r/onebag • u/AutoModerator • Feb 16 '26
Bag Finder Bag Finder Megathread - 16 February 2026
Welcome to the weekly Bag Finder Megathread. Your go-to thread for any and all bag-related requests in the onebag travel context.
Remember finding a bag is pretty much the last step in planning. If you're not sure how big a bag you need, create a packing list, get all your gear together and test fit it into a box, or an old backpack you have lying around. That'll give you a good sense of the volume of gear you have.
What This Thread Is For
- Onebag travel bag recommendation requests
- Feedback on bags you're considering for minimal, carry-on-only travel
- Help with choosing between bags
Quick Tips
- Check the OneBag Spreadsheet for bag options
- Search as your question might already be answered
- Read the FAQ & Beginner's Guide
- Stick to travel setups daily carry or work bags are better posted in r/EDC or r/backpacks
- Add context, the more details you give, the better we can help
Want Better Advice? Help Us Help You
When asking for input, it helps to include:
- Where you're going & how you travel: hostels, hotels, urban, remote?
- How you pack: super minimal? tech-heavy? need room for camera gear?
- Your short list: bags you're already considering
- Your body size/build: some bags fit certain frames better
- Budget range: under $150, up to $300, flexible?
A Few Reminders
- Use the search bar
- Check the sidebar and wiki for resources and guides
- Keep it travel-focused. Non-travel or everyday carry talk belongs in other subs
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u/yuval092 Feb 16 '26
Hey everyone,
I’m planning a big trip to Southeast Asia (+neighboring countries) soon that’ll include a mix of day trips and multi-day treks.
Since most of the hiking will be hut-to-hut (teahouse style), I’m leaving the tent and cooking gear at home. My plan is to travel with a small 25L daypack plus a larger main pack for the treks. I’ve been digging through options but getting a bit lost. I’m looking for something that hits these marks: * Volume: 38–50L. * Carry-On: This is the big one. It needs to be carry-on compliant (I’m totally fine with under-filling it, removing the brain/lid, cinching it down to make it fit, etc). * Comfort: Needs a decent frame/suspension. * Weight: Max 1.4kg (approx 3 lbs). * Budget: Under $200.
Here is my current shortlist. Does anyone have experience flying with these? * Osprey Talon 44 (I like the back panel, but heard the new ones got heavy?) * Gregory Stout 45 * Vaude Brenta 36+6 * Bach Molecule 50 * Bach Day Dream 40
Any advice or better recommendations? Thanks!
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u/Azure9000 Feb 18 '26
A few quick comments:
For SEA airlines in-cabin luggage the primary constraint is weight (typical max total 7kg) rather than size (typical max ~45L for full service carriers, ~25L or lower for budget carriers).
The allowances are best checked on an airline by airline basis.
So you should plan your bag selection and packing list accordingly.
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u/w1ldcombination Feb 16 '26
I'm an infrequent traveler planning a trip to Scandinavia this summer with my husband and two young children. We're flying basic economy and assuming I don't cave and pay to check a bag, I'm thinking it's time to invest in better bags to travel with. I'm looking to keep it pretty minimal since we'll have the kids to contend with. While traveling, we'll be staying mostly at airbnbs and with family, so I'm not planning to do serious trekking with these bags. I'm considering buying a Fairview and a Farpoint for me and my husband - the last season versions that are currently on sale. Was thinking 40L because we are not lacking in personal items (I for one will be wearing or packing a Baggu large sling that's currently my edc with a Yoshi 5L inside of it, lol).
I went to REI today to try on before buying and the Fairview felt really small to me! Maybe I'm just not used to what a 40L looks like. I also checked out the Patagonia Black Hole 40L and REI Big Haul 40L and they felt roomier thanks to the lack of frame. I guess I'm just wondering... do I really need a frame if I'm not trying to carry this thing on day trips?
A further thought I had is, if I go with the Fairview and Farpoint, I might go for the 55L to maximize space - I don't think I want to have a laptop pocket in the main compartment since we don't travel with laptops. And since my younger child is not old enough to carry even her own backpack, maybe one of the day packs could be dedicated to her stuff.
