NBD! Finally received my first Alpha One Niner bag today: the CHIO-X in X42 with the Crimson Wave lining.

First impressions? This thing is gorgeous. The X42 fabric gives it that perfect balance of structure and lightness, and the Crimson Wave interior absolutely pops without being too loud. Build quality is top notch across the board. Stitching, materials, zippers, everything feels incredibly well thought out and premium.

Picked this up specifically as a flight companion for 1.5 bag travel and I can already tell it’s going to shine there. Feels like one of those bags designed by people who actually travel. The size is perfect for under-seat essentials without feeling bulky.

The side water bottle pockets deserve a shoutout too. The stretchy mesh easily swallows every bottle I own without feeling floppy when empty. Huge bonus points for the included attachment points for Hero Clips and an OCD Holster. Love little details like that.

Organization is honestly spot on for my use case. Lots of smart compartment layout without feeling over-engineered, and it somehow feels roomy without turning into a black hole. The hidden rear compartment and internal attachment points are nice touches too.

Only real con for me: I do wish they had swapped the suspended internal zipper pocket for a padded iPad/small laptop sleeve. It can fit a 13” MacBook or iPad, but there’s no built-in protection, so I’d definitely recommend using a sleeve if you plan to carry tech regularly.

Other little things I appreciate:
Dual side stash pockets instead of just one
Beefy zippers that feel bombproof
Surprisingly slim profile against the body for a 9L bag
Crimson Wave lining makes visibility inside the bag fantastic

Feels equally usable as EDC, travel admin bag, or lightweight camera carry

Overall, seriously impressed. Hard to believe this is my first Alpha One Niner because now I’m already eyeing the rest of their lineup.

Can’t wait to put this thing through its paces next week.

Hello fellow one-baggers

This is the packing list for my (23M) second one-bag trip. I'll be traveling 8 days in Portugal across Lisbon and Porto. The weather will be sunny to partly cloudy, about 22°C. I'll be doing hiking and city activities, Lisbon is quite hilly so there'll be lots of walking. I plan on doing laundry once during the trip, twice if needed (laundromat is very close to my accomodations).

Just a couple pack-defining facts about me:

- I'm a photographer

- I have a 5 step skin care routine

- I prefer over-ear headphones over IEMs or earbuds

Now the packing list...

Bags:

- 1 X Peak Design Travel Bag 30L (primary travel bag)

- 1 X Osprey Daylite Day Bag 13L (day pack)

- 1 X Sea-to-summit Ultralight Hanging Toiletry Bag M

- 1 X Peak Design Shoe Bag

- 1 X Peak Design Packing Cube M

- 1 X Peak Design Packing Cube S

- 1 X Peak Design Packing Cube XS

- 1 X Peak Design Camera Cube XS

Outerwear (in Peak Design Packing Cube M):

- 1 X Uniqlo Block Tech Windbreaker

- 1 X Arcteryx Atom Fleece (wear on plane)

Bottoms (in Peak Design Packing Cube M):

- 1 X Uniqlo Baggy Jorts (wear on plane)

- 1 X Uniqlo Baggy Shorts

- 1 X REI Sahara Hiking Pants

Tops (in Peak Design Packing Cube S):

- 1 X BEAMS Japan Linen Shirt

- 2 X Uniqlo Henley Waffle DRY Shirt

- 1 X Uniqlo Airism Shirt (wear on plane)

Undergarments (in Peak Design Packing Cube S and XS):

- 1 X Nike Dri-fit Running shirt (pajamas)

- 1 X Nike Running Pants (pajamas)

- 1 X Cotton Undershirt

- 5 X Underwear (wear on plane)

- 2 X Stance Cotton Long Socks (wear on plane)

- 1 X Smartwool Merino Long Socks

- 2 X Nike Dri-fit Low Cut Socks

Shoes:

- 1 X Salomon XT6 Size US 10 (in Peak Design Shoe Bag)

- 1 X Nike Zoom Air Spiridon 2 (wear on plane)

- 2 X Pair of Disposable Hotel Slippers

Toiletries (in Sea-to-summit Ultralight Hanging Toiletry Bag M, all organized in small containers/bottles):

