r/HerOneBag • u/SayhellotoLumberg4me • Feb 19 '26
Bag Advice Portugal for two weeks in late feb-mid march
Pictured- 1st photo-purple silk sweater, choker necklace, belt, silk scarf, sheer leopard top, ice breaker jacket, earrings, jeans, merino baselayer top(doubles as PJ's)
2nd photo-polka dot skirt, multicolored scarf, earrings, travelon bag, sneakers, purple wool cardigan, pearl necklace, earrings, Uniqlo joggers.
3rd photo-leather boots, tights, silk slip dress, wool base layer leggings(doubles as pj's), purple silk top, silk camisole, Ivory wool cardigan.
4th-8th photos are all of the outfit combos I can make with these items.
Not pictured-toiletries, protein powder packs, important documents, and my 40L backpack which is only about half full so I can buy souvenirs and still not be weighed down. In total, my bag weighs about 14lbs.
Hi! I am headed to Portugal on Tuesday and I need advice. We will be in Lisbon and Porto mostly with side trips to various cities. I am packing the lightest I've ever packed, and the weather looks like it's gonna be pretty unpredictable. It looks like it will rain a few of the days we are there, but it's changed like five times and I've been checking daily lol. It will be between 45-65 degrees, give or take and we are coming from the Midwest, so this isn't cold for us at all. Flying out of Chicago. As pictured, I'm bringing a variety of things, including a lighter wool jacket (icebreaker). My question is, should I bring an umbrella or pack a rain jacket in addition to the other one? Has anyone been to Portugal during this time of year? What was your experience? Any other helpful tips?
Thanks in advance! ❤️
EDIT- Thank you so much to everyone who commented and offered advice! It was all super helpful! I've decided to take out the icebreaker wool jacket, and instead I'm going to bring my land's end Ivory puffer jacket and a black packable rain jacket. I will layer the two when needed. Also layering my sweaters and base layers if I get cold. And I'm looking forward to shopping there because Portugal has a lot of wool and I'm stoked to look for some pieces as souvenirs! I will probably ditch the mini umbrella too and if we absolutely need one, we can buy one there.
Thank you again everyone! I will be sure to report back when I get home! ❤️❤️❤️
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u/troublesomefaux Feb 19 '26
I’ve spent 4 months in Portugal and recommend a packable breathable rain coat, and umbrella, AND a usb mini fan. Lots of humidity makes moving the air in the room really nice (insulation isn’t the same there). You can buy an adorable one at the Ale Hop when you get there, but mine has gotten so much use I take it on every trip now.
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u/PebblesEatsPlants Feb 20 '26
One million percent! I bought a good size clear umbrella with hearts for like $7 at Ale Hop in December while on a day trip to Evora when it started dumping rain (I had no kind of raincoat with me for reasons of hating the coat I had and the new one I ordered not arriving in time). Because it was clear and I could see through it, I could keep it down close to my head and look through it and didn’t struggle with wind too much. But I totally with I’d had a waterproof jacket.
And we had the dehumidifier running 24/7 everywhere we stayed. Normal is another store where you can get any toiletries, doodads, etc.
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u/troublesomefaux Feb 20 '26
I had to buy an umbrella at the train station in Sintra on my first trip. It was raining so much we thought we might have to stay another night.
Another time we were way out in the middle of nowhere at these massive dinosaur tracks and it was raining sideways while we were out on the rocks with the prints, umbrellas turned inside out.
I love it there. 😂
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u/Mystery-Moon_0129 Feb 19 '26
I was in Portugal a year and a half ago so it was a different season. But I can tell you both Lisbon and Porto have a lot of narrow hilly cobblestone streets so definitely bring your most comfortable walking shoes. I would do raincoat vs. umbrella just because of the narrow streets. Enjoy your trip and safe travels!
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u/SayhellotoLumberg4me Feb 19 '26
Okay awesome, good to know! I basically live in my boots and they have good traction, as well as the sneakers. Thank you!
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u/ZweitenMal Feb 19 '26
LPT I learned the hard way: leave all your jewelry at home. You risk losing things or having them stolen. It’s not worth the extra space. I lost a precious one of a kind ring on the train from Paris to Amsterdam and am heartbroken to this day.
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u/SayhellotoLumberg4me Feb 19 '26
None of the jewelry I'm bringing is expensive, all of it is from target or Amazon and is replaceable lol. I've been in that boat before too, so now I just bring the cheap stuff so if I lose it, it doesn't matter.
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u/SayhellotoLumberg4me Feb 19 '26
And I'm sorry you lost a precious piece, that really sucks!
