This was over a year ago, but it was a fun experiment to understand what I need for a week-long trip to the city without sacrificing much comfort. It ended up being a “zero bag” adventure—traveling without a traditional bag, though some folks consider a personal item like a purse, fanny pack, or sling as an allowance. With only jacket and pant pockets serving as my storage, I found myself relying heavily on the pockets of my clothing for everything from my phone to my wallet.

I recall the weather forecast ranged from 40-70F with slight chances of rain. What wasn’t predicted was the intense windchill and sideways rain for one of the days. Drive to and from the airport, flight, hotel stay, city transport, lots of walking. This was a family trip with my wife and kids. My wife Abby agreed to go along with the experiment as long as I helped with the kids’ luggage. With no luggage of my own, this was easy to accommodate.

  • Shoes
  • Rain jacket
  • Fleece full-zip hoodie
  • Hat
  • Sunglasses
  • Dress shirt (wool)
  • Tee (wool)
  • Running shorts
  • Underwear (synthetic)
  • Hanky
  • Socks (wool)
  • Pants
  • Watch
  • Wallet (cards, cash, id, beard comb)
  • Car key
  • Wired headphones
  • Toothpaste
  • Toothbrush
  • DIY Febreze
  • Crystal deodorant
  • Wall plug
  • Charging cord
  • Phone
  • Vitamins/allergy meds
  • Bracelet (my daughter made)

During the trip, the main question from others I got was surrounding my layering situation. I used Exofficio briefs, which I showered and dried regularly at the hotel. The hotel had liquid soap dispensers which made things easier. The running shorts were for sleeping. I wore the running shorts layered under my pants for the travel to and from, but removed them at the hotel and for outings while we were there. I didn’t find layering with shorts uncomfortable as the briefs were form-fitting. The running shorts were light and casual enough for a run down to the hotel coffee shop.

Post-trip thoughts

The weather was a major factor in how I managed my layers. On one particularly cold walk from our hotel to my aunt’s condo, I had to tighten my fleece hood and rain jacket hood down over my hat to stay warm. This was a reminder that even with a “zero bag” approach, I still needed to be prepared for unexpected conditions.

  • Everything was used. A packable puffy jacket might have served me better than the fleece jacket, dealing with the wide range of temps without the same amount of bulk.
  • I usually carry a collapsible water bottle and it was missed. Water fountains were plentiful in DC, so I managed fine without but it became a chore to seek out and secure water to stay hydrated. At one point I bought an 8 oz juice bottle at breakfast and reused that.
  • DIY Febreze, Crystal deodorant for the win!
  • My wife and kids bought souvenirs and didn’t want to carry them during the day. I didn’t have a day pack but I was carrying plastic or shopping bags pretty regularly.
  • The rain jacket was very helpful in the mornings but after the sun warmed things up, it became an inconvenience. Something I would have normally stuffed in my day pack and instead had to tie around my waist or shoulder.
  • I had a bloody nose which soiled my hanky one day. I had to supplement with paper napkins until I was able to wash it out.
  • Trying to charge and use my phone at the same time made the short cable a bit annoying. It did keep me from endless scrolling at night though as I wanted to make sure it was charged for the next day. It is functional though as it provides a lightning adapter for my iPhone SE and a micro USB for my watch.
  • I recently had dyed my wool tee black and one time when I was sweaty it bled to the pits of my dress shirt.
  • I had to wash my tee one night due to croissant flakes/grease and was able to just wear my dress shirt by itself one evening while the tee was drying.
  • In addition to a bag and a water bottle, a little bottle of hand sanitizer would have been nice for when we were away from public bathrooms and entrances.

Ultimately, this zero-bag experiment was a valuable learning experience that pushed me to think more creatively about what I actually need when traveling. While it’s true that travel gets a lot more comfortable beyond an overnight trip when you have some kind of bag, water bottle, and hand sanitizer, I found that the constraints of zero-bag travel actually made me more mindful of my packing choices and more resourceful in using what was available. I’ll definitely look for more opportunities to challenge myself like this, but I’ll also be more prepared with a few essential items that make travel more comfortable and less stressful.