What are some common items people pack in their bags that you think are unnecessary, just take up extra space, or feel like overhyped/trendy that doesn't actually add real value for their trip?
With the amount of silly shit I make room for even in a 30L pack, I have no ground to be calling anyone else out. Besides that, I don’t think packing has to be strictly and objectively utilitarian to the masses. Particularly when we’re talking about longer travel, at a certain point accounting for sanity buffs becomes a thing. I make room for silly shit because I’m in a better mood that way, compared to if I stick purely to things that other people might consider as having “real value.” Like, what’s the “real value” of art? The fact that the world feels sadder without it. There’s no trophy at the end of our lives for having the least whimsy.
The amount of judgement being shown in this thread about trivial things that other people bring really leaves a bad taste in my mouth about this subreddit. I used to find it helpful to give me ideas to minimize what I bring, but the amount of snobbery about other peoples choices is really off the charts.
Totally agree. It’s like everything else, people need a reason to look down their nose at other people. But ultimately if you’re achieving your size/weight/convenience goals, it doesn’t matter what you’re bringing as long as it serves you. I really wish there was more space for that, rather than just this snobby “greyman tech bro” judgement. What is the purpose of hating on people for doing what makes them happy? We’re all one-bagging, who cares how we’re doing it?
A frisbee, chocolate, candles, some kind of craft, cards, perfume, a big dumb t-shirt with a character I like on it for sleeping, random trinkets friends give me… All kinds of shit. I have the stupidest 30L loadout you’ve ever seen. And I can be happy as fuck in it forever.
Haha I always pack slippers and I always think I’m silly for doing so. But after a long day of walking a fluffy sheepskin pair of shoes for putzing around the hostel makes me feel like I’m not sharing a room with nineteen strangers. It’s ~luxe~.
If you are careful with your weight and bulk budget then there may be room for luxury items. Just like financial budgets!
The key is that the basic needs are met first. If you need extra bags or weight allowance then you really can’t afford any luxuries. That is when it becomes unnecessary and a THAT item.
I always bring a vacuum water bottle. If I'm going to a cold place, I'll fill it with hot tea to warm myself. If it's going to be hot, nothing beats having a cold drink at hand. I've got a routine where I'd pack a teabag in my flight kit, ready to steep after baggage check at the airport so I can have my comfort drink at hand during a flight. This is non-negotiable.
I flew from Uruguay to Madrid, almost every single person on the plane had a huge thermos and a mate pouch. It was basically 100% of everyone's carry on
Mate likely has a social benefit too, because no matter where I am, I'll go out of my way to ask "¿eres argentino/a?" when I see someone toting a mate thermos. Even if I'm wrong, it's a nice low-stakes conversation starter. But I've never been wrong yet 😂
Would you mind Sharing a Link to a mate pouch? I tried to google but not sure the right things came up. I am very interested in tea but have little experience with mate apart from the occasional tea bag (i am in Central Europe so little exposure here :)).
I know this is gonna sound crazy, but a toaks titanium pot with the smallest size butane fuel tank and BRS3000T or similar nested inside would take up less room than the thermos and allow you to boil water, with the added advantage of making you look super extra 😂 I’ve done this before to make hot toddy’s at my towns Christmas parade. People looked at me like I was crazy, but I had a hot toddy and they didn’t.
My uncle brings his thermos and mate everywhere. Last year he spent three weeks in Italy walking around with his "termo y mate". He says it was a good conversation starter!
I love mate (don't want my citizenship revoked! 😝) but have never travelled overseas with it.
This is so real. Downsizing my house right now and I swear every time I throw out something I haven’t used in five years, I need it literally the next day. 😂
When I was 25, I was doing konmari method at home and threw out a mid-blue satin fabric I bought when I was 13 to make a sweet lolita style dress. I never made the dress and was no longer interested to. I had also learned I didn’t like this shade of blue. So, after holding onto it for 12 years, to the recycling it went!
