From Chronic Overpacker to One-Bag Adventurer: The Ultimate Minimalist Packing List and Travel Tips

Janna and Scott

Last Update: 3/2025

Hello, my name is Janna and I am a chronic overpacker. Until recently that is. Now I consider myself a convert to the tribe of “one bag travellers” and I couldn’t be happier.

I blame my tendency to overpack on being an equestrian and on Pony Club. Going to a horse show entails packing up your entire barn, spares of everything, enough hay and grain to tide your horse over for several days should something unexpected come up, and a rather complex first aid kit. This philosophy spilled over to my own personal packing. Rather than spending some time and strategically thinking through each day and the clothing requirements and making decisions based on the weather and the itinerary, I was of the mindset to throw everything in my closet into a suitcase and would still worry that I wouldn’t have what I needed.

Then along came Scott. He had been a “one bag traveller” for quite some time already and had it pretty well dialed in. He has a Tortuga Air 35 liter backpack that he has been using since 2017 and it suits his needs. Every time we would travel together he would gently tease me about the “steamer trunk” that I was bringing as my suitcase. I started paring down more and more and was typically able to avoid checking a bag, but was still attached to my clunky roll-aboard carry-on suitcase. Inevitably on small commuter jets, or full flights where we were in a later boarding group, the bag would end up getting gate checked which is always a hassle and is an opportunity for lost luggage should they check it to your final destination. I remember being quite proud of myself when we went to Europe in 2023 because I didn’t check a bag and just had the roll-aboard, but that sense of pride quickly dissipated when we had to lug the damn thing across kilometers of medieval cobblestones in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. And by “we,” I mostly mean poor Scott who became my de facto sherpa.

In early 2024 as we began the trip planning process for our Thailand trip, I started to investigate bag options for one-bag travel. There are so many YouTube videos and articles out there about the practice, as well as reviews on different brands and models, and I started my data gathering. Clamshell style backpacks are the overwhelmingly preferred bag for this because it is so easy to access your gear and the design is travel friendly.

I already had an Osprey daypack that I liked, and so I included Osprey in my review research. Based on what I read, I felt fairly confident deciding on the Osprey Daylite 44. Generally, bags under 50 liters fit the dimensions for a carry on, so I figured that the 44L was a good choice because it would easily fit in the overhead compartments of airplanes, but wouldn’t be so big that it would become difficult to wear.

I officially joined the ranks of one-bag travellers on our 17 day trip to Thailand in January of 2025, and it was a success. I had just the right amount of clothes, shoes, toiletries, and travel items and wasn’t bogged down by excess weight. I was thankful that Scott suggested “practice packing” several weeks before the actual trip to start to get a sense of what we would need and how much room (and weight) it would amount to.

So, what did I end up packing? I had some rules that I followed. Every shirt needed to be able to go with every pair of pants to make for the most user-friendly wardrobe. The shoes I brought would need to be able to go with every outfit. The philosophy of a capsule wardrobe dovetails nicely with one-bag travel. Thankfully Thailand is quite laid back and there wasn’t anywhere we were going that required dressy clothes. Thailand is quite warm year round so there was no need for any cool weather clothes, although I did bring a sweatshirt for the plane (and am glad that I did). I knew that it would be cheap and easy to do laundry when we were there so this allowed me to pare my clothing items down.

For toiletries we banked on the hotels providing soap (they all did) and I brought solid bars of shampoo and conditioner that are long lasting and take up less room than their liquid counterparts. For first aid items, we decided that we would only bring a few doses/items of each medication/item, our thought process being that we could always go to the pharmacy and get more should we require additional doses. Anything listed as a “kit” was packed into a lightweight zippered waterproof mesh travel pouch. We had bought a package of assorted sizes of the pouches and they quickly became one of our favorite travel items because of their versatility. We both used lightweight compression packing cubes and they were handy. They mushed down clothing to make it easy to fit in the backpack plus they were helpful from an organizational standpoint and made unpacking in the hotel room easy.

