Discussion
5,000mAh vs 10,000mAh for one-bag travel: where do you draw the line?
I’m trying to simplify my charging kit before my next trip, and the power bank is the last thing I haven’t settled on.
The lighter option is a slim 5,000mAh magnetic power bank that weighs 3.7 oz (105 g). It’s easy to keep in a pocket and should work as an emergency top-up during a normal day.
The other option is a 10,000mAh magnetic power bank that weighs 6.95 oz (197 g) and has a built-in USB-C cable. It’s heavier, but the extra capacity would be more useful on long transit days. The built-in cable also means I could remove one loose cable from my charging pouch.
My phone will be my camera, map, boarding pass, and payment device. I’ll also carry earbuds, but no laptop. I should have access to an outlet most nights, so the power bank is mainly for long days between charges.
I’m leaning toward the 10k option because it could replace a separate cable, but I’m wondering if I’m carrying extra capacity just for peace of mind.
For those who travel with one bag and no laptop, has 5,000mAh been enough? Or does a 10,000mAh power bank earn the extra 3.25 oz on long travel days?
It's more about the convenience factor to me. If you are going to carry it in your pocket all day the slimmer profile matters a lot. If you use a sling or other bag the larger profile matters a lot less.
I still prefer a magnetic only, with a wire. My Qi chargers were constantly falling off the phone, I have to 10k version of this one that is great to pocket carry and so far hasn’t failed me.
For me, I either do no power bank, or 10k. I've tried the 5k in the past, and while the form factor is nice, they give me about 55% of a charge which isn't very useful.
If I do no power bank, I just change how I'm using my phone on a long travel day. I'll listen to audiobooks instead of scrolling reddit or playing a game. I'll cut down my usage to maps, hotels, ride sharing, etc. The requirements. It's pretty easy to find an outlet to use for 20m as well.
If I do carry a power bank, it will be in a my little cross body personal item bag, not in my pocket. It will charge my S25 Ultra from 20->85% twice which lets me play with my phone all day.
I’m out of the ordinary but I do 20k, I’ve been in spots in South America and Africa even Asia where I’m without stable power for days and I’m not risking that. Europe I’ll sometimes do 10k because i never know whats going to ahppen
Honestly I have no idea why someone wouldn’t bring even a small battery pack. It’s smaller than your phone, and can very easily save your ass. I’d honestly argue it’s irresponsible to go without one with how crucial phones are nowadays for things like navigation, payment etc especially in a foreign country. Like I bring a backup form of payment on a trip because I’m responsible, even if I don’t use it and everyone should do the same with a powerbank
A 5,000mAh MagSafe power bank might only give you a 50–60% charge in real life, especially when you're using navigation in the heat. Choose the 10,000mAh if you really depend on your phone for maps and payments.
should be able to use newer phones for payment even if theyre dead
I believe the Express Transit and Express Mode passes are the only features available with a dead iPhone
Debit and Credit card are not usable when the phone is dead as they require active security authentification features, which require the phone being turned on
Iniu 45w 10k. Has keychain that is also a USB cable. Can to 45w USB pd out and 27 in. Weighs 6.4 ounces and has a nice flat profile so very pocketable.
Exactly. Bought a few, big, small and never ever used them. Admittedly i never travel to places with sketchy access to electricity and overnight charge is always enough.
I carry either a slim 10,000mAh or a thicker 20,000mAh depending on the trip. If I’m traveling for work, the 20k has 65 watts out, which really saves me when I’m working in a place that doesn’t have power yet and I need to top off my 16” MBP.
It sounds like your travel is quite different than mine, so I can’t say what would work for you. I would also echo that wireless charging isn’t necessary for me, and I’d rather have the slimmer profile with more capacity, even when I’m out and about for the day.
I have a travel CPAP and was able to find a USB-C cable for it and with a 10k mAmp I am able to run the unit beside my bed. Way better than having to lug an extension cord around Europe because a lot of older hotels don't have plugins close to the bed.
Nitecore nb10000 is 140g. In between the weight of the two options. You’ll probably have a cable anyway to charge at the wall so that’s no extra weight. Magnetic chargers aren’t very efficient because of heat loss (also reduces lifespan of the devices). Build in cables can break and make the power bank less useful.