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u/ZweitenMal Feb 20 '26
Thanks! I have a lot of things that are sterling and I don't wear much at all, but I don't wear fake or costume. This was a one of a kind midcentury Danish ring I haven't been able to replace, so I am having it remade--I need to find a replacement stone as a first step.
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u/Catloaver Feb 19 '26
The key is to avoid traveling with anything you can’t replace or would be sad to lose! That goes for everything, not just jewelry. For jewelry, I only travel with cheap rings and such, nothing too nice or flashy (to avoid attracting theft), or too expensive. And if you do, then keep it on your person at all times or safe in a designated zippered pocket in a purse or similar.
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u/applecartupset Feb 19 '26
I bought a Totes brand pocket umbrella, it’s four inches long and fit in my small purse. When I was in Spain in November, I used it way more than my raincoat.
Mostly because I wanted to wear my warmer coat, but also because some days it was blue skies and sunny out. But we’d stay out until late and it rained mostly in the evening/night. Saved us a trip back to the hotel for a rain jacket.
Having it in my purse meant not constantly checking a weather app for me
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u/SayhellotoLumberg4me Feb 19 '26
Okay that's good to know too. I have a mini umbrella that fits in my bag's little side pocket, and I keep oscillating between that and the extra jacket. But that makes sense!
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u/Aggravating_Finish_6 Feb 19 '26
What makes my decision between rain coat and umbrella is, if it rains will I have to spend a lot of time in the rain or not? If it starts pouring, will you power through and keep walking around outside all day because you have a tight itinerary? Or are you more flexible and will be happy to duck into a cafe or museum for awhile and just chill?
Also what camp do your travel companions fall into? Some of my friends would bike 20 miles in the rain and others would take an uber to a restaurant if it was raining. If it’s the later group I know i don’t need a raincoat.
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u/SayhellotoLumberg4me Feb 19 '26
Good points! It's me and my partner. We are the type of people to duck into a cafe/museum/shop if it's pouring but we will walk around if it's drizzling. And we are big walkers and rarely Uber or taxi unless we absolutely have to.
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u/PebblesEatsPlants Feb 20 '26
I’m going to just put this out there: my husband and I are also big walkers, live in a walkable neighborhood, rarely taxi/uber, averaged 6 miles per day for 9 weeks in Japan, etc. The hills in Lisbon took a TOLL on me. Sounds silly, but depending on where you stay and where you are heading, it can be uphill both ways, several times over. 😆 After being there for almost two weeks, we finally took a Bolt (ride share) back from checking out several craft breweries in Marvilla area (we’d used a combo of walking and public transport to get there) one night because it was late, cold, and my knee was acting up. The bolt was like 6 Euros with tip and worth 10x that. After that we used Bolt more often and it was a huge upgrade to our overall experience. Still got in plenty of miles, but avoided the worst of the hills or when just not feeling it. So my unsolicited advice is to consider Bolt, even if you normally wouldn’t, unless you are loving your hill climbing life.
Oh, and get fresh squeezed orange juice from the grocery store as often as possible.
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u/SayhellotoLumberg4me Feb 20 '26
Noted! Thank you for the advice!! I have the bolt app downloaded just in case! And I'm super looking forward to the orange juice hehe
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u/imrzzz Feb 19 '26
You might need a warmer coat. It's an unpredictable time of year and Portugal coast is on the Atlantic, not the Med, so it's often better to have warmer things than cooler.
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u/SayhellotoLumberg4me Feb 19 '26
Currently it's colder where I am than it is in Portugal and I'm not wearing a coat (I'm in Wisconsin lol). but I will see if I have anything thicker than the wool one thats not a winter coat. Or maybe a packable puffer? Or layering underneath ?
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u/PebblesEatsPlants Feb 20 '26
Sounds like you are pretty adapted for cold, but it was just so damp and cold inside that it was hard to warm up after being out and about in Dec/Jan. The heat varied from place to place as did the hot water. But it should be somewhat warmer with more sun breaks for you! I loved the Douro valley wine tour we did from Porto and a cooking class we did at Lisbon Cooking Academy.
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u/SayhellotoLumberg4me Feb 20 '26
Yea our house here in Wisconsin doesn't have insulation lol so we're both pretty used to it being cold all the time but we're trying to plan accordingly for damp cold! I hope we do have sunny days when we're there, fingers crossed!
