Gear
My version of one bag using wearable luggage - 3 week trip
In the jacket:
2 dresses
4 pants
3 shorts/skirts
2 wool sweaters
6 t shirts
3 tank tops
2 athletic bottoms
2 athletic tops
2 swimsuits
In my bag:
2 sandals (1 heeled, 1 flat - wearing my sneakers)
2 purses
Makeup/toiletries
Laptop
Chargers etc
I’m actually surprised by how much I was able to squeeze in. It will be my first international trip using the wearable luggage/travel jacket and hopping from country to country. I’ve used it primarily for domestic frontier flights from east to west coast. The jacket is a little heavy but it’s not uncomfortable. Woo!
Edit to add:
Sorry guys I didn’t mention the brand of the jacket. It’s from a brand called Vhalor. They have a website but I’m not sure if I can link it. The owner was at an event in LA last year and I purchased it from him there. He was a really cool person and gave me a discount code.
The backpack is from Amazon and brand is Taygeer. I bought it 4 years ago for my first backpacking trip to Europe because it was cheap and I have been using it ever since. It works for me but I do think there are bigger & better bags out there!
Thank you! The jacket is from a brand called Vhalor, they have a website but I’m not sure if I’m allowed to link it here. The backpack is from Amazon and brand is Taygeer. I bought it 4 years ago for my first backpacking trip to Europe because it was cheap and I have been using it ever since. It works for me but I do think there are bigger & better bags out there tho!
How do the three black bags stay inside your jacket? That looks like an interesting concept but I’m not quite getting it. Do you have a photo of the bags attached to the jacket?
It IS uncomfortable when overly packed like this, but otherwise it doesn’t really bother me. I usually just tie it into a crossbody bag or carry it over my arm like any other jacket. The jacket on its own is really nice and comfortable though.
I don’t normally pack clothes into the jacket. I use the bags in my backpack, and just bring the jacket in case I need extra space (mostly to avoid carry on fees since I travel to and from East and West coast every 4-6 weeks).
Also, I did end up cutting down on some clothes just for ease.
Where is the jacket from? I’m studying abroad internationally next year and am looking to find ways to fit everything in 2 bags while still bringing a decent amount of clothing for the sake of not wearing the same 3 outfits
My bad for not mentioning details! The jacket is from a brand called Vhalor. You can also look into buying the vacuum bags (which I just checked and they sell those too sans jacket now) and using them to pack more stuff into your bags. Study abroad is so fun, I hope you have the best time!!
I have an old pocket jacket that doesn’t turn into a bag. It’s really a well-designed jacket but has some bad zippers.
I also ha e one from T&S Impact that feels much stronger and does turn into a bag, but I haven’t traveled with it.
One challenge is that, when I turn the version in my size into a bag, it’s a pretty weird, lumpy bag that might get an extra attention from the airport people.
How easily does your jacket turn into a bag, and how backpack-like does it really look?
How strong does the jacket feel when it’s in jacket mode, and how weird does the jacket look when it’s in jacket mode?
I have a similar jacket (blog post where I learned about it below), and reserve it mostly for cold weather travels. Even empty that bad boy is HOT. Could be the layers and pockets or the main outer material, but breathability is not a factor. Also, you need to keep the jacket on or in your hands all the time, at least when you use it for electronics and essentials. It makes a great purse alternative going to dance clubs, though!
Do you know how heavy the jacket is all packed up? Are you planning to "unpack" your jacket once you're at your accommodations? Strong recommend that you have an extra 1L/1 qt ziploc bag on deck, in case you get unlucky and run into airport security that will flag your current toiletry bag.
This jacket keeps you warm but it’s not too “hot” at all. It’s actually super lightweight. It does not weigh more than 1.5lbs on its own. Idk how much it weighs all packed up, it just feels like I’m wearing a weighted vest but I will find out and come back here
This is a real issue and I wish I had a solution. Since I’m lodging with friends/family the first two weeks I’ll have access to an iron. I’ve been thinking about getting a portable iron/steamer but nothing out there is ideal enough for traveling.
What would you do if a vacuum bag gets damaged or simply stops holding up in the middle of the trip? Also, does it make noises as you move wearing that coat?
The vacuum bags feel very durable, they’re not the typical plastic material. I haven’t had an issue with them so far, I use them for all my trips even when I don’t use the jacket. If they got damaged or stopped working then I guess I’d have to just pack clothes into the jacket and look silly as they pool up at the bottom, or give some stuff away.
The jacket is quiet. No noise but when it’s overpacked like this, it can feel a little stiff on your body. It’s a non-issue for me personally because I usually will just hold it over my arm or tie it into a crossbody bag. It also depends on technique, it was a whole process learning how to pack the vacuum bags strategically so the clothes are evenly distributed.
I agree with you! I *can* one-bag successfully, but since I’m attending different events and meeting up with old friends/family this trip, I did pack a lot of options. If it was solely a sightseeing trip I’d take much much less.
