“What’s in my bag?” (Part 1. The Bag!)

Through my travels, I’ve found myself with a growing inventory of travel gear that always make it into my bag(s). Either by friends, travelling companions or even TravellingMinions.com I’ve been asked about various items I travel with. So, I thought it would be great to share some of the items that have become indispensable to me whilst travelling.

I will preface that the style of my travel is not necessarily the same as yours. So depending on where and when you’re going and what you’re doing, its best to evaluate what will work for you!

The Bag(s) Itself!

For those that know me best, they know I’m a bit of a sucker when it comes to a well built travel bag. So I am on (what seems like) a never ending journey to find the “perfect” bag. In doing so, I’ve amassed a fun collection of bags that I’ve used for various trips over the years. There are four in the collection that tend to stand out:

The “Luggage”

eBags TLS Mother Lode Mini 21″ Wheeled Carry-On Duffel

In a way, this is the first “real” piece of luggage that I’ve owned myself. I had taken a bit of time to research a carry-on and this bag was mentioned a lot in different circles. While I’d love to be able to sport something from the Tumi’s and Rimowa’s of the world. I’ve found this eBags TLS Mother Lode Mini 21″ Wheeled Carry-On Duffel to be a cost effective and very functional alternative.

What I like about it?

There’s a lot to like about this bag, but the things that sold me on it and that I’ve used over the years are:

• The large “roller blade like” wheels (which has handled some very difficult terrain like a boss)The convertible dual compartments! At the beginning of the trip I have everything nicely organized in its own compartments. But by the end, I’ve converted it into a single large compartment and simply dump everything into it.
• The ability to expand the bag and also cinch it down with compression straps. (Which I’ve used for those unexpected shopping urges)
• Lots of exterior pockets and exterior access to the upper compartment. This makes it easy to get through airport security when you need to produce items such as toiletries, documents and electronics.

What could be better?

The bag isn’t perfect though, and these are some improvements I’d make:

• I’d start making it lighter. When empty, its a bit on the heavy side (~11 lbs). And in an age where airlines are increasingly stricter on weight, having a heavy bag doesn’t start you off on the right foot.
• My only other complaint is the telescoping handle. It has different lengths that it can lock at, however I’ve found that it’s not easy to get to the height you want. Often times I’ve had to extend it fully before dialing it back to the desired height. This isn’t always ideal especially when you’re in a bit of a rush or a tight space (ie. Trying to deplane).

As I’ve had this bag for several years, sometime in the near future I’ll probably poke around to see if there may be a worthy replacement for it. But until then, this continues to be my go-to bag when wheeled luggage is called for.

Osprey Farpoint 40

When wheeled luggage isn’t needed, I’ve turned to the Osprey Farpoint 40 backpack. Over the years I’ve had trips where mobility has been the primary concern. Trips such as my 2016 Africa trip and 2017 trip to Australia saw us bouncing all over the country/continent, using all forms of transportation and never settling in the same space for very long. Its trips like this that having a backpack as your main luggage helps a great deal.

What I like about it?

• It opens from the front and not the top. So unlike other backpacks, you don’t need to dig through everything to get something at the bottom of the bag. Instead you open it like luggage and everything is available to you
• You can stow all the shoulder straps and suspension away. This way if you need to check the bag or throw it in an overhead, straps don’t get caught anywhere. It makes for a very sleek bag profile.
• I loved the quick access front pocket!
• With 40 Liters of capacity, its able to be carried on, and fits in most airline sizers. While at the same time holding A LOT of stuff.

What could be better?

• I found the front tech pouches not very useful. This is where they have a sleeve for a laptop/tablet. But it doesn’t feel very safe and in all my trips I haven’t put my devices here.
• Past that, the front pouch could also do with a bit more organization options. The pocket is large and cavernous, so if you have small items, they could get lost in there.

Between this and the eBags luggage, I’m usually set when it comes to most of my packing. But what about my gadgets and toys?

The “Tech and Day” Bag

When it comes to a bag that carries my gadgets, the struggle to find the perfect bag gets even harder. I tend to travel with with a fair bit of gear. There’s photography gear, my laptop and its accessories and a variety of electronics like batteries, hard drives and power adaptors. On top of this, I tend to also use the same bag as a “day bag” for when I’m out and about. So I’ll also look to carry important documents, and miscellaneous items for the day like sunscreen, deodorant and drinking water. So a bag that doubles as a tech and gadget bag whilst travelling and a day pack when I’m exploring highlights my search. Currently these are the two bags that are at the top of my list:

Wandrd Prvke 21

The Wandrd Prvke 21 is actually a successful kickstarter campaign that I had been following for some time.  I imagine that other digital nomads  shared the same sentiments as me and the Prvke was born. This bag is part camera bag, part travel pack and part day pack. From everything I read and saw it was aligning nicely to what I was looking for. There are actually two version of this bag, the 21L and 31L versions. Because I was looking for more of a day pack variant, I went with the smaller 21L version.

