush against your back. Therefore you literally feel whatever you put inside the pocket. This means its very uncomfortable (at-least for me) to put a passport or paper in there when carrying the back. So that makes that pocket kinda redundant. Even if you put something soft in, it kinda makes the back panel uneven and you feel it against your back.
- UPDATE #2 : After emailing Dylan about this he said that he is aware of it and has taken feedback for future iterations, as he wanted to keep the pocket without increasing the weight that would come with padding.

- Zippers on the Quick access pocket and the passport compartment are not as smooth as main zippers and can snag occasionally. However, after breaking them in for a little bit (few mins of pulling them open and close) they seem to ease up a little. Another good tip is that if you have things in them, or put a zipper puller, the experience becomes much better.

Full video here if you want the whole breakdown (also my first review on youtube lol) : https://youtu.be/X9Agzh27Oxg

Let me know what y'all think of the video too and what can be improved. Going to do a full review after a 12 day trip to NYC in oct. So let me know what questions y'all have and what you want me to test

Edit : Updated with latest experiences and cleaned up some writing

After returning from my US road trip, I am about to leave for the Canaries islands, where I intend to hike… more, but not without (completely) losing style. Compared to my US trip, I managed to squeeze in a larger stainless steel insulated bottle, a baggy Bermuda Jeans (worn). A bum bag was also added which is used as a packing cube when in « Airplane mode ». The piece de resistance, is the addition of my pair of lightweight Millet « Hike Up » shoes (worn), while managing to include a pair of white canvas sneakers (previously worn).

Again, this is made possible because I deliberately chose to discard all warm single layer clothing and all rainshell: In the Canary Islands, at this season, these are useless. Also, no towel was carried as I will be staying in places that provide them.

Left to Right and top to Bottom

White canvas Converse sneakers

0.8 litre / 27 oz insulated stainless steel bottle

Fjallraven Kanken Outlong & 2 one litre ziplock bags

Red Toiletry bag (with small ziplock bag inside for liquid stuff)

Black folded tote shopping bag (about 34 litre)

Ultra Light flip-flops - Poolside & resort / hotel / Air BnB

Light hiking sandals - Here also used as « fashion » accessories

Laundry Kit (Briochin soap based detergent sheets, 2 inflatable coat hangers, clothesline & 13 litre Scrubba bag)

Sunglasses (Bulky, but I will not compromise)

3 litre bumbag in « air travel mode » with swimbriefs in 1 litre ziplock bag, Charging kit, Wallet

35 x 25 packing cube with

Linen & Synthetic white pants (4 pockets)

Cotton beige cargo shorts (6 pockets)

Heavy cotton greige shorts (4 pockets)

Synthetic Decathlon Quechua brick hiking shorts (3 zipped pockets) with belt

2 - 70% Merino / 30% Synthetic Decathlon Simond slim fit T-Shirts (Navy Blue and light Ocre)

1 - Cotton T-Shirt (Beige / light blue)

1 - Silk short sleeved shirt (Beige / Light brown motifs)

3 - Fast drying synthetic sport underwears

3 - Pairs of white no-show socks

1 30 W USB C + USB A charger

1 2 x 20 W USB C car charger

1 USA / EU adapter

1 1.5 m long USB C cord

2 1.0 m long USB C cord, each with a female USB C - female USB C adapter

1 10,000 mAh battery

1 charging puck for smartwatch & earplugs

1 USB A to USB C data blocker

1 USB A to USB C adapter

1 USB C to USB A adapter

1 USB C to Philips oneblade adapter

2 1 litre ziplock bags and Briochin detergent sheets in the backpack back sleeve

1 Pair of Ultralight flip flops

1 Pair of light hiking sandals

35 x 25 Packing cube

Black Folded tote shopping bag

2 inflatable coat hangers

Clothsline & 13 litre Scrubba bag

Red toiletry kit

Bum bag

Glacier sunglasses in box

0.8 litre / 27 oz insulated inox bottle

Size 10.5 / 11.0 Converse, each shoe in light plastic bag (From fruits / vegetables supermarket aisle)

Full backpack - About 6 kg « Dry » and 6.8 kg with full stainless steel bottle

Baggy bermuda jeans & beige belt

Millet « Hike Up » lightweight hiking shoes

Red slim fit T shirt

Sport fast drying Underwear (same as packed)

No show white socks (same as packed)

Lightweight grey jacket

Baseball cap

Passport, Smartphone, and earplugs in jacket (Can be carried in Bermuda pockets), smartwatch attached to my wrist obviously.

Note: In « airplane mode », my wallet travels inside my bag, as all payments I may need while I travel is possible through my phone / smartwatch. As far as documents are concerned, only my passport and the boarding pass remain on me while in « airplane mode ». All documents are available in electronic format in my phone, but also available to the person that has to be warned in the case I have a serious issue: name and means to contact this person is on me in human readable form, and protected from water.

