One Bag Travel for Creators

I am enamored with the prospect of doing OneBag travel, even for an upcoming trip I considered doing a simple small backpack as my only thing. I'm probably going to have to bring my bigger travel backpack, but trying to downsize is part of the fun. As well as, it makes for a challenge mentally on trying to figure out how to fit it all.

Today I wanted to make this post so that I could share with you my experiences, thoughts, strategies, and hopefully get you thinking about your next trip differently. Every creator has a set of tools they use for creating, we have tech pouches, computers/laptops, and then we have the things we need for the trip. Whether it is enough clothes, or having toiletries, etc.

At conferences we also tend to forget that we often bring a lot of goodies back, which means you need to allocate space IN your bag AHEAD of time, so that you can fit stuff on the way back. However that isn't always enough in my experience.

I tend to default to "two bag" scenarios, with a carry on and personal item. I'd like for my personal item to be a sling, of which can usually fit in my carry on bag (I don't like to use suitcases much anymore). However due to my tech: headphones, game systems, or recording equipment. I tend to not be able to fit it into a sling.

Recording equipment alone can get you stopped at TSA, as they think the camera mounts and tripod are parts to a weapon. Obviously silly, but they're just trying to do their job. In my experience I try to put it in an easy to reach spot in my bag, and I just pull it out ahead of time. As there's usually more issues with recording gear, than with computers or tech.

Why OneBag philosophy?

It is about simplification, and to not have to stress about having too many things. For example I'm going to NABshow this year, this week actually, and the first year I went I brought a lot more than I needed.

My first conference I brought my backpack and suitcase, and on the way back it was filled to the brim. My 2nd was NABshow a couple years ago, and my company I was working for wanted to do recording. I brought a bunch of stuff, from tripods to mounts, and other tech.

I ended up buying a large check in suitcase, plus my backpack and carry on suitcase. It was unwieldy, and I didn't need 70% of it. I still had too little space on the way back, although it was a two week trip + I had family gifts bringing back too. My point is that I didn't need all of that, and my trip would have been a lot easier if I didn't have to worry about all of that.

Now if you have a fancy camera, recording setup, then you're probably going to need to bring a nice suitcase to hold it all. You could go with something like "gobox studio" or make your own with a pelican case. However those are still carryons, and so how do you handle your belongings/clothing? I was actually chatting with Chris Do about this one point, as he is a very stylish person. To the point where he needs multiple unique outfits on trips, as it is a part of his brand. He can't really do one bag, but having that awareness is key.

If you're like me, and your outfits are modular. Additionally, my clothes are lightweight, and wrinkle resistant. Then you can stuff things into a packing cube, and you could theoretically just get a smaller personal item size travel backpack. Put all of your tech into the suitcase, and then use one bag as a personal item for your clothes. Its more of a two bag scenario, which sort of defeats the purpose of this post.

However that is my point, I want you to think about the one bag option, and see if you can do it. I mean if you're using the osmo pocket 3/xtra muse as your recording gear, then that can easily fit in a backpack. A DSLR or mirrorless camera, not as much (with lens and accessories). I'm not saying it won't, but you might need more room for clothes and such.

I need to get to the why being the philosophy, this above section is more of why I think it is wise. However the premise of OneBag travel in general, is that it simplifies your trip. You have your hands free, not dragging a suitcase around, to do things. You can go out on excursions without having to worry about leaving your stuff behind or carrying a suitcase on flights of stairs. There are so many reasons why having a backpack alone is helpful, but also too it keeps things more safe too.

As a creator if you can downsize your tech, then you can save space when you travel. For example my camera is the elgato facecam pro.

A pretty bulky webcam, that doesn't really offer as much compared to others on the market now. When it was released it was top of the line, but now if I want to move I have to find a way to protect it, and its a bit too big to take to conferences.

However the OBSBOT webcam is also 4k, not sure about the FPS differences between the two, but it is about a FOURTH of the size of the elgato. Meaning it is mountable on a portable rig more easily, and it is easier to pack up and travel with if I want to move.

Thus by downsizing I keep my quality, but I have more options when it comes to extra use cases (like recording at events), and it saves me space physically.

How do I do OneBag?

Ironically I have multiple bags! As in I have choices for what I want to do when I go on trips. The way you might think about it is that you have a backpack, something you'd use for school or carrying a laptop. The most it could do is maybe a weekend, but it is lightweight. For some extreme OneBaggers they can do a week with it, but that is a self-imposed challenge. Usually for the fun of it.

Next up is the Personal Item travel backpack, sometimes people use duffles, but I don't find them as useful in this case. This is something that can fit underneath the seat. Now please note that sometimes your personal item bag MIGHT be "too big" to fit in the sizers for the airline. Often by like an inch only, but they will count it as your "carry on". If you're only having one bag, then it really doesn't matter, and what is funny is that it will usually still fit under the seat (despite not fitting in sizers).

Finally, you have the carryon sized travel backpack. Often 5-10L maybe even 15L bigger than your personal item sized one.

If I was going on a week long trip, which this upcoming one is 5ish days, then I'll usually go with my TomToc Navigator, which is my large bag. However I'm really considering trying to go for one of my smaller bags this time around. It just doesn't seem viable with the amount of stuff I need to bring.

Thus you have to decide do I need "X" amount of clothing, will I use "X" recording equipment, or "X" gaming device, etc. I have a lenovo legion go gaming handheld, which is a portable PC, and I wanted to use it for recording. Although I installed Bazzite gaming OS on it, and so without Windows it can make it harder to use for recording unfortunately.

How do you do it as a creator?

Having a handy tech pouch, I just ordered the TomToc pouch actually, and that will help you organize all of your components and drives. Sometimes you can get a pouch that also works as a portable sling as well.

Try to consolidate into making everything USB-C so that you only need one powerful GaN charger.

Downsize from a full frame camera (unless you specifically need one) to a more portable device like from Insta360 or DJI.

Smaller laptop, or use a mini pc with Viture glasses (or similar), etc.

These are the mindsets you can have, so that you save space while creating content. By thinking of smaller, more efficient devices, then it will help you create more quickly. As well as, perhaps fit more within your bags, so that you have more options when it comes to how you create.

What's the point for Creators?

While this post was a bit longwinded, as it is sort of the start of many posts like it. In the end I hope you get the idea stuck in your brain about downsizing. I'm not encouraging you to sell everything, but rather think of the physical space your equipment takes up. If you were to trade/barter on marketplace, then could you get an equally good cam/mic, that then would let you carry more/less on your back?

Think about what bag/backpack you are using when you go on trips, could it be more efficient? Could you get away with not using a suitcase, or better yet could you get away with having ONLY a personal item?

I'm telling you it is a fun challenge to do, and it frees you up when traveling as you don't have to drop off your stuff. You can just go straight to the event, without having to detour.

Let all of these ideas float around in your mind, and keep an eye out on this Travel tag on this site! I have a lot more coming for you!