10 Hacks for Flying Carry-On Only

Wrong thumbnail? Or what was the travel hack you're trying to stop?

For washing clothes, take a few laundry detergent sheets in a zip lock bag. They take up virtually no space and dissolve easily in water. I like Earth Breeze.

On Wednesday I was waiting at a JetBlue gate to board when two flights were simultaneously canceled, including mine. All passengers were instructed to leave the gated area and go to the main ticket counter. I had no checked luggage and could rush to the counter. Still had to wait nearly an hour to see someone and was put on a flight that required me to spend the night in an airport just to make the early morning connection. BUT MY POINT HERE IS that those forced to go get their checked luggage first had to wait in a multi-hour line and who knows what kind of alternative flights they were given. So often, it really pays not to have to check luggage.

Whats wrong with a hat on a backpack?

My favourite souvenirs is stickers & a new tote bag. One’s small & decorative and the other is so useful

Everyone should try carry-on travel once but my advice is to default to carry-on only but don't force it if it doesn't make sense. If you want to be mobile, use many types of transit, in a warm climate, or traveling for a short period of time, then carry-on is the move. I've done carry-on only for most countries but I've always checked a bag when I'm traveling to cold places, bringing multiple cameras and laptops, or staying in a country for 6+ months.

I once brought exactly one Tshirt on a two week trip. It meant that I got two shirt souvenirs and learned how important it was to take the time to look at all of my items instead of packing bit by bit.

My favorite souvenir are underpants. I usually bring worn out ones with me, toss them during my vacation and buy new ones. By now almost all ofmy underwear is from somewhere around the globe and every morning I get a little travel-nostalgic when putting them on... I also buy my deodorant and body wash at my destination. Then it is also a little souvenir that i take home and i don't have to pack it on my way to my destination.

11. Make a list of what you're going to bring at least a week beforehand Update the list if needed once the trip is over for future trips

For the last 3 years I was able to slim down what I pack and work as a digital nomad with just a personal item bag.

Solid toiletries , no liquids. Almost all hotels have soap, shampoo, razors, combs, toothbrushes if you ask or forget. Often I get a wardrobe at thrift stores so losing or discarding something to bring back souvenirs or just treasures is necessary. Socks, underwear and even some rollup clothing do fit in a zip closed neck pillow and don't count as an item. If all fails there are stores wherever you are going (counts as a souvenir). Bying something in a pharmacy in a foreign country can be a real adventure and add to your trip experience.

Just yes. All these things. Having done backpacking, one bag international, automobile travel, public transit, AND disaster relief [more gear] ,yada yada... just yes, all these things! BEST one stop video on this I've seen. Love a good briefing instead of a bunch of random talk. This was it! Keep briefing and informing! Info not fluff! YES! Loved it!

Agree with all the advice. I am a motorcyclist. On one of my motorcycles, it has saddle bags with the volume equivalent to a carry on backpack. I can pack for a weekend get away for myself. Packing cubes are my friend.

Yall should check out the flextail tiny pump 2x. I found it through backpacking, but they include an adapter to those vacuum bags. Charges with USB C, has a little light on it, and it'll inflate backpacking sleeping pads if tou need thst kind of thing

Tech tip: If your phone supports it, bring a USB-C dongle with HDMI and USB, HDMI cable, portable mouse(Optional, touchscreen works as a touchpad) and foldable keyboard. You can turn that phone into a portable entertainment system. If you game, get a controller that clips on your phone. Some hotels support airplay or mirroring too. If you have the dongle, you can bring a flash drive to save extra games, movies, or use a backup to your phone.

I bring my old t-shirts (those with holes or slightly torn), underwear and socks (usually those with holes) with me. Once I'm done with them, I throw them away 😆 and my bag is always lighter on my way home.

I have two international trips lined up soon and I'm liking the idea to do them on a single bag (+ personal item). For clothing, I try to cover a whole week's worth of clean garments before needing to hit the laundry. Challenge is I often travel to book and artist fairs and i can not NOT bring stuff along — but your suggestion to arrange post-event shipping sounds like worth a try, even if it's an extra cost — but all be for traveling light.

An excellent, comprehensive yet concise summary. I've been one-bagging across 6 continents over 20 years, primarily with the original design Osprey Porter 46, before making the transition to a 30L pack (a North Face Base Camp Fuse Box)...there's not much to add to this video; well done! But now I'm prepping for full-time/year-round slow travel, so I'm evaluating a few options that require being a stickler about weight, volume, and essential gear...particularly since some of the clothes & shoe options many onebaggers champion aren't practical for someone who's 6'9" (205cm) tall. Going through the various gear has reminded me that there's no perfect solution, even with the latest and greatest bag (including this month's latest version of the Daylite 26+6, which I so wanted to work out)...the most important things to pack are flexibility and a willingness to compromise. I'm currently leaning toward using a combination of two bags already in my collection: (1) for when baggage policies allow, a 1 lb 13oz (0.8kg) packable 60L duffle/pack that's just over max carryon dimensions, but easily under-packable (the original Osprey Transporter 60...circa 2013, before the wheeled version was a thing) (2) for when the airline only allows a personal item, and I've got to check the rest (or leave it at an Airbnb while on a short regional excursion), a 1 lb 7oz (0.65kg) 28L backpack (an older version of the Patagonia Refugio 28L) The Refugio's top-stuffing design isn't ideal, but it's real-world capacity is almost identical to the easier-to-pack 26+6 in expanded mode, all while being lighter and more comfortable (for a tall guy's torso, that extra 2 inches of pack height makes a big difference in strap length and bag fit). And what I can't help but focus on is that they're only 3 lbs 4 oz (1.45kg) combined, providing a lot of use-case flexibility while allowing me to keep total weight around 18-20 lbs (8-9 kg). I still might try to scale everything down to fit within a single 30-35 liter bag, but those are already pushing the limits of what can plausibly sneak through an under-seat only bag policy.

I wish I knew why hanging a hat off my backpack was wrong, as indicated on your video highlight.

Yes! I love to buy a canvas tote from the places I visit as my souvenir. Now, when I go to the grocery, I get to think about all my travels.