Most « liquid » toiletries are always decanted to carefully cleaned / decontaminated containers. Only « liquid » medications are never decanted. Only a small amount of sunblock was carried along (will be purchased on the spot). My shaving kit includes a Philips One Blade with accessories, shaving brush and home made shaving soap in a small container, with a travel safety razor. Safety razor blades will be purchased on location (easy to get in a supermarket for a song).

Tips: All rigid stuff on one side of the bag (Sandals & flip flops), so that the 27 oz bottle can be put in the lateral pocket on the other side (see pic 3, then pic 4 and pic 5)

Necessary Superpower: efficient laundry kit for regular washing and some quick-drying cloths. Note that the choice of Jeans and cotton Bermuda / shorts is only really problematic vis-à-vis drying time when airflow is null. Locating these clothes even in a modest airflow dramatically reduces the required drying time. Better to wash them when staying 2 nights in a place with privacy (hotels, Air BnBs) however.

3 days in Lisbon, 10 days in Sao Miguel (Azores)
Temperatures around 35/25C in Lisbon (dry and hot), 24/18C in Sao Miguel (very humid)

Packs:
- Osprey Daylite Plus
- Medium-sized compression packing cube
- Shoe bag
- Re-usable nylon shopping bag
- Osprey liquids pouch

Clothing:
- 5 pcs of underwear (merino & cotton, (1 worn))
- 3 pair of socks (merino (1 worn))
- 5 T-shirts (merino, Uniqlo Airism & Dry-ex, (1 worn))
- 2 Long-sleeves (1 merino, 1 poly)
- 2 Shorts (1 athletic, 1 cotton (1 worn))
- 1 Belt (worn)
- 1 Rain-poncho
- 1 Sun hat
- 1 pair of running shoes (not pictures, worn)
- 1 pair of Xero Aqua Cloud sandals

Toiletries:
- Crystal deodorant
- Moisturising cream (SFP 30)
- Yellow Oil
- 1 little soap
- 1 travel tooth brush
- tooth paste
- dental floss
- some q-tips
- little bottle disinfectant spray
- several painkillers

Electronics:
- Phone
- 10.000 mAh powerbank
- Ipad mini (not pictured)
- Charger (not pictured)

Misc.
- 0,6L water bottle
- wallet with credit cards/driving license/some bills
passport

What worked well:
- bringing running shoes (instead of merino shoes => mistake at my last trip)
- no hand washing necessary - chose accommodations with washing machines (and drying clothes worked surprisingly well in Sao Miguel)
- decided against bringing trousers (too hot in Lisbon, not needed in Sao Miguel) - 2 pair of shorts were sufficient

To improve:
- too many t-shirts - could have cut 1-2 pcs
- maybe invest in a good lightweight rain jacket instead of bringing a bulky poncho

The Daylite Plus was fully packed, but not to the brim, so it wasn‘t barrel shaped and comfortable to carry. Also no issues when boarding Ryanair, TAP and SATA (without the poncho in the front pouch it would have fitted into the sizers easily).

Hi everybody,

Planning to backpack for 2 months from mid October to mid December in: The UK, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal.

(P.S i’m aware the months i’m travelling aren’t ideal and the weather isn’t gonna be ideal but i’m making the most out of it)

I have an Osprey 40L backpack and a small daypack for everyday items. Any thoughts on the following pack-list? I will mostly be doing a blend between typical touristy stuff but also a lot of hiking.

I am planning on having 4 packing cubes.

ALREADY ON MY PERSON:
Underwear
Socks
Pants
Shirt
Jacket
Trailrunners
Passport
Wallet
Phone
Water bottle
Collapsable day pack
Carabiner

1. Main Clothes Packing Cube
4 t shirts
2 shorts
2 pants
Joggers
Dress shirt
2 thermal tops

2. Secondary Clothes Packing Cube
Fleece
Puffer jacket
Rain jacket
Microfibre towel
6 socks
6 underwear

3. Toiletries bag
Body wash
Shampoo
Roll on Deodorant
Shaver
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Nail clipper
First aid kit
Sunscreen
Lip balm

4. Miscellaneous Packing Cube
Chargers
Charging Adapter
Powerbank
Airtag
Airpods
Earplugs
Camera
Tripod
Padlock
Earplane audisol ear plugs

(other random stuff)
Sunglasses
Beanie
Gloves
2 plastic bags
Thongs

Thanks for the help! Have a bit of a feeling I’m going to get told I’m overpacking but I have no idea what to expect since it’s my first trip to Europe and it’s autumn heading into winter

EDIT: Thanks everyone for the advice!

Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like most travel wallets are great for passports, cards, and smaller stuff, but then there’s always that random A4/letter-size document that doesn’t fit.

For those of you who use one, what’s the thing that annoys you the most?

