One Bag

I'm not travelling that much anymore, but when I do, I still stick to my One Bag philosophy. Below you find information about my current belongings and recommendations. The list is a nice resource to point people to, when they ask about what gear I use for travelling.

I rarely check the content of travel hackers like Tynan or Jeremy these days to further optimize my gear. I think I found my own personal enough in the things listed below.

Clothes

Bottoms. I pack two pair of pants and one pair of shorts. The Slim Dungarees are hands down the best pants you can buy. They look like black jeans, fit to almost every occasion and can be worn many days without washing. I also pack the super comfortable Vuori Ponto Performance Pants. These are more like lounge pants, but few people will notice that, so they can be worn as regular pants in a pinch. The Rip Curl Boardwalk Global Entry are the best all around shorts for summer and swimming. Add 3x Wool&Prince Boxer Briefs and 3x pairs of socks from DarnTough and everything below the belt is covered.

Shoes. I love wearing my VivoBarefoot Magna. They feel like socks on your feet, but are sturdy enough for hiking and in rough weather. They look decent for barefoot shoes as well actually.

Tops. The Icebreaker Anatomica Crewe T-shirt has been my go-to for the last 5 years or so. I usually bring 3 of them. The Joe Merino Henley is mainly a layering piece for me, but it is formal enough to wear to a fancier restaurant.
I have worn merino hoodies for years, but the Heimplanet Hoodie just looks so great at the moment - it's not as warm as merino though. Last but not least, the Arc'teryx Norvan SL jacket is a marvel, because it offers great rain and wind protection, but packs down to (and weighs) almost nothing.

Head. I use a Buff as scarf, facemask and sometimes sleeping mask. While the Buff can be used as beanie, I like to have a warmer beanie. I also pack one Shemagh - this ingenious scarf can also serve as a makeshift towel or picnic blanket and can even be used as a bedsheet in a pinch. Truly versatile!

Tech

Laptop. I'm currently rocking a Macbook Pro 14" - the M1 version. To charge it, I use an Anker MultiCharger which is much lighter than the bulky Apple brick and bring the Macbook charging cable, 2x USBC Cables and 1x Lightning Cable. To round things off, I have a nifty Dual USB Stick 128gb which has both USB-A and USB-C connections.

Phone. My iPhone 12 Pro Max is still everything I need from a phone. My only gripe with it is its size. I’ll probably upgrade at some point next year, especially since the iPhone 15 Pro has a USB-C instead of Lightning port. The AirPods Pro are the best headphones I own. Good sound & noise reduction and they are always by my side.

E-reader. I want to read more long-form content, so at the moment I am carrying my Kindle Paperwhite with me again.

Pouches

I keep all the small things in various sized pouches, so everything that belongs together is in one place.

Hygiene Pouch: A bamboo toothbrush, Dr. Bronner soap bar, Deo, Qtips, nail clipper and a pack of wet wipes.

Food Pouch: It holds a pack of nuts, snickers, small beef jerky packs, few teabags and instant coffee. A few good snacks go a long way, if you don't want to spend money on random food just to fill your belly. I have a spork, which I rarely needed, but in a pinch I am able to eat normally and it weighs basically nothing, because its made out of aluminium. Not in the pouch but food related are my trusty SnowPeak Kanpai bottle and a SnowPeak Titanium Cup.

Emergency Pouch: BIC lighter, emergency sleeping bag, Ibuprofen, Plaster.

Boredom Pouch: A set of playing Cards to practice card tricks, shuffling and playing poker. Field Notes notebook and a pen.

The Bag(s)

Pakt Travel Backpack - I only went through a couple other backpacks, but stuck with the Pakt because it packs like a suitcase, looks inconspicious and has enough organisation for me. I wanted the black color, but I found the olive one second hand for really good price. Pakt recently released a new and improved version of the bag, I still rock the original one.

Matador x Carryology Backpack. Yeah, I know, why is there two bags on the "one bag" page. I picked up this 20l daypack recently. Time will tell if I actually use it. It was definitely an impulse purchase - simply because it was a limited edition run by two companies I love.