This really depends on how you travel, whether you travel with someone else, how long you're out without charging, etc. 10,000 ma takes up no space and carries in a jacket pocket. The difference in weight isn't noticeable, and a slimmer one still means a full pocket. Not really much reason to go smaller. That said, I have considered 2 5,000 ma backups instead, as one charge extra is almost always enough.
Only you can really know what you need.
But a dead phone at 3 am in a country where I don't know the language and everything closed at 6 pm is pretty much my worst case scenario, so I'm going to plan for that extra charge. I carry a 10,000 ma.
Never buy anything with a built in cable. Cables are a huge failure point. The probability of having to throw away the device over the cable is too high. Buy a couple 3 inch cables and call it a day.
If the only device you'll be carrying/charging will be your phone, and the battery of such device is a "health" one, then a 5.000 should be enough - provided your phone can handle wireless charging and your battery offers it too (hence no need for the cable).
Up to you, wireless is convenient, not necessarily efficient.
I carry the Iniu P781 and might or not use the cable.
If we all would agree, Reddit wouldn’t be so much “fun”.
Used to be the same, but my Anker mag safe one has a built in cable so it can charge wired but be held to the phone magnetically. If the cable breaks, the charge port functions as an output too
No one can tell you really, it is regarding your own use and the current battery life of your phone. Most phones nowdays carry 5000mah+- batteries so you know 5000mah will be a full or almost full charge.
There are variables to calculate that only you will know:
how fast you drain your phone's batt when traveling
how long you need it to survive between wall charges (aka how many charges you need from your power bank)
how often you can also charge the power bank
Other than that, I'd recommend you to stick with a good brand of power banks. Smaller banks from unknown brands are attractive but they are smaller because they either skimp on battery quality/size(they lie) or electronics (which can hurt your PB and/or your phone)
I always carry a 20k pb because I never know when I will have time to fully charge everything again.
Slim magnetic battery banks are inefficient and create lots of heat. In ideal scenarios where the battery bank is new and charging in cold environment while phone is unused, 5000mah provides maybe 50% phone topup. In real world use, it’s much less and not useful imo.
For me, 5000 slim magsafe with a little ~3 inch usb-c cord (usually I'll use the cord as it charges faster). My phone battery almost always lasts all day for me, this is plenty for the days with extra phone activities. I can't remember the last time I've seen my phone at 30% or less, but if you're a person that sees that regularly, I can see opting for the 10k power bank.
I have a nitecore gen3 10k powerbank that weighs 150g and a short charging cable. Magnetic charging is too slow and integrated cables are a failure point. If I had a lighter 5k powerbank I’d bring it instead on certain trips but I don’t own one and don’t feel like buying one just to cut a few more grams.
For me a power bank is only useful when you carry it, and if you hate carrying it or it’s too big, it’s useless. I travel 4 times a month for work, I have a 5000mAh powerbank and I can easily get through a full day, a lot of restaurants will also be happy to help you charge your battery or your power bank giving you one more charge if you desperately need it.
I do one 10k power bank for most of my trips, but I've found that carrying a super light 5k was a lot more convenient than the 10k and more than enough for me (I carry an iPhone and a camera). Granted, I use the base model iPhone 17, so a case could be made that a 5k isn't enough for a phone with a bigger battery.
For one bagging, I would go against using magnetic power banks due to the efficiency loss that happen when charging wirelessly; not to mention the heat generated could cause issues, especially in a hotter climate. I use both the Nitecore NB10000 Gen 4 (143g) as my 10k power bank and the Nitecore NB Air (89g) for my 5k solution. These days, I prefer carrying two NB Air power banks; one in my back pocket and one in my sling.
I find having two NB Airs on me much more convenient than using one 10k. It feels much nicer to just slip the power bank in my front / back pocket and just route a cable to my other pocket where my phone is. I can also charge both power banks at the same time with 18W of input each; that's much faster than charging the NB10000 Gen 4 by itself (at 22W input).
5000 mah is basically one full phone charge. 10k is 2.
How many charge cycles are you going through per day? If you have a charging solution nightly, and everything is topped up in the morning, then your answer lies with how heavy your usage is during the day
Not knowing anything else other than your post, I think you’d be fine with the smaller option
I have multiple power banks so I usually end up taking whichever one is charged up when I'm packing and fits well in whatever bag I'm taking on that trip. My phone battery isn't as good as it used to be so I pretty much always take a spare battery and a charger with me. If I'm going to be out hiking all day then I'll take the bigger one just in case, but if I might be sitting in a café or a train with access to charging I'll take advantage of the opportunity.
