58 Weeks in 35 Liters: Thoughts on Extended One-Bag Travel (Stephanie’s Version)

A woman's perspective on traveling light.

Hello friends,

A few months ago, I shared some thoughts on what it was like to travel around the world for 58 weeks in a small, ~ 35-liter backpack. But I wasn’t the only one to make that bold (stupid?) decision. This week, my partner, Stephanie, is sharing her thoughts about what it was like and what she’d do differently. Plus, I talk too much; it’s time for a woman’s perspective.

Enjoy.

-Skylar

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58 Weeks in 35 45 Liters: Thoughts on Extended One-Bag Travel (Stephanie’s Version)

“You’re really only going to bring a backpack? For a whole year?”

In the weeks leading up to our trip, that was the question people asked. Even if they didn’t actually ask it, I could feel them thinking it. Even though, for countless trips before, I’d been relying on just a backpack. Regardless, the decision to go all in on one-bag travel felt almost offensive to people. But to be honest, I, too, was a little skeptical; a year did sound long - was I crazy? Would I regret everything? But I’d remind myself that I’ve done two-week trips in a small backpack, and really, what’s the big difference between a year and two weeks? 

For the skeptics out there - not much. When I’m on a two-week trip, I have to do laundry as soon as I get home, anyway. So, I extended that mentality, understanding that laundry would be a natural part of the trip.

But a year or more on the road does come with a few different challenges than your average two-week trip. Now that we’re back in the U.S., I’ve had time to think about what I wish I had brought, what I wish I didn’t, and what I’d do differently.

*This generally follows my packing list, so you might want to reference that for more detailed information.

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General Thoughts

Traveling in one bag is less scary than you think. 

I was unsure about my packing decisions leading up to the trip. How the hell will I go from a two-bedroom apartment full of stuff to a 45-liter backpack?? But honestly, once I stepped on the plane, it didn’t cross my mind again. In some ways, it was exhilarating.

When I say one bag, I prefer a backpack because you’re nimble and can sneak onto planes without worrying about paying any fees. But it could also be a carry-on size rollaboard (though Skylar might disagree). However you carry, this trip reaffirmed the one-bag philosophy.

You don’t need as much stuff as you might think.

People say this often, but internalizing it is another matter. Were there times that I wished I had different clothes? Of course. But did I need them? No. I truly believe we don’t need as much stuff as we think we do. And I liked the challenge of figuring out exactly how minimal I could get. There’s satisfaction in knowing every item I brought was very intentional.

Ditch anything that is for the *aesthetic* and probably drop a pair of shoes.

The items I brought to feel cute were the items that ended up going home with my parents halfway through the trip. This included a pair of flats, a jumper, and a bodysuit. Sure, they were nice to have on a few occasions, but after lugging my bag around, I decided less weight was better. It’s a balance of feeling good but minimizing the amount of weight you’re carrying. Because over an extended period, you will be lugging that thing around, and it will become draining.

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The Travel Backpack

I took a 45-liter Tortuga bag (now discontinued) on this trip. It’s a large bag, affectionately named Big Bertha by my friends. And while I loved the bag, if I were to do it all over again (when we do it again), I’d take my 35-liter Minaal 2.0 (the bag I typically travel with). 

If you read Skylar’s Version of his packing retrospective, he talks about the weeks leading up to our trip, we thought there was no way we could fit everything we wanted in the 35-liter bag. But we didn’t really try. I’m sure at the time, the idea of cutting things to fit in the smaller bag felt insane, but now, 58 weeks later, I wish I would have made it work - or at least tried to.

At 45 liters, the Tortuga is BIG. When we flew budget airlines like Ryanair, I paid for my carry-on for fear of a little leprechaun popping out and charging me triple the price for my backpack. A smaller bag like the Minaal is less noticeable, and I’m sure I could have gotten it through Ryanair’s prying eyes (Skylar did, at least). 

The Tortuga was also heavy. With everything in it, it weighed roughly 40 pounds - which was a lot to haul around! And when your bag is that big, it might be hard to notice if something is missing from it, like a laptop (that’s a whole other story). And the Tortuga bag doesn’t carry or distribute the weight very well (though I didn’t use the hip strap).

It was also pudgy when packed out. Which meant sometimes it was a struggle to fit it in the carry-on bins. And when I was walking around with it, I felt like I took up a lot of space in small or crowded areas.

When picking a bag for a long-term trip, I think you need to consider how you’ll interact with the bag and what modes of transportation you’ll be taking. Across the year, we took over 40 flights and plenty of buses, trains, tuk-tuks, and ferries. The bags went through it. And because of that, we were hauling them around constantly, stuffing them in bins, picking them up off the floor, or even riding with them on our laps. A smaller bag would have made this infinitely more comfortable. 

All of these little things add up. You’ll be navigating narrow alleys and staircases, going up hills, and walking over cobblestones. Pick a bag that makes your life easier and, if possible, one that brings you joy.

