Journal
Tips and advice about travelling light.
Below7 is closing down
With the pandemic finally ending Mr and Mrs Below7 have decided to, finally, pack our bags and do some lightweight travel ourselves. We'll be heading over to the America's and spending a year exploring all the wonderful countries, landscapes and people in those two...
Post Pandemic Travel
I'm writing this at the end of April and all the signs are that Australia is well on the way to controlling Coronavirus. There's a lot of itchy feet out there and while international travel, except perhaps New Zealand, is certainly off the cards until 2021 it's...
Supporting Backpackers
The global pandemic emergency has obviously canceled travel plans for people worldwide. It has also stranded many overseas backpackers in Australia and New Zealand who are now facing an uncertain 2020 without work, or a place to stay or family support. We've spoken to...
Hiking light
We've talked before about how packing light can enable spontaneous adventure when traveling. One perfect example is hiking. In Australia and New Zealand we think of hiking (or tramping for you Kiwis) as trudging through the bush and camping under the stars. But in...
Charge with a short cable
Lightweight travelers are often away from power outlets for extended periods of time and hence rely on power banks to keep our phones and gadgets charged. A little known hack to maximise the efficiency of your power bank is to use a short, good quality cable. All...
Beware of charging your devices in public places
When you’re travelling on-the-go in the age of being ‘tethered to our technology’, you need to be sure that you've got your devices charged for a day of adventure. However, if your phone battery is low and you desperately need it to navigate around town, it can be...
Is USB-C the one cable to rule them all?
Is travelling with one cable finally possible? It looks like one-bag travellers may be in luck. The trusty USB – the workhorse port used in everything from phones to cars – is about to get even more useful. We’re talking about USB-C, potentially the holy grail of...
5 Reasons to only pack USB-chargeable devices
One-bag travellers are constantly trying to find life hacks to make their journey a little easier. Whether that’s tracking down the best lightweight version of a sleeping bag, to learning new methods of clothes folding to maximize space, you can bet we’re always...
Meeting Mrs Tang
In July of 2019 we travelled to Shenzhen, China to visit the factory that makes the Below7 Luggage Scale. A full account of the visit can be found on an earlier post. During the time we spent at the factory we had the chance to meet Mrs Tang. Mrs Tang works as a...
5 gadgets for lightweight travelling
We’re serious about lightweight travel here at Below7. We’ve spent years perfecting travelling with just one-bag, and we’ve made some great discoveries along the way. When it comes to staying below the 7kgs carry-on limit, every gram we save counts. We’ve got 5 tricks...
Securing an Exit Row Seat
I have long legs and this means that long distance flights in standard economy class seat are agony. This is why, over the years, I've developed a strategy to improve my chances of being assigned a free exit row seat. Check-in at the airport The first thing I've...
Pre-Departure Checklist: Important things to remember before you leave
We’re a team of seasoned one-bag travelers here at Below7, and when it comes up packing for an overseas trip, we’ve learned a thing or two about what to pack (and not to pack). The same applies for what to do before you embark on a major overseas experience. We have a...
The budget airline heavy bag tax
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dnis2Ev1bLQ Budget airline scams $,000s out of travellers This video is a great example of how budget airlines, particularly in Asia, are using baggage weight as a way to charge excessive penalties on customers. How to avoid this...
3 Multi-Functional Travel Hacks
We’re always on the lookout for ways to reduce the load and make travelling more convenient. One way to save on space and weight is by condensing your travel gear by packing multi-functional items that can be changed to suit your various needs. After all, packing...
Sustainable air travel and carbon offsetting: what does it all mean?
With the exciting adventure that is traveling to see the world, comes hand in hand with the reality that it’s actually killing it slowly. Air travel is the leading cause of air pollution, contributing 4.9% of human-caused climate change. Planes inevitably produce...
7 Eco-Conscious Travel Tips
We all know about the carbon footprint associated with traveling. Air travel is the leading cause of air pollution, contributing 4.9% of human-caused climate change. We can’t give up the thrilling, enlightening and eye-opening experience that travel can bring, but...
The Luggage Scale Factory
Getting to the factory was a mission. It is located in Baoan district, one of the electronics hubs in the enormous city of Shenzhen. The trip required us to take a shuttle from the hotel to the train station, a long train ride and and then a taxi. I was expecting a...
7 tips to stay under the 7kg carry-on limit
The scenario: you’ve booked your trip. You’re already picturing yourself there. Exploring a new environment, trekking the new land, trying new foods. But then reality hits and you’ve got to get packing. The possibilities are virtually endless.7 continents on earth.7...
What is one-bagging and 5 reasons by you should do it
Have you ever heard the term “one-bagging” and wondered what it’s all about? Put simply: “one-bagging” is sort of considered the holy grail of minimalism. There’s minimalism, and then there’s one-bagging. It’s the concept of streamlining your life into a single bag....
What is a “Light Traveller”?
The minimalism movement has taken the world by storm. Some may think it’s about owning less than 50 items, having hardly any furniture in your home, and rotating between 2 sets of outfits... but we see it as a tool to assist you in finding freedom. Freedom from fear....