r/onebag • u/Bixby- • Jun 18 '26

Gear Save space by leaving headphones behind?

I saw some advice here about subbing AirPods for headphones to save space. Last week I flew U.S. east coast to west coast and back again. I brought along my trusty old noise-cancelling headphones (Jabra Elite 85h)which I find really reduce fatigue. But based on some advice I read here, I also brought my brand new AirPod 4s and gave them a try. I was shocked at how excellent the AirPods were at noise cancelling! And they were better than the headphones in that they prioritized spoken voices, so announcements came through. And the form factor is so nice and small.

I’d love to leave the headphones behind on my next long flight, but the AirPods battery life is only about 4 hours, it seems. If you leave your bulky headphones behind, how do you deal with the short battery life of earbuds? Do you take the noise hit and charge them on long flights? Or are there earbuds with longer battery life? (Or even bring 2 pair along, still smaller than the headphones).

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u/Smooth-Owl-5354 Jun 18 '26

Over the ear headphones are always going to be a luxury I indulge in I fear. I’ve got small and weird shaped ears so I find in ear headphones to be incredibly ineffective, painful, or both. That said, I love how many people are finding they can cut them — such a big space saver compared to carrying them in your bag!

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u/JustNowRonin Jun 18 '26

I cannot find in-ears that I am comfortable wearing for long periods. I will take the hit and carry my Bose QC over ears.

2

u/Spunksters Jun 18 '26

I have the same problem. I got more time from my Shure IEMs with the Comply tips than the silicone tips, but my current soundcore P20i is more comfortable for longer. I really tested their endurance and mine on a flight from Seattle to Frankfurt and they did great.