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I've been one bagging for over two years now and I was thinking: why is there no brand that makes the perfect items, specifically designed for one bag travellers?
Taking into account:
Weight | Performance | Functionality
Sure, there are brands that sell travel backpacks, travel clothing, travel accessories. But what if there was a brand that sold not only the perfect travel backpack for one bag travellers, but also, everything that goes inside the backpack, all designed specifically for the one bagger, by a one bagger.
That's where I gave birth to...
The first product I am launching is the travel backpack.
To be clear, I will not be launching another type of travel backpack in the future. This is, in my opinion, the perfect bag for one bag travel. My next product launch will be the perfect travel jacket for one bag travel. And then the perfect travel sneakers. And so on, and so on.
But I want to emphasise that my end goal with this is to create the perfect items for one bag travellers.
Therefore, I have no intention of making multiple versions of the same item. I'd rather just obsess over making the perfect version of each product and then move onto the next item.
Our First Product:
The Travel Backpack
27L Unexpanded + 7 Litres When Expanded
Here's why I think this is the best bag for one bag travel:
Expandable Main Compartment.
Functionality is so essential when choosing one bag items. I think giving a backpack an expandable option gives us that extra option to pack in a gift if we are travelling to go see family or perhaps we want to pack our jacket in the bag as it's hot outside. There's so many instances where having the option to expand the bag can come in handy. That's also why I designed the bag to have the expandable section in the main compartment, because it lets you quickly expand the bag and shove in whatever extra item you want without a hassle.
Weight: 740 grams.
Weight is a hugely important element when one bag travelling. To feel confident flying on any budget airline, it's important that your pack will need to be under 7kg when fully packed out. I wanted the pack itself to take up as little weight as possible. To achieve this, I used a 280D PU Coated Nylon Fabric that was developed in 2023.
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I know other backpacks opt for a far higher denier level but if you are a one bagger like me, who gets on a flight, gets a train/taxi to the hotel/hostel, is it worth using a stronger denier fabric that almost doubles the weight of the backpack? In my opinion, it's not.
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Also, here's the dimensions of the bag in inches: 18L x 13W x 7D. When it’s expanded, the depth goes from 7 inches to 9 inches.
Suitcase Clamshell Opening with Mesh Divider Zipped Pocket.
​I like my one bag opening up as a suitcase. Maybe it's the mental aspect of feeling like I am travelling with a suitcase, when really it's just a 27L backpack. But it's really easy to pack and navigate where things are. Nothing worse than when the thing you need is stuck right at the bottom of your bag and you have to remove the stuff above it to get to it. With this, you can open it up, clamshell, and find what you need. The mesh zipper divider lets you have that separation and you can use it to fit your style. Whether you want to put shoes in the mesh divider, or items you will use less often during one bagging, it's entirely up to you. The whole design of the bag is minimalist to let you pack it how you most prefer. I used the same mesh material that is used on the water bottle holder which is really nice a stretchy, meaning if you want to overpack that mesh compartment the material does have some give which could let you pack a little bit more volume.
Separate Laptop Compartment.
​I like the idea of having your tech in a separate part of the bag. Almost like business and pleasure. That's why I made a separate laptop compartment, also with YKK lockable zippers. There's room for a 16-inch laptop and also a zipped section to store charging cables.
Luggage Pass Through Sleeve.
Yes, we are one baggers. But sometimes your partner or the people you travel with, aren't. Or sometimes you have to take a carry on suitcase during the trip for business or personal reasons. I wanted to give you that option by adding the luggage pass-through sleeve as it's so simple but so convenient if you happen to have a suitcase with you as well. It's also quite thin that you could hook a carabiner on it if you wanted to attach something on it.
Hidden Passport Compartment.
What's the point of having two water bottle compartments? I felt it made sense to have 1 mesh water bottle compartment and then use the other side as a hidden zipper compartment where you can store you passport. The zipper is not lockable, but I wanted to give the option for a hidden compartment if you want to store something in there with quick access.
YKK Lockable Zippers + Hypalon Zipper Pulls.
Both the main compartment and laptop compartment each have YKK lockable zippers. It's nice having peace of mind on a long flight that both compartments are locked. The hypalon zipper pulls are lasered with the 'Almond Oak' logo and is the only part of the bag that has our logo on it. I wanted to keep the bag very minimal and without logos. But I thought the logo lasered on the zipper pull looked cool so I added it there, and only there.
YKK Stretch Zippers.
When I was designing the pack, something I felt that was hugely important was how easier the zippers are to open and close when the bag is fully packed out. There's a lot of zippers that 'look cool' but when I actually packed the bag full, it was so unpleasant trying to open/close the pack if I needed to grab something.
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After doing some digging, I found that there are some YKK zippers that are typically used on jackets that are designed to 'stretch' when layered with clothing underneath. I decided to try using that on the backpack and the result was amazing. The zipper pulls are so smooth and easy to open and close. They also have a 'stretch' feel so that when the bag is fully packed out, it feels like they have a bit more give than a traditional zipper pull. I really believe these are elite zipper pulls to make it easier when needing to grab something out of your bag when its fully packed out.
Help Me (Please)
I can't do this without you.
In the website menu there’s other pages on the website where I share my vision for Almond Oak, the product roadmap and another page offering one baggers to sign up for upcoming one bag meet-ups I want to organise in the future.
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I wanted to conclude by emphasising that none of this is possible without your support. My vision is to create the best possible products for one bag travellers and create a community where one bag travellers can meet up all over the world to share travel experiences. In my mind, chances are, if you believe in a one bag travel philosophy, chances are you will get along with others who do too.
I know this travel backpack I've created will not suit everyone's one bag setups. But if that's the case and you still believe in the brand, then you can still support by signing up for the upcoming one bag meet-ups or just sending me a message to say hi. It really does make a huge difference in making me able to do this.
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Thanks for taking the time to look at what I'm trying to bring into the world. I hope you can support my (one) dream.
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- Dylan @ Almond Oak