Onebag is extremely useful for me because--on the road--I don't aspire to chic. I aim for the unobtrusive (not chic, but not NOT chic, if you know what I mean). Mr FS is a real grump and insists on eschewing the wheely bag (which isn't all that practical if you mostly walk and take public transportation as we do. Those suckers are heavy and unwieldy going up and down metro steps). Mr Onebag also hates wheely bags.
We have two convertible carry-ons. Sadly, I am a weakling, so Mr FS has to carry both, one in front and one in back. You'll know us if you see us: an overburdened man accompanied by a guilty-looking woman with a tote bag.
Mr Onebag has packing tips for men and women. He also has lots of other tips, with specific product recommendations. Check it out. You will find something useful, I promise.
We have this bag (not in lavender; LE doesn't carry this anymore). plus another one from Eddie Bauer that is more than 30 years old!
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4 comments:
Bless you for your kind mention - I work really hard to write so that I can help people!
big hug,
Janice
I'm with Mr. FS - no wheelie bags for me. So long as I'm not bearing gifts or attending a formal occasion (which would require checked in luggage), I have no trouble using a backpack to meet my traveling needs. Well, a backpack plus a cross-body handbag. If I can't carry it then it doesn't come along. I sort of lament the burden of electonica (camera, laptop, ipod, phone), but it all comes along somehow. I figure carrying a backpack is a good exercise in narrowing down a life of excess to essentials, but then again, I'm nothing if not practical. I often wonder what it is that everyone is bringing along on their trips - it always seems like so much. :)
We use wheelies if we're going to the States or Australia and we travel mostly by car. As you say, in Europe with cobbled streets and stairs they are next to useless. I still use my old backpack - Eagle Creek I think it is - via Rick Steves back in the early 90s. I'd hate for Bill to have to carry my stuff - though I do often need assistance here and there. I'm more likely to injure myself (and have). The whole time I'm packing I'm telling myself - if you can't carry it you can't take it. Airline security helps me restrict my 'beauty' products and limiting my wardrobe to two colours and a couple of scarves helps. Then my main dilemma is shoes - wearing the same ones every day makes my feet sore and good walking shoes are clunky. I also tend to sit down and list what I didn't use on a trip and try to keep that in mind next time I pack. Of course when we travel by motor home, there has to be a whole different method for packing.
I have a no-wheels carry-on recommended on similar site: www.1bag1world.com. Also useful info on this one as well as One Bag. I have been taking only 1 small carry-on since the mid-1980s, and it's a great relief to arrive with my luggage. I limit my packing to 12 lbs plus the 1 lb. carry-on (13 lb. total)so I can schlepp it anywhere. It has hidden convertible backpack straps for longer treks, like from a train station to a B&B or across OHare airport. It is possible, with planning, to take a small bag with an attractive array of mix and match clothing if one is prepared to do laundry en route. I like Janice Riggs' ideas but I take fewer clothes.
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