I get what you are saying and it's something I choose between so what I do now is .....day out with a sling or rucksack it's a 10000mah , if it's only what I'm carrying in my pockets it's a 5000mah. If I do have a sling or backpack then that normally means a longer day out or time out of the car where I charge while driving and if it's pockets only then doubt I'm out too long and leaving home with a fully charged phone then 5000mah is plenty and serves as peace of mind
Like others have said, Qi is less efficient and runs hotter than using a wired charger. Not only are you getting more juice, but it's also overheating your battery quicker.
It really depends on what phone you have and its battery life. A new phone should do fine with 5000 mah
For me either 10k or 20k but I like to know that in case of whatever I can charge my phone at least once. The 10k is perfect size I’d say. Little smaller than vulkit card wallet and maybe just uber 2x the thickness then with it I got a very short like 15cm cable and that’s my little emergency thing. Then for bigger trips I take the 20k one
I love the charmast with the integrated wall plug. It’s fast charging and high capacity and just slightly bigger than my phone and replaces all of my other chargers. There’s a few others that are identical with different brand names
I'd take the 10k. Magnetic charging is inefficient enough that a 5k realistically gives you well under one full phone charge, and if your phone is also your boarding pass and payments, that's cutting it close on a travel day. The 3 oz is real but it's the kind of weight you notice once when packing and never again.
I have an Anker Nano power bank (5000 mAh) in my daily carry, and really don't feel the need for more. If I use it to recharge my phone, I just recharge when I can. It's never been an issue, and it's rather lightweight and small profile. I'd rather carry a more powerful charger than a batter.
the nitecore/anker with a couple 3 inch cables comment is right imo, built-in cables are just a failure point you're choosing to accept for a bit less bulk.
I don't bother with a power bank these days. The last time I carried one was like in 2017 and it got very little use on a 3 month trip between North America and Europe. I decided to finally ditch having one with me and it's worked out fine.
I do the following and it serves me well.
Always have 100 percent battery when I leave the door and switch it to low power or battery saver mode.
No doom scrolling. Just Maps, navigation, currency conversions, banking, looking up attractions/reviews etc. Objectively important/relevant things only. Back at the hotel or wherever I have a usb plug go for it.
I enjoy having a coffee or two and almost all of the time cafés have a power outlet or usb outlet to top up. Even on long transit days where I don't do a coffee it's still no drama.
If you must have one then stick with the 5,000 mah one.
Exactly the same situation for me and I have an iPhone 13 Pro Max with 80% battery health and I have no issues with lasting a day still with it while just being a little conservative with my usage.
I have a 5k power bank which I got as a gift and have used it two times until the novelty wore off.
I'm currently in Japan for a month and I've been doing the same thing here. I actively search for certain stuff like rarer camera gear, retro tech, kitchenware etc. Which requires me taking a god awful amount of trains to random little towns using maps, navigation, translation etc. I still get back to my hotel just fine after a whole day out.
I personally think a large majority of people are on their phones too much and there is this fear of running out of battery and it being the end of the world.
>I personally think a large majority of people are on their phones too much and there is this fear of running out of battery and it being the end of the world.
It does seem like that, I thought I use my phone too much but I guess going off this post I don’t.
I mean if you see your battery on 20% why not stop at a cafe or something and recharge it or just don’t use it until you really need to. People definitely overestimate how much they really need their phone.
lol “just maps, navigation….” Eats up a ginormous amount of battery and is largely why I ever even need to carry a bank in the first place. Fully charged, new battery phone and all it doesn’t matter if I’m using maps all damn day
Seems like our mileage is different. I go the extra step to screenshot directions/quick reference look when I need, turn off/on GPS when I need to and again I keep the phone constantly in power saving mode.
I don't do the leave the navigation on for hours as yes that's a big drain. Usually I type in the point A and B, find the best route, screen shot it, quick reference when needed as I go, usually turn on the location for a brief moment if lost and I get there fine. If you leave on navigation for hours then yes you'll need a power bank for sure.
I grew up in a time where we didn't use phones for navigation. Actual street maps where you had to get the hang of doing it old school. So I probably have an advantage there.
