> I tend to think of packing as a dirtbag thing
You think it's dirty to pack things for a trip?
You think it's dirty to pack things for a trip?
It leads to a different aesthetic and priorities than the (coming later) techno-nomad movement. Notably, it doesn't kinda-imply that you also have a good-playing remote job, which changes a lot of the calculations... and the aesthetic leans closer to the kind that gets you kicked out of coffee shops if you linger. It also, of course, is focused on spending a lot of time outdoors and engaging in a fairly dangerous activity.
https://www.desktodirtbag.com/dirtbag-meaning/ or https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=dirtbag
Dirtbagging doesn't necessarily entail living outside. Could bum a room for a while. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirtbag_climbing for context.
To clarify: I tend to think of living out of a 40L pack as a dirtbag thing rather than a nomad thing... most of the nomads I know just use hard shell luggage, including me when I hotel hop (I've had nice expensive backpacks destroyed by bag handlers, so hard rollers are better). OP mentions that thy don't have to check their 40L bag; I've always ended up with mine checked but I guess splitting the load into a second personal item could make that less likely.
The focus on "packing" there is on weight/volume minimization - for example backpackers have been known to shave down the handle of their toothbrush to save a few grams. That sort of thing.
Since that stuff sack contains other things of approximately that length or shorter (in my case, stuff like: nail clippers, travel sized toothpaste, floss, extra lighter, a pair of corded earplugs, headlamp, possibly a spoon [0]) it gets awkward to have one pokey-outy thing when you're shoving it in amongst the other gear in your pack.
[0] Yeah, yeah, I know: there's earwax on my spoon and toothbrush. That's never felt that important five days removed from a shower :-)