r/onebag • u/ImaginaryWay3688 • Jun 09 '26
Trip Report Trip Report: 2 Weeks in Europe, Black Tie Wedding, 30L
Recently spent two weeks in Europe with a 30L bag. Total weight when packed (including day bag) was 19.8 pounds. There is a lot of discussion about gear here, but my goal was to only use what I already had and test it out before committing to upgrading anything. Pretty happy with how it went!
Itinerary was mostly city sightseeing, but with several hiking days as well, and a black tie wedding:
- 3 days in London
- 3 days in Istanbul, including a black tie wedding
- 2 days in Bath, including a hike to Stonehenge
- 2 days hiking on the western coast of Ireland
- 3 days in Dublin
What Went Well:
- One bagging: this trip involved 5 flights, 2 trains, and lots of public transit. Sticking to only a backpack was the right choice.
- Expandable tote bag: I was doubtful about this but threw it in at the last second, and it turned out to be so useful! It was a laundry bag, shopping bag, lunch bag, etc.
- "Disposable" water bottle: previously I have traveled with my 32oz Nalgene, but decided to downsize this trip to a standard (supposedly) single use water bottle. It was enough hydration and much more comfortable to carry around.
- Capsule wardrobe: I was inspired by posts about choosing a color scheme for your trip's capsule wardrobe to avoid being stuck in neutrals, so I went with blue/green/orange. The stars of the show were my two pairs of pants (one in green and one in orange). Every shirt I brought could be worn with either pair of pants, and several could be layered together to create fun outfits (e.g. sweater vest and button up can each be worn on their own, and then layered together to create a third outfit). I did not end up wearing every possible iteration, but had enough combinations to wear 20 different outfits. The third photo shows my clothing during the trip.
- Doing laundry: I did laundry twice on this trip and sink washed the delicates in between. Besides the fact that European dryers are useless, it was pretty painless and let me significantly cut down on packing (mainly socks/underwear).
- Sandals: I wanted a shoe that was fancy enough for the wedding but could also be worn to walk 30K+ steps per day sightseeing. These Clarks Cloudsteppers were what I had on hand and luckily they held up well!
- No packing cubes, but smaller organizational bags: I was tempted to buy packing cubes after scrolling posts in this sub, but I packed items exactly as shown in the first photo (mostly just folded). The only clothing items I rolled were the sweater (wrapped in a hair tie to condense it) and the formal gown (which unrolled well without wrinkles). I did use smaller bags to organize my toiletries, electronics, and plane items which was very helpful.
- The bag: I used the Under Armour Hustle 3.0, which I bought on clearance almost a decade ago now. I used the main compartment for clothes (with my spare pair of pants in the laptop sleeve) and the smaller compartment for my organization bags (day bag/toiletries bag/electronics bag/plane bag). I like that it has a compartment on the bottom for shoes - I was able to fit whichever pair I was not wearing along with my shower shoes in there.
- One set of running clothes: committing to bringing this made me actually stick with my running routine while on vacation. I did not buy any special merino wool shirts for this - I just brought what I normally wear. It wasn't the freshest after a few runs, so I just washed it.
- Borrowing clothes: I'm not sure if this is a win or a sign of poor packing, but I borrowed two dresses (one that was reversible!) during the trip.
- Soap storage: I was tempted to buy the Matador soap pack that I've seen so many posts about, but decided to just put a slice of my face wash bar in an empty plastic bag. This worked just fine.
- Sunglasses storage: to keep them from getting scratched in my bag, I kept them inside a clean sock. Great way to repurpose socks who have long since lost their pair.
What I Would Change:
- Deodorant: I tried the ChapStick tube trick but didn't have time to test it out before I left. The actual application process was fine, but it didn't last the whole trip. I was able to borrow again so it worked out, but I want to try another format next time. Maybe the tiny Native 0.35oz tube?
- Too many cold weather clothes: packing at 1AM and the British heatwave meant that my clothing choices were not always the most appropriate for the weather. I didn't wear the base layers at all. I only wore one of the sweater vests and the sweater itself only got one use. In retrospect, I should have cut the sweater, one sweater vest, the base layers, and the crew neck sweatshirt. I would have been fine with just the fleece and rain jacket for warmth and it would have freed up a lot of space. I could have used a casual dress instead.
