Inspiration

Clunk, clomp, clack. Those were the sounds of my suitcase as I dragged it down the 20 steps that led from my hostel to the road. It was almost 11pm at night and I was rushing to catch my overnight Greyhound bus traveling along the east coast of Australia from Airlie Beach (near the Whitsunday Islands) to Seventeen Seventy (yes, that’s a real town’s name). It was at that moment that I wanted to ditch all of my clothes, shoes, books, laptop, and whatever else was packed away inside my check-in and leave with just the backpack on my back. I ended up making it to the bus stop, but not without being out of breath and with sore arms. That suitcase made it from hostel to hostel and bus to bus all the way down to Melbourne. That was back in 2015 and when I got back to Toronto, I decided that was the last time and I haven’t carried a check-in since. 

So what exactly is ‘one-baggining” anyway? Well, simply put, it’s about using only one bag for your journeys, whether that’s a commute to work or a six-month trip around the world. I spent a lot of time researching my perfect “one-bag”, so I read a lot of advice and reviews on the r/onebag subreddit. I knew I wanted a bag that could fit into the overhead storage of a plane, included a designated laptop compartment, opened up like a clam, and had comfortable hip-straps (these really do save your shoulders and back as it shifts the weight of the bag to your hips!). The Osprey Farpoint 40 was highly recommended across forums and review sites, so that’s what I went with! 

Being a self-declared minimalist, the one-bag lifestyle fit seamlessly into my travel style. I've been trying to curate a packing list of high-quality clothing and accessories that are both long-lasting and lightweight, but it's a work-in-progress. One of the newest things that I bought for my trip later this month to Ireland and the UK is a Scrubba Mini! It's a tiny washbag that I'm going to use for my underwear (I'm only bringing 3 pairs for 16 days!), socks, and shirts. You simply add your clothes, a drop of detergent, water and then rub the contents together inside. The inner walls of the bag are textured to help get the dirt and grime out of your clothes. After three minutes of rubbing the bag, you're ready to rinse and dry!