One Bag Travel Packing List for Men

“A checked bag is a lost bag.”

I read that online somewhere and the expression stuck. About five years ago I took my first “onebag” trip when I went to New Zealand for five weeks. Everything I needed for those five weeks fit in a 40 liter bag I bought from L.L. Bean (which has since been discontinued). It changed the way I traveled for the rest of my life. No rolling a bag down cobble stone streets. No awkwardly carrying a bag in one hand and then switching to the other because your arm is tired. Since then I have only traveled with a checked bag twice (honeymoon and Alaskan cruise) and it wasn’t pleasant.

What is the not-so-secret trick to being able to travel with so little? Laundry. Whenever I have an opportunity, I’ll spend 5-10 minutes a day washing something in the sink (a shirt, boxers, shorts, etc) and leave it to hang dry overnight. Or, if we have more time, we will do a normal load at the hotel/hostel in one of their washing machines.

What is the second-best tip? I try to make sure that every article of clothing I bring matches with every corresponding item. All three Merino wool shirts I have packed will work with all three pairs of shorts and the one pair of pants I am bringing. Same goes for the polo, hoody, shoes, and hats. There is no single-purpose item of clothing. Flexibility makes it easy while waiting for items to dry.

And the last tip? Use packing cubes. It makes things soooo much easier and prevents a clothes explosion when you reach your destination. Amanda and I both use Peak Design packing cubes and I wrote a review for them here.

Bonus tip: Stay away from cotton. For those unfamiliar with the miracle fabric that is Merino wool, click here for a great rundown of all its benefits by adventure company Kathmandu. For a trip like this, cotton is the enemy. It isn’t moisture wicking, it takes forever to hang dry, and it holds in smells much easier. Even though they aren’t as sustainable as Merino wool, synthetics can be a good alternative to Merino wool if you find wool to be scratchy/itchy on the skin.

Well Mike, what will you swim in? All three of my shorts can be used to go swimming which eliminates the need to pack swim trunks. Well Mike, aren’t your feet going to smell? The Merino socks can get about 2-3 uses out of them before needing to be washed, which eliminates the need to pack several pairs of socks. Mike, why have two backpacks? The main bag is carry everything. The Tortuga Outbreaker daypack will be used once we get to our destinations. Mike, tell us something funny. For me, the urge to sing “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” is always just a whim away...whim away…whim away…

Travel outfit:

Outlier Slim Dungarees
Icebreaker Merino
Kuhl Freethinkr Hoody
Northface Sestriere Shoes
Apple Watch Series 4
Compression Socks
Passport Pouch

The Slim Dungarees are some of the most comfortable (and expensive) pants I own. I have worn them on a few shorter trips already and I am excited to give them a go on this trip. With how cold planes can get, I tend to travel with a hoodie and wearing Merino also helps with temperature control. Ever since my back surgery in 2018, I’ve resorted to wearing compression socks just to make sure I keep a healthy blood flow to my legs to help prevent any clots from forming, especially on flights longer than 3-4 hours. And lastly, I make sure to wear the headphones not only for easy access once onboard but also to help reduce weight in my carry-on bag incase some of the stricter airlines decide to weigh the bag at the gate.

Full packing list (excluding the travel outfit):

Clothing:
Icebreaker Merino wool shirts (x2)
Ralph Lauren red polo
Myles Apparel Everyday Shorts (coal)
Outlier New Way Shorts (navy)
Nomad Proof Shorts (gray)
Darn Tough Merino socks (1 pair)
Smartwool Merino ankle socks (3 pairs)
4 pairs of boxers (3 Under Armour and 1 Uniqlo Airism)
Fjallraven Merano Canvasbelt

Technology:
2017 13in MacBook Pro (non-touchbar)
Sony XM2s Noise Canceling Headphones
Peak Design small packing cubes (x2)
AirPods
External SSD Drive
Anker PowerCore II powerbank
Anker Charging Plug

Gear:
Heimplanet Transit Line 34L Backpack
Peak Design Packing Cubes (review here)
Tortuga Outbreaker Daypack
Matador FlatPak Soap Bar Case
Matador Pocket Blanket 2.0
Dr Bronners Bar Soap
Lewis N. Clark ElectroLight Toiletry Kit
Sink drain stopper (some sinks don’t have plugs)
Laundry Soap
Netherlands Vaccine Booklet
Bloc Deck X750 Sunglasses

Not pictured: 
Columbia Rain Jacket
iPhone XS Max
DJI Osmo Mobile 3 (this was a last minute addition, thanks Dad!)

Here is a photo of my gear packed in the Peak Design packing cubes (review here) and my travel outfit removed from the image:

The crazy thing is that I still feel like I have too much stuff. The bag currently weighs at 7.5 kg (~15lbs) which is a little heavier than some of the airlines we are traveling will allow. I may end up taking out the Tortuga Outbreaker Daypack before I leave but we shall see.

If you have any tips that you would like to share, please comment below. This list is a constant work in progress and I would love to hear any advice you might have to share!

For a female packing list, visit Amanda’s list here.

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