Janna’s list

Daylite 44L backpack

  • 6 tee shirts (one of these I would use to sleep in)
  • 3 pairs of lightweight and breathable jogger pants
  • 1 pair of pajama bottoms
  • 1 pair of shorts
  • 8 pairs of underwear
  • 3 bras
  • 4 pairs of socks
  • 1 sweatshirt
  • 1 pair of walking shoes
  • 1 pair of sandals
  • 1 lightweight waterproof jacket
  • 1 baseball cap
  • 1 pair of sunglasses
  • 1 bathing suit
  • 1 sarong
  • 1 lightweight beach towel (this could double as a blanket if needed)
  • 1 Sea to Summit brand lightweight toiletry kit
  • 1 small makeup kit*
  • 1 small first aid kit*
  • 1 small feminine product kit*
  • ~6 oz. sunscreen
  • 1 packable parachute material hammock, Chulim brand

Daylite 15L backpack (this whole pack could fit in the 44L if needed)

  • Trtl neck support pillow (this attached to the outside of my bag)
  • “Tech kit” (Anker PowerCore III wireless portable charger, charging cords, USB charger , travel adapter for power)
  • Phone holder to use on the plane
  • Pen (quite helpful to have handy on the plane when filling out arrival cards)
  • Bluetooth headphones (earbud style)
  • Chums Surfshorts Wallet
  • Passport
  • Snacks (nuts, granola bars, etc.)
  • Eyemask
  • 5-6 disposable masks (in hindsight I wish I would have brought more of these)
  • Hand wipes and hand sanitizer
  • Tissues (Bathrooms in Thailand do not always supply toilet paper)
  • Lightweight refillable water bottle (we use old Smartwater bottles because the plastic is durable but they are still much more lightweight than a metal bottle)

Scott’s List

As you may have gathered, we love to pack items used together in themed zippered pouches, also known as Japanese Pencil Cases. Packing this way ensures that everything stays organized and is easily accessible. An additional win with packing this way is that all the individual decision making for every bit and bob of our kit for a day trip is eliminated. Typically, we just throw the Day Trip, Tech, and Snack Kits in the day pack along with any additional clothing and head out the door. Gone are the days of rifling through everything we packed to decide if it may be needed.