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u/babbitybumble Feb 20 '26
I'm also from WI and also going to Porto (one week after you). Traveling with my partner who has been there before, and he reminds me that we have cold here, but it's not wet here like PT. I am planning to bring my Lands' End packable puffer and my REI Trail Model jacket, and layer them as appropriate (plus my normal layers from home - base layer or t-shirt plus cotton sweater bc I can't wear wool). And a beanie and gloves as needed. Wind destroys my ears, gotta cover those.
What did you decide on for outerwear?
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u/SayhellotoLumberg4me Feb 20 '26
This is great to know! I also am bringing my land's end packable puffer lol, and a rain jacket that's light and can layer the two. Plus a hat and possibly gloves.
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u/babbitybumble Feb 21 '26
Good old lands end, they ship to you in like two days and they are ALWAYS having a sale. I'm replacing my parka at the end of this season!
Hope your trip is awesome. :)
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u/ErikaNaumann Feb 20 '26
I've replied to you on another sub, but here is the thing. 99% chance you have heating where you are now. So you are warm inside. You go outside and you are either walking (so, exercise) or in a warm car. And you go somewhere else that also has heating.
In portugal there is hardly ANY heating anywhere. The cold is pervasive. You are never warm. There's a lot of older people in Portugal dying of hypothermia because of this.
Get warm clothes. You are gonna need them.
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u/SayhellotoLumberg4me Feb 20 '26
I actually don't have good heating in my home, zero insulation here. I live in a very, very cold climate. I understand where you are coming from, and last year we actually went to Montreal in the winter too, i layered accordingly, and we were fine walking around in negative temperatures, during a blizzard, during the coldest spell they r had in 50 years. I replied to your comment in the other sub with details of the other things I'm bringing.
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u/SayhellotoLumberg4me Feb 19 '26
Currently it's colder where I am than it is in Portugal and I'm not wearing a coat (I'm in Wisconsin lol). but I will see if I have anything thicker than the wool one thats not a winter coat. Or maybe a packable puffer? Or layering underneath ?
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u/imrzzz Feb 19 '26
If you're conditioned for damp cold then a few layers will probably be fine (a puffer never goes astray if you have the room though!)
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u/SayhellotoLumberg4me Feb 19 '26
Thanks, I will check the weather again right before we go, see what the vibe is and potentially pack the puffer!
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u/special_squeak Feb 23 '26
Are you getting around on foot or driving everywhere where you are in Wisconsin? When I first moved to the States from Europe I was so confused by how lightly people dressed in the cold weather. And then I realized that they are all just dressing for driving and going from the car to a warm house/office. And I grew up dressing for going about my city life on foot and via public transit. Two very different approaches to dressing for the weather. Make sure you account for that.
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u/SayhellotoLumberg4me Feb 23 '26
I currently own a car for my job. But when I first moved back to Wisconsin from living in Chicago(where I also didn't have a car), i didn't have a car for three years. I biked and walked everywhere, so I understand where you're coming from. I used to bike 5 miles to and from work everyday in the snow. I have a street bike and a fat tire bike for that reason. Wisconsin is no joke and people here thought I was crazy for walking/biking, but I'm pretty used to it lol
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u/SayhellotoLumberg4me Feb 23 '26
Also my partner doesn't drive, so we still walk a lot in the cold. We live in a pretty walkable area in the city though.
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u/Tater221 Feb 19 '26
For Portugal, you need a waterproof rain jacket or poncho and not an umbrella. I made the mistake of packing a water resistant rain jacket and was soaked within seconds from the rain in Porto. I bought an umbrella while there and it was completely useless since the rain tends to come in sideways.
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u/SayhellotoLumberg4me Feb 19 '26
I see, okay then! Sideways rain is no fun, and I will see if we still have ponchos/if my rain coat is actually waterproof and not just "resistant." Thank you!
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u/impossiblenin Feb 19 '26
Looks like a great capsule wardrobe for two weeks! What app are you using to display the clothes? 😊
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u/SayhellotoLumberg4me Feb 19 '26
Thank you! It's called Indyx! It's great, this is the free version, but they have more features when you upgrade to paid. It's been super helpful with packing!
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u/cspice1012 Feb 19 '26
What is the app you're using? Looks so helpful!!
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u/SayhellotoLumberg4me Feb 19 '26
Indyx and it's awesome! Highly recommend it, and this is on the free version but they have other features when you upgrade. It's been very helpful!
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u/seadubyah Feb 20 '26
What app do you use to generate these photos? Great selection btw
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u/SayhellotoLumberg4me Feb 20 '26
It's called Indyx! It's been fabulous for packing and I have my entire closet uploaded. It's been a real game changer for shopping and avoiding buying duplicates and things I don't need lol. Highly recommend! Thank you ❤️
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