I traveled to Portland for three days using a four liter Uniqlo round mini shoulder bag. On top of that, I did it in the summer, when it is harder to zero bag. Everything turned out great!

Overview

I based my trip off of Rolf Potts “No Baggage Challenge”. Rolf traveled for six weeks using a Scott-E-Vest and cargo pants as his “no bags.” A regular Scott-E-Vest holds around five liters of items. Additionally, men’s cargo pants pockets can hold around two liters. This meant that Rolf had around seven liters of gear on his body. Women’s clothing have limited pockets. The volume of the Uniqlo bag is around four liters. I had an extra one and a half liters of room in my cargo pants pockets. This provided a total of five and a half liters of capacity compared to Rolf’s seven liters. Based on this, I decided that carrying a purse plus cargo pants qualifies for the female version of zero bagging.

I decided to add extra challenge to this trip besides the zero bag challenge:

• I would rely exclusively on public transit and tours from start to finish. I would not use ride-sharing unless it was an emergency.
• I would stay in a hostel with a shared toilet. This meant my laundry needed to be quick and easy. I would do my laundry in the shower each evening.
• I would continue combining city trips with day hiking. This meant that I needed clothes that worked in the city and on the trail.

Zero bagging is harder during the summer when you aren’t wearing a jacket. In cooler months you can use jacket pockets for storage too. In summer, everything has to be pushed into a purse or sling. I decided that if I do this under harsher constraints then I had figured out most of the technique.

Pre-Trip Preparation

Grooming

I need mascara because my lashes have blond tips. I scheduled a lash tint a few weeks before my travel. There was no need for mascara during the trip!

I didn’t need to wash my hair during the trip. I transferred a small bit of dry shampoo into a camping salt shaker to save space. The salt shaker is about 1/3 the size of the bottle for my Prête-a-Powder styling powder.

Documents

I didn’t do anything different with my document management. As usual, I uploaded PDF copies of all my documents to the cloud. I also stored them on my phone with the GoodReader app. I added all the trip details into TripIt for easy access while in transit. This meant my trip information was stored in two different places; the phone and the cloud. I carried a physical version of my RealID drivers license and my travel credit card. I also have virtual copies of these items on my phone. I have photos of all my insurance cards on both my phone and the cloud. Yes, I am a “belt plus suspenders” person when it comes to critical items! Murphy is still at work in this world.

Planning

Logistics in Transit

This was a domestic trip, so I used my RealID drivers license instead of my passport. I kept it in my snap phone wallet. The wallet only holds three cards, so only necessary cards made the cut. I slid a backup credit card and my Global Entry card into the side pocket of my purse.

I planned to put my phone in my bag and then throw it into the bin for TSA screening. I packed a Nanobag for any souvenirs when returning. If needed, I could place everything into the Nanobag for screening. This meant I only had to worry about one and only one thing in the chaos around TSA.

I added a virtual Hop card to my phone so I can use Portland’s mass transit. This was one less card that I needed to carry.

Sun Protection

I have a genetic predisposition to melanoma. As a survivor, I know that I need to keep my skin covered up. I had scheduled several hikes outside. The hikes meant I needed to bring something lightweight and long sleeved. I also use a large brimmed hat. Both of these items needed to be included when planning the capsule wardrobe.

Laundry

Laundry is a critical part of a trip using so little clothing. I slept in my silk tank top and did other laundry as needed. I used my body soap for cleaning. I carried one inflatable hanger to speed up drying time. Since laundry is needed so often, having quick dry clothing is absolutely critical. Merino clothing is also good for a zero bag trip, as it doesn’t need to be laundered as often.

Weight

My packed purse weighed in at 1.34 kg (3 lb). This is when I realized that I can easily make the 3 kg weight limit of the strictest airlines. While I may not take on a 3 kg challenge, it is good to know that I can. I should also note that the bag weight included my rain jacket. I can remove it if I needed to make my bag even lighter. Without the rain jacket, my bag weighed exactly 1.22 kg (2.7 lb). I could also move my liquids and electronics to my pockets to reduce weight even more.

Things I Learned

A Test Pack Is Critical

I needed to pack and repack my purse to understand what I did and didn’t need. I noticed which items were bulky and then sought to replace them with something smaller. I decanted many products down into contact lens cases. I also needed to find the best way to pack my purse. Packing the wrong way would waste precious space.

Packaging Matters.

This is one of the times when small snack bags are superior to the classic quart freezer bag. The thinner bags are more flexible than the thicker heavier freezer weight storage bags. Moreover, there is less excess packaging in the smaller bag, making it easier to stuff into tiny spaces.

Bulk Matters

For this trip I needed to focus on bulk more than weight. That said, reducing bulk also ended up reducing weight. One key to avoiding bulk is to avoid lumps. Folded items pack smaller than stuffing them. This was especially true of the rain coat, which needed a low profile. Bundle wrapping my tee, tank, underwear, and socks meant they packed flat in to the clothes pouch.

I went with a smaller single USB-C charger instead of my regular dual port one. All devices were USB-C, which meant I only needed one charge cord. It is easy to charge one item at a time when you only have a few electronics.