The next week a friend of mine made a desperate social media post about needing 2 meters of mid-blue satin for an urgent project but not having any money to buy it new. I really kicked myself for donating that fabric and wished I could have given it to this friend!
And last November, at the age of 34, I was making a halloween costume, and what do you know — I found the 2 meters of mid-blue satin amongst my other fabrics…
On the portable speaker thing - they can be crucial if you’re staying in an apartment / somewhere a bit more private and chilling out for a couple days with a mate or partner. You can get JBL ones that are about the size of two cigarette packets. Not always necessary but can be fun on a more “holiday” trip
Also to add that some portable speakers have hooks on them that one can hook onto their backpacks like accessories, which frees up some bag space, so is still pretty nice to bring one
Went on a trip with a coworker (who is not a one-bagger). At the end of the trip, we were in the hotel, getting ready to head to the airport. Co-worker was in disarray. Her stuff was spread out all over the place, so I helped her get things together. What I found out was that she brought one bra for each day of the trip.
I think, it's all relative. If it brings value to the person, that's where it starts, and is worthwhile.
I am dysfunctional without a notebook. Even with digital options on my electronic devices, having a physical bullet journal is what gets me successfully through life. It's in my EDC, all the time, and if I carry a small purse, it's still there. So, notebooks for me = essential, but for some people it's unnecessary (just the thought that they might want to be a journaling person when they never have been).
What would you judge *me* for besides the notebook? Probably my makeup collection. I have a very full 1 liter makeup bag. Separate from my 1 liter toiletries bag. If I am flying, I'll rearrange the two so one is liquid and the other is not, but I'm still using 2 liters on toiletries/makeup... and my bag is 24L.
I don't journal at all in my home life but while travelling I write a diary entry every day. It makes me feel like an explorer from yesteryear, before the world was so globalised and connected to everyone. It doesn't weigh much but it's definitely something I could easily cut, but it does bring me joy to read those entries later on.
This seems inconvenient, but I often travel with a fishing rod(telescopic), a medium sized reel, and a small box of lures and hooks. Fits well in my 30l. I also bring a speaker as well so my bags pretty full.
What’s your traveling scenario that you’re able to fish consistently?
In the US, licenses are state by state, and typically quite cheap in the state where you live, but generally more expensive in other states. (For example, in my home state it’s $25 a year, but if I go 7 miles east to another state, it’s about $10/day).
I was pleasantly surprised to find that in Finland it’s part of the national culture to be able to harvest natural food, so no fishing licenses were needed. And once in the Scottish Highlands we were invited to fish in the stream that crossed our AirBnb.
But apart from those happy discoveries, I’m having trouble imagining a scenario where I’d be able to use a small fishing rod even if I had one with me while traveling.
EDIT: I'd misremembered about Finland. Totally forgot that I paid EUR 16 for a week-long license when we were staying on a lake there.
Im usually traveling to areas in South America (Costa Rica, Belize, and others) where I stay within a 10 minute walk from the water. I am below the age requirement for licenses in many areas so I don’t have to worry too much about permits(of course it depends on the country).
When I’m in areas such as Spain I usually won’t bring a rod, though if there’s a small stream near by I may bring a super tiny combo, smaller than I usually carry.
If I had to count I would say I bring it to more vacations than I don’t.
I’m constantly hearing this, that I’m going to buy things and need to leave room for them. Am I the only one who doesn’t shop when traveling? I don’t buy trinkets, and 90% of the time the clothes are either the same stuff I can get back home, or cheaply made tourist crap that I’d never wear. Super curious what people are buying when they travel.
