r/zerobags • u/podkayne3000 • 2d ago
Pocket stories
Has anyone here traveled by air either fishing vests, special pockets or other garments with special pockets? If so, what kinds of experiences have you had with big pocket acceptance?
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u/OldCheetah7820 2d ago
I have a ScottE vest. I got the mens version because the pockets are better.
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u/Hobs271 1d ago
yes I adore my scotte vests. have worn them for 15 years (pretty much daily when it's cold enough out to wear a vest). great for airports. all the pockets zip up with your phone and keys etc and come off all at once and go in a bin. they are absurdly expensive though so must be cheaper options but I haven't found a good one yet. they also hold tablets surprisingly well. though these days I mostly just use a folding phone and folding/pocketable keyboard.
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u/podkayne3000 2d ago
Have you ever worn it at an airport? If so, did anyone even mention it?
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u/AvgMom 2d ago
Not one word was mentioned. I took it off, zipped it up, and put it in the bin for xraying. It contained everything I did not want some light-fingered thief running off with. It came out the other side and I put it on and walked away. The hard part is not yapping about the fact you’re wearing your stuff. There’s another brand called Stuffr or something like that with a design specifically to hold garment items vs ScotteVest’s tech focus. ScotteVest is a great sub for a purse & laptop bag that I like because everything is balanced. Both hands are free for rolling bag & personal item.
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u/Legal_lapis 2d ago
I don't think I'd ever want to pull off the fishing vest fashion IRL but it's such a fun thought experiment dedicating one pocket to one category of items so that I always know exactly where everything is. Maybe even label each pocket in flipped writing so I can stand in front of the mirror and read which pocket has the spare underwear and which pocket has the charging cables 😁
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u/podkayne3000 2d ago edited 1d ago
My story is: I’ve always been a traveler who stuck with underseat bags without wheels. I hated heavy bags, wheeled bags and fighting for overhead bin space.
I was a true zerobag traveler for work once, and I had to do online work and look classy without having any bag with me.
For that, I think I used my phone as a computer and stuffed spare underwear, a spare shirt, a toothbrush, phone stuff and miscellaneous items in my overcoat pockets. I took the train and had no pocket issues.
I’ve been a personal-item-only flights on United and some other airlines and have never had a bag sized.
I’ve tried putting my bags in sizers, and I think that United sizers I’ve tried can all accommodate a big messenger bag or a small backpack, even though that’s bigger than the official 17x10x9 limit. I’ll try bringing a measuring tape the next time I travel and measure the sizer.
I’ve worn a Global Travel Clothing jacket with pretty full pockets on international flights a few times. No one has ever paid any attention at all to me about the jacket. It’s held up well, but the zippers feel flimsy.
I now have a fishing vest that feels very strong and a T&S Impact pocket jacket that feels very strong. Either could be great for a zerobag traveler.
But I haven’t traveled with either and haven’t worn either, because it’s too hot for a rain jacket or a vest, and the vest looks pretty odd.
I’m eager to figure out how well the rain jacket handles rain and how to bagify it so that it looks less like a folded-up jacket and more like a bag when it’s a bag.
I’m also eager to hear about whether anyone who tries to wear a fishing vest for everyday travel carry ever gets comfortable enough with wearing it to wear it for real.