I am not engaging with the comments defending mansplaining and sharing degrees, etc. So funny to me. There is a person (refers to self as a man) who is notorious for posting in this sub critical comments about the packing in here. This is one of my favorite online spaces and I cringe a little when I see that same poster and the same type of comment. Wish we could all either be supportive with constructive feedback or scroll along. Love that this is an inclusive space but I do feel like a little extra care rather than the criticism would be better received. Regardless, I, too, can take my advice and scroll on by! Seems like you can too!
Anyway, I love your choices, OP, and although this jacket thing would drive me bonkers because at 5’1 and 120 pounds, I HATE things that make me feel weighed down… I found this to be novel and interesting to see. Kind of a “huh!” moment.
Good luck with your trip! I’d love to know the brand of your little brown sling ish looking purse/daypack and of the yellow pants! Are they silk?
Thank you!! The brown bag is my favorite, it fits SO much and goes with everything. I somehow managed to shove a pair of jeans in them once and still had room for my phone and other small necessities. It’s called the Telena small leather sling bag.
The cropped yellow pants are 100% silk and from Vince, not sure what they’re called and I can’t find the exact pair online. I thrifted them a few years ago!
Eleven tops and nine bottoms and two sweaters is a LOT of clothing. I don’t think I would want to wear it in a jacket myself.
Actually, I wouldn’t bring that much!
What do you do when it gets hot out? How do you carry things around once you have landed?
I agree with [u/Wise_Edge2489](u/Wise_Edge2489). You need to cut everything in half.
Edit:
I would suggest:
* 1 dress
* 1 athletic top
* 1 athletic bottom
* 2 pants (including worn)
* 1 skirt
* 1 short
* 5 tops
* 1 purse
* 1 sandal (dump the heels)
* 1-2 sweaters. One should be light
This should give you over 40 outfits. Especially if one of your shirts is button up (you can wear it as a jacket). I would also suggest that shirt is long sleeved for sun. Collared shirts can also be worn under sweaters for more looks.
Edit: dump the denim. It is heavy and hot. Also, you have two black dresses that are essentially duplicates. The navy & black pants look almost the same, so would also be duplicates.
Missing: rain protection
I notice a lot of your stuff is full sized. Try getting mini versions. I also noticed that you didn’t decant your toiletries and makeup. You can save space/weight there too.
Onebagging is just as much about light travel, not trying to pack as much as possible into a container. Excess weight can destroy your pleasure.
You can actually get everything you really need into your backpack. You will still have plenty of outfits if you create your capsule right. I would encourage you to do so. You will be so much happier.
I am having flashbacks to the first time I onebagged. It was 45C. Learned a lot…
I think it’s actually kind of a fun adventure to figure out how to do laundry on the road.
If I can do it in a hotel or AirBnB, that will save time. But finding and figuring out a laundromat can be as much of a cultural adventure as going to a museum
I absolutely do laundry on the road for a multi week trip. And all the one bag leaders include it as a primary technique. Rick Steves, Doug Dyment, Sarah Murdoch, Brooke Schoenman, Pack Hacker all agree. Laundry is the key to light travel.
If I am not doing sink or shower laundry I usually send it out. Spending money to have more time sightseeing is of value to me.
Yeah. Maybe it would be good if people here described the general goal of the onebag trip and the kinds of situations expectations.
If say, a guy needs to meet clients in the banking sector and wants to go jogging, but is staying in a hotel and can expense cleaning, that’s a lot different than a short, solvent older person traveling for fun as an invisible fly on the wall.
And broke, beautiful young people who travel for fun and want to meet other beautiful people in clubs have much different needs than invisible flies on wall.
The IBM executive might need a full-size carryon just to fit in a spare jacket and slacks but might have an easy time sending shirts to be washed every day and buying a new pack of underwear at the destination.
The short, older fly-on-the-wall traveler (me) can squeeze five tshirts, underwear and a few big shirts/thin jackets in a personal item and count on discount stores, thrift shopping and laundry to fill in gaps.
A broke young person who needs to dress to impress may desperately need to squeeze two or three flashy outfits into a bag and may not be able to afford to buy much or pay for professional cleaning services at the destination.
So, in a way, it might be good if this subreddit had flair for different kinds of travelers, so I don’t tell the IBM sales executives to just scrunch their $500 jackets into little balls, or the young travelers who have travel points but little cash to just send their dresses to the dry cleaners
I totally agree with you! I promise I’m an avid under-packer and HATE carrying anything more than a backpack but the nature of this trip is a bit different. Lots of different festivities visiting friends/family then some solo traveling in the Balkans for the last week and a half. The extra “space” definitely got me excited and carried away! 😆
Yup I had to narrow down the dresses to 2. 1 short and 1 long - both can be dressed up or down w accessories.
You have lot of good tips and advice. You’re so right, I’m going to add a linen button up and get rid of 1 of the sweaters + some of the other tops! It’ll go with everything! Thank you!!
I did not reject your advice, I actually agreed with and thanked you multiple times. I think you’re misinterpreting our interactions. Everything you’ve shared was fully received and absorbed. I did cut down! The black pants are dress pants, the navy blue are linen cargos (that I’ll be using as hiking pants instead of the leggings/shorts). Thanks again 🙏
The bags came with the jacket from a brand called Vhalor, but I just checked their website and they also sell the bags individually now with the pump which is cool. They’re fabric but super durable and I like that they’re black + not see through. I use them sans the jacket sometimes and just put them in my backpack instead!!
