I wrote a post on Pocket Networks yesterday about solo travel considerations related to the project chronicled on that blog, and I mentioned that actual deepdive into the actual onebag travel bit would be on this blog, so here we go.
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to attain true “onebag” status where all my possessions are in a bag I would carry with me. It would certainly be nice, and I’m sure I could buy into larger-scale colocation to move my entire homelab there, but I do legitimately have some possessions that are 100% irreplaceable, and I’d rather not get rid of them for obvious reasons. That doesn’t mean I can’t get to “onebag for travel” status, however. Do note that I am aware that certain business trips necessitate additional bags which are often checked.
When I started traveling for work in 2007, I often brought my laptop bag along with me in addition to a suitcase. Obviously this was less than ideal, but these trips were via U-Haul trucks, so there was room in the cab for the bag and the storage area for the suitcase.
In early 2008, I took a solo(ish) trip to Boston for an anime con, and I ended up checking a bag on this flight. Needless to say, this was a bit overkill, but considering the time of the year, I wanted to tote warmer clothes. I had my laptop backpack with me too, of course. I had other trips this same year for work or pleasure and of them the most overkill one was AWA in September, a trend that had been done for a few years at this point and continued for several years later. That was the genesis of the portable network setup, in fact.
The years went on, and eventually I found my way to /r/onebag and /r/heronebag, both of which absolutely fascinated me. One poster from /r/heronebag chronicled her packing lists and stuff on her blog, and I’ve referenced that a few times. Again, the chances that I’ll truly be at the literal “onebag” stage in my life are slim, but I can still adapt this to travel to greatly simplify the process, so let’s get into the specifics of this.
The first thing to do is list the required base items for any trip and go from there:
1) Toiletry bag – this contains a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, soap, shampoo, and a hairbrush with extra hair ties. This should be suitably small and will hold the liquids bag.
2) Medications – at the present time a syringe with draw/injection needles, but sometimes tablets/capsules. Depending on the length of the trip, I might have to take multiple syringes. Either way these will need to be placed in a sharps container whenever required.
3) First Aid Kit/Band-Aids – this will need to be a pretty compact one.
4) Identification (driver’s license, passport) – self-explanatory.
5) Building keyfob – I cannot enter my apartment building without this, so regardless of the destination, this will need to go with me.
6) Transit card(s) – at the very least my ORCA card, but if the destination has a transit system I’m using, I’d need to pack the card here.
7) Payment cards – debit and/or credit cards (VISA, MasterCard, AmEx, etc.) used for payments that cannot be done with Apple Pay.
This is the base. Items 4-7 will likely go in my existing day bag, which is about the size of a VHS cassette and could easily be placed in the backpack.
The day bag’s typical contents are as follows:
1) RFID-blocking wallet – this contains my driver’s license, some petty cash, my debit card, my amateur radio license (an old copy) and a few other things.
2) Extra top frames for my glasses – I currently wear glasses from Pair, and their coolest feature are what they call “top frames” that magnet to the “base” frames. One of these is sunglasses.
3) Fuel Rod USB battery with appropriate cables – I have this as many airports and other venues have Fuel Rod kiosks, so if I really need to swap it out I can.
4) Pen – I probably need to get a better one, but this one works
5) ORCA card – this is Seattle’s transit card that I keep separate from my wallet for convenience’s sake.
6) COVID-19 vaccination card – this is outdated, but I still carry it.
7) AirPods case – this hangs from one of strap mounts.
If what I’m wearing doesn’t have pockets or I don’t have a jacket or hoodie on to have pockets, I put my iPhone, my car keys, and my keyfob for my building in it. The keyfob and ORCA card usually live in the outer pocket for ease of access. Once I get off my bum and actually renew my passport, it’ll go into this as well.
Obviously clothing will need to go into this theoretical one bag, but before I cross that bridge I need to address the elephant in the room: electronics.
Before I even begin the process of shopping for this sort of bag, I’m likely to buy a new laptop. I had discussed this on the other blog, and I’ve basically settled on getting a MacBook Air. I need to visit an Apple Store to see just what the size difference is in person between the 13″ and 15″. I’ll probably end up with the 13″ just because a 15″ laptop sounds a bit large for something to potentially use on aircraft or train.
The M5 (or a successor device) will go in this bag regardless of trip, and coupled with it will be either a Chromecast or a Roku Streaming Stick. This will let me watch movies in hotel rooms. I’ll also have a VPN on the laptop for secure access to resources at home.
I plan to get one of the port-extender things that are similar to the old MiniDock for the PowerBook Duo ages ago, like the Anker 547, because I do have one or two devices that I’d use that have USB-A only.
In terms of charging, I’ve seen the CARD Travel Adapter 4-Pro for a while, and this will probably fit the bill. I’ll probably get the compact dual-USB-C 35W charger for the MBAir, and that can plug into the CARD’s universal AC socket to charge the laptop and one additional device. This will let me use the USB-C charger on the CARD for a wireless multicharger for my iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods as those tend to need a bit more power. The remaining ports can be used for other devices, like charging USB batteries, charging my wireless mouse, or charging miscellaneous others like my Flipper Zero, my DMR radio, or if I pick up a newer iPad, that too.
So we’ve got the non-negotiables and the electronics covered: next is figuring out the exact bag. That will require a lot of research as it needs to be a laptop-capable backpack that has room for 4-5 days of clothes. This should be fun for sure.
Until next time!