Tortuga Air 35L

  • Packing Cubes: I typically only use the small and medium from this set.
  • Nightclothes: 1x boxer briefs, 1x cotton t-shirt
  • 1x Vertx Delta Stretch LT Pants I love these pants for the fit and comfort! My everyday wear is the Vertx Delta Stretch. The LT version is just a bit lighter and more packable but has the same great fit and pockets. I especially enjoy the hidden zippered pocket inboard of the right main pocket to keep my wallet safe.
  • 2x Shorts. I’m enjoying the Billabong Classic Submersible shorts because they have plenty of pockets with the back one being zippered. The other pair of shorts I’m wearing is an older pair of Royal Robbins. The key feature I look for in shorts is being constructed of a synthetic material for quick drying, plenty of pockets, one of which is zippered for my wallet.
  • 2x Darn Tough Tactical No Show Cushion. These socks are amazing. They seem to last forever and don’t get stinky because of the large percentage of Merino wool.
  • 3x Woolly Men’s Merino T-Shirt. These shirts are comfortable, don’t get stinky, are easy to clean, and dry quickly. What’s not to love?
  • 1x Shirt - Dress - I like to refer to this as my dinner shirt. It is something with a collar but not too fancy and doesn’t wrinkle badly.
  • 1x Minus33 Merino Long Sleve Crew - 400 Expedition weight layer. I tried on a number of sweatshirts and hoodies to arrive at this one. Its Merino wool construction kept me warm on cold planes and in airports while shedding any stink. The size was easily packabe and when not in use.
  • Rainbow Sandals These last for an incredibly long time, are very comfortable, and don’t get stinky.
  • Topo Athletic Pursuit Shoes. I’ve been wearing these shoes since I first heard about them from Darwin on the Trail. They are comfortable and durable and have been my goto shoes for both on and off trail adventures for a few years.
  • Shoe bag. We use disposable plastic grocery bags, one for each shoe. They take up almost no space and are easily replaced if necessary.
  • Patagonia Torrentshell. I’ve had this rain jacket since 2017 and it’s been exceedingly waterproof and packs small enough. I’ve considered getting something smaller but this fits me well yet doesn’t feel restrictive.I like having a shell regardless of rain because it serves as a windbreaker.
  • Swim trunks. Currently I’m wearing board shorts from our Hawaii trip. I like the look but the single velcro pocket is a real pain for traveling because I’ll typically wear them like shorts on beach/water days.
  • 1x Compression Bag for dirty clothes. Did you ever wonder why it gets harder and harder to pack your bag as the trip goes on? After using one of these compression bags for dirty laundry you’ll find that scenario is no longer happening. This also doubles as a dry bag for water adventures. This can also serve as a wash basin (as long as you do it in the shower), but I typically just wash the clothing in the shower while wearing it.
  • 1L Smartwarter Water Bottle. Cheap, light, and amazingly durable. Tie a short loop of paracord around the neck with a clovehitch on a bight and add a mini carabiner to be able to attach it to a pack.
  • Sunglasses. Something cheap. These are easily replaced while traveling.
  • Driver’s License
  • Chums Surfshorts Wallet. Everyone seems to be trying to one-up a minimalist wallet these days. We’ve been using these for a long time and it just works and is super cheap. 2 zippered pockets keep cash, cards, and identification separated and safely enclosed. When we travel to foreign countries we like to keep the foreign currency separate from the credit cards and ID. The only challenge that we’ve run into is bills which are wider than the pocket (Thailand). In this scenario I’ve left the zipper open, which seems to work fine.
  • Passport
  • Health Insurance Card (electronic copy)
  • $300 USD cash in $100 bills for emergencies. Stash the bills in separate locations.
  • Heroclip These are amazing. Typically it lives on the main pack and works wonders for hanging the bag when in airport bathrooms or just about any time you don’t want to flop the bag onto the floor. On day trips we move it to the daypack. After trying a number of sizes we prefer the small, but I don’t think you can go wrong with any size.
  • Belt
  • C-Card for SCUBA Diving. I’ve recently started bringing a digital copy of it instead of the card.
  • 1x Dry Bag. I’ve brought the medium size on a number of trips. It works well for keeping phones and wallets dry on water adventures. I’m debating on dropping this item and only packing the compression bag (above) to serve this purpose.
  • JBL Go bluetooth speaker. The JBL Go is a great size and sounds good. We’ve lost a few speakers over the years because they come on all the river trips. My all-time favorite is the UE Roll, which is no longer made, because it had a built-in bungee cord that made it easy to attach to anything and oriented the speaker well. The JBL Clip is also a great choice.
  • Dive Camera/GoPro
  • Gopro Mini-usb cable and extra batteries
  • Hammock. It’s great to have a place to relax that is off the ground. We love to be able to deploy the hammock in the trees in a local park or on the beach to catch an afternoon nap. Many days this comes along in the day trip pack.
  • Dive Watch
  • Day Pack. Osprey Skarab 18L

Osprey Skarab 18L

This seems to be a good size. It fits well into my main pack and I appreciate the moisture wicking back panel and comfortable straps as compared to the ultra-compact packable day packs I’ve used in the past. Depending on where we are headed and the potability of the water, the bladder may stay behind.