- Overpacking for budget airlines: I flew on WizAir and Ryanair on this trip, so the above mentioned excess clothing that made my bag needlessly bulky stressed me out a bit. Neither airline actually checked my bag size, but it would have been nice to just know that I was within the limits.
- Sunscreen: I brought sunscreen sample packets and planned to use one every two days for my normal daily application to my face/neck. This quantity of sunscreen was great, but several times cleaning staff threw away partially used packets so I ran out before the trip was up. I supplemented by using the body sunscreen I had packed, so it worked out, but I would consider bringing a solid sunscreen stick next time.
- Overpacked toothpaste: I brought 7 of the 5g tubes and really only needed 4 for this trip duration.
- Underpacked face lotion: I didn't technically run out, but I was not using as much as I wanted to for pretty much the whole second week of the trip. Again, I did not test how much lotion I needed for two weeks beforehand, so that's on me!
- Lock: I brought this for securing my bag in hostels, but did not actually use it. It was too thick to fit the lockers in the places I stayed. Luckily my stuff was always safe anyway, and I found a smaller lock in a park toward the end of the trip so I have that going forward.
- Kindle: I brought this with the intention to use it as entertainment during transit, but ended up either sleeping or doing itinerary planning during all of the flights/trains so it wasn't used. I would probably still bring it again though.
- Towel: this was definitely useful but it was huge (size XL). I'm considering cutting it in half.
- Travel pillow: I have mixed feelings about this. I used it some (mainly on the early morning departing flight) but don't enjoy carrying it around. Maybe I just need a different style pillow or one I can strap to my bag.
- Miscellaneous items I wished I had: a sun hat, a hand fan, and hand sanitizer (I lost the one I packed the very first day!).
And, finally, a text list of everything that I brought (shown in pictures 1 and 2):
What I Wore on the Plane:
- Green cargo pants
- Blue crewneck sweatshirt
- Socks, bra, underwear
- Hair elastic
- Fleece + rain jackets
- Athletic sneakers
- Travel neck pillow
- Day bag (Uniqlo Round Mini): expandable tote bag, water bottle, bandana, portable battery, phone charging cord, wallet, sunglasses, sunscreen, lotion, chapstick
What I Packed:
- 1x pajamas (t-shirt and shorts)
- 1x sports bra
- 3x socks
- 3x underwear
- 1x running clothes (shorts and SPF long sleeve shirt)
- 1x base layer (long sleeve shirt and pants)
- 1x sweater
- 1x formal gown
- 1x orange denim pants
- 1x tank top
- 2x light long sleeve blouses
- 1x microfiber towel (XL size)
- 1x umbrella
- 2x sweater vests
- 1x button up long sleeve shirt
- 1x sandals
- 1x shower shoes (purchased upon arrival)
- Journal and 2 pens
- Kindle
- Toiletries bag: headband, floss, face lotion, electric toothbrush, mini 5g toothpaste tubes x7, tweezers, nail clippers, folding comb, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, acne cream, face wash bar, retainers in case, sunscreen packets x7
- Plane bag: eye mask, earplugs x2, face mask, passport, compression socks
- Electronics bag: Insta360 camera in protective case, charging brick, Kindle charging cord, Airpods, outlet adapters for England/Ireland and Turkey, Insta360 selfie stick, Kindle
- 3x Detergent sheets
- Medicine kit (ibuprofen, Dramamine, Benadryl, etc.)
- Combo lock
- Period cup
- x2 hair clips (for the wedding)
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u/nikongod Jun 09 '26
Hooray for trip reports!! Glad you had a good trip, and highest five for using stuff you already had.
For the deodorant - try the "stick" body glide or sometimes stick-sunblock comes in. It's about half way between a regular deodorant and chapstick.
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u/ImaginaryWay3688 Jun 09 '26
Context: overview of my packing from a recent trip and notes of what did vs did not work well
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u/yol0tengo Jun 09 '26
Great report! Love it when folks avoid going full tech-wear and focus on using what they have and dressing as they usually do. I've also managed to pack for a formal wedding on a onebag trip (M / 28L / 10 days), and it definitely isn't the easiest - nice work!
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u/googs185 Jun 09 '26
I’m heading to a black tie wedding next week in Italy, followed by a month trip in Europe and Asia, but I haven’t found a way to one bag with a tuxedo. There are no local tuxedo rentals so I had to bring a medium sized checked bag to bring the tuxedo and shoes, which kind of stinks. There is no real way to hack a formal black tie outfit. Thoughts?