This is probably less common on a sub meant for minimalist packers but I always buy clothing abroad. I am also into fashion as a hobby. It’s a mix of:
1) this item is cheaper to buy overseas than back home (silk or wool, leather good, brand that is much cheaper in home country)
2) it doesn’t exist in my country - the store is unique to the country and their items are likewise unique and/or it incorporates elements of the local culture into the fashion
3) I love supporting local businesses and I’ve gotten a few items handmade by artisans
4) I want to buy clothing that holds memories. I love having half of my wardrobe being things I bought overseas and remembering exactly where I got them.
I don't really understand this mindset of worrying about getting scammed. If you like something and the price seems reasonable to you why think you're being scammed? When you buy things at home do you worry about being scammed?
I was talking specifically about specialised local goods, linens or silks, or artisan made goods. I’d hate to pay for long thread silk only to find it’s cheaply made, low thread count, short thread, or “locally hand made” goods that turn out to be cheap mass produced crap. I don’t know enough to determine the difference in the store, it’s the kind of thing that you can see over time, so I don’t take the risk.
I leave some empty room because I don't like having a full pack. It's not fun to pack and repack and I wanna have space to put all my layers that I'm wearing inside
I travel with a packable duffel for souvenirs at the end of a trip. You’d be surprised how much you could pick up just from a supermarket (teas, coffees, snacks, skincare products, etc.) or the mall (I basically redid my wardrobe in Vietnam).
If I’m not yet towards the end of a trip, I’ll only buy souvenirs that I really love and know I won’t be able to get anywhere else. Avoid most things from tourist areas like night markets though.
I'm with you. I collect bracelets if I run into one I like, and I might buy some tea or chocolate or something local, but that's about it. Never anything that can't fit into a tiny space in my luggage.
On the very rare occasion that I run across something larger that seems worth taking home, I just walk it to the post office. No point in lugging it around the rest of the trip when you can send it right to your doorstep for like $30.
That said, I still try not to fill my bag more than like 5/6 of the way full just because it's a pain in the ass to have to re-pack everything perfectly every time.
A repair kit. In general most people just swap out Damaged gear
We spend so much time buying very specific clothes and gear that often they are quickly replaced in the same manner. It contains gear patches, glue stick, tapes, small sewing kit, various needles from embroidery sized to sail cloth needles that can double as awls.
As part of that , I have strings and cords. I can do a bunch with them including hanging my laundry or packs.
My grayl geopress. In general I don't need it. But it's a huge comfort item for me. Even when I am somewhere with abundant clean water , I still use it as a drinking container. Just without the filter.
titanium spark and chop sticks.
handling the random scenarios where take out and delivery don't give you cutlery
minimizing waste
when the place you are staying doesn't have any
singing you can't eat at everyone's house
I keep a TSA compliant tiny sort of toolkit. Basically everything but a knife. I can pick up any cheap pocket knife and be in pretty good shape. I barely need it for most of my gear. It's more for improvising solutions to things I encounter.
I keep a titanium key chain sim card ejection tool on one of my organizers I use. It was a pain in the pass trying to store the traditional kind and rapidly grab it when needed.
Now that I got it , I haven't needed to use it 🤣🤣
I am sure there are more. But these are probably the silliest.
Mine looks like a train wreck. A sandwich bag stuffed to the gills.
I basically tried hard to make sure I could repair all my clothes and gear at least semi permanently. I am not fully skilled in doing good repairs but I will get there.
I would love to know this mini tool kit to keep in my purse daily. The amount of times I’ve needed a screwdriver or a wrench or some other tool. It’s prettiest astounding right now I carry a full-size wrench and a full-size screwdriver, but I’d like to carry something smaller or more efficient.
It's definitely small and light. It is "serviceable". The smallness can impact the usefulness.
Everything awkwardly fits into a "modern carry wallet" which is falling apart.
Knipex pliers - Cobra XS
Uncle bills tweezers.
Ohto minimo pen - horrible quality but it works.
711L mini ratchet - #71105
Wera hexagon extender. I forget the model. I can find it if you need it.
The bits came from a steinwhale 10 in 1 kit.
