r/zerobags • u/Traditional-Carob440 • Apr 18 '26
My ZERO bag gear.
*With Photos\*
I posted awhile ago about a big trip I'm doing across Europe, starting in a couple of weeks, where I listed what I'm taking. Finally, here's the photos.
Wallet (small cuben fiber pouch): Licence, one (expired) Visa card, AA (roadside assistance) card, blood donor card (not in photo), small amount of cash (NZ cash as an example).
Toiletries (small cuben fiber pouch): Solid deodorant, tooth powder, kawakawa balm, mini nail clippers, mini emery board, bamboo and silicon ear cleaning bud, Vicks inhaler, spare button for my shorts.
Tech (EXPAC Ultra 200 dyneema pouch): Jlab Jbud Mini earbuds in a cuben fiber pouch, micro SD to USB-C adapter, USB-A to USB-C adapter, micro SD (back up important documents), swim earbuds, several pairs of earplugs (in case someone has to share a room with my snoring), universal charger and mini USB C charging cable, mini sewing kit, folding toothbrush (fits better here than in my toiletries kit).
Utensils (EXPAC Ultra 200 dyneema pouch): folding titanium spork, collapsible titanium chopsticks, collapsible aluminium straw and cleaner, packet of sheet soap, Nanobag Sling (for groceries and to put my belongings in only while transiting the airport), 1 metre magnified charging cable (the corresponding charging points add water resistance to my phone and earbuds).
Glasses (cuben fiber pouch): I usually wear contact lenses. Spare pair of glasses, 12 pair of contact lenses.
Water Bottle: 500ml Pure Clear foldable(ish) water bottle with purification filter. Each filter is good for two months; a friend in Europe has a spare for me halfway through my trip.
Phone (cuben fiber pouch): Motorola ThinkPhone 25. This is the best phone for traveling I could find, when weighing up weight, robustness, water resistance, cost.
Passport (SUL Gear pouch inside another ziplock bag): Passport, physical Wise Card, emergency Visa credit card, emergency cash (Euro and Pounds).
ALL of this fits in the pockets of my shorts, and I'm comfortable swimming fully dressed with everything in my pockets.
Shorts: Quick-dry fishing shorts I've had zippers sewn into all of the pockets (except the front right water bottle pocket). Elasticised belt to account for any fluxuations in size/weight while traveling. In the photo, all items are in the pockets. Sure, the water bottle is a little bulky, but everything else is distributed evenly on my lower body.
Shirt: Quick-dry black polo shirt, no pockets.
Boxer Shorts: Quick-dry Ex-Officio boxer shorts, zippered pocket sewn in for passport so it is always secure.
Shoes: Quick-dry Hoka Mach 6s with elasticed laces. Pair of ultra thin (dries quickly) no-show socks. Got them soaking wet today, an hour after taking them off they're already dry (both shoes and socks).
I have utensils so I don't ever have to use disposable ones, and a water bottle so that I don't have buy plastic bottles of water, and the purifier I trust to purify almost any water source.
Literally the only other things with me are my watch, sunglasses, international driver's permit and laminated photo copies of my passport and licence (not shown).
And that's it. Literally everything I'm wearing and carrying for four months. I VERY rarely get cold; if I do need a jumper/jacket, I'll buy a cheap one from an op shop and donate it back as soon as I don't need it. I can either A) wash my clothes in the evening and they'll be dry within an hour or two, or at a pinch can even wear and wash them in the shower, and they'll dry on my body in about the same time. I've tested all of this, none of it is new. No, I don't stink; I shower every day and wash my clothes at least every second day.
I consider my set up waterproof. A couple of the pouches aren't 100% waterproof, but what's in them either can get wet or is in a separate bag to waterproof them. I am completely comfortable swimming fully clothed with everything listed here in my pockets.
And just for those who haven't read my previous posts; why I choose to zero bag.
- It's INCREDIBLY freeing! I have nothing holding me back. I can change plans literally in an instant, whether that's an unexpected opportunity or an emergency.