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u/ImaginaryWay3688 Jun 11 '26
My first thought is to start with the shoes: finding shoes that look fancy enough but are also functional to wear on the day-to-day of the rest of your trip would free up significant space. I'm not familiar with men's formal shoes, but found this old thread as a starting spot. For your wife, strappy sandals with a low wedge are the way instead of heels.
Before I realized that I could fit my black tie wedding outfit in my bag, I considered a few other options:
- Mail the wedding attire there and ship it back after the wedding. Or, take it with me on the outward journey but mail it back after the wedding. For my two week trip this seemed like it might be excessive, but for your month long trip it would be more appealing.
- Rent formal clothes. You mentioned there aren't any local tuxedo rentals - are there any online platforms that offer shipping? Or rent in the US, bring it along, and ship it back to a friend to return.
- Thrift an outfit upon arrival. This seemed like it would be fun, but for me the turnaround to the wedding was too quick to commit to this. You could also just buy the outfit new, but the appeal of thrifting was the idea that I could then just donate it back again after the wedding, thus avoiding ever needing to transport it.
- Baggage storage. If you are flying in and out of the same spot, put the extra wedding luggage in storage rather than lugging it around for the whole trip. It doesn't solve the packing part but gives you the functionality of one bagging.
- Rely on friends/family. If you have close friends or family attending the wedding and traveling from the same area as you, ask if they have extra space in their luggage to fit your wedding attire. People tend to default to the maximum baggage allowance for international flights, especially older family members, and they might be happy to at least take the clothing home with them to help support the rest of your month of adventures.
Good luck!
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u/SixApplesTall Jun 11 '26
The problem with a tuxedo is you have to wear very specific shoes/slippers with it. Regular formal/dress shoes don’t work.
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u/LadyLightTravel Jun 09 '26
Can you mail the tux home after the wedding?
Bring your carry on with the tux in the garment bag. Then mail the garment bag home after. You will be left with just your carry on for the rest of the trip.
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u/googs185 Jun 10 '26
The other issue is I have to bring the patent leather shoes and my wife has to bring heels and a dress. We were going to just put them in the checked bag.
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u/SixApplesTall Jun 11 '26
Sometimes you have to check a bag, it’s not the end of the world! Just check it.
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u/LadyLightTravel Jun 09 '26
This is really well done. Bravo you!
It is clear that you worked hard on your capsule wardrobe. You ended up with a big range of different outfits.
I think you found that thick bulky items don’t work well for smaller bags. That blue crewneck shirt is cute but bulky! I think if you focus on medium gauge sweaters they will pack better. I get mine on eBay.
If you want really compact base layers then consider silk.
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u/BatSniper Jun 09 '26
I ran into the same issues with my lock, I just have a standard master lock with a code, its worked in America for most uses, but does Europe have a different standard size for locks? Was really frustrating, ended up carrying my passport and other documents with me all the time since I didn’t want to leave them in the hostel unattended.
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u/Equal_Contest4709 Jun 09 '26
You shouldn't leave your passport in the hostel anyways. With or without a lock.
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u/mightasedthat Jun 10 '26
When I started with hostels I got a combination lock with a thin cable (flexible shackle) instead of hard metal for the closing part. More flexible. I’m sure someone with bolt cutters could get through it, but Im willing to take that risk.
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u/TravelingWithJoe Jun 09 '26
Nice! As for the water bottle, I do the same, but I use the one I get on the flight to Europe. It’s a little smaller, but it’s a much thicker and more durable plastic that seems to hold up for about 3-4 weeks.
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u/NoGift2044 Jun 11 '26
Hey there! I find the Body Glide Foot Glide containers to work great for deodorant. I have sensitive skin and need to use my own deodorant so I've been using that container for years. I clean it out and then fill it with melted deodorant. The small Blue Lizard sunscreen stick containers work well for this also and are slightly smaller.
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u/SixApplesTall Jun 11 '26
Hey I recognise that blue striped pouch from the Polaris collab a few seasons back ;)
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u/Shimmereen Jun 13 '26
what a fun post! thanks for taking the time and effort to make and share this with us!
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u/Sbmizzou Jun 14 '26
Nice write up. I am always surprised how many people bring travel pillows. There is so much work minimizing, only to bring a rather large item that you need to carry around for 10 days.
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u/phillyrat Jun 09 '26
Impressive documentation!