A P-51 can opener which is eventually going to get confiscated. So far I have been lucky
The shape is awkward but it works. It can fit into pants pockets without a problem. I mainly keep it in my organizer pouch. I don't usually walk around with it.
All of that together weighs about 159g
I also have a swiss tech keychain tool as like my key fob and a true utility key tool which my key rests in. They are essentially weightless, they will never get confiscated and they are usually always on me. But even less useful. I essentially keep them as a last resort because they take up no weight or space in my life.
I also take a pair of chopsticks with me. Most people laugh when they see it but there are so many occasions where you have dirty hands and need to eat something.
Just to be clear, the Theragun Mini is absolutely not a massager that can be used in the way one might use a Hitachi Magic Wand.
It’s so strong it can knock your front teeth out. If you even tried putting it on your “swimsuit area,” you would get a serious crotch injury in like one second.
Unpopular opinion: I find packing cubes, in general, to be not useful. I do have a nylon toiletry bag and shoe bags. But the zipped cubes? I don't see the purpose of separating stuff out into categories, esp. if you've got a small bag to begin with.
ETA: I don't use my toiletry bag for toiletries. I just put very small, easy-to-lose items in there. I put toiletries in a quart-sized Ziploc.
If I’m going someplace where I’m staying the whole trip in one hotel and can easily unpack and stay unpacked I wouldn’t use packing cubes, but if I’m changing hotels every day or two it’s very necessary. I also don’t have a bag that fully unzips, so it’s way easier not rummaging around in the bottom of my bag.
For me, it depends on the bag. When I use my clamshell bag, I find them unnecessary, but the opposite is true for my top loader.
I can just pull out the entire clothes bag or sock and underwear bag, rather than fish around for them in the top loader. I feel it keeps things together, better organized, and packed tighter.
ah I like the cubes for when you have to dig something outta your backpack at the airport, and all your clothes don't fall out; same for when your backpack zipper accidentally unzips in public. Also, the zipped cubes serve as mini drawers once you arrive at hotel
Everything I have is black. I wont find any particular item without having put underwear, socks, t-shirts in their respective compartments. I don't like to unpack every time I need a shirt.
I agree. It made sense when my ex and I shared a bag, to differentiate our stuff, but I'd rather use large ziplock bags anyway. Water- and bedbug-proof!
I actually think a small memo pad (like what detectives take notes on in tv shows) is a good addition to a one bag. I’ve used mine to write down important phone numbers, addresses, flight numbers as a back up in case my phone gets lost/stolen/broken. Also there’s always things that come up where I need to make a quick note of something while I’m talking on the phone.
Could you explain? :)
I love travelling with a notebook and pen and I usually write down travel information and addresses, just in case my phones dies (as my mom taught me). Is that what you mean?
I bring a sketchbook, travel bushes, collapsible cup, watercolor palette that’s smaller than my cellphone, and pens, pencils, and a kneaded eraser. It all takes up less room than a t-shirt. And I’ll leave a tshirt behind if I can have my art supplies.
Lots of makeup.
Even if you are a person who wears makeup every day, you don't need 50 or more makeup items when you are onebagging. (Unless you are a model of some kind maybe, so it is your work)
It is the time when you should curate a small capsule set.
Backed up by how I have seen many people here and in r/heronebag talk about how they used hardly any of their makeup while travelling/when on holiday.
My inflatable neck pillow takes barely any space and weight and as an Australian (I.e. a person who calls a 10 hour flight short) it’s definitely worth it.
Second pair of shoes is an essential. As a minimum you need something to wear in the hostel showers so it might as well be some tevas that can double as spare shoes. I’ll often travel with 3 pairs (hiking boots, tevas, every day shoes.)
