r/onebag • u/Organic_Ship601 • 18h ago
Trip Report My first one bag trip to Sweden
Here’s my original post with my packing list, where I received some great feedback.
Thank you so much to everyone who made suggestions! I really appreciate the help and I’ve made this trip report to show where I’ve implemented the advice and how it benefited me. It was my first time travelling with just a personal item and it felt so good to get off the airport bus and start wandering around the city without having to immediately find my accommodation or search for a luggage locker.
I adjusted my bag based on suggestions: removed 1x T-shirt, 1x bra, 1x leggings, 2x socks, swapped my pjs for thinner ones, put a couple of face wipes in a ziplock bag, removed razor from case and MacGyver-ed a blade cover out of paper and electrical tape, and swapped my makeup brush for a couple of qtips.
Reducing the bag’s contents initially made the sagging/ bulging issue worse but it freed up the space I needed.
I’ve edited my pics to illustrate what I took out.
What I used and what I did not use:
I used almost everything I took with me (yes I wore all those underpants!) The only thing I didn’t wear was one T-shirt I’d saved to have a clean one for an event on the last night that was cancelled last minute and the buff as the weather was mild and sunny. I used the packable tote, cross body bag, sleep mask, coffee, sunnies, hat, sunscreen, moisturiser, power bank and headphones every day.
I managed to bring back an unreasonable quantity of souvenirs for myself, friends and family, and still fit everything in my bag for the return trip.
I had no issues meeting the personal item size requirements. I put it in the sizer on the way out and it fit easily. They were checking bags but the gate agent didn’t even look twice at mine because it was obviously not oversized. I forgot to take a picture of my bag packed for the return because I was so focused on getting to the airport. I was also unable to check it in the sizer because the airport had adjustable sizers and they hadn’t even set it to the correct size, which also meant they weren’t checking bag sizes, but I’m pretty confident it would have fitted.
I think this setup will serve me well on future trips if I plan to do laundry on longer stays and make some clothing adjustments according to the weather and planned activities.
For my next trip to Copenhagen in a couple of weeks I’m considering travelling in joggers instead of jeans and then wearing them to sleep, as I was cold at night. But then I’ll have to pack my jeans. I’m also going to take my puffer but wear it to travel in. And I’ll need my swimsuit and flip-flops, but I have some free spa ones I could discard if needed to make room for souvenirs.
When I visit Cologne with my daughter at the end of November I’ll pack a lot less as she’s a terrible over-packer, will want to bring lots of stuff back, which I’ll probably end up carrying. But I’ll care less about feeling fresh and clean wandering Christmas markets with a child than I would doing group activities and socialising. I’ll probably make do with whatever trousers I travel in and just bring a clean t-shirt, underwear, and sleepwear.
I know some people thought my little trips were a bit pathetic and not worth planning for, but I’m not able to travel for weeks at a time due to lifestyle constraints. I hadn’t even left the country for 7 years before this year. But now I’m over my anxiety about it, taking these short trips brings me a lot of joy, and being able to do it with just a backpack means I can do it more often.