What I like about it?

After travelling through Japan with this bag, these are the things I REALLY liked about it:

• The side access camera compartment is AWESOME. It makes it super easy to grab your camera, snap a photo and put it away quickly. It also makes access to other lenses and accessories a breeze.
• There are SO MANY different pockets on this thing. The passport/document holder on the back is a clever security feature. The top quick access and side key pockets are great for different knick knacks.
• Its EXPANDABLE! When fully cinched down the pack holds around 21L. However due to the roll top design of the bag, you can expand it for about 5 extra liters of space!.
• The camera section is removable! When you don’t need to take photos, you can use it as a “pure backpack.
• The bag looks good too! I like the unique design of the bag and I got a few comments on it while out and about.

What could be better?

This bag was nearly perfect. In fact I really wanted it to be. There were just a few small things that, if changed would really make it perfect (for me).

• Firstly, there was a lack of organization options in the bag. There wasn’t a place for small items like a pen or other things. And if you used the quick access pockets  for them, it didn’t leave  much room for what those pockets were meant for: phones, chargers, sunglasses.
• The expandable roll top is great, but when its fully packed or you don’t roll it up properly, the velcro corners tend to protrude outward. This means that in crowded areas, you might inadvertently “stab” someone with the corner of the roll top. Once or twice my travelling companion had to remind me to be a bit careful when moving around on a crowded subway.
• Finally, the bag is quite wide. I’m not a slim guy and I found that at times it felt somewhat bulky. In addition, because it’s expandable, when fully packed, it starts to get heavy. And some days when you’re out and about all day, you really start to feel it.

Regardless, I really enjoyed this bag and  It’s a great addition to my collection. I look forward to travelling with it in the future!

PacSafe V17 AntiTheft Camera Backpack

With the near perfect experience I had with the Wandrd Prvke, I set out to look for something that had the same general design, but was just a little bit smaller with a little bit more organization.

Enter the PacSafe V17 AntiTheft Camera Backpack. It shares a similar design to the Prvke where the bottom half of the bag has a camera housing with quick side access. The upper compartment provides a space for additional storage. There is a flatter front pocket which organization elements. So in a way its a smaller version of the Prvke with an organization pocket! I was able to take this bag along with me on a recent trip to Korea and I really enjoyed using it!

What I like about it?

• All the camera options in the Prvke were available to me in the PacSafe bag.
• The smaller size and capacity of the bag made it much easier to get around and not feel too weighed down when it was fully packed.
• I haven’t used it yet, but when not carrying a laptop, the compartment can double as a hydration bladder holder with a port for the tube to come out.
• While I wasn’t looking for it, the additional safety and security features that come with the PacSafe bags were a nice “extra”. Things like slash proof material, RFID blocking pockets and zipper clips were all nice bonuses.
• There’s a place for small item organization!

What could be better?

I was hard pressed to find issues with this bag. But if forced to, there were a few minor tweaks that I noticed would be nice after using it for a while.

• The quick side access door on the PRVKE let me throw one or two spare camera batteries in it. However, the pacsafe door is just a smidge too small and I can only get one in.
• I’m a little concerned that it’s JUST slightly small for transit. For the daily exploration its GREAT. But (and the Jury’s still out on this) I’m wondering how this bag is going to fare when I’m fully packed up and transiting to my next destination. I’d expect to throw all my gear in here along with travel documents, daily toiletries and perhaps some last minute airport shopping/snacks. I’ve yet to use this bag solely for this purpose, so we’ll see after my next trip!

Overall, between the PRVKE and the PacSafe, I think I’m nearly there in terms of a tech and day pack! As I continually look for ways to reduce the “clutter” I bring, my needs will likely change. And I feel that these bags are well positioned to adapt to these changes.

Hopefully, you find these suggestions helpful! There’s a lot of bags that I own and used that I didn’t list. Only because the four listed are my “Go To’s” for now. We’ll see what the future holds. And as a bag connoisseur, feel free to leave suggestions in the comments for other bags that might pique my interest! I certainly have a few in mind!

Up next, the stuff inside these bags!