arjunrc

Cohiba1492, thanks for chipping in!

Now that's automation :-) Any chance you can publish that sheet?

Indeed - the brush I take these days is a foldable toothbrush that folds into its own case shell - I too picked it up from a business class travel and have used it ever since

Now that's interesting. I don't think it really saves on space, but I guess you do it to avoid creases ? It looks like a variant of the bundle method, but infinitely cleaner to look at. Good tip ^

Now this is rather unique. I've never heard a person choose a pro camera bag as their choice of bag if they are not also carrying a camera, but come to think of it, I understand the logic - all these containers are velcro, so you can compartmentalize as you see fit. Is it not inefficient from a size to space available ratio?

^ Which one?

I love the look of this shoe. Can you comment on how comfortable are its heels/soles? I often travel to large conferences that involve a lot of walking.

Katja

I've been using it for a while (a year, maybe?). Mine even got a little rip in it early on from something sharp, but the tear has not gotten any bigger.

I put a laptop, power cord, jacket, book and snacks in it and use it as my every day bag on business trips. I use a wheelchair and hang it off the backrest, so the lack of padding/comfortable straps isn't an issue for me.

Like oldpenny, I pack one bag (B&R Deluxe Travel Tote) and also have a purse-like item (a small fanny pack/bum bag that is strapped to my chair). Unlike most women, though, I have a personal rule that I must be able to stuff my purse-like item into my one bag for boarding/deplaning, so as to reduce the risk of something being left behind. So I think I qualify.

arjunrc

You sure do, Katja. If you are always able to pack your second into the first, then you have the spirit of a one bagger

oldpenny16

99% of the time my travel purse can ride inside my carry on bag, but if my secondary bag is a Red Oxx Gator bag, then I will have to use my new Ninja Guest Pass.

I learned a few hundred thousand air miles ago that most hotels have some sort of supply of toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc that they are willing to give to guests. The selection of such things in Japanese hotels and inns is extensive and impressive and always already in the bathroom for your convenience.

Additionally nearly every where on our planet you can purchase tooth paste and such.

You don't have to haul it from home.

I have actually paid attention to how much stuff I use when at home (less than one might assume) and keep that information in mind when doing trip planning.

I am just home from a trip during which I ran out of sugar free cough drops. Oddly these were hard to find along my way. Nearly everything else can be purchased or asked for along our travels.

You don't have to take Walmart with you on the road.

Katja

I'm with you there. I take toothpaste (little tube), antiperspirant, sunscreen and a small bottle of oil (moisturizer). I'm happy to use the hotel toiletries.

I also don't use a whole bunch of organizing things that add weight and take up space - shirt folders, organizer pouches, Grid-Its, ... Gallon ziplock bags work just fine and weigh much less.

lwildernorva

My toiletry kit is now an Elemis amenity bag I received on a BA flight:

.

It's not larger than a 3-1-1 bag. When I see a particularly large toiletry bag, I find myself thinking, "How many days could I live out of that?"

I too either rely on hotel shampoo, body wash, lotions, etc. or buy the traveler-sized bottles at a pharmacy at my destination. Not carrying liquids in the Elemis bag means less hassle in security lines. Taking everything out of my pockets and placing those items in a side pocket of my electronics bag means less hassle in security lines. Wearing slipon shoes means less hassle in security lines.

You might have figured out by now that I don't like hassles in the security lines.

I use packing folders only to give structure to the Red Oxx Extra Small Aviator Bag that serves as my main packing bag, including for a ten-day trip to Italy starting next week. Measurements: 15x11x8. I can't claim Ninja status since I have a two-bag solution, including a bag for my electronics.

Even though I suspect I end up carrying less weight than some who think themselves light packers. . .

Internaut

I don't over think this, as the only time I ever want to travel hand luggage only is if I'm going through Johannesburg. I don't like the thought of thieving ------ds' hands in my bag. It's quite simple:

Bog standard Samsonite Carry on. When expanded it takes six polo shirts (the work I do usually allows for smart causal when visiting a customer), changes of underwear, socks, pair of trousers, meds, travel adaptors, cables and, comb, razor and blades, so on. I usually also stick the other two phones in here.

The Dell laptop bag looks crapolla, but it's front compartment is like the TARDIS. It takes all laptop related stuff, tablet, Micro Four Thirds camera body (with 14mm pancake lens attached) and a couple of other lenses, batteries and other stuff. Travel wallet and documents go in the back compartment.

At the transfer airport (usually Johannesburg), I stop by the air side chemist and buy toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, shaving cream etc. For shampoo and soap, I'm happy to use whatever the hotel provides (though I have a definite preference for the kind of establishment that provides Molten Brown or L'Occitane).

Downsides? Last trip, my one week stay stretched out to three and the hotel's laundry service broke down (with no alternatives in evidence). I spent much of my spare time hand washing, ironing and rotating drying clothes into the jet of air from the air conditioner (not to mention "helping" one or two slow to dry items with the hair dryer).

I hope I haven't rambled too much.

arjunrc

Thank you for all the contributions so far!