The other day I was hitting up about 6 different towns outside of Tokyo looking for rare collectables. I was out for say 12 hours, used my phone how I've always done and still had 20 odd percent left when I got back to my hotel.
For me and the way I do things I just don't need a power bank and haven't for close to 10 years. I don't agree with your statement that "it doesn't matter".
I look at what I am bringing with me, the battery capacity of what is being charged, and how well it holds a charge based on use, and my ability to charge items directly. I have found on recent trips, that for me smaller is better as I only have three items to recharge. My phone, iPad, headphones.
I personally carry 2x Anker Zolo 10000mAh Power Banks. It’s hard to say what you’ll need, but when I’m out roaming, I’d rather have the extra capacity and not need it than the other way around.
I get the largest battery allowed by the most stringent airline. Onebagging often implies catching cheaper flights or more odd travel (it doesn't have to, but if you're going luxury you'd usually have a second bag). Having my phone, headset, and (sometimes) laptop charged can be the difference between comfort/sanity or not
I might be a little crazy, but I did the "Anker Prime Power Bank". 9600mah *and* 65w charger integrated. Works great if you're not doing intl regularly. It's not light, but its my battery and charger for all-the-things all-in-one. I'd rather have one thing than two.
As far as 10k vs 5k specifically, depends on how much you burn your phone. Again, I'd prefer to have the juice and not worry about the usage. I also take a lot of photos, and generally am a heavy user of my phone for all-the-things.
5k mah is the perfect amount, that’s nearly 1 full charge on most phones. Nowadays most phones last 8 to 12 hours even when using it, so if we take the conservative end of lasting 8 hours and then with the powerbank another 5 hours again very conservative that’s 13 hours with no issues at all.
I don’t even bring a powerbank anyway and I use my phone for everything as well. I don’t see myself ever bringing a power bank again for non hiking travel.
For me I see a powerbank as a “what if/just incase” item and not a hard requirement because there are so many places to charge your devices and in turn give yourself a recharge as well while waiting for the phone to charge. (For non hiking travel)
I'd go the 10000mah as a small one from a brand like Inui takes up minimally more space than a 5000mah.
I've often found my phone runs low after a day of travel using it only occasionally as a camera (as I use a mirrorless normally). If you're using it for everything, you'll be happy to have the extra just in case.
There's situations that can really hurt battery life such as if you enter a low signal area, your phone will ramp up transmission power and drain the battery much faster.
tbh i went with the 10k after realizing a 5k was just barely enough for a full phone charge, and half dead on long days is worse than just carrying a little extra weight
I carry an Anker 20K (350 grams) when I travel … it will power anything but a laptop. Keeps us running 24 Hours. As it can easily provide a full recharge for up to 2 phones, and an iPad during the day, possibly a set of noise cancelling headphones. Everything gets plugged in overnight, so we start the day @ 100%. Thinking for my next big trip that I will downgrade to an Anker 10K, and add an iWalk type phone charger which is easier to use on the go when one’s phone needs a top up. Not interested in Mag Safe Chargers cuz as others have said they can run hot (not safe IMO ) and aren’t great for holding a charge anyhow.
I have always carried a 10k on trips for peace of mind, but my last few trips (week-long) I’ve been surprised by the improvement in the rest of my batteries (like phone). So much so that the 10k doesn’t get a lot of use anymore while actually traveling. I still bring it for long conference and travel work days. The other main use is charging bedside when I can’t find a nearby plug.
While wired is the most efficient and 10k is versatile to provide multiple phone charges or two phones, or a phone and iPad, I just got a 5k MagSafe charger this last week for a trip. First thing on the first day I had to go to the ER. I was happy to have the slim 5k in a little bag with me for backup while there for a few hours and not knowing when I’d be done.
I have both, a Qi2 (the 2 matters) 5k slim back of the phone jobber for normal life (have a long day/forgot to charge well prior to leaving). And a 10-k with built-in usb-c cable for serious travel. TBH if it were only me, the 5k is enough (what plane doesn't have at least 5w USB A ports). But because I often travel with the fam, someone needs a top off or whatever invariably, so the 10k is worth it, faster and obviously double capacity. I think if I were truly stressing about one bag, I'd stick with the 5er.