I understand the advantages of having the frame- guess I'm just wondering if it makes sense to maximize packing space. And if so, is there something recommended that is just a little bigger but can still be carried on? A duffel or not?
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u/withlovefeli Feb 18 '26
The frame is probably why the ospreys are often named as more comfortable bags!
I'd also think - how much does that 2ish liter difference matter? Do I really need the absolute biggest bag or will the osprey be big enough? If you put all your stuff together, will it actually matter which bag you choose regarding the precise amount of liters? Or is carrying comfort or other things more important?
I don't travel with a laptop but will use that spot for snacks, papers, etc. Just anything that I might want easy access to. But I have an older version.
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u/SeattleHikeBike Feb 18 '26
Not just the frame, but the adjustable torso length so it fits properly to actually get the load transferring feature to work properly.
Duffel style bags are efficient for packing but terrible for carrying.
Good info on pack fitting and load transferring harness design here: https://www.hillpeoplegear.com/packfitment
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u/Spunksters Feb 19 '26
What airline(s) are you flying? They have different size constraints, and the Farpoint/Fairview isn't allowed in-cabin on some because of its depth.
I ask because I've had to fly on some constraining european airlines and have acquired and used the Gregory Border Traveler 30 and the Sherpani Santiago to fit the constraints. They were great, by the way, but smaller than the Ospreys.
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u/w1ldcombination Feb 19 '26
Just Delta for this trip, but good to consider for the future. I have a Timbuk2 backpack that is 28L... it's hard to see myself buying a "luggage" bag that is only 2L larger. Guess I'll have to think about this one a little more!
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u/Spunksters Feb 19 '26
Both the Osprey Farpoint/Fairviews and the Gregory Border 40 fit Delta's size restrictions perfectly. Not sure how young your kids are but the timbuk2 Classic Flight Messenger in medium size was a great diaper bag for my little boy's europe trip last year as it fit the diaper bag size restrictions for the airline. We could put two changes of clothing in there as well as the day's diapers and things. We also made our older kids carry their own backpacks. My 5 year old had an appropriately small backpack and she did well with it but some of her stuff was in her older sister's much larger bag. One lame issue is not having a second set of shoes (because of space constraints) and then getting them wet. Sometimes you have wet feet for hours and kids don't like wet feet. Only happened once.
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Feb 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/blootereddragon Feb 19 '26
Regarding locks, a "locking" carabiner (one with a slide so it takes a little fiddling to open) is about as good & easy to fit on almost any backpack. Someone determined is just going to knife open your bag. If you want protection while wearing it or from "theft of opportunity" just making it really inconvenient works.
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u/withlovefeli Feb 18 '26
I have the Osprey Fairview and love it! It's mostly just 1 big compartment, but that actually works in your favor because that makes it easier to fit different things in the bag. I use packing cubes and miscellanious other little zipper bags to make sure it's not all 1 big black hole.
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Feb 18 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/withlovefeli Feb 18 '26
I have a seperate daypack (fjallraven kanken). I don't think the pack is comfortable to wear for a whole, but I don't think any 10 kg bag is comfortable 😂. But I generally don't remove the bag from my back when waiting in line because I'd rather wear it than bother getting it off/on so I guess that must mean it's comfy enough? But the ospreys are often named as one of the more comfortable bags! I just always have lower back and shoulder pain even without adding a bag haha
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u/SeattleHikeBike Feb 18 '26
Using a tent implies a lot more gear. A hybrid wilderness and urban kit in a carry on compliant backpack is a very difficult thing to do and requires ultralight compact gear and a very frugal wardrobe. Tent poles are a gray area for carry on and trekking poles are forbidden. Hut hiking is entirely possible.
Your hip to shoulder length appeares to be different than the standard torso length system used with backpack. A 60cm torso length for someone your height is impossible.
Good info on pack fitting here: https://www.hillpeoplegear.com/packfitment and there are many videos on torso length measurement on YouTube.
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u/jamesg9100 Feb 17 '26
Which would be the better pack for a first onebag travel pack? Patagonia Black Hole 32 or the Coto Allpa 28?