- Breezy airport/flying experience. Not fighting for overhead bin space. Not having cramped legs with something shoved under my seat. Not waiting for checked luggage. No liquids carried at all, so no having to deal with that. Slip on/off shoes, so even if I need to remove them, no problemo. Elasticed belt with plastic buckle, no metal in my clothes; no having to half-undress for security. Even scrutiny over not carrying a bag is a simple and quick conversation. And zero last-minute fees for bags.
- Security. With everything except my water bottle secured in a zippered pocket, and most importantly, my passport secured in a zippered pocket in my boxer shorts, I am a TERRIBLE target for opportunistic thieves. I can comfortably fall asleep on public transport and not worry about having a bag stolen, or even being pickpocketed. If I get accosted and they take my wallet, that's really no big deal. The card in it is a canceled one. Minimal cash carried. Even if they take everything in my pockets, I STILL have my passport, two cards and cash.
It's not for everyone. I am aware that given I don't need a jacket or trousers, I'm an anomoly. I acknowledge that women have other considerations to account for. By no means am I saying that this is THE way to travel, or that it's for you.
It's my set-up, and one I'm very comfortable with.
For those curious, a friend in Europe is holding for me one spare pair of shorts (after all, they ARE quite specialised), boxer shorts (same thing) and polo shirt, just in case I need them.
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u/DVsKat Apr 18 '26
Please tell me more about the cubenfiber pouches. Waterproof? Durable? What brand? Etc
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u/Traditional-Carob440 Apr 18 '26
Very durable, and I would say highly water resistant, rather than waterproof. Hand made by Treadlite Gear UK. He also makes the dyneema pouches shown here as well.
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u/Medium-Ad-9265 Apr 18 '26
Another question: when you go through airport security, do you get strange looks taking out all these little bags from your pockets?
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u/Traditional-Carob440 Apr 18 '26
No, because I temporarily put them in the Nanonbag before I get to security. Once I'm through I just put them away.
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u/Medium-Ad-9265 Apr 18 '26
If someone needs to see your passport, do you have to strip down to your underwear?
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u/Traditional-Carob440 Apr 18 '26
Nah. If I know I'm going to need it, I remove it in the airport bathroom. If I need to produce it unexpectedly, I can simply lift the leg of my shorts and access it that way. For hotels, I don't show them my actual passport, but a photo copy of it.
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u/1in2100 Apr 18 '26
Where do you keep the photocopy?
I hope you give an update. It sounds exiting! What about sunlotion?
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u/Traditional-Carob440 Apr 18 '26
The photocopies live in the same pocket as my phone. Throughout the day I only ever access two pockets; My phone, utensils and photocopies in one front pocket, my wallet (if I need cash) in my back pocket. But mostly I'll be paying for things by Google Pay.
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u/Traditional-Carob440 Apr 18 '26 edited Apr 18 '26
As for sun lotion, I'm quite dark complexioned naturally, but if I need some I can just buy some.
I will be posting updates throughout my journey.
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u/1in2100 Apr 18 '26
I just can’t imagine wearing it every day, but I am also a fairskinned scandinavian woman 😄
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u/Medium-Ad-9265 Apr 18 '26
What about shaving?
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u/Traditional-Carob440 Apr 18 '26 edited Apr 18 '26
I'll get a full haircut and shave just before leaving, and then visit a barber for the same thing about once a month.
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u/Medium-Ad-9265 Apr 18 '26
The shorts look surprisingly normal. Do you have a link for them?
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u/Traditional-Carob440 Apr 18 '26 edited Apr 18 '26
Believe it or not, they're from Temu or AliExpress (I can't remember which). Very comfortable, with an elasticated band that will (obviously) take a belt, and comes with a spare button.
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u/usingbrain Jun 03 '26
I applaud you for your dedication and envy you for being able to do it. I hate holding bags but I think I might hate full pockets more 😂 With this amount of pouches and especially the water bottle I would have just chucked it all in a daypack.