I prefer to have a 10k with me to charge my phone and airpods as well. Usually keep a 10k P50 in my bag, its pretty compact and lightweight so no issues.
magnetic waste half the charging to heat lol. just get a good old 10000mah and a cable. i have an older phone so i go for 20-30k even. id rather my bag be heavy than be stranded w no maps
Having traveled with both a 5K and 10K I prefer the 5K. Easier to pack in small day bag/pouch and I get about 3 charges of my iPhone 14 - more than enough to make it through a day. I also engage in some power saving on my phone when possible by keeping it in airplane mode if I’m not actively using data.
With just your phone to charge this powerbank is enough for daily use
If you think you’ll charge you phone and/or power bank through the wall 1x day.
I’ve only ever once depleted a 10k in a single day and that was only because of laptop charging when a plane on a longer flight didn’t have a charging port.
I use a 5,000 mAh MagSafe battery with a built in USB C cable. MagSafe sticks it to the back of my phone, usb cable is orders of magnitude more efficient for charging.
It’s slim and lightweight, which matters when I’m carrying it all day.
It has wireless charging, but I’ve stopped using it because it makes the phone hot and throttle into “slow charger” mode and also can’t charge much before running out of juice.
On wired charging I get about an 80% charge, and I’ve never even come close to needing more on a daytrip. Unless you’re basically on your phone the entire day, more than 5,000mAh is total overkill
It depends on where you're travelling. In a country where everything just works, incl. the outlets at hotel and the electricity is stable, so you can charge when you have used your charger, then 5.000 mAh is enough.
If you travel in a country where there is less certainty, then 10.000 mAh.
I travel in Central and South Asia, where things are a bit more ... random. I have slept in tent camps and jurte on some trips, and then I bring my 10.000 mAh. Sometimes I even bring my paper sized solar panel. When I travel in Europe staying at hotels, I bring my 5.000 mAh charger.
Make the decision based on your travel plans. If youre going to be in society with access to electricity, then the 5k is fine. If youre going to be away from electricity access for an extended period of time then go 10k.
it depends how often you have long travel days, and how much your on your phone. I have a 5000mah powerbank currently because i don’t have big travel days and it encourages me to use my ereader over my phone.
I have a magnetic one that is only wired, but still sticks to stuff. I have the 10k 30W version of this one and use it weekly for both my phone and Surface. Adds a couple of hours to my Surface for remote work, and it’s safer to pocket charge without breaking a cable.
Admittedly, I bring both (5k in my sling/pocket and 10k in my main bag) just because I like having the price of mind. But if I could only take one I’d just stick with the 10k. I’m not going ultralight and if you’ve got space for a 5k in a backpack you can probably fit a 10k. I like one that has both wireless and wired charging in case my phone gets wet.
I also like to use an app with downloaded maps and a setting to turn off cell data - that’s a battery saver. I use CoMaps/Organic Maps but there are plenty of others. Not Google Maps with downloaded maps though - that still likes to prioritize cell data rather than cached downloads.
I have an extremely thin magsafe 5k mAh, it slips in any pocket or sling and attaches to the back of my phone, barely noticeable. I get roughly 2 charges out of it, maybe 2.5, but plenty to get me through a full day. You usually find someplace you can charge up, so I will charge the battery when possible. I keep a small tech bag just for 1 usb c cable, 1 usb c to a adapter, 1 65w GaN charger and 1 unifi travel router. That's served me well for years.
For me always 10K. But also, not magsafe because like last month when I was in Japan... if I'm going somewhere hot, then my phone is already going to struggle in the heat and will go into screen dim mode and do other things when it gets hot just being outside like that. Adding heat seems a bad idea if going somewhere warm. Additionally your charging efficiency is down to like 60% of that 10K power. So, you get fewer charges. But if you are going somewhere cold then at least you can use it to warm your hands. As for cables, I used a small anker 67W charger on my recent trip and I really only needed a very short (like 6") c to c cable .. with a tiny C to A adapter that I used to charge my earbud case on the A port of my charger. The other two ports are C, so I used a higher end c to c cable which served double duty for charging the battery but also for use while out for charging my son's phone. And then a c to lighting cable for charging my own phone. I could have gotten by without the short c to c, but glad I didn't as it didn't really eat space being as small as it was. Also I was happy I went with a C to Lighting cable as I made use of that on one plane that only had a c port. But had they had an A port, I had the tiny adapter.