Key Takeaways

• There is a huge difference between 45 and 35 liters; don’t underestimate it.

• Think about how often you’ll grab, pick up, open, close, and generally interact with the bag.

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Clothing

My packing list was created to get me through three seasons (Summer, Fall, and Spring) and specifically optimized for that weather. It wasn’t really designed for cold winter climates. I think we had a couple of places that might have been in the low 30s (Fahrenheit), but those were few and far between.

What I wish I had brought

Sweatpants - I realized that comfortable pants are necessary, and they’re the one thing I didn’t bring. Throughout the trip, we found we had more downtime hanging out in an Airbnb or hostel than I thought we would (after all, one can’t spend every waking moment exploring), which is why sweats weren’t on my original packing list. I did have leggings, but those aren’t the same. About six months in, I bought a pair of sweats.

*It is important to note that if you are missing something when you pack, you can probably buy it on the road.

What I wish I didn’t bring

Shoes - I brought four pairs of shoes on this trip: boots, trainers, flats, and sandals. I wish I hadn’t brought the flats or the sandals. While I appreciated that the flats looked nice, they were unnecessary weight and took up space. We also tended to travel in Fall weather, so the flats didn’t get as much use as I thought they would.

As for the sandals, I just don’t like the look of those Teva-style sandals. I didn’t like them when I first tried them on, I didn’t like them when I packed them, and I didn’t like them on the trip. But I thought I’d need them; I figured I’d need some water-sandal-thing, especially since we were using shared showers in hostels. But I wish I had just brought a pair of nice sandals that at least would look good with my outfits or cheap flip-flops (another item I ended up buying on the road).

Sweaters - I took three sweaters with me on the trip. Two were Merino wool, and one was just a blue sweater I had in my closet. I love the blue sweater, but I don’t think it was the right choice for the trip. For one, it was bulky and also took a while to dry. And since the material was polyester, it would smell when it didn’t dry properly. I should have spent more money to buy a third Merino wool sweater that packs down and dries quickly. Spending a little extra for wool does make sense for some items.

Skirt - I packed one skirt that I love, BUT the fabric is pretty dense. It’s a jean-like material, so it’s rather bulky. I wish I had taken some time to find a skirt that was just as cute but would pack down smaller and not add too much weight. 

Pants - I packed two pairs of pants: jeans and an old maroon pair from H&M. The maroon pants packed well, so they were great. This combo worked pretty well for a while, but I wore a hole through the jeans by the end of the year. Thanks, Madewell.

Misc. clothes - I initially had a black jumper but ended up sending it home with my parents six months in. It’s a cute jumper, but it was bulky, took up space, and wasn’t adaptable enough with my other clothes.

I also packed a lightweight black cardigan, which was cute, but I didn’t wear it as much as I thought I would. I thought I’d wear it with my tank tops in cooler climates, but I preferred the sweaters. 

Key Takeaways:

• Be extremely judicious with the items of clothing you bring; you’ll be wearing them a lot, after all.

• Sometimes, extra comfort is important, especially if you’ll be gone for a while.

• Everything should match everything.

• Lean into more travel-friendly items that aren’t bulky and are made from a material that dries quickly, like Merino wool. It really does make a difference.

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Toiletries

I brought a lot of toiletries with me. I had ten toiletry packs from Matador and filled two with shampoo, conditioner, curl cream, face wash, and face cream. I also had two other containers of eye cream, one SPF moisturizer, and one retinol cream (someone thought I was 21 when we were traveling, so it was all worth it).

I’ve seen people say not to overpack on toiletries because you can buy things on the road. And it’s true, all those containers added some significant weight and bulk. But that said, I was really happy to have the products I loved at the start of the trip. It made leaving home less scary because I had something familiar in my routine.

Of course, I eventually ran out of everything. But in most cities you can find stores that sell similar enough products. Sure, they weren’t MY products, but they worked just fine. After a while, you settle into this “eh, that’ll work” mentality.

The only real issues I had were with deodorant and contact solution. Some places we went didn’t have many options for contact solution, which meant I had to use a solution that I’m slightly allergic to. I also had to use deodorant that I’m allergic to. Nothing bad happened, but it was annoying.

Key Takeaways

• Toiletries can add a lot of bulk to your bag.

• But occasionally, the comfort and familiarity of bringing your own products is worth the additional weight/bulk.

• You’ll be able to find good enough substitutes for most of the products you like.

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Tech/Misc

Skylar didn’t bring an Aeropress; if you read his retrospective, you know what a mistake that was. I agree - he messed up with that one. Not having easy access to good coffee was sad. And expensive.

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If you made it this far, you deserve an award. Thank you for reading! There’s a lot of information about one-bag travel out there, but I haven’t found a lot of it geared toward women, so I hope this is useful for someone. If you have any questions or if you want to know how someone could forget a laptop, leave a comment!