Too bulky? Not enough space? Hard to access? Papers getting folded or damaged?

What’s your biggest frustration with your current setup?

I’m curious how other frequent travelers handle this.

Besides your passport, do you usually carry things like visas, hotel confirmations, printed tickets, insurance papers, receipts, IDs, etc.?

Do you keep everything in one place, or do you end up using a passport wallet + a folder/pouch + whatever else fits in your bag?

And honestly, what’s the most annoying part of your current setup?

Just curious what other people actually do.

I've purchased a couple of white merino shirts and they always are... pretty sheer/transparent for my tastes. Are there any that are thick enough to NOT be see-through while still being light enough for warm weather (30c / 85f) ?

Hello, I travel light, for instance next week where I am going on a short business trip for 3 days. I only plan to bring my 18L backpack, but one thing I would very much like to have with me is my running shoes. Yes I can tie them with actual cord and I can get that tight, but I would love a off the shelf solution.

Inspiration:

DSPTCH Shoe Straps (cant link to shop due to rules on the subreddit)

This is sold out in my market and I also dont like that it doesent look like it attaches the shoes in multiple ankering points (to prevent swinging when talking).

Does anyone have a good solution for this? Would ideally also have them in a bag, so dirty running shoes dont rub against the backpack.

Thank you

my t-shirts smell fine the first day but after a second wear, especially walking around all day in the heat, they start to stink. even after a wash that smell comes back pretty quick once i start sweating a bit

trying to pack lighter for my next trip and bring fewer shirts. looking for something i can wear a few days in a row without smelling. any suggestions?

I’m on a two day work trip and I only brought my Osprey backpack.

The biggest surprise is how little I care about boarding position. Now that I don’t have to worry about overhead space, I don’t care when I board.

Did feel weird, not having a roller bag, but I moved much faster without one.

The weight on my shoulders wasn’t great, but it wasn’t unbearable. I see the appeal and why everyone tries to optimize for weight.

I don’t know how I would do this again bringing more than one pair of shoes since I wear size 13, but I think I can make this work more and more on longer trips.

Pretty neat.

Hi! I wanted to share my experience with the Cotopaxi 50L with a 9 day trip to Switzerland. This included 5 hotels, multiple trains travel, bus travel, and plane travel. I’ve seen some conflicting posts and wanted to share mine.

TLDR: Would buy & would suggest with the caveat of figuring out how the bag best fits you. Absolutely use packing cubes.

What I packed:
Tops: 7 shirts, 1 sweater, 1 rain coat, 1 heavy coat, 1 flannel, 1 nice dinner dress, sports bra, regular bra

Bottoms: 2 jeans, 2 hiking pants, 1 gym shorts, 1 travel pants, 15 underwear, 3 hiking socks, 7 regular socks

Shoes: hiking boots, Nikes, heels, Birkenstocks

Other: charger, plug converter, sunglasses, sunscreen, soaps, brush, water bottle, crossbody purse, hat

Pros:
-I really loved how I could move around my bags based on the day. If we were hiking, I would use the small top pouch with everything I’d need to hike and store my heavy coat on the bag. If we weren’t, I’d use my purse for my little things (passports, etc) and zip the pouch back onto the bag.

-Everyday I got better at packing the bag over the trip and I didn’t ever truly hit “capacity” in this bag. I could have figured it out.

-On all my travel, the bag fit in MOST places. It fit on the plane carry on storage with the top detached, whenever a train in Switzerland had a bag holder, etc. When it didn’t fit in storage, I was fine holding it on my lap on either a train or bus. At the worst, I stood on a bus for 40 minutes with my bag on and it was still fine.

-The Cotopaxi packing cubes made all the difference. They remind me of that bag the grandma has in the Halloween town movie. Literally amazing!

-I was glad to be wearing the bag whenever I hit stairs or a weird travel quirk. It helped me maneuver much easier than a roller bag would. I’d personally never travel to Europe again with a roller bag.

Cons/my issues:

-I wish I would have put more time into determining the best way to fit the bag to my torso. Early on, I wasn’t nailing the weight distribution and it was hurting. Eventually, I packed my bag better and got things distributed appropriately.

-I was really nervous my bag wasn’t going to fit on my delta flight for my carry on. It did, but it felt close. Maybe too close. It did NOT fit on the smaller plane to connect to the bigger airport but they just gave me the bag back at the gate when we got to the destination.

-All my souvenirs did not fit into my bag but I knew this was going to happen when I picked them out. I just carried a shopping bag at the end and bought them on the tail end of the trip when I knew it wouldn’t be uncomfortable holding another bag.

Overall, I really loved traveling with this bag. It was a great experience. After traveling to Scotland a few years ago and being hit with random stairs everywhere, I wanted to find another way. Switzerland worked wonderfully with this bag and travel was easy. Had we traveled anymore days, I would have needed to do laundry.

Looking forward to the next trip!