With two weeks left in a job, I got an email telling me that I could fly to Spain for less than $600 roundtrip. It was my first big solo adventure and I wanted to try out onebagging (I seriously hate checking bags and rolling luggage). I packed rather thoughtfully and my trip (Barcelona > Rome > Florence > Athens) was a great success. Here’s what I brought and what I learned.

Packing List

Tortuga Outbreaker 35 liter backpack

T-shirts (x6) — Uniqlo v-necks

Collared Shirts (x3)

Pants/Shorts (x3) — Outlier Slim Dungarees, Uniqlo Chinos, Levi cutoffs

Socks (x8) — Injinji Lightweight Crew (x6), Injinji SmartWool Crew (x2)

Underwear — Uniqlo boxer briefs (x6), ExOfficio boxer briefs (x2)

Swim trunks — Patagonia

Cold Weather Jacket — 32 Degrees lightweight down jacket

Rain Jacket — Marmot Precip

Towel — PackTowl

Shoes — VivoBarefoot Ra, Vibram FiveFingers El-X

Notebook — Baron Fig confidant

Book — Travels of Ibn Battutah

Card games — Love Letter, Question This

Insulated flask — Zojirushi

Daypack — Sea To Summit Ultrasil Daypack

Watch — Seiko 6

Audio Recorder

Portable battery — Anker

Sunglasses — Ray Bans

Pens/Pencils

Bag locks/padlock

Sleep mask/ear plugs

Toothbrush/toothpaste

Item Highlights

Tortuga Outbreaker 35L

This single item probably deserves its own review. I did the research and compared my favorites in person before settling on the Outbreaker and I’m happy with the result. Water-resistant, lots of organization features, weight-distributing hip belts, understated design— this is what I wanted out of a bag. My only worry was that I should’ve gotten the 45L version, but now I know I can pack for virtually any trip length with this bag. (Bags are a surprisingly contentious issue. Maybe I fell for the hype, maybe I didn’t. But I did my homework and I’m happy with the results.)

Sea to Summit Ultrasil Daypack

This is the ultimate onebag companion accessory. Once you’ve dropped your heavy onebag at your hostel or hotel, you can pull this little ball out of your bag and it unfolds into an excellent daypack. Perfect for holding a notebook, waterbottle, apple, phone charger, sunglasses, and hoodie while you meander through a new city.

Outlier Slim Dungarees

$200 felt like a silly amount of money to spend on one pear of pants when my favorite pair of jeans cost $50, but Outlier proved me wrong. They were the only pair of pants I wore for three weeks and I never had to wash them. Lightweight, durable, comfortable, water-repellent, moisture-wicking, and damn good-looking. You can wear them around town, to a nice dinner, on a hike, or in bed. I thought I’d go back to regular jeans once I got home but I’m writing this in my Outlier dungarees.

ExOfficio Boxers

They’re the only pair of underwear that I can completely forget I’m wearing. They’re meant to be washed in the sink and left to dry on your bedpost. You only need two pair on any trip: one to wear while the other pair is drying. This alone saves you so much space, discomfort, and hassle.

Marmot Precip

This is a good rain jacket, but when you consider that you can find it for around $60, it jumps way ahead of the pack.

VivoBarefoot Ra II

I love these shoes. I despise raised heels, squashed toe boxes, thick foam soles, and all the other general bullshit I encounter with most shoes. These are lightweight, fashionable, and damned comfortable. I frequently walked more than 10 miles every day in these.

PackTowl

This made it perfectly possible to carry a full-size towel with me. Sure, you can get a towel in most hostels, but some charge for it, and having your own for whenever/wherever is very convenient.

Everything Else

I’ve researched and curated just about everything in this bag and I recommend it all (though my preferred notebook is still the classic ruled Moleskine).

What I Learned

I actually feel really good about how I packed. I could easily have traveled longer than three weeks on what was in that bag alone. I didn’t really feel like I’d left anything behind. I could definitely make a reduction in the clothing department next time though. I packed too many t-shirts, socks, and underwear. Wool socks, ExOfficio underwear, and some merino wool shirts greatly reduce the number of each item I need. That would make room for leggings and a more serious jacket when I go to a place with colder weather, or it could just leave me more space to acquire stuff abroad.