One Bag

I am attempting this trip with just one bag, mainly using suggestions from the One Bag website.

This is a bag that is the maximum carry-on size for flights, which is packed in a careful way to maximise the amount of things that I can get in it.   I have:

• 1 shirt
• 5 polo shirts
• 3 pairs of shorts
• 1 pair of formal trousers
• 1 pair of casual trousers
• 6 sets of underwear
• 2 pairs of shoes
• 1 coat
• 1 shaver (plus plug and charging cable)
• 1 small deodorant 
• 49ers cap

Obviously, I am wearing one polo shirt, one pair of trousers shoes, underpants and socks. Then I have:

• phone (plus USB charging cable and USB mains plug)
• camera (plus USB charging cable)
• MP3 player (plus USB charging cable)
• laptop (plus power cable)
• UK four way adaptor
• 1 (large) UK-US plug adaptor
• noise-cancelling headphones (these Bose QC-15 headphones <em>are</em> amazing)
• passport
• seatbelt
• two wallets for tickets (UK-specific and US-specific)
• all the game tickets (12 sheets of A4)
• money wallet
• puzzle book

However, I have actually still brought far too much with me.

One reason for bringing a coat was the pockets, which are handy.  It's too hot for a coat, so now it's become something I have to carry.

The 4-way adaptor is a waste of time and space - it's relatively bulky - and I only have two things to plug into it.  The mains adaptor is my bulky one with the third optional pin, which was stupid.  I should have not bought either of those, but instead just one of my lightweight two-pin adaptors.  Other than the shaver, every other electronic device will happily charge from the laptop's USB port.

For some reason I bought my UK wallet containing all my hotel membership cards, my clubcard, my Stagecoach smartcard and Beefeater card.  All the hotels have my membership number on file, and besides, I could have a note on my phone of all the membership numbers.  None of the others operate in the USA in a way in which I could use the cards.  This was just a packing mistake, as I had carefully separated out the cards into the set that I needed and the set that I did not into the different wallets - and then brought both anyway.

My clothes bundle has worked really well - nothing was particularly creased and all looks fine now they are hanging in the wardrobe, although it did mean I couldn't get my shorts out when I arrived in Washington - I'd have really liked to change to shorts given the heat.

I may invest in a laptop bag, just in case I have to gate check my bag (i.e. when we get to board the plane and find there's no locker space left) as at the moment, I simply have a plastic bag and a list of what I need to take on board, which will take a few moments to extract, but it's awkward to do that at the end of the jetway with everybody else going past.

I shall discard the game tickets as I go - perhaps paying the $2.50 extra for Will Call would have been worthwhile, then I just get the normal (much smaller) tickets when I arrive at each city.  No more paper boarding passes - I brought one for the international flight and now have a disposal problem as it contains my name, my partial frequent flier number, and my itinerary locator code.  I will have to dispose of it in pieces.