I recently stumbled across a strange website promulgating a cultish fascination with ... traveling light. This is a rather alien concept to me, as anyone who has travelled with me knows. Last winter's trip to Japan is a case in point, with not one but two backpacks filled with equipment.
However, it's a free country (well...) and so we should give equal time to all perspectives, including those of Creation Scientists and One Bag.com nutcases. Peruse his site, get brainwashed, and then come back to my equipment review page when you realize that this vision is simply impossible.
While I sympathize with the one bag idea, I cannot see how it is practical for many. I used to make birdwatching part of my trips, so I carried a tripod, birding telescope, 2 binoculars (I didn't travel alone). Birding handbooks (you don't always know the birds in places you travel to). A camera and 3 lenses. Optical equipment needs to be packed very carefully. The one bag idea just won't cut it.
If I were a pro-photographer one would probably add some kind of portable lighting setup. (If you look at photos of birds in bird handbooks many of them are done with flash.) One bag, no!