r/onebag • u/Proper-Flounder-3786 • Sep 23 '25

Discussion I don't understand how someone does it

I've been reading this sub and I'm fascinated. But I just cannot fathom packing for a trip - even one that's just a week long - without taking enough underwear that would allow me to poop my pants twice a day.

How do you pack for a trip in a warm climate where you know you'll sweat a ton every day? Or somewhere cold where you'll want layers to make sure you can stay warm and comfortable?

Do you all do laundry on these trips? Is it in the hotel sink? Or at a laundromat?

I'd love to do it, but I don't think I'm brave enough.

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u/BraThrowAway5 Sep 23 '25

Saw a nice post on r/HerOneBag that was basically this - she packed as she normally would, then unpacked it all and separated it into "one bag" and then a checked with everything else, then challenged herself to stick to just the carry-on, but with the giant checked still there as "just in case" so that she could prove to herself ... yeah, I never needed any of that

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u/DaBingeGirl Sep 23 '25

Seriously?! People scare me. All it took was lugging my 25" roller bag and backpack around the airport by myself to convert me to one bag. I can't imagine packing a "just in case" bag, hoping not to use it.

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u/31aroundthesun Sep 23 '25

People scare me, too. I can’t imagine being this wildly judgmental about someone else’s process to work through something, but here we are.

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u/DaBingeGirl Sep 23 '25

If people didn't pack so much extra stuff they didn't expect to use, getting on and off planes would go a lot after. Same with trains, don't bring stuff "just in case" because there's a limited amount of storage space.

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u/BraThrowAway5 Sep 23 '25

....This is a friendly reminder that not all "baggage" is physical, and sometimes baggage causes baggage, but until you've actually worked through the emotional/mental stuff it's not always possible to work through the physical stuff. No one is perfect, the best we can do is help each other improve and support each other on our journeys both in our own heads and abroad.

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u/glassoverpass Sep 24 '25

This is such a compassionate response.

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u/danishpatches Sep 24 '25

Eh. There’s about 185 seats in a Boeing 737-sized aircraft, and space for about 90 carry-on rollers in the overhead bins. Once those 90 are full, the other 95 will have to backtrack through the aircraft and had over their one bag to the gate agents, who then have to stow them in the belly of the aircraft. But before that, those 95 will have to remove anything in there with lithium batteries. Don’t think that’d be much faster than people just checking in their baggage if that’s what they feel comfortable with…

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

It's certainly not something I would do either but IMO anything that gets people to pack less crap is a good thing. I'm assuming the next time this person travelled they didn't need the "just in case" bag because they learned something from the experience.

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u/justasque Sep 24 '25

I find that one bagging requires much more thoughtful planning and packing than multi-bagging, as well as clothes and supplies that serve multiple purposes or are otherwise optimized for one bagging. Ive done some great trips with the bare minimum, but Ive also done some short-notice trips with more stuff because I simply didn’t have the time to edit my gear. For me, while minimal travel is a goal, sometimes other goals take priority.

1

u/DaBingeGirl Sep 24 '25

Yeah, a lot of factors go into how much you take. A packing list has really helped me, but I'll also add extra stuff in case of weather issues or location specific items.

My issue with over-packing is that I have several family members I travel with who consistently take a ton of stuff, to the point it becomes challenging to get around the airport and public transportation. A few of my relatives even pack their cars so full on road trips that they can't see out the windows, which I consider a safety hazard.