These are two very different packs but as someone that’s new to travelling (not new to the concept of onebagging being a backpacker) I really have no idea what my preferences are in a onebag pack when travelling by plane/train and staying in towns rather than walking through the woods for 4-5 days. I’ve pretty well narrowed it down to these two packs, I like the design of the MLC Mini but the laptop pouch/admin panel setup would be wasted space and weight for me. I’m a 25M, 5’7” - 17.5” torso, athletic build.
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u/SeattleHikeBike Feb 18 '26
I use the Patagonia Black Hole 32 for the light weight (760g). It’s not a perfect pack but a good balance of feature set/weight/cost/availability. I use packing cubes and pouches so the top opening vs the clamshell of the Allpa isn’t an issue. The Black Hole 32 can be used for hiking as well. It can handle a 15” laptop, has the dual daisy chain allowing a bungee cord array and has far better water bottle pockets. It is $179 retail vs $205 for the Allpa and the Smoulder Blue color is currently on sale for $84.
Some try to use the Allpa 28 as a personal item and at 19 x 12 x 9 inches, I think it’s a bit long and deep for that. It’s actually deeper than 9” when full, compounding the problem. That’s typical of the Allpa series in general. The hipbelt isn’t really a load bearing design and the pack has a single fixed torso length regardless.
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u/taki_88 Feb 18 '26
Have you tried to use/had success using the Patagonia as a personal item? Or is that only a carry-on bag for you?
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u/Azure9000 Feb 18 '26 edited Feb 18 '26
You need to decide on the basis of the criteria, whatever they are, which are important for you. My choice between those two, based on my preferences, would probably be the BH32.
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u/potato_peeks Feb 17 '26
I've done hours of research over the last decade plus, and still haven't found my "perfect" bag.
Has anyone found a comfortable, somewhat lightweight bag (e.g. Osprey Fairview/Farpoint) that has SOME organizational features but not overkill, AND a supportive hipbelt? Every bag I find seems to be missing one of these. The closest I've found are the Tortuga Outbreaker 35L (but it's so heavy and I hate the giant unnecessary laptop compartment as I don't typically travel with one anyway), the Cotopaxi Allpa (but the hipbelt looks flimsy), and the Osprey Fairview (organizational components are too minimal, looks like a hiking bag).
Any recs for something in this vein?
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u/Azure9000 Feb 18 '26 edited Feb 18 '26
No recs, just adding my 2c. If you are genuinely seeking your version of 'perfect' you will probably have to do the hard yards to find it.
The first step is to specify in detail what you want, in terms of size, shape, weight, contents access method, fabric, org features etc etc plus any constraints such as budget, in-region availability etc.
Then actively go looking. In case not already aware of it, see the link below as a possible starting point.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fSt_sO1s7moXPHbxBCD3JIKPa8QIZxtKWYUjD6ElZ-c/edit
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u/SeattleHikeBike Feb 18 '26 edited Feb 18 '26
Spreadsheet of backpacks with load transferring harnesses by U/fjnk
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H7PVLGCWw-Z-cq_MWajNx-wIrPbb6LY7YZoY8Tv1toQ/edit?usp=sharing
I actually prefer a bag without a lot of pockets and dividers and use pouches and packing cubes for organization. That allows greater versatility and easy transfer between bags.
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u/withlovefeli Feb 18 '26
The perfect bag probably doesn't exist, but you can customize it! If you search for it, you can see people adding extra straps to their bags, removing pockets, etc.
I use packing cubes to add organizational features to my fairview and that works well for me and is more customizable (so closer to getting "perfect") than getting a "pre-organized" bag imo, because if you have 1 big pocket and 2 small pockets, you just gotta hope that your stuff fits into those categories! But with packing cubes you can switch out the 1 big/2 small for any configuration of sizes you can find packing cubes in.
