I started [one-off] as a surfer, skater, and weekend adventurer trying to live big in a tiny Venice Beach bungalow.

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If you’ve ever lived by the beach (or in any tiny apartment), you know the deal: the closer you are to the ocean, the less closet space you get. After a string of road trips and surf sessions, I was literally tripping over empty luggage. My hard-shell suitcase did its job on the road, but at home it just sat there. a huge plastic brick collecting dust. One night, squeezing a giant board bag and a suitcase into a closet that was already full, I caught myself thinking: there has to be a better way to travel than this.

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A few days later, the answer showed up at sunset on Venice Beach.

A friend paddled in on an inflatable SUP. solid and rigid on the water, then rolled it up into a backpack as we walked off the sand. That was the flip: what if luggage worked like that? What if your bag could be rigid and protective while you travel, then disappear when you’re home? I Ran Home, found a piece of Paper, and sketched the first rough idea for [one-off]. a bag that’s there when you need it and gone when you don’t.

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From there, it was a lot of trial, error, and funny looks as I pumped up suitcases on the beach. With help from an industrial designer friend and honest feedback from local surfers and travelers, the sketches turned into real prototypes. We experimented with different fabrics, valves, and airframes until we landed on a design that felt right: a durable internal airframe that inflates into a hard, protective shell and deflates completely flat.

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We’ve taken early one-off bags on:
   •    Weekend escapes and red-eye flights
   •    Surf trips up the California coast
   •    Music festivals and road trips
   •    Everyday LA commutes

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They’ve been dragged, dropped, stuffed, sat on, and squeezed into trunks and overhead bins, and they’ve handled it all with style.

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[one-off] is the result of that Venice Beach lifestyle: live large, pack small. It’s for anyone who wants real adventure gear that works hard on the road and disappears when the trip is over.