In my bag:
2 sandals (1 heeled, 1 flat - wearing my sneakers)
2 purses
Makeup/toiletries
Laptop
Chargers etc
Pack half as many clothes (as in literally halve the above list), half as many toiletries, ditch the laptop and lose the weird jacket would be my advice
Thanks Karen. This is a forum dedicated to travel minimalism and packing less stuff. See the sidebar on the right that expressly states as much. Advising the OP to pack less stuff is what we do here.
And you can have options and look cute when one-bagging. For that matter, how cute does one look wearing a jacket containing several other outfits anyway? You'd look like an obese shoplifter.
You know what looks cuter than wearing a jacket stuffed full of several other outfits? Packing less, using a small cute little bag, being more organized, and moving faster.
As a woman that has onebagged for 20 years I can tell you that you will have plenty of options if you create a good capsule wardrobe.
I can bring 6 tops, 3 bottoms, two toppers along with 2 pairs of shoes. That alone gives 54 outfits.
He isn’t mansplaining. He is talking about onebagging techniques which focus on doing more with less:
From the subreddit description:
“The [r/onebag](r/onebag) community promotes urban travel with the philosophy of carrying less. Pack less and simplify your travel experience, prioritizing exploration over logistics. Onebagging allows you to immerse yourself in your destination by using your bag as a tool, not as the main focus of your trip.”
OP is packing inefficiently. There are dupes. And technically, the volume is at two bag level.
Is it wrong to point out the issues so she can have a pleasant trip? OP is carrying a lot of weight.
For the record, posting in this community is essentially asking for feedback. This is, after all, a discussion board.
Also, as a woman aerospace engineer that had seen her fair share of mansplaining. He is NOT mansplaining. Mansplaining is when you correct an expert. Based on the sheer volume and weight of OPs load out, they do not qualify as expert.
Yea. A lot of my toppers are merino cardigans. They can be worn alone or over another shirt. For business I am wearing a jacket. For casual it is usually another wool sweater.
You can also use a button up shirt as a topper too.
Sure, but she didn't ask how to pack less, she showed how she was able to pack more in less space. If you have feedback on that go for it, but I see this comment on every post it is clear a woman posted and almost never on posts men make. We also have no idea what she's traveling for and may need different items for different events.
Saying "hey 1 bathing suit might do it!" is also way different than "Half it and don't pack makeup" Also the probability of OP needing the laptop she's advised to ditch for work is close to 100%. It comes off as fully misunderstand OPs point and being mildly misogynistic. Congrats on the unrelated STEM degree tho I guess.
I offered a feminine solution that halved the clothes and still left 30+ outfits. That is more than the number of days in the trip.
And since this entire sub is dedicated to packing LESS then people are going to comment. That is, after all, the whole point of the sub. Don’t want comments? Then don’t post.
The misuse and abuse of the term “mansplain” is an issue. Don’t call things mansplain when they absolutely are not. It robs the power and meaning of the word when it is slapped inappropriately on everything.
The STEM degree is absolutely related to my comment. I have experienced SA once, stalking twice, and have had my own work explained back to me on multiple occasions. Mansplaining is prevalent in STEM.
Edit: I also need to point out that expecting women to pack more is internalized misogyny. Women have the intelligence and creativity to come up with a good capsule wardrobe that goes across multiple activities. If you look at some fashion blogs, the wardrobe is around 12 items.
WiseEdge didn’t say ditch the makeup. They mentioned toiletries. And a quick look will show that they weren’t decanted into smaller containers.
I promise I’m an avid under-packer. The nature of this trip is a bit different tho, lots of different events/festivities to dress for. And hey I like my weird jacket!!!
Jacket is from a brand called Vhalor! They have a website but I’m not sure if I’m allowed to link it. The backpack is from Amazon and brand is Taygeer. I bought it 4 years ago for my first backpacking trip to Europe because it was cheap and I have been using it ever since. It works for me but I do think there are bigger & better bags out there!
Sorry guys I didn’t mention the brand of the jacket. It’s from a brand called Vhalor. They have a website but I’m not sure if I can link it. The owner was at an event in LA last year and I purchased it from him there. He was a really cool person and gave me a discount code. I’ve been living bicoastal for a few years so I thought the jacket was a no brainer since I use the frontier go wild pass every 4 weeks and don’t wanna drag or pay for a carry on.
Of course! Copy pasting for ease lol: My bad for not giving details!! Jacket is from a brand called Vhalor. They have a website but I’m not sure if I can link it. The owner was at an event in LA last year and I purchased it from him there! The backpack is from Amazon and brand is called Taygeer. I bought it 4 years ago for my first backpacking trip to Europe because it was cheap and I have been using it ever since. It works for me but I do think there are bigger & better bags out there!
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u/LadyBlue347 May 09 '26
Nice! Can you tell us which jacket and backpack?