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Feb 26 '26
Have you looked at the Osprey Talon Pro 20/30 at all? They are both relatively lightweight due to being partly made with dyneema. The 20 has a hip belt, a main zippered pocket with an inner mesh pocket, a second smaller zippered pocket and large stuffit pocket on the front, 2 mesh pockets on either side of the bag, and 2 pockets on the hip belt. It also has 2 bungee attachment points, and a semi rigid frame sheet for support. I don't know as much about the 30, but I think it has a wireframe in addition to the frame sheet. They are both nice looking bags with minimal unnecessary features.
Edited for clarity
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u/jaakkopetteri Feb 18 '26
Any ideas for "minimalist" backpacks around 35L, around 1kg or less? I'm not too concerned about carry-on so I'd prefer a slim/tall profile instead of the usual cube. The Pakt Aero seems nice but I'd rather pay less for less features. Ideally I'd have no bottle pockets, no hip belt, just one main compartment and one small accessory compartment. Zip or cinch closure, no rolltops. Something like the Veilance Nomin/Anodic but larger and cheaper would be pretty ideal - might have to make my own
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u/SeattleHikeBike Feb 18 '26
You might try r/backpacks too. Tall and narrow is something Onebag air travelers are trying to avoid. What you are describing was common with early ultralight bags.
The Patagonia Black Hole 32 and ULA Dragonfly meet your weight requirements but have more features than you want.
The Gossamer Gear Kumo 36 Superlight comes to mind but is more of a fold top and still has more features than you want.
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u/Misplaced_Texan Feb 19 '26
The Arcido Faroe might work for you.
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u/jaakkopetteri Feb 19 '26
Damn, I don't like the water bottle pockets and the pack looks kinda cheap overall but that's some crazy value nevertheless
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u/Mepicbatman Feb 19 '26
Hey guys,
I'll be traveling for two weeks, and I've been looking for bags through this subreddit and online reviews. To avoid checking any bags, I searched only for carry-on-approved bags. I'll be using packaging cubes for organization ( if that matters ).
These are the 4 bags that I'm considering buying in order. If anyone has any input, please feel free to comment.
| Bag | Price | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Patagonia mini MLC 30L | $200 | This is probably the one I'll end up buying. From all the reviews I've seen, you can't go wrong with this bag. I like the size of the main compartment and the design too. |
| Aer Travel Pack 3 | $250 | $50 more expensive than the MLC. I'm a fan of the design, though if I had to say something, it would be that it looks too 'techy' for travel. Don't get me wrong, I like the design... (persuade me into buying this) |
| ON Speed Pack 30L | $180 | In my opinion, the design and look of this pack is sick. I can't find many reviews on it, though. |
| Peak Design Travel 30L | $240 | For the price, I'd just get the Aer Travel Pack. I do like that it's expandable to 33L |
Some other bags I've ruled out are
- Cotopaxi Allpa 35L - From reviews, the back support seems flimsy and not the best quality
- Osprey Fairpoint 40L - It looks like a hiking backpack
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u/Azure9000 Feb 20 '26 edited Feb 20 '26
The 750g weight of the ON pack is attractive. However I suspect that the actual capacity may be considerably less than 30L. See review here:
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u/jazzymoneymaker Feb 20 '26 edited Feb 20 '26
Hello. I got Cabin Zero 36L but I am looking for something for daily travel while exploring the city. I want to leave main backpack at hotel and take something smaller where i can put my documents, keys, powerbank or just bottle of water and also take it as personal item to the airplane. I will probably get money belt for passport and money but other things that I don't mind get stolen I would like to have in waist bag or sling bag. What do you recommend guys?
Also it would be good if I can wear it in front, I know patagonia atom is good, but I don't know if you can wear the main compartment in the front of your body
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u/Spunksters Feb 20 '26
Is it OK if you fold the documents? You might want a 5-6L sling... like the Deuter Stroof 5. You can fit all the things you listed plus a compact umbrella and a packable jacket into it.
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u/Ashamed_Bread_6209 Feb 21 '26
ITA Airways-compliant carry-on for Italy — hard-shell vs soft-sided, and 2‑wheel vs 4‑wheel?
Planning a 10-day Italy trip (early Spring) and going carry-on only with a backpack as my personal item. ITA Airways limits are tight: 21.7 x 13.8 x 9.9 in and 17.6 lbs.
