Stubble & Co everyday 20L in concrete. First trip with it today.

Could be bigger but it’s kind of a size where any more and I’d be overpacking. It’s a nice commuter bag size.

Inner pockets can be a little restrictive. Comfortable fit.

Inspired by the Svensk M90 Camo Assault

I used lambskin for the exterior and canvas for the interior

All machine stitched ( Typical)

Hey folks, long-time lurker, first-time poster. Wanted to share my collection that’s grown over the years — everything from workhorses to travel companions, and a few sentimental favourites.

Highlights:

• Briggs & Riley Slim Backpack – My daily work bag for 7+ years. Sleek, compact, built like a tank. Great for commutes and work travel — hoping to get a lifetime of use out of it.
• Timbuk2 Custom Prospect – Technically my wife’s old work bag, but it’s joined us on travels through 10+ countries. Probably my favourite — simple, reliable, and full of memories.
• PGYTECH OneGo Lite – Clean design, side-access camera bag. Small and light but haven’t used it as much as I expected. Very impressed with it nonetheless.
• Wandrd PRVKE 31L – Newest addition. Bought it on a whim, planning to test it out as my main travel bag on an upcoming trip to Newfoundland. Feels solid so far.
• Deuter Kid Comfort – Hiking with my little guy ( yr old) has been awesome in this. He’s happy, I’m comfortable — can’t …

Hey! I shared a review on my blog at https://wanderingdots.me/blog/the-traveler-34l-by-heldclosely-a-minimalists-dream-for-one-bag-travel but also would like to leave it here for better exposure :)

• FOREWORD

The world of messenger bags often feels like a compromise: either you get rugged utility that looks like it’s fresh off a bike courier’s back, or something sleek and stylish that crumbles at the first hint of a downpour. Enter the Held Closely The Traveler Ultra200X. This isn’t just a messenger bag; it’s a statement. A declaration that you can be both prepared for anything and impeccably understated. Designed for the nomadic spirit who values every ounce and every inch of space, this bag aims to be the silent, yet incredibly capable, companion on any journey, from a quick city hop to an international odyssey.

• WHO IT SUITS

“The Traveler” is an absolute dream for the ultralight minimalist traveler who wants a singular bag that can adapt. Its …

This week I pulled out the Tribeca again—a bag I hadn’t used in a while but still like a lot. For some time now, I’ve fallen into the rabbit hole of collecting bags (probably one of the few doing so in Lima, where I’ve never seen someone else carrying a Manhattan Portage, sigh). So almost as a tribute to my gear, I’ve decided to write short reflections on the bags that have walked with me through this year.

The Tribeca was the first “good” briefcase I ever bought new. I gave it to myself for my birthday last year. A kind of transition moment. I was planning my first post-pandemic trip back to New York. It wasn’t just nostalgia—I had lived there during my PhD—but this time I was returning for an academic conference and to reconnect with old friends. I think I didn’t want just a bag to carry stuff—who _really_ wants a bag just to carry stuff? I was looking for something that marked a shift. And a Cordura briefcase sounded just right.

I ordered it directly from the Manhattan Portage …

Not counting the many, many pouches I have as well.

I dipped my toes into minimalism years ago. It started with my home. I decluttered everything, and from there, it kind of just spilled over into the rest of my life. Finances, digital clutter, subscriptions…. all gradually stripped down. But one area that took a while to fully tackle was travel. Which is my other love. I’ve been to over 70 countries (still adding a few more this year!).

For the longest time, I was that traveler. Huge luggage, carefully planned daily outfits, backups for everything, a lot of “just in case” stuff. Most airlines have a 23kg luggage allowance, and I’d usually push it to about 20kg. It’s a lot of stuff. Honestly, looking back… it’s kind of ridiculous.

I’ve been a long-time lurker of this sub taking mental notes. Backpack options, capsule wardrobes, laundry tips, the whole slew of helpful tips. And then finally - last December… I did it!

My first onebag trip was in December. I went to Mexico, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic for a 6-week trip. I …

Interesting PR exercise here from Ryanair (RA) given their sizers are of this measurement anyway!!
Evidently this in light of the recent EU pre-ruling meaning LCCs in EU are heading towards free cabin bag in addition to a personal item. This will wipe out RA’s profits which are driven by supplementary costs on top of the seat cost.
To counter this RA will push for a 115cm (vs EU proposed 100cm) full dimensions for the free additional cabin bag. They won’t be able to store all of these in the cabin of their 737s (even with the newer space bins vs pivot bins) so will get around by charging for a ‘guranteed cabin bag’ whilst not actually charging for a cabin bag per se. If the EU go for 100cm full dimensions then RA are in real trouble from a pofit model as all cabin bags could be stored in the bins in the cabin.
Ultimately, for us onebaggers, this is just an interesting aside but good to watch nonetheless!

Beginning in September I’ve decided to live indefinitely out of a 32L backpack while traveling the globe. I’m a decently experienced traveler, have lived abroad, and got to do the digital nomad thing for a time - all this to say that I’m fairly confident going into this trip. 

My last lengthy one bag stint featured the Matador SEG30 (discontinued, but I still have mine and love it dearly) was in 2022; I visited 11 countries in around 6 months, working all the while. I actually cataloged some of my adventures on this account, including my original packing list! Fun memories to dig up and very interesting to compare my packing list now.

This time around I’ll be doing some more adventurous travel and leaving behind my DN-friendly work setup. I’ve upgraded a lot of my gear, but there are still some proven winners from my last long trip; I tagged them in the packing list.

THE PLAN: Complete 7-ish phases of travel across 27+ countries and end up in Australia/NZ around September/October …

The peak design 30l every day backpack can fit one cat not two

With the heritage GoRuck GR2

2 weeks: Berlin -> Swiss Alps -> Lake Como

One bag is game changer for travel. Would do again.

The GR2 is my first bag like this and even with packed full very easy to access everything in the bag. I was very impressed.

What I packed for a 14 day trip to the Dolomites, Italy and Switzerland in July 2025. Consisted of a 4 day hut-to-hut (staying in refugios), 4 days of day hikes, 3 travel days, and 3 city days 

I packed everything inside a Deuter SL 25L backpack and a packable airport fanny pack

Airport fanny pack:

I carry this white pouch as a fanny pack on airport days for easy access to important items like my passport (it is super thin and folds down into a coin sized pouch on non-airport days and the contents get put directly inside backpack)

• Passport
• Zipper pouch for cash/cards (I put my passport in here when not going to airport)
• Large 20,000mAh power bank
• Airpod pros
• Face mask

Outside Pockets / Clipped to Backpack:

• Arcteryx rain shell
• Knee sleeve (just in case, I got ACL surgery on left knee 6 months ago)
• Small water bottle
• Oakley transition sunglasses
• Bag of snacks
• Hair claw clip
• Extra face mask
• Emergency blanket
• Flip flops (for showers/camp shoes)
• Small microfiber towel
• Koola cloth/ …

Just got the CAS2 XPAC in the mail. Thought it was coming on Monday, so yay for super fast free shipping! Super excited to use it. I have a CAS2 V1 that I’ve used religiously for the past year, I love using it as an edc, but the strap situation has always been quite annoying. Decided to yolo buy xpac version when I saw the drop.

First Impressions - xpac is stiffer so theres less “give” when i put my stuff in the sling - also kind of noisy - strap situation is so much better 🤣 - wish the key leash was not black (kind of hard to quickly identify the leash. the red from my v1 was better.

Lmk if there are any questions.

https://evergoods.us/blogs/evergoods-road-to-launch/coming-soon-the-2025-x-pac-capsule?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=06.29.25%20X-Pac%20Teaser&utm_id=01JY2K54MDDSVCTQV9KPS53HFY&nb_klid=01HQDR6STFCF96PHKQ4M3VYKB8&_kx=CxMqlwiT8BoltSeoVUIyj4bSK82EYtHUbHvo2X9uCNk.SEFCtv

Dropping tomorrow

Cause the used eg market is BOOMING

Might be me, but the selection of used items on ebay, poshmark, facebook groups, the bst’s, yeesh, like freakin christmas.

Please forgive the noob question. Are the X-Pac’s that went live today more sturdy? I just don’t know much about the material difference. Considering a CTB26 for one bag travel.

I just sold my CTB20, replaced it with a Toshi but now I’m getting sucked back in with this new release!

I had the Ecopak Cap2 and and the face fabric frayed easily compared to standard nylons. How does the new X42 in the summer capsule hold up? Not a fan of X-Pac for that reason but open to hearing others’ experiences!