Ultralight business travel?

Tom Bihn are overbuilt compared with our UL frameless backpacks, but for week-in, week-out air travel as I did until 18 months ago, the extra durability of the materials are well worth it. And compared with some of the other brands touted by fellow roadwarriors, TB aren’t all that heavy. My first TB bag was the Tri-Star, which I bought so I could put my laptop in the centre compartment and pack a full week’s worth of business casual clothes in the outer ones. Nice idea, but ultimately I found it put too much pressure on my back when I was carrying it over the shoulder. My chiropractor agreed, and she advised me to bail on the “one-bag” concept for week-long trips. Still, I used that bag every week for 18 months and it looks new.

I switched to the Western Flyer, which is a slimmer cousin of the Tri-Star. It lacks the centre compartment and is slightly smaller in all dimensions. But I can easily fit clothes for a week’s worth of business travel in it. And if I was going for a 1-2 night trip, I’d put the laptop in one compartment, and my clothing in the other. It’s smart enough to work as a briefcase. On those longer trips, I’d spread the weight across both shoulders by carrying my laptop in a Cadet. That was my combination for the next 3 years till I stopped travelling. I tried the Aeronaut 45 but could never get the square shape of the main compartment (vs rectangular on the TS or WF) to work for ease of packing business attire. I found it much more suited to extended leisure travel.

I find I can carry more clothing in these soft sided bags than in any carry-on sized rollaboard. Even if I was late to board, I could almost always find an overhead bin space because the dimensions are smaller. The WF can often fit vertically in the overhead bins on the B737 and A320/319 that I’d fly most often. And at a pinch, either the TS or the WF would fit underneath the seat in front (window or middle, not aisle as they are narrower). I detest checking bags, and I have never had to check either of these in 400+ flights.

Choice of bags aside, I had to make some compromises on what I’d take on business trips. Shoes were always the bulkiest item; one pair worn and my running shoes in the bag. A mix and match wardrobe so that I could rotate my clothing and get more than one day’s wear each week out of jackets and trousers. And thin insulation layers for colder season travel without adding unnecessary bulk. No extraneous gadgets. Kindle vs paperback books. But you probably know that routine already.

Some of my business travel tricks:

Yeah, toiletries and such are more like when I backpack.

If I’m returning there for work, I ask for a file cabinet drawer or some place to keep a box of clothing between work weeks.  Most mid-range hotels have washer & dryer, so you can do laundry on site instead of traveling back and forth with it.

Especially for field work, when clothing gets a little too worn (I mean, how many pairs of “work jeans” do I need?, I can only wear one at the time), I set it aside for my next trip. It goes one way with me and doesn’t come home.  Each day I throw away some items after wearing them for the last time.  Even on a trip in business clothing, it works with t-shirts, socks, and underwear.

Conversely, I’ll delay popping into Macy’s for a shirt or Walmart for some socks or jeans and do that shopping while on the road.  So I have less stuff to bring with me.

And if you forgot something?  The hotel front desk can provide toiletries, and a local store will have what you need.

Just to show I could, I did one overnight business trip with my phone, charging cable, wallet, mini toothbrush and a clean pair of underwear in my pockets.  It’s kind of weird being the only one in the airport without bags.

On the suit/sport coat front, I have an old garment bag from a suitcase I got twenty-five years ago.  It has a wire frame around the exterior and folds in three.  It in will hold a suit and two shirts, on hangers, keeping them nice and pressed.  It fits (just) in a soft-sided suitcase/duffle bag I have that is a bit smaller than a typical rolling carry-on but roughly the same shape.  I can get an extra pair of shoes, my other clothes, and a laptop in it.  The bag fits in the overhead bin of regional jets, which my rolling bag does not.  The bag will also fit under the seat on an airplane, if you don’t have a wire-framed garment holder in it.

