“And that’s all you own? In that bag?”. “Yes”, I answered. It was for the third time that an inquisitive friend had asked the same question. I’d just arrived back in London for a 7 day pit-stop after spending the previous 8 months in North America. Before that my partner Holly and I were UX designers in London. That year we quit our jobs, founded our own design agency and started working remotely for clients all over the world.

We got the tube to Heathrow for our first flight to Vancouver, it was then that I knew I’d made a huge mistake. The flight departed at 20:55, which meant a Friday rush hour trip on the Piccadilly line. This is an unpleasant enough experience, without the addition of a 70L ‘gap year’ rucksack. It wasn’t my fault, I’d been in the UK’s army reserve since I was 17, and a cadet before that. It had been drilled into me to be prepared and that bags are supposed to be heavy, it’s almost a rite of passage. But on that underground train, I realised that this type of packing wasn’t go to fly in our new nomadic lifestyle.

Fast forward to the tail end of 2014, I’m at Hong Kong’s ridiculously large airport heading over to Thailand for 3 months. I’ve got a tiny 26 litre backpack casually thrown across a shoulder which tops out at 12kg. The tiny bag, coupled with some impressive Hong Kong’ian logistical efficiency means I’m off the train and into the departure lounge in a speedy, fuss free 20 minutes.

This is an unapologetically long post. It’s an in-depth look at what gear I use to travel around the world, constantly, with only a 26L backpack. It’s written for the gear freaks and professional travellers. Newbies and veterans alike. If you just want to see the list, then skip to the end. If however, you’ve got a cup of tea and 15 minutes for a story, then read on.

*Why not read the June 2015 update of this packing list when you’re finished

The Packing List

Backpacks

The story starts with the backpack. Luggage is one of the most contencious issues in the travel community. Everyone has their brand of choice, and mine is Tom Bihn.

They’re not a well known company outside of the ‘professional traveller’ community. You won’t see them on Amazon or in Walmart. They don’t have a referral program so don’t appear on many travel blogs. Instead, they concentrate on quality, well designed products. As often is the case, the people shouting the loudest aren’t necessarily the ones to listen to.

@hollykennedyux at the Tom Bihn factory

We visited Tom Bihn’s Seattle factory on a rainy June morning and saw the team of seamstresses in the company factory. Unfortunately we didn’t get to meet the founder and lead designer the company is named after. But we left the factory shop with a confidence that we’d made the right decision, and 2 brand new backpacks.

The Smart Alec 26L

I chose the Smart Alec bag. Its a 26L all black bag and to the casual observer it doesn’t look special or unique. And that’s the point. For the one bag traveller, standing out and looking like a traveller isn’t the aim. This is not the place for fashion statements.

Ballistic nylon fabric

It’s constructed of ballistic nylon which is custom made in the US for Tom Bihn. The interior is lined with an equally specialist nylon ripstop fabric imported from Japan. When you touch it, it’s like closing the door on a VW Golf. You immediately trust the engineer behind the design.

As well as the material quality, there is evidence of a craftsmans presence in the tiny details. It’s easy to make a rucksack, it’s difficult to make a rucksack you can live out of and it’s almost impossible to make one which you enjoy living out of.

Aqua guard zippers do an amazing job of keeping the water out

The zips are big, chunky and have a water repellent seal. The top carry handle is soft, large and padded. You’ll find o-rings at strategic places around the bag to securely attach valuables. The side pockets each have a grommet in the bottom to drain the water from your water bottle which will leak at some point.

The laptop sleeve never separates from the main bag

Inside the main compartment you’ll find 2 connectors. Tom Bihn sell a TSA approved laptop sleeve which has 2 webbing rails on the back. Once assembled, the sleeve glides up and down which not only keeps your laptop secured to the back of the bag, but allows you to breeze through airport security.

26 litres doesn’t sound much, but when it’s been designed with this sort of attention to detail, it’s cavernous. You can comfortably live out of it, and then use it as a ‘normal’ backpack around the city. There are plenty of bags which you can pack small with, but not many which will leave you with a smile.