Day Trip Kit

  • Hand Sanitizer in 3 oz silicone travel bottle
  • Travel beach/picnic blanket. This was a bit of a splurge compared to the competition but here’s why. They printed the folding pattern onto the blanket. Totally worth it! We love to be able to have a picnic in the park or on the beach at any time.
  • Paper copy of passport and driver’s license
  • International Driver’s License
  • Insect repellant. I use 100% deet repellent stored in a 1 oz Nalgene bottle. I apply a few dabs to my arms, legs and neck and rub it in. Why the Nalgene bottle? No way I want this stuff leaking all over and Nalgene containers are bombproof.
  • Spork. You never know when you’ll want to grab some street food and a bottle of wine to enjoy the sunset. These are the ones we chose; you probably can’t go wrong with any of the titanium ones.
  • Packable baseball hat. I have an old REI one that isn’t made any more.
  • Small Flashlight I’ll admit that this was a splurge. But it has so many functions, including a mini-lantern that came in handy in Thailand, an emergency blinky light that can be handy for biking, and if you are brave a black light for hotel sluething (eww) and be charged by USB.
  • Ziplock bags. An assortment of quart and gallon-sized freezer bags are worth their weight in gold. From a make-shift dry-bag to storing leftovers from dinner for lunch the next day.
  • Sunscreen in a 3 oz silicone travel bottle
  • Chapstick
  • Small stack of wipes in a ziplock bag. These come in handy all the time for cleaning your hands before a picnic to cleaning up after a spill.
  • Bottle opener. We added this after the Ao Nang adventure of opening a bottle on the beach. The thing is so light and it doubles as a tiny prybar/screwdriver. Why not?
  • Small 3x5.5” Moleskin notebook. Having pen and paper handy is always a good idea. I happen to find this size perfect for stashing in a pocket when necessary.
  • Olight Mini Pen. This pen is great if you want a small but manageable tiny pen. If you require a full size form factor this pen isn’t for you.
  • 3x Small binder clips. These work great to seal snack bags as well as attach clothing to a clothesline. Other uses include clamp hotel curtains shut to block out light, emergency phone stand, money clip or minimal wallet, hang stuff on the limited supply of hotel hangers, and of course bind papers together.
  • Hand soap stored in a 1 oz Nalgene bottle. It always seems to be the case that the soap dispenser in public restrooms is empty. alt text alt text

Repair/First Aid Kit

This kist is packed with the day-trip kit.

  • Clothesline. 6’ paracord works great as a closeline.
  • Zip Ties. A couple from each of the smaller sizes from an assortment pack.
  • Leukotape. This beats band-aids HANDS DOWN because it stays on - even in water - for days. A 1 foot length stuck to a piece of wax paper will last a long time and is great for blisters and cuts.
  • Gaffers tape. This stuff is better for blocking out pesky lights than electrical tape because it doesn’t leave residue. A couple of wraps around an old gift card works great.
  • 2x packets of Triple Antibiotic Ointment

Tech Kit

  • Epicka Universal Travel Adapter 20W. As long as I’m not bringing a laptop, this small device has worked well as my only USB charger and travel adapter and functioned perfectly to charge the phone and power brick at the same time.
  • 1x 6’ USB-C to USB-C cable.
  • 1x 3’ USB-C to USB-C cable.
  • 1x USB-C to USB-A adapter. This adapter occasionally comes in handy, but not often because almost everything I have is USB-C. If you have a good way to keep this little bugger from getting lost please suggest something in the comments.
  • Rolling Square Multi Charging Cable. This cable felt durable and well made. I no longer bring it because I primarily use USB-C. Using the USB-C connectors requires removal of the primary USB-A and Lighting plugs and puts the cable in a less than ideal configuration, which was awkward.
  • Phone Stand. This stand barely gets the job done. I’ve added an elastic band to keep the phone from falling off when taking pictures. It works great to hold the phone for watching movies on the plane. I’m considering other options in the future including those that are 3D printed.
  • Earfun Air Pro Noise Cancelling Earbuds. These have been comfortable and sound great to my ears. I’ve not had a chance comparethem to Airpods but they sound better than the Jabras Elites that I previously used and are significantly cheaper. I sometimes bring my Jabra Evolve2 85’s because the noise canceling is better, but I’m not a big fan of wearing over the ear headphones for long durations.
  • Nitecore NB10000 Gen III Power Bank. It’s a bit pricey compared to others, but its super-slim profile and lightness won me over. It supports pass-thru charging, which is a must to reduce cords. alt text

