The 14lb Rule of Onebagging
 

I came up with a new easy rule whether wheel-less onebagging is something you should try:

If all your packed goods together weigh 14 pounds or less, it will be worth a shot to try out onebagging.

How did I come up with that?

First, onebagging is fantastic for many obvious reasons discussed here and on other websites like 1bag1world or onebag.com.

Second, onebagging means essentially also shoulder carry to profit from the portability principle to the greatest extent. Shoulder carry means the 10% rule of bodyweight applies, saying that one can normally carry with relative ease a bag that weighs 10% of oneself. Since the average weight of women in the US is around 176lbs (not kidding) and men are even higher than that, let's say that the 10% would often sit around 18lbs.

Third, most bags designed for onebagging weigh between 3 and 4 pounds (for the bag itself). So you subtract that from the allowable gross weight and you come out at around 14lbs.

Fourth, the beauty of onebagging is that you know you can ALWAYS take the bag with you into the cabin, easy in, easy out. That means you will want to use it also on as many airlines as possible. And quite a few airlines now have a weight restriction for cabin luggage sitting right around the 18lbs (8kg) point. Thus 18lbs makes perfect sense as the total weight of your one bag.


So you see, the 14lb rule of onebagging makes the entire process much easier. If you can adjust the weight of packed items down to this point, then it makes sense to think about an Airboss, Tristar or other.

Unfortunately, most professional travelers will be forced to carry some electronics and some documents with them. A really light professional load would be 8lbs. That includes a sleeve or light bag for the laptop and documents since a) the laptop needs some form of protection and b) it's not really very appropriate in many cases to show up at the client's with your travel bag used as an office bag; just doesn't look very professional. I say 8lbs are light because many briefcases already weigh 5lbs empty (again no kidding, try it out). But even with 8lbs that leaves you just 6lbs for clothes.

Sure for an overnighter that's plenty. But a five day business trip with 6lbs of other packed goods, requires a whole lot of restraint and discipline and concessions to make.

This is precisely the reason why so many business travelers and road warriors, especially in the US where there is not yet a cabin weight limit or a piece limit of 1, use one rolling bag and one extra bag.

I hope the 14lb rule establishes itself as a corollary of the 10% rule to answer the question whether onebagging is feasible for potential candidates.

Till

Hmm. In the last three weeks I have taken two trips with the same bag set up: an LL Bean Turbo transit backpack and a B&R satchel. In both trips each bag weighed 14 pounds and I thought it went fine. I didn't take a roller since both trips were on the Acela and rollers aren't as convenient there in my opinion. I even walked from the station to my hotel this past Monday with that carry. Not a long walk, but didn't think twice about it. I do think two 14 pound bags are a lot easier than one 28 pound bag.

By all means, GF. Two 14 pound bags are a lot easier than one 28 pound bag, no matter what type of bag it is.

In your case you had a triple advantage:

1. None of the bags were at the 10% limit (or so I figure ;)), which makes it less stressful to carry any one of them.
2. Both bags were equal weight which is good for a balanced load.
3. One of the bags was a backpack. Even if a backpack is worn just with one shoulder strap, its weight is already shifted to your back which makes bigger loads easier to carry.

What I am talking about is a rule that makes it easy to determine whether a ONE (1) bag set-up with a SHOULDER bag is feasible.

You are a very smart and proficient packer. And still you were lugging 28lbs. Imagine you'd have had to carry that in a single shoulder bag. Is it possible? Yes. Will you regret it? Most likely! :p

If you use a Skytrain, Tristar, Motherlode, Aeronaut or other convertible bag in true backpack mode, you will of course be able to put in even a 30 pound load - possibly more but then we aren't really talking about packing light anymore.

The Aeronaut due to its squarish main compartment is also not ideal for packing a suit jacket so many professional travelers need.

Till

The weight challenge is currently the hurdle in my one bag luggage choice. I'm petite and travel tech heavy. I've been pondering lightening my clothing load a little to allow for the electronics and settling on a lighter wheeled bag. My eBags TLS weekender gets too heavy for my size and gives me shoulder pains. Yes, I'm sure I put more than 14 lbs in it.

Osprey just released a 4 lb 6 oz wheeled 22" bag http://www.rei.com/product/837014/os...led-luggage-22 and it looks like a usable size compared to the 18", though I forgot to bring a tape measure.

I recently completed a trip where I had 22 or 23 pounds total. That's close enough to 10% of my weight that I can handle it, but I don't like to deal with a 23-pound bag.

Many people traveling for work--I was speaking at a conference--can't get the total down to 18 pounds. My conference didn't require dress clothing, but it required a laptop for the presentation--I used a netbook--as well as the handouts, source book, and so forth. Also, the conference was held on a college campus, with dorm housing (no hotel amenities, not even soap), and with a schedule that would have made hand laundry difficult.