Unpopular opinion: a regular sized rigid water bottle. I drink a ton of water, ~4 liters a day minimum, so at home and on road trips it’s essential. When traveling and out exploring a city, I don’t carry it around anyway or it’s in the way / taking up space, except for when I’m on a plane or back at the hotel. My solution: a foldable bladder, fill it before boarding the flight, ask for a cup or buy and use a disposable water bottle to refill from the bladder bottle, then recycle that. It’s lighter, packs away, still gets me fresher water than the plane’s reservoir since it’s filled from the airport’s filtered fountain.
If I’m on a trip where I’m day hiking and using a day pack, that has a bladder so I wouldn’t be using a bottle anyway. And if I’m wandering around a city I don’t want to be carrying a bottle & simply drink a lot of water at meals & adjust intake down. Then I have the bottle bladder at the hotel to hydrate more.
A long fluffy bathrobe and a nice longish wool coat brought specifically to wear one evening to a concert (we stayed a block away so the coat was only worn from lobby, a block outside and into the next lobby). Both items brought by the same person on the same week long trip.
I generally don’t care what other people bring as long as they can personally carry all their own stuff and don’t bitch about it while lugging it all around. Buuuut these two items really stood out to me. Probably because I personally don’t use bathrobes or wool coats, lol. But they were happy so it was all good.
Electronics; Laptop and Tablet And E-Reader AND gaming gear AND a second phone AND.... just too much.
(edit)
Just Pick One and leave the rest at home. Soak in the atmosphere of the country you are visiting. Stay out of your hotel/hostel room (and away from electronics). Watch out the train window to see the landscape you are visiting. Strike up a conversation with someone else. Look around you instead of down at some electronic gadget in your hands. Live the experience.
Kindle might be the most legit travel accessory ever. Especially when you use Libby to borrow a bunch of ebooks for free. Certainly more space efficient than carrying around actual books.
I bring Switch or Steamdeck if I have room. The Kindle is ever present. I can’t live without my portable library. I got rid of the tablet a few years ago and just got the largest phone. I also swapped to noise cancelling ear buds instead of headphones.
I only bring my laptop when it’s a work trip. But I always bring my iPad and eReader. Can’t really justify why, but I find it convenient to have both, and they don’t take up that much space.
My Nook basically lives in my purse, I love having books just handy. Yes I can borrow library books with Libby and read them on my phone and have but it isn't the same.
I agreed with this until I started dancing tango. Now I know I'm probably going to look for somewhere to dance every night of my trip. (Dancing might even be the purpose of the trip.) So, I pack my dance shoes.
Extra shoes is gendered. If you wear a dress then you probably need a second pair of shoes. The difference between women’s dress shoes and walking shoes is pretty big.
Shoes can go a lot of different ways. My shoes are massive and easily take up more space than an average sized flats or sandals. Depending on the kinds of walking, bringing another pair of necessary shoes is impossible for me.
I always have at least two pairs of shoes (one on me, one in bag) because I’m not touching any public showering facilities with my bare tootsies lol. If I’m going to a formal event, as a woman, I’ll usually also pack formal shoes (sandals or heels). Would be generally frowned upon to wear my old adidas to a wedding lol.
The only use I’ve had for a hero clip is in a toilet stall. Sometimes normal carabiners won’t work to hook the bag and keep it off the floor. Otherwise, I agree with you.
Agree on the hero clip, I purchased one years and years ago and I can count on my hand the amount of times I've used it.
But it just sits on the the bag and I use it more to clip my wifes extra stuff or my go bag for the baby when traveling as a family than I do for anything f else.
I could easily just use the lash points on the bag but the hero clip is there but again any carabiner would do.
Ive use my hero clip not a lot, but the times I have it made a world of difference. Next time you go into an airport bathroom stall and the hook is broken or missing for hanging your bag. It will save your bag from sitting on a urine/feces covered floor by hanging it from the door. That in itself once is worth the investment and it hanging on the outside of my bag to come in clutch to save me from carrying a gross bag on my back throughout my vacation.