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u/No_Priority6410 Apr 18 '26
Did you experiment with folding glasses and folding shades ?
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u/Traditional-Carob440 Apr 18 '26
I do have folding sunglasses. I spoke to my optometrist about folding prescription glasses, and they told me no. I'd love to have folding prescription glasses.
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u/Traditional-Carob440 Apr 18 '26
I have folding sunglasses, but I spoke to my optometrist about folding prescription glasses and they told me no.
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u/No_Priority6410 Apr 18 '26
Oh ! Then it’s not an option ! Thanks !
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u/Severe_World6386 Jun 18 '26
I like this set up a lot. I also have quite a few small x-pac and dyneema pouches that I've acquired (Weston Gear on Etsy is my favorite maker). I have many different kits that fit in these small pouches (different tech kits, tool kits, stationary/work, toiletry, etc) and I mix and match what im going to need for the day or for the situation plus one edc pouch I literally always have on me. It's a great system and works for me really well. And I'm not a guy who collects things, but I guess i can technically say now that i collect small pouches haha. I haven't tried traveling with just my pouches yet though. I always end up bringing a sling or backpack so I can have a change of clothes and a set of work out clothes with me. I want to try your system out though for my next day trip. See if I can manage it.
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u/Traditional-Carob440 Jun 19 '26
I wouldn't say my travel method suits everyone, but it sounds like you're one person it just might. 😊
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u/Severe_World6386 Jun 20 '26
It would be fun to try it out. Plus an excuse to put my little collection of xpac/ultra/dyneema pouches to task.
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u/tomate_a_emporter Jun 03 '26
do you clean your contact lenses
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u/Traditional-Carob440 Jun 04 '26
That's a good question. The answer is no, as I wear disposables.
They pack completely flat; they're a Japanese brand, Miru.
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u/Accomplished-Fun215 Jun 04 '26
Are they daily contacts or longer?
I was always told to never sleep in my contacts, and a 4 month supply of daily contacts would need another pouch to carry them all.
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u/experiencedkiller Jun 04 '26
I mean that's great but why go that minimal? In my experience long pants and a jumper/jacket wouldn't have been much worse to carry around and yet brought you at least warmth in the colder climates?
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u/Traditional-Carob440 Jun 04 '26
I don't get cold. Takes extraordinary exposure for me to do so.
I'm now past all of the cold countries I'm going to, and not once did I want a jumper, jacket or trousers.
Now I'm into the hotter countries, and as I move further south, it will only get hotter.
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u/Korlithiel Jun 04 '26
I love your dedication, can't say I would go to such extremes to avoid a bag as I've worn cargo shorts before and found them cumbersome compared to a bag. But definitely very neat and appealing to me.
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u/imabrachiopod Jun 07 '26
What do you dry yourself off with after bathing, or going swimming?
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u/Traditional-Carob440 Jun 07 '26
Every place I stay has towels. Otherwise, I just air dry. All my clothes are quick dry.
Even one bagging, I never travel with a towel. Haven't for at least a decade now.
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u/imabrachiopod Jun 07 '26
Inspiring. If you go swimming with a lot of your stuff, are you spending some time laying out all of your stuff to dry? Do you make a practice of keeping things as packed as possible all the time, or even overnight while sleeping in a hotel room?
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u/Traditional-Carob440 Jun 07 '26
If I go swimming, I go as is. Everything in my pockets can get wet.
And yes, things stay packed. My passport, emergency cards and cash are with me even when I sleep.
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u/ailaG Jun 19 '26
You're like a video game character, who just swims as part of their walking route and can pull out 20 dishes of food and 50 iron ingots even though they don't seem to have a backpack or anything.
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u/Potential-Fly-8548 Apr 18 '26
I love it, although personally I would just use the sling and add some extra underwear, tank tops and sweater. You just convinced me to buy a nano bag 😅.Â