With France being our first large trip (5 weeks) and our first time “one bagging” we did a lot of research for clothes and gear. I did the usual by searching online and reading other people’s blogs. However, above all else these two Reddit pages had the best information.
One Bag: The Art of Minimalist Travel
People were asking the same questions I had, if not very similar ones. The pages are very active and people are willing to share. I was checking these pages constantly and gathering more information. Then once I got enough of what I was searching anything more specific I asked the community.
As far as clothing went there were a few requirements we were looking for.
- breathable
- upf (Ultraviolet Protection Factor)
- quick drying
- odor resistant
A few brands that we liked are: Athleta, Eddie Bauer, Smartwool, Darn Tough, and ExOfficio. For shoes we went with TropicFeel and Keen hiking boots.
Next the big ticket item were our backpacks. I opted for the Osprey Fairview 55L. The main reason was for the detachable 15L bag. Roe went with the Nomatic Travel Bag 40L. He really liked the sleek design and shoe compartment.
To help pack as much as possible into our bags we opted for Nomatic Compression Cubes. Roe saw a great review on them where he saw them stuffed to maximum capacity and the zippers are heavy duty. Posted below are my clothes laid out and then in the compression cubes.
And below is exactly what we packed! There isn’t much I would change but if anything I wouldn’t have packed the 1 long sleeve shirt. I don’t think I even used it. AND. I would pack a reusable bag!! We found that when we went grocery shopping we didn’t have anything to carry the groceries in! We used our day book bags, the tiny packable laundry bag, or kept reusing a plastic bag we got from the supermarket.
| Clothes: | Technology: | Toiletries: |
| Tops: 5 T-Shirt 2 Sleeveless 1 Long Sleeve 1 Dress | Laptop/charger Phone/charger Fitbit/charger Camera/charger Plug Adapter | Towel Laundry Bag Toothbrush/charger Q-tips Deodorant Soap Shampoo Conditioner Brush Razor Advil |
| Outer Layer: 1 Sweatshirt 1 Rain Jacket | Travel Neck Pillow LED Emergency Light Key Lock Hydroflask Journal/Pen | |
| Bottoms: 5 Shorts 1 Pants (pants/shorts zipper) | Passport License Credit Cards Medical Cards | |
| Other: 5 Underwear/Bra 5 Socks 1 Swimsuit 1 Pj’s (shirt/shorts) 1 Hat 1 Sunglasses 1 Sneakers (lightweight) 1 Hiking Sneaker 1 Flip Flops |
Eye spy with my little eye, a bottle of mayo!
Capsule Customs Travel 