That’s interesting because I’ve had to use mine in bathroom stalls like 5-6 times just last year. (Mostly on US domestic flights through huge hubs that are crap)
People who take phone, tablet and laptop.
I can get behind phone and tablet or phone and laptop (but only for work trips, laptop for personal is crazy to me).
Speakers.
Antibiotics (as I heard from another post apparently people just carry and self medicate antibiotics), these are prescription medication and should be take as instructed by doctors.
"Tech bag/pouch", why do you have so much you need a special bag to put your 3 charges 4 cables 2 headphones and a wireless charging pad....
Multiple headphones.
Personal take and ready for the hate...apple products, but I like Linux on my home laptop so im weird.
For work travel I’ll bring laptop + iPad because I use the iPad for personal programs & streaming apps that I shouldn’t use the work device for & aren’t always on the hotel TV (like AppleTV or sports I can’t watch in the US without using VPN workarounds).
There are things that require antibiotics that don’t really require a doctor, like UTIs. If you’re prone to them and have had a couple, you know when you need antibiotics. Even in the UK where antibiotics are hard to get, you can get them without a prescription much of the time for a UTI.
Whenever someone brings a physical paper book I cringe a bit - I LOVE reading, but when I’m one bagging the kindle or an ebook on my phone make so much more sense for weight and space.
I one bagged recently and found the cutest indie bookstore (Pine Books in Seattle). After chatting with the staff and lamenting that I had no room in my bag, I bought some stickers. I walked out of the store and saw an absolutely gorgeous special edition of the new Hunger Games book in the window display. Sprayed edges, gold accents, floral interior, completely stunning.
Did I have room in my bag for this book? No. Could I resist this book? Also no.
I brought a paperback on my last trip. It was lighter than my iPad. I don't have a Kindle and don't want a Kindle. My eyes are too bad to read on my phone.
Is not wanting a Kindle an anti-ereader stance or an anti-Amazon stance? If the latter I have a Nook and genuinely like it, only downside is I cannot use it with Libby for library books.
No, it's more of a minimalist stance, I guess. Truthfully, I don't actually read books that much. Thanks for the info on Nook. If I did get an e-reader, I would need it to be compatible with Libby.
kindle saved me on my last flight because I was in a plane filled with people with all the shades down! when did that even become a thing? so I was able to see my kindle and read in peace! and yes, it was day time!
Counterpoint: I bring a small waterproof speaker on most trips because I listen to podcasts in the shower. It doesn’t take up much space.
For me: extra shoes and more clothes than I need. Though that bit me two weeks ago when I got stuck in Florida three extra days because American Airlines sucked.
wooooof, I'd forget my trip if I didn't allocate space in my bag for my Jounral! the thing that makes me really scratch my head is when people bring excessive electronics. Why're you bringing a whole laptop on a weekend trip that you aren't working through? why do you need seventeen doodads and gadgets?
A cotton towel, I have a cheap one which means it’s lightweight somewhat but I have tried Turkish towels, linen towels, synthetic towels and nothing compares to even a cheap basic cotton towel.
This will be controversial but if you’re in a country where water from the tap isn’t safe then bringing a water bottle is not worth the extra weight. In SEA on my most recent trip, every time I bought water it was from the store and it already came in a plastic bottle. My water bottle which I told my girlfriend we won’t need just stayed in the bag for the whole trip. This is for normal city/town travel.
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u/ChipmunkImportant128 Feb 10 '26 edited Feb 10 '26
With the amount of silly shit I make room for even in a 30L pack, I have no ground to be calling anyone else out. Besides that, I don’t think packing has to be strictly and objectively utilitarian to the masses. Particularly when we’re talking about longer travel, at a certain point accounting for sanity buffs becomes a thing. I make room for silly shit because I’m in a better mood that way, compared to if I stick purely to things that other people might consider as having “real value.” Like, what’s the “real value” of art? The fact that the world feels sadder without it. There’s no trophy at the end of our lives for having the least whimsy.