This is where, I think, a strict doctrinal commitment to carrying only one bag is undesirable. As much as a dislike carrying one 23-pound bag, I find it easy to carry one 17-pound convertible bag and a 6-pound messenger bag. And the messenger bag was useful during the conference.

I'm at the point, however, of weighing every item I might pack and entering the weights in a spreadsheet. For a trip with all stays in hotels (no dorms, no homes of relatives or friends) I could jettison about 2 pounds worth of robe, slippers, etc. And now I know that an Ex Officio T-shirt weighs at least an ounce less than one from TravelSmith.

My father, in the 1950s, traveled with a leather 2-suiter that weighed 20 pounds empty, and close to 50 pounds filled. When he began traveling by air in the 1960s, there was still a 44-pound limit for domestic flights and he grudgingly changed to a Skyway bag that was about 10 pounds empty.

Kochleffel, I totally agree doctrinal onebagging s*&^s. It's all about getting the right tools for the task.

But that's why I think it is useful to even have a rule of thumb to see if it even makes sense to try onebagging.

The result is that most professional travelers due to a) tech gear and b) tight schedule that doesn't allow for much washing to be done cannot get into the 14lb packed or 18lb total range.

That's why true onebagging is more a thing for leisure travelers. And when I travel for leisure I almost always take only one bag.

Till

Yes, I understand and agree. I was really offering an alternative to one bag. And I have taken a roughly 28 pound one bag (B&R 235x I believe) and I was in pain for a couple weeks afterwards from the stress. A Tristar or Skytrain would have been better due to the shoulder carry.

As mentioned above also, another advantage of two bags, other than carrying more, is that if one of them is a messenger bag or backpack with the tech gear it can serve as a day bag at the meeting you are attending. In the case of both of these trips I did that. For different reasons on both of these trips I didnt think I could do with only an iPad, so I also took a Mac Book air. That, plus the charger for it and the weight of the second bag probably was about 5 pounds. When I do travel with one bag, I try to get it to 18-20 pounds, which works for me. And as you said, that is often for non-work trips. But I do think that 2x14 lbs is as comfortable to carry as 1x20 lbs.

Exactly, Gadgetfreak. We are in agreement. Especially the point about having an extra bag as a day bag.

I also once (1.0!) carried a bag that was probably 16kg (photo gear plus laptop) and it was baaaad. Never again. :mad:


OT:
Allow me the question, on that trip you are talking about, why did you even take the Ipad if you already had an MBA with you? Was it just creature comfort because the Ipad is such a nice tool for surfing or can the Ipad do something the MBA cannot? I wondered myself whether I should get an Ipad or an MBA. The decision was for the MBA once it has a Retina display. It weighs as much as an Ipad with case and keyboard. So no real weight difference there. But it has better connectivity, more memory, more power and a full file system. I hope they bring one out soon that does have the Retina display.

Till

I have learnt tons from the onebaggers over the years, but my concern with the onebagging concept is that "one bag" is not the same thing as "travelling light". My aim is to achieve the latter, rather than the former for its own sake.

Two small bags, in general, make far more sense to me. This way I get better weight distribution, more convenient access to essentials during the flight/journey and a day bag that doesn't make me look too obviously like a tourist at the other end.

I appy a 7kg rule for my primary bag because (a) that is the most I feel comfortable carrying on my shoulder and (b) that is the carry on limit for most of the airlines I fly (eg QF, CX). So, not too dissimilar to Till's 14lb rule of thumb... However, I don't weigh my handbag and neither has any airline so far!:). That probably adds about 2-3kg to my total load on most trips (typically includes all my tech).

Lots of onebaggers seem to adopt the approach of packing a smaller bag inside the primary bag, which I find is rarely practical for me, because the second bag, if it is suitable for use as a day bag, tends to take up a disproportionate amount of space inside the primary bag. Personally, I am not prepared to sacrifice that additional space when it is more convenient for me to carry the second bag separately anyway!

From a business perspective I always found onebagging virtually impossible, but I guess that depends on what work materials you need to carry and what level of professional attire is appropriate in your field.

I used to use ~$1.50 light-weight cubes but I got sick of the dull colour and spoilt zippers so I bought some proper Eagle Creek cubes (which will weigh a bit more) and I'm going to gift the old ones to a friend who does not mind.

I cannot do with the concept of the 'one bag' because of the purse I carry. I need it for the flight and as a day bag at my destination. It never goes into my carry-on. I can get away with it because airlines think that females need their purse ;) My carry-on has never been stopped to be weighed on any of the airlines I travel with so that's a bit of a luck (I tend to check it on budget airlines because I shop more on shorter trips?).