Clothing Weight Matters

I chose clothing that was very thin and light. The striped tee is thin linen. My tank is lightweight silk. The cargo pants were a thin poly blend. My scarf was thin silk. Most of the clothing was pull-on, with no zippers or closures. This made it thinner and more compact. I can pack everything into a very small pouch because of these features.

Tiny Specialized Items Help

As much as I use “normal” items in my regular travels, I needed to rely on some specialized items for this trip:

• A tiny deodorant capsule
• A special foldable hat
• A smaller 5000 mAh battery pack

Wardrobe Curation Matters

With a capsule this small, every single piece had to earn its place in the wardrobe. Absolutely everything needs to mix and match and work with all the other pieces. I spent several hours figuring out the best capsule. I actually enjoy doing this, so it is a win-win situation. Light packers know that doing the work ahead of time pays off during travel time!

Dual Use matters

One really needs to focus on dual use items when packing this small. These are items that can carry out more than one role:

• My Ecco Soft 7 shoes are good for light hiking but nice enough to wear out. There is no need to bring extra walking shoes
• My merino sweater was dressy enough to wear alone or as a warmth layer.
• My silk scarf worked as an accessory but also worked as a sleep mask and even a top.
• The wide flowing legs on the cargo pants made them look dressier and acceptable for upscale occasions. I also modded them for hiking.

I usually focus on nicer looking active clothing instead of regular athletic clothing. This meant I can join in athletic or dressy activities with the same clothing. It also means that the clothing is quick dry and easy to launder. This is a theme echoed through most of my capsule wardrobes.

Frustrations:

I needed hard cases for fragile items like retainers and sun glasses. One solution was to use clip on sun glasses that were smaller than regular sunglasses. They also came in their own smaller case. My retainer case was already as flat as it can get. Sometimes you have to accept extra bulk with medical items.

My Capsule

My Portland capsule consisted of:

• Uniqlo navy merino cardigan (worn)
• Uniqlo olive round shoulder bag (worn)
• Sierra Designs sky blue rain jacket
• Quince white linen long sleeved shirt (worn)
• Silk scarf of many colors (worn – tied to purse)
• Charter Club navy stripe linen tee (thrifted)
• Athleta navy Brooklyn cargo pants pants (worn)
• FoldableHats.com navy sun hat
• Ecco Soft 7 sneakers (worn)
• Target white stone and gold bracelets
• Target nickel free set of earring hoops
• Apple watch
• Target nickel free necklace
• Quince washable silk tank (sleeping)
• 32 Degrees briefs (x2) (wear one)
• Paplus compression running socks (x2) (wear one)
• Title Nine Cuz She Says So work to workout bra (worn)

What I packed

Liquids in snack baggie

• Contact lens case of moisturizer/foundation
• Deodorant paste
• Contact lens case of blush/concealer
• Packet of hydrocortisone cream

I ordered deodorant paste minis from off the internet. Unfortunately, the smell was so strong I couldn’t handle it. I scraped the paste off of the applicator. I then shaped and added some paste from my Native deodorant. The paste was soft at first, but later hardened into its normal state. I had a deodorant that I knew would work for me. TSA still considers paste to be a liquid as technically you can spread it. It is definitely softer than solid sunscreen.

Personal care in a snack baggie

• Ultralight shower cap
• 1 packet of acetaminophen
• 2 Hydroseal bandaids
• Lip Sunscreen
• 4 Pepto Bismol tablets
• Prêt-a-powder dry shampoo in a camping salt shaker
• 2 Benadryl blister packs
• Personal medication (calcium & allergy)
• Folding toothbrush

I recently watched a video from Maggi Fuchs. it showed how she stored her tooth tabs and dental floss in her folding toothbrush. I found there was room in my toothbrush for five tooth tabs and two threads of floss. It was perfect for a three day trip! I stored the floss near the hinge in the toothbrush. It was thin enough that it didn’t affect how the toothbrush closed. Bonus – everything was protected when the toothbrush was in the closed position. By the way, Maggi is a great light traveler and you probably would enjoy her work. Our travel styles are very similar. Check out her channel!

I decanted the Prêt-a-Powder dry shampoo into a mini camping salt shaker. The dry shampoo comes in a tiny bottle, but the salt shaker is about one third the size!

Grooming Care in a snack baggie

• Eye shadow pencil
• Lip pencil
• Eyeliner pencil

Wash care

• Ethique face soap
• Dr. Bronners tea tree soap bar
• Korean towel cut in half

Both soaps were cut into mini size for easier packing.

I have allergies so I always bring my toiletries. I kept my soaps wrapped up in 1/2 of a Korean towel. The loose airy threads of the towel allowed the soaps to dry out when wet. I think I like this storage solution better than my sisal soap bags!

Tech in a snack baggie

• Nitecore NB Air 5000 mAh power bank
• Anker USB-C plug
• Ruxely magnetic Apple watch charger
• USB-C cord
• Croakies eyeglass retainer

I used a longer USB-C cord as part of my kit. Hostels and Hotels are notorious for placing electrical plugs in hard to reach places. I never plug my devices directly into unknown USB ports. There is too much of a security risk.

How I packed it

I made sure that my rain jacket packed flat into its own pocket. This ensured that I can tuck it into the side of my purse as needed.