It is interesting that several of you choose to not carry toothbrushes/pastes/razors and other essentials. I've had terrible luck with these items, specifically within the US. I often stay at places like Holiday Inn/Express and similar category of hotels and they often make an excuse for not having these things - I check in at say 11PM, a lone person manning the desk, I ask for these things and they spend the next 10 minutes shuffling around everything in their housekeeping room only to come back with an embarrassed look and an apology saying "They can't believe they've run out of it and they will give it to me tomorrow". If I am staying at better hotels then its not an issue. So I always carry my own in my ziploc. For those who buy at the airports, do you _always_ do that for every trip? Don't you find it a bigger pain to have to remember to buy rather than keeping a small ziploc always in your bag?

brp1264

Agree with you here, I think it's easier just to pack and carry your own. Now my routine is that I pack up toiletries 2 days in advance, so that if I need to grab a travel bottle of Listerine (i.e. the old one started leaking), I have time for that and am not looking for one at the airport. Also, I buy in bulk at home at Costco and then transfer to travel packs that are re-used (Q-tips, mouthwash, floss, shampoo/body wash if needed) and I find this allows me to have the products I want with little hassle and for dirt cheap prices.

Unless you've stayed at a hotel before, it's hit or miss whether they will have a particular item. Some have a dental kit, some not. Some have Q-tips, some not. Also, it blows to be in a third world country where English is not often spoken walking around looking for toiletries. All the face washes in India are always whitening as well =)

arjunrc

Interestingly, this is the exact opposite of my experience. I travel outside of the US to asia (including India) very often. The hotel experience there is brilliant, always. Hospitality covers up for the language. I find hotel hospitality to be the most challenging within the US (second only to Paris) - amusingly both come under the 'first world country' definition. But I digress - thanks for your experiences! Always good to hear about the perspectives of others!

arjunrc

Here is an easy thing to help secure your bag a little more, specifically snatch-and-grab instances. The advantage of a one bag system is its one bag. The disadvantage is, if its snatched, you've lost it all. What I like doing is clip a small carabiner. If I am sleeping/or not looking at my bag, I clip it to something. This is especially useful in europe when you are traveling by rail and you keep your stuff in the rail above you. Just clip it to the rail. You can attach the carabiner to any part of your bag. Its small enough to just tag along each time and does not have the inconvenience of security straps.

This avoids 'snatch-grab-and-go' petty thieves - their primary goal is to make a quick tug and run - they are not going to spend time sticking around, looking at what the obstruction is. So the goal there is to defeat their 'one second pull and run' operative. A carabiner is very useful and has helped me tremendously. I've had one case where I was sleeping and I woke up when I heard a noise of my bag being pulled and the rail and the bag clattered because of the carabiner - a whole bunch of people were getting of the train station just then - so it could either be co-incidence, or one of them tried to make a run with my bag . I always like to attach the carabiner to the overhead rails facing inside (towards the train wall) so you can't really see the carabiner.

You get carabiners with a screw lock as well - REI sells them.



Obviously, its trivially simple to open the carabiner if you see it before hand. So I'm in no way advertising it to be a great security tool and a replacement for lock strings et al. I only use it as a detriment for the 1 second grabbers when I am not watching - which in my experience is the most common petty theft situation in europe.

oldpenny16

With all this chat about the Red Oxx extra small Aviator bag, I went looking for mine. Found it full of car tools in the trunk of my car. Need to order another with my next Red Oxx order. In the past, I've ordered the mesh, but will try to other option on the next order.

Yes, about the 'purse like item'. I'm looking for the Sea-to-Summit gizmo.

Just ordered a Kindle PaperWhite so my iPad won't be flying again any time soon.

Yes I am weight obsessed.

Just looked at a full size tub of toothpaste that says it weighs 4.6 ounces. I dated it and so far it has lasted 3 months of use at home and isn't half empty.

An ounce of toothpaste lasts me at least a week on the road.

I do use packing cubes (Ebags as they weigh less than the other makes) and color coordinate them for climate and degree of how much I need to dress up. I repack basic items as soon as the laundry is dry so they are ready to fly again soon.

Gosh, I love this thread!

lwildernorva

Weight to me is a key overlooked element. You can restrict yourself to one bag that meets most airlines' definition of a carryon but then fill the bag with so much that it's a chore to carry a significant distance.

I've learned that at some point in your travels, you will have to carry your stuff a significant distance. For me, it happened in 2010 in and around JFK and LaGuardia and then again last year in Rome.

I now try to pack no more than about 13 pounds in a bag. That's tough because I like to pack an extra pair of shoes. I've experimented with bundle packing but found the results unsatisfactory so I've kept using folders at a small weight penalty. I mix more tech fabric clothing into my packing than I wear in my general wardrobe, especially with pants which look a little less objectionable to me than shirts made with the same kind of fabric. Tech underwear allows me to drop the number of those items I need to pack--sink washing for those. The use of tech fabrics to replace some cotton/wool items generally shaves another pound or two off the total weight I carry.

I'm now having to work on my electronics. I'd love to make a modded Nook Color (which essentially works now as a fully functioning Android tablet) with a Bluetooth keyboard my only Internet device, but I haven't found a satisfactory solution that allows me to do the minimal amount of work I like to do at my destination, and since I can't use the Bluetooth keyboard onboard an airplane, I find myself still reliant on an ultrabook. I'll get that one figured out too.

Katja

Up until now I've carried my own laptop (much lighter than a corporate-issued laptop), but will have to break down and take the company's laptop for the remainder of my current project (DEN-BWI every other week through May) due to security policies. Nobody at work seems to understand how significant a couple more pounds of Dell is...but I know you all will be sympathetic.

arjunrc

I completely agree. That is why I personally always use wheeled bags, even though I know they are not as space optimized as a non wheeled can be.I refuse to carry anything on my shoulder. The wheeled bags are heavier and have lesser space than equally sized non wheeled bag, but for the convenience of not having to burden my shoulder with any sort of weight, that is my chosen path.