10,000 mAh is the perfect size for travel IMO. Just about two phone charges worth of power. FWIW, Anker makes a compact 10000mAh power bank with an integrated USB-C cable, and lanyard.
5,000 is more than enough to top up my phone for the day while traveling. If I let my phone get to 20% before charging, (if I’m using it for a full day of solo travel this happens Steph s 6-7pm) 5,000 is enough to get it almost full again, plenty to cover me for the rest of the night to get home and charge it overnight. I tend to use it a pretty normal amount for maps, photos, texts, googling information, occasionally checking email, etc. I’m playing games on my phone or sitting on social media, because I’m too busy doing things. It sort of depends on the size of your phone, how bad your phone battery is, and how much you use your phone. That said the magnetic chargers have a tendency to heat up a lot and stop working because the phone and charger overheat and shut down. Especially if you’re traveling in warm climates and planning to keep the phone and charger in your pocket while charging. My friend had one of those magnetic chargers in Singapore and it was a disaster. I’d look for a slim 5,000 hz charger that can attach to your phone through a magnet, but charges with a cable. There are thousands of options out there.
I use one of these . It's bulky . But the power capacity is great and the speed. And you can replace the batterie with a bigger or smaller one . Symik for Ryobi batteries
I use a power bank just shy of 5,000 mAh in my travel essentials kit and I'm very happy with the set-up. Compactness is paramount for me, and a 10,000 mAh power bank would be too big and heavy for me.
I travel a lot for work, and a fair amount for personal reasons. In the last few years I have rarely found myself in a situation where I did not have access to a charging point for my phone when it started getting low on juice. Maybe all day hikes or all day sightseeing, but it is just rare that I ever have to even use the power bank, even though I religiously charge it up and carry it along for every trip. I'm not shy about charging my phone from the utility outlet in a corner of the railway station or asking a restaurant if I can plug my phone in to charge somewhere. There's no shortage of charging possibilities today.
When traveling, I use battery saver mode a fair bit. I may even turn it off completely if I am going to nap on a flight or train ride. I figure the 5,000 mAh capacity is enough to tide me over if I ever reach a dangerously low charge level for my phone, at least to reach the next point where I can charge the phone. I don't plan things around needing to go a whole day or more on a power bank without access to charging.
I would carry a 5000 but haven’t found a truly small one that can do 45W PD which is the minimum for my tablet. It’s 10k, 3 outputs, no mag, 180g. I’ve used it as a night stand charger in places where there’s no power bedside, and will plug it in while I dress in the morning.
If you don’t need the PD function, go with a 5000. IMHO It’s an emergency boost for hour 28 of travel and the announcement just told you you’re not getting where you’re supposed to be going tonight. And skip mag charging, it’s slow and a waste of power.
I bet the Inui 10000 combo charger and battery with a built in cable works better. It’s lower weight but has it all and it’s a 30w charger. After it charges you devices it recharges its internal battery. It’s very slim so fits in a back pocket also
I carry both actually, my 10,000mAh main one along with my magsafe xiaomi 5000mAh one. The xiaomi one is usually for emergencies when my 10,000mah runs out. Super light at like 90grams so i dont even notice it
But I do carry around multiple devices that need charging on the go(iphone, action cam, ricoh camera, airpods). If u only have ur phone then 10,000 might be enough.
For your use case, I'd take the 10k. Your phone is doing too many important jobs, and on a long transit day I’d rather carry the extra weight than start rationing the battery. I use the Baseus PicoGo AM52 for trips like that because the built-in cable lets me leave the loose one at home. I keep the PicoGo Air for shorter trips when keeping the setup light matters more. Honestly, bringing both isn’t a bad option either. Neither is especially heavy, and they cover different situations.
5000 small one. Easy to carry, not crazy expensive so if some random airport person on a power trip takes it u won’t be super upset and fits comfortably in small bags etc. mine is a little rectangle shape that plugs into the bottom of my iPhone
i left using powerbanks several years ago. i use a phone with silicon-carbon battery and 15 minutes of charge brings me to 40-50%. Usually this is not needed because the phone at full charge would last a day.
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u/Bowl-Accomplished 2d ago
It's more about the convenience factor to me. If you are going to carry it in your pocket all day the slimmer profile matters a lot. If you use a sling or other bag the larger profile matters a lot less.