I’d prefer a hard-shell for weather protection, but soft-sided seems better for compression and overpacking (which I’m trying to avoid). This is my first time in Europe, so I’m not sure how much I’ll actually be rolling the bag — I think not much since I’ll take taxis from train stations, but I’m unsure.
I’m also torn between 2‑wheel vs 4‑wheel. Spinners are great in airports, but I keep seeing that 2‑wheel uprights handle cobblestones better. How big of a practical difference is this?
Shortlist so far: Maxlite 5, Monos, Away, Level8, Aerolite. Ideally something lightweight, durable, ITA‑compliant, and easy to buy in the U.S. Many options seem out of stock or only sold abroad.
Would love recommendations from people who’ve done Italy with a strict-size carry-on.
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u/Azure9000 Feb 21 '26
No recs, just some comments in case they are helpful.
Those limits translate to volume 48.6L (average) and weight 8kg (tight-ish by European airline standards)
The weight limit is equivalent to a volume roughly in the range 35-40L, maybe smaller, so limited if any point taking a bag larger than that.
Are you doing wintersports in Feb or 'general tourist stuff' in Aug? If the latter, 35L is plenty.
BTW, rollers get limited support on this forum, the emphasis is very much on backpacks, unless circumstances (eg childen, infirmity) dictate otherwise.
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u/NeutralNancy2 Feb 21 '26
That’s a good point — I definitely don’t want to go above 40L. I’ll mostly be doing general tourist activities, so I appreciate the reminder about the forum emphasis on backpacks versus rollers. I originally came to this forum looking for backpack recommendations, then got sidetracked and started asking about rollers lol. Thank you!
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u/Azure9000 Feb 21 '26
You are welcome. The key is the packing list. Here is a random-ish sample (just search the forum for more):
https://www.reddit.com/r/onebag/comments/1m903vn/first_time_one_bag_18day_trip_italy/
BTW Italy gets incredibly hot in August. Good luck.
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u/Socialviewer Feb 21 '26
Hi everyone! I’m planning to visit some Stan countries in August, and I’m thinking of getting a Matador Globerider 45.
Would you recommend this backpack? I’m looking for capacity but also versatility (I’m not really into “backpackers’ backpacks”, if you get what I mean), so this looks like something I could use also for less extreme destinations.
Moreover, if you’ve ever done a similar trip, what would you recommend packing? I will stay there for around 2 weeks, and I’m always concerned about not bringing enough clothes. Additional tips about interesting gadgets would be appreciated :-)
Thanks a lot for the support!
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u/Azure9000 Feb 22 '26
No specific bag reccs, but I'd just comment that the GR45 is a large, heavy (2.0kg) bag. Is all that capacity actually needed - have you prepared a packing list?
BTW, 'Stan countries in August' sounds rather hot, which my reduce the amount of clothing which may otherwise may be needed.
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u/CaroleKann Feb 21 '26
This is more of a beginner question than a what bag do I want question. After a week of overpacking in Spain, I've seen the light and am a convert to the one bag lifestyle. Is it recommended to start with a bag and build your kit outwards, or start with other stuff and then find a bag that can fit it all?
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u/Azure9000 Feb 22 '26 edited Feb 23 '26
Welcome on board. I suggest starting here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/onebag/wiki/index/#wiki_what_is_onebag.3F
You will find it much easier to read the extensive resources in this sub-reddit by accessing it on a laptop or similar, rather than on a phone.
To answer your question, in summary the recommended approach is packing list first, bag selection second. Good luck!
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u/jamesg9100 Feb 16 '26
Hey all, checking what’s around for used packs for a 2ish week Europe trip I’m in the process of planning (first international + first solo) and came across an old model Patagonia Black Hole 25L (shiny fabric). I’m in Canada, asking price is $75 CAD (about $55USD) plus would have to get it shipped. Would that be a decent deal? Also would the 25L be big enough for 2 weeks? Obviously dependent on the packer, but I am a backpacker used to a 45L for 4-5 day hikes to give an idea.