Sleep Kit

  • Face Mask
  • Sleep Mask - I’m using a plush cloth mask that used to have bluetooth speakers before I removed them when the battery died. It’s comfortable and blocks the light well.
  • Ear Plugs. Cheap foam earplugs work great to block out noises on the plane while trying to sleep. They also work great to block the din of longtail boat motors on longer journeys.
  • Merino wool Buff. It can be used as a neck gaiter to shield against the wind, make you feel cozy warm on a cold plane, a headband to keep hair in place, or a mask to filter out dust and dirt. It also comes in handy as a quick sweatband during hikes, and it can even be fashioned as a makeshift wraparound wristband if you need to wipe perspiration while exploring warm climates.
  • Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight Pillow. This was expensive and not all that comfortable. I keep bringing it because it is so small and light. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been that effective for sleeping on airplanes so it may get dropped on future trips.
  • Tiny portable white noise machine. This is a new addition because I got tired of futzing with my phone to perform the same function. This is tiny, lasts a few days, and charges via USB-C. What’s not to like? alt text

Dopp Kit (Mini Sea to Summit)

This kit is awesome, a great size and it hangs.

  • Travel Pill Organizer
    * Sleep Medication (Unisom and melatonin)
    * NSAID of choice
    * Anti-diarrheal
    * Anti-gas
    * Antacids (Tums or something similar)
    * Multi symptom cold medicine
    * Urinary pain relief medicine (Azo- I learned this lesson when I came down with a UTI on a cruise and needed something to get me get by until I could call in a Rx for antibiotics)
  • 1x disposable razor. These are cheap and work well for me. Razors are easy to find while traveling so I don’t bring more than one.
  • Q-tips in ziploc bag
  • Comb
  • Deodorant
  • Shampoo in a 2oz silicone travel bottle
  • Small bar of soap in a resealable silicone pouch. I hear the travel soap bags that allow the soap to dry are great. I’m considering purchasing one for the next trip.
  • Fiskars Travel Scissors. Scissors come in handy more often than you’d think and these are travel approved and very compact.
  • Eye drops
  • Nasal decongestant inhaler
  • Floss/Picks
  • Toothbrush
  • Toothpaste
  • Prescription Medication - as necessary
  • ¼ of a bar of Fels-Naptha laundry soap in a resealable silicone pouch alt text

Take away packing lessons learned from our Thailand trip

The 44L bag I had easily could have fit more inside it but I wouldn’t have wanted more weight on my back. Many of the budget airlines that we flew with within Thailand had 7kg weight limits on both carry-on bags and personal items, and had our bags been weighed, we would have had to get creative to bring the weight down by wearing clothing items and putting some things in our pockets. Luckily ours escaped detection, and I believe that was because they were backpacks rather than roll-aboards. The bags we saw getting weighed at the gate were exclusively roll-aboards.

Scott had hemmed and hawed about whether to bring a pair of long pants to wear on the plane, and in the end I was able to talk him into it and he was glad that he had them. Even though we were headed somewhere warm, it was absolutely necessary to have long pants for the travel days because otherwise he would have frozen. My default bottoms are pants (I avoid shorts at all costs except when I am doing water activities) and I typically wear the jogger pants on planes anyways because they are comfortable for travel. We both were thankful that we had sweatshirts to wear, and at one point while in the Krabi airport, I actually got out my beach towel to use as a blanket because it was so cold and drafty at our gate!

It is liberating being able to travel with a single user-friendly bag. It is not a hardship wearing it around a city compared to a roll-aboard that is exhausting and unwieldy to lug around. I never felt like I was missing anything, and because of where we were travelling to, it would have been fairly easy to buy anything I needed but didn’t have. I never thought that I would be the type of person to be able to one-bag travel but I did it and would prefer to never go back to the steamer trunk method!

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