Looking for a great shoulder bag to haul your tech when flying? Check out the Mystery Ranch 3 Way 18L Expandable Briefcase bag: https://www.mysteryranch.com/3-way-briefcase-expandable
I have a handful of irrational obsessions. Great bags and backpacks are definitely one of them. For travel, I try hard to one-bag it. This involves picking a single bag, usually a backpack, to carry all the things you need for a trip. Once you get the hang of optimizing it can be a lot of fun. I did a three day to New York last December with a 26 liter Goruck GR1. That included a spare pair of shoes and my running gear. Sometimes you need a bit more flexibility though, and a recent trip to Australia screamed for something new.
This trip required three bags since we would be gone for most of a month. First, the checked luggage, carrying all the day-to-day items that will be needed throughout the trip. This included things like clothes, snorkeling gear, and cycling gear. On my back, I had the same Grouck GR1 that I took to New York. It had three days worth of clothes and toiletries in case the checked luggage was late or lost. That left all the tech, which went into the Mystery Ranch shoulder bag and lived behind my legs against my seat during the flight.
Full list of the items carried:
• MacBook Air M2
• iPad Mini, in a Pivot case (https://pivotcase.com)
• Kindle Oasis, with a few physical books as well
• Charging kit, with cables and an Anker USB-C charger (https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Charger-4-Port-MacBook-Laptops/dp/B098WQRGNQ)
• Remote meeting kit, with Belkin USB light and wired headphones (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B097QZGRCQ)
• Anker 10k mAH USB battery (https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Portable-10000mAh-Delivery-PowerCore/dp/B096TP4B1T)
• Magsafe iPhone battery (1460 mAH; https://www.amazon.com/Apple-MJWY3AM-A-MagSafe-Battery/dp/B099BWY7WT)
• Wired and wireless in-ear headphones
• Bose QuietComfort 45 noise canceling headphones
• Eyeglasses and sunglasses
• Passport and wallet
• Field Notes Pitch Black Notebook (https://fieldnotesbrand.com/products/pitch-black-notebook)
• Pilot Juice 0.38mm pens (https://www.jetpens.com/Pilot-Juice-Gel-Pen-0.38-mm-Black/pd/10687)
• Hat and handkerchief
• Albanese gummi bears (https://www.albanesecandy.com/gummies/)
This bag is for 13” and smaller laptops. You can fit a 15” laptop in the main area of the bag, but it is a tight fit and it gets no foam protection from knocks and bangs. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you are in a pinch, which I have been and I have used the bag for a 15” MacBook Pro.
Check it out. I think it is worth your time if you want a small-ish over the shoulder bag that fits most of your tech things and stows easily under an airline seat.
Mystery Ranch also makes a larger 26L version:
https://www.mysteryranch.com/3-way-27-briefcase
You can spend hours reading the One Bag subreddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/onebag/
Mystery Ranch makes tons of great gear:
https://www.mysteryranch.com
I have been a fan of Grouck in the past as well:
https://www.goruck.com/products/gr1