Osprey 22 inch ozone 46 liters @ 4 lbs. I could have gone smaller but when I went to Chicago or NYC in the winter I needed a bit more room for an sweater, rain shell and or my Patagonia Das Parka

For 5 to 6 day business trips

Book hotels that have irons in the room and coin laundries,

Slip on dress shoes worn on plane

One sport coat or suit jacket worn on plan or rolled, no hangers or folding and packed in luggage.

For most meetings since my industry is biz casual, the same jeans I wear on the plane can be worn to meetings. If I were presenting to a big customer in Manhattan or making a formal presentation to big group, I would bring wool slacks rolled, and one tie.

No more than one or two changes of underwear (including smartwool T shirt). I would  use Dr Bronners hotel shampoo to wash socks, boxers every night

Sundries in zip locks

One extra dress shirt

Gym shorts, swim googles, lightweight shoes and one cotton T shirt for gym

I sometimes checked my bag instead of rolling it aboard, it was usually 16 lbs or so

I also carried the smallest Timbuktu backpack with an 11 inch Mac Air inside. I never went the one bag for everything route since I needed a laptop bag to carry to customer meetings and make presentations.

I switched to a lightweight gym duffel instead of my heavy ballistic nylon carry-on, and I only take the duffel, no other luggage. I carefully choose what to take and outfits are mix-and-match to allow for me to take less clothes without the appearance of not changing each day. Former boss told me I “pack like a guy” which I took as a compliment. My toiletries go in a zip-loc. I toss in a grocery store sack for my dirty clothes to go in. I take a Platypus 1L bottle for my drinking water- and have had more than one traveler ask me about it as they thought that was a pretty cool idea. One time I even only took 2 pairs of the Ex Officio “Give and Go” underwear and no thers but I draw the line at doing that again- that was “stupid light” for travel, haha.

Check out Tortuga Backpacks….they are the UL Company for Urban Travel.

The key thing is that their backpacks open up like a suitcase….clam shell. So you don’t have to dig into a traditional backpack to dig for your stuff.

Their is a slot/compartment for a laptop and tablet.

Minimal pockets and zippers….just the essentials.

The pack is 27L, but expands to 35L if you need to expand to bring stuff back with you from a trip.

https://www.amazon.com/Tortuga-Travel-Backpack-Carry-Sized/dp/B01AV640WQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1482300404&sr=8-2&keywords=tortuga+backpack

Youtube Video Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zth4jy1PXoY

This product is discounted because it is discontinued as a new version of all their packs have just come out. However, their smallest is 35L and I find the Air is best suited for me with plenty of space after applying UL techniques to save space while being smaller than the newer ones. The new ones come in a 35L and 45L.

Website if you want to see their new packs: http://www.tortugabackpacks.com/

Carry on backpack….I used this one to travel to Cambodia for 13 days and applying UL techniques from backpacking,

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AV9OI2A?psc=1

Comfortable day pack. I had plenty of room and great padding on the back that keep my back sweat free in the tropical heat throughout the day.

https://www.amazon.com/Packing-Light-Persons-Carry-Only-ebook/dp/B00WYJ37FK/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482300589&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=packinglight

Great book on how to travel light

One of the best tips…bring a dry bag to use as a bucket for washing your clothes vs. washing in a tub or sink. Faster, easier, and less messy than a sink or bath tub.

Use these detergent sheets, cut into 1 inch sheets for washing individual items in the dry bag vs carrying powdered detergent

https://www.amazon.com/WashEZE-Laundry-Detergent-Scented-Package/dp/B00C2UFT20/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1482302409&sr=8-4&keywords=detergent+wash+sheets

Anyway, hope this helps….the book is a great resource on tips for saving weight which will make sense to UL backpackers.

Tony

“How does your ultralight mindset bleed over into business or other travel by air?”

For me it was the opposite.  I was traveling “UL” and that eventually bled over to my backpacking style.  There are times when I am forced to check some professional gear (eg body armor, gun belts, suits (blech!!) etc) but most times it’s just a carry-on bag for me regardless if it’s an overnighter or over a week.