- 1 X Shampoo

- 1 X Conditioner

- 1 X Body Wash

- 1 X Panoxyl

- 1 X Face Wash

- 1 X Cleansing Oil

- 1 X Kenra Curl Definer

- 1 X Body Lotion

- 1 X Sunscreen

- 1 X Aquaphor

- 1 X Facial Lotion

- 1 X Toner

- 1 X Deodorant

- 1 X Electric Toothbrush

- 1 X Floss

- 1 X Toothpaste

- 1 X Mini Daiso Spray Bottle

- 3 X Mini Hair Clips

- Cotton Pads

- Pimple Patches

- Contacts

- Face Towel

Accessories:

- 1 X Columbia Sun Hat

- 1 X Snow Peak X JINS Sunglasses

- 1 X Glasses

- 1 X Loop Ear Plugs

- 1 X NOSHINKU Hand Sanitizer

- 1 X Medicine/Pill Container

- 3 X Bandaids

- 2 X Sanitizer wipes

- 2 X N95 Masks

Technology:

- 1 X Sony A7C II Camera

- 1 X Sony GM 24mm 1.4 Lens

- 1 X Sony XM6 Over-Ear Headphones

- 1 X Anker Power Bank 20000 mAh 87W

- 1 X Anker Nano 70W Power Brick

- 2 X Anker USB-C Cables

- 1 X EU Adapter Plug

The weight comes out to ~10 kg. The osprey daylite fits perfectly in the laptop pocket. Everything managed to fit in the PD Travel Bag 30L fully expanded except for the headphones, which I strapped to the side of the bag with a carabiner. During the flight, the plan is to have the headphones case keep my seat necessities in one place (hand sanitizer, power bank) while I wear the headphones. I can guarantee this works well because I'm currently typing this up on the plane... I will say that the headphones case isn't the most secure since it is zipperless, so while I'm traveling between locations I'll be wearing the headphones around my neck.

As this is my second one-bag trip with the PD 30L, I'm aware of its pros and cons. Feel free to check out my hasty initial thoughts about the bag HERE during my first trip to Italy. I'll be sure to post an official post-trip mortem about what I've learned regarding this setup. Any feedback or opinions regarding this packing list is welcomed!

Feel like I've finished iterating on this loadout, which travels with me pretty much everywhere. The pouch is a sling daily wear, or acts like an organiser bag inside larger rucksacks through the day.

Plenty of space inside for assorted other kit - sometimes extra kit for the child, sometimes wall charger / mini keyboard for tech stuff. The bottle flap can hold a waterproof or a thin hoodie.

---

Kindle Paperwhite

Sony Earbuds WF-1000XM6

NiteCore 10000mAh Battery

Rioch GRiii

NanoBag Standard 19L Tote

First Aid Pouch

a.Brolly Umberella

A6 Memobottle

Pencil

Sharpie

Notebook

Folding phone stand

Tissues

Business Cards

Dyneema Dog Bowl

Dog Bags

Balloon

Gum

Listerine Strips

Plasters

Lighter

Burts Bees Lip Balm

Hand Sanitiser

Beard Comb

HeroClip Small

My last bag is The North Face Never Stop Utility Bag, grabbed from a local TNF shop when walking by several years ago and liked the tote-like hand carry. I like to switch to hand carry when on mid-full load to relieve the body for some while (maybe I just haven't experienced what is a good harness should be) or on my way back from sweaty sport.

Over the years, some issues start bothering, and start looking for one with features solving my pain points:

1. 24-35L Volume. Went more greedy browsing review blogs/YouTube videos, until I tried 35L version of Evergoods Civic Travel Bag, I found it too bulky for my torso to handle pack larger than 35L;
2. Good harness. For the old one, there is almost no harness system and the back panel is flat and not breathable, so both my back and the back panel soaked with sweat after a long carry or under hot & humid weather ( in Hong Kong);
3. Water resistance. The water resistance of the old one is not great. I remember there was a down pouring day, and papers inside the main compartment did not survive despite I was covered in umbrella;
4. Alternative hand carry ways. When hand carried, the old bag tends to touch ground when going uphill/upstairs, making it not very "elegant" and made me reconsider vertical hand carry for my height;
5. Two water bottles pockets, one for water and another for a umbrella, or sometimes I will use it to put my sweat shirt after sport (reddit please recommend packing cube capable to store really sweaty bomb inside the pack);
6. [Optional] Stow-able shoulder strap, to avoid them dangling or sweeping floor when hand carry. Though it seems stow-able strap ~= uncomfortable harness according reviews;
7. [Optional] Window-like side opening to the main compartment. I really like this design especially if the pack is fully packed when travelling, this feature avoids dredging and provide easy access to things in the bottom (Typically camera, I believe that's why camera bag like shimoda, peak design everyday have it, I would love to see those implementation in travel/daily pack)