14 lbs is about 6.35 kg, which I'm still unable to achieve. Right now my luggage hovers around 7.0 kg during summer travel (this includes my 3.5lbs or 1.6kg Mei Voyageur), which is way more than 10% of my body weight. But as I always use the very useful waist strap, I could always carry up to 8.5kg without feeling the strain. More than that and I start to get a little tired.

I think I may have met my comfort level but my back has not been happy.

Loving all of the great comments. Thanks a bunch! :)

Baghoarder, from your post I extrapolate a confirmation of the 14lb rule for onebagging. Basically, as soon as one gets over 14lbs or so, it makes sense to start taking a second bag for a more balanced load and less stress on a single shoulder.

Ryvyan, you are right within my "rule" with your weight. Because my 14lb (6.35kg) are meant to be net weight of packed goods without the bag around it. Whereas your 7kg include a 1.6kg bag. So you are easily in line. You even beat it. Plus you have the added advantage of the MEI Voyageur (I read that it's a very good bag) being a backpack convertible. Worn as a backpack and using the waist strap, I think you could even pack more. The fact that you don't need to means you're a very good packer.

For me, on a business trip, it is really hard to stay in the 7-8kg limit. And, yes, Lufthansa has weighed my carry-on bags, even my rather small briefcase which was outfitted with backpack straps (Briggs Riley BB107). This makes me think that it might be a good idea for those convertible users to hide aways the backpack straps when you are at the gate or check-in, and to nonchalantly hand carry the bag, don't even use the shoulder strap. Hand carry would probably suggest the lightest bag to a superficial observer and backpack carry the heaviest - independent of what is actually in the bag.

Till

tfar, you are right exactly. With the weight limits European airlines impose, I cannot possibly get away w/ using a carry-on. I've carried a heavy duffel many times through gates.

For long vacations, I like to store my big suitcase somewhere convenient (airport, hotel), and rotate clothing in my duffel. There is the Victorinox Pakmaster shirt envelope that secures your shirts so they don't get wrinkled.--goes well with duffel. You might want to get the large Pakmaster if you plan to include pants.

I pack more in my duffel than Europeans do in their 18" carry-ons. As long as I can carry it nonchalantly through the gate, I'm fine!

Thanks, Ethan. True, the more nonchalantly you can carry that bag, the less they give you, unless they are German. Then even your briefcase will be subject to the scale. ;)

May I ask what duffel you use? And do you use the 18x12 Pakmaster in it or the 15x11? The smaller one, I suppose.

I have two EC shirt folders. The 18x12 model for when I use a regular size bag and the 15x10 model for when I use a duffel or expandable briefcase on an overnight trip. The bigger model would not fit then.

BTW, try wrapping your pants around the shirt folder. Have only the shirts and ties in the shirt folder. This will save space, cause less wrinkles and be quicker to pack.

In any case, I am not the biggest fan of getting a very light bag, then getting proficient at lightweight packing to finally burn the advantage on tons of accessories for packing. It defies the purpose. But a shirt folder (I usually take the heavier board out) is the go-to accessory I'm not doing without.

It can serve to give some structure to an otherwise soft bag. It can serve to compartmentalize a bag. To protect its contents. And, of course, it packs shirts and ties very neatly.

Till

Well, as I've mentioned in other threads, my solution to this issue is two smaller bags, where one of them is wheeled. That way, total weight is irrelevant - the wheels save me there. Focusing on smaller bags still gives me most of the advantages of one bag travel. The key to my success here is to find a wheeled bag that is small enough to fit into any overhead bin - even the regional jets - yet big enough to provide some meaningful packing. Fitting into the overhead of regional jets rules out most of your standard 22inch rollaboards. Currently I think I've found my Holy Grail with the Briggs & Riley Baseline rolling cabin bag. It's the largest roller that will still fit (wheels out) into the overhead bins of the CRJs (at least on the couple that I've had the chance to try so far). It also has a flat(ish) top, making it easy to stack my other bag (either my Tristar or my Skytrain) on top of it to roll.

Unfortunately for some of us who have to travel very tech heavy, limiting to 14 lbs is just not possible.

Bolding mine.

I agree that yours is a very sensible solution.

The reason I like the 14lb rule (18 with bag) is that it gives a very clear guideline of when a shoulder carry single bag without wheels actually makes sense. The guys from the religious onebag fraction sometimes seem to forget that there are physical limitations.

Using wheels or using a backpack is simply a way to overcome those physical limitations, as is splitting your load onto two bags, one of them perhaps with wheels.

So, I came up with this rule to prevent any disappointment when travelers are hyped into going single onebag shoulder carry because there seems to be some snobbery of quasi-religious proportions about that mode of travel on certain sites.

It's very simple. Try to pack as light as possible. This will always be good, wheels or not. When you have trimmed down the contents as much as possible, weigh them. If they are over 14lbs and you aren't Goliath, just forget about the onebag mantra. ;) There are other solutions, one of the best being what gasguru writes above.

Till