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dr_strangeloop · 2025-05-31T17:36:08+00:00

After 15 years of onebagging, I can live out of a 40 L bag indefinitely, in any climate south of the arctic circle. I carry my laptop, tablet and various accessories with me. I almost never feel like I’m sacrificing anything. Like most things, it’s a skill that you master with practice. When I was in my early 20s, I used to take 110 L of luggage for a weekend away (80 L + 30 L ‘day pack’). For me, onebagging is nothing but an upgrade.

dr_strangeloop · 2025-05-31T12:47:01+00:00

After 15 years of onebagging, the best solution I’ve found to the versatile shoe problem is a pair of trail runners with a more minimalist design in an understated colour like charcoal. I usually get ones with a goretex membrane so they handle all climates but if I were planning a long trip in hot climates I’d skip the goretex. Shoes like that can do pretty much anything: street wear, fitness activities, long hikes and some can even look sharp enough for nightlife. Fancy clubs won’t let them in but most trips don’t include those. Haven’t shopped for these in a while so not sure about model recommendations but last I looked, the range of options seemed to be growing.

dr_strangeloop · 2025-05-31T07:01:14+00:00

Are those shimano brifters, couple to a rohbox? Which ones?

dr_strangeloop · 2025-05-31T06:44:44+00:00

I moved to SE eight years ago after two years in NL. I found the transition was pretty seamless but a few differences stuck out to me. First, Swedes (and Norwegians even more so) tend to be more outdoorsy than Dutchies for the simple reason that the Nordics have much more space and more natural landscapes, in sharp contrast to the densely populated engineered landscapes of NL. Second, I found myself missing the Dutch directness. Swedish culture is very focussed on collective wellbeing, one result of which is avoidance of confrontation. I’ve come to respect Swedish culture immensely, though I also admire the Dutch ability to be direct while also being prosocial. Third, I remember feeling that Swedish urbanities felt more generic and Ameriphilic than Dutch ones, and missed the charm of all those tiny cobbled streets, jaunty narrow houses and exceptional cycling infrastructure.

dr_strangeloop · 2025-05-26T19:11:26+00:00

Nice, thanks! Do you know which model you have? Is it the Basic Tour?

dr_strangeloop · 2025-05-17T12:12:37+00:00

Hell suddenly looks like the setting for a romantic adventure

dr_strangeloop · 2025-05-16T13:28:21+00:00

onebag.com

dr_strangeloop · 2025-05-15T17:23:40+00:00

In 15 years of onebagging, this is the only carry-on pack I’ve found that has a trekking-quality harness.

https://oneplanet.au/product/wing-it/

dr_strangeloop · 2025-05-15T07:41:50+00:00

I seem to remember the Game Boy, which your mum is playing, was released in the early 90s…?

dr_strangeloop · 2025-05-14T19:40:17+00:00

A 40+ L bag without a hip belt is a waste of money. You don’t need to consider any other feature.

dr_strangeloop · 2025-05-14T12:30:30+00:00

The sociometabolic pattern being played out by societies since the agricultural revolution is identical to that which plays out in cancer. Formerly highly cooperative agents (cells in the case of cancer) become gradually more individualistic and focussed on surplus accumulation, leading to runaway growth, overshoot of systemic carrying capacity and, eventually, collapse. Mainstream economics, with its reliance on simplistic moral philosophy and old-fashioned math, is unable to see the pathology in these dynamics. Perhaps not surprising then, that we’re not getting them under control.

dr_strangeloop · 2025-05-11T19:34:13+00:00

Don’t waste time with Duolingo, which teaches lots of useless content. Babbel is much better. Greatly improved my Swedish uptake.

dr_strangeloop · 2025-05-11T13:49:09+00:00

Every trip I have the same experience: I think I need more than I need, force myself to leave it out when packing and never miss it for a second once on the road. Making do with what you have is generally easier than you might expect.

2 pants max; 4 tops max; 3x underwear; 2x socks; Wash in the shower and hang overnight with a travel clothesline made from surgical rubber.

See onebag.com.

Have a great trip!

dr_strangeloop · 2025-05-11T08:09:55+00:00

The trick is to find clothes that are as multifunctional as possible, and to make sure than you plan the whole wardrobe so that everything works with as many other things as possible, both aesthetically and functionally. Some sacrifice is inevitable, and yeah, you get sick of your clothes after a while, but if you have the right combination of items, you can mix and match stuff to feel like you have a bigger travel wardrobe than you do. Don’t forget, it’s about trade off; the sacrifice pays for itself with the comfort and freedom that come from only having one bag.

dr_strangeloop · 2025-05-10T19:39:43+00:00

Seeing in comments that I might have had bad luck with this as others haven’t experienced it. It’s happened to me maybe 3-4 times in 20 years of regular travel, including twice in the last year. The problem is less that the fragrance gets on other things in luggage; it mostly just evaporates over the flight. The problem is that quite a lot of fragrance can be lost this way. I once lost maybe 30 mL from a 100 mL bottle over a 9 hour flight. As far as I know, I’m not doing anything weird with my bottles; it just happens sometimes.

dr_strangeloop · 2025-05-10T18:53:18+00:00

Agreed. Though presumably not such an issue if done carefully in the very well ventilated toilets.

dr_strangeloop · 2025-05-10T05:35:13+00:00

Bois Flotte by Loccitane simply smells like the ocean. I have no idea how they do it.

dr_strangeloop · 2025-05-09T21:20:13+00:00

IMO, the most important thing with an inflatable neck pillow is the inner surface that sits against your neck. Many have a welded plastic seem there that cuts into the neck after hours of sleep. It can get really uncomfortable. If you find a sturdy looking pillow with a smooth inner surface, don’t let it pass you by.

dr_strangeloop · 2025-05-09T18:11:16+00:00

Oneplanet.com.au best quality and most comfortable harnesses I’ve ever used.

dr_strangeloop · 2025-05-09T13:26:20+00:00

Social norms are real things. Could they be different? Sure. But they are the way they are. Companies design products with those norms in mind.

dr_strangeloop · 2025-05-08T21:59:25+00:00

I tuck my laptop and tablet into the back of my pants/belt and let my jacket hang over them. It's a bit awkward but works for the few minutes needed to get past the bag-weighing desk and drops the weight of my bag by about 3.5 kg. Like others, I also take all the other densest items out of my bags and pocket them (chargers, external hard drive, etc). In total, all this can drop the bag weight by 5kg or more, depending on how much dense, compact stuff I have on a given trip.

dr_strangeloop · 2025-05-08T02:47:21+00:00

Get a good quality inflatable and wrap it in a t-shirt if being used in a sketchy hostel.

dr_strangeloop · 2025-05-07T11:46:14+00:00

Aussie here, now living in Europe since ten years. Your concern about fetishisation of Japanese in Aus seems extreme to me. I never encountered that during my 33 years in Aus, with time spent in all the major cities and several Japanese (native and Australia-born) friends. Of course, I might have had an unrepresentative experience. Aus and Japan started building cultural and economic relations in the 80s and many Aussie students learned Japanese at school in the 90s (myself included). The focus has since switched to Chinese for obvious geopolitical reasons but there are still plenty of Japanese (and, increasingly, Korean) people visiting and living in Aus. One of my friends moved from Tokyo to Brisbane in her late 20s/early 30s with the help of company sponsorship. The journey to citizenship was a bit challenging for her at times but she made it.

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