After a while for reading lots of review blogs & youtube videos, and try some at local stores, here's my short list (and why I didn't get that):

1. Osprey Transporter Travel Pack 26L (& other series, Nebula, Daylite..). Always being heard Osprey has good harness, but it seems too outdoor-vibe to me, while the transporter series' designs are less designed for daily use;
2. Wandrd Transit 35L. This was THE bag I am looking for: lots of handles, side access to main compartment, and natural water resistance using tarpaulin. I went to the local store just to try it thrice and it almost got me, but some little things pushed me off: the asymmetrical back panel due to the velcro shoulder stowing system (mostly the look, didn't really feel it when putting on), and weight of the bag;
3. Able Carry Max EDC. Very comfortable with meshed backpanel and thick cushioning. Really love the look and the organisation the side handle is centred (which really matters for hand carry). Yet both water pockets are effectively inside the bag (one zippered outside main comp't, one in the inside left), and i cant figure a way to stow the shoulder straps when carrying by hand;
4. Evergoods Civic Travel Bag 26L. The best organization design among packs I've tried and has very sleek look. Two water bottle pockets with small drainage holes. However, it get same shoulder strap stowing issue with Able Carry one, and the back panel lacks a ventilation tunnel and the material gives me a weird feel that it won't handle my sweat well.

So I got the Aer TP4 28L eventually (X-Pac version), in terms of pros and cons, most of them should be covered by most reviews but here's my takeaway:

1. Pro: Two water pockets design similar to the Evergoods CTB one. I understand the community complains about sacrificing quick access for an extra pocket, but the TP3's water pocket is useless to me. Overall, The TP4's exterior match my needs more to TP3. (TP3 is on sale at the moment, I think it's a good choice);
2. Pro: The harness system and the back panel. Thick, meshed back panel and a vertical ventilation valley. Not sure if it's intended or not, the horizontal luggage passthrough strap make shoulder straps stow-able by using them. I learnt the trick from PackHacker's TP3 vs TP4 comparison video (Thank you PackHacker), and theoretically all packs with a horizontal strap should be able to apply this same trick;
3. Mixed: The X-pac and PU coated zipper. I do need the water resistance capability from these materials but the lamination of X-pac and peeling risk of PU coat are still a concerning point, I guess only time will tell how my bag last. If there is a version that looks "less ballistic nylon", I would definitely choose that;
4. Con: The side handles are not centered. Could be another sacrifice for the water pockets, but I think there should be a better design. Uncentered handle makes it hard to distribute weight when hand carry;
5. Con: Material of zipper puller and zipper assist loops around the pack. It provide a good grip for pulling but the sticky feel is not my favorite, also it picks up dirt easily and the texture makes me think of something being melted after exposure of hot sun. I think this part is a bit over engineered.

We create Unreal Engine based learning / training environments that run off an iPad Pro or iPad Air 11” using a controller. It’s a highly mobile setup with said items plus some cables and chargers.

Being an Aer fanboy (CPP2, TP3), I went for the Day Sling 3 Max that is the perfect size for this use case. Just “because I could”, got the Toshi 6L for direct comparison as the second unit.

After a few months of using both, I’ve settled for the Toshi as my favourite that now doubles as EDC. There are subjective and objective reasons. Both are great bags, excellent quality and have that urban/ business/ tech look. The Aer outer material is thicker, it feels more rigid.

Both have the right size, and will take extra items such as (smaller) water bottle or packable rain jacket. Cut/ shape is a bit different, with Aer being more oval, but generally quite similar.

What made me tilt towards Toshi:
- material is softer, totally subjective preference. Carries better
- packs thinner, big point when it goes into the bag when onebagging. Sometimes it comes along as edc in combination with CPP or TP3
- interior lining is light grey, much better visibility inside
- key/ small stuff pocket as a huge plus. Aer doesn’t have that
- strap has padding. 8h of carrying time and any load starts digging into the shoulder
- Big minus for the Aer: the way I take the sling off results in the buckle releasing, with the bag falling to the ground. Repeatedly. Suppose I could reprogram my muscle memory - or just go with the Toshi

There are two straps at the bottom of the Toshi where I could attach an umbrella or the like, but haven’t used them yet. A non critical nice to have feature.

Anyway, knowing it is subjective. As said, two great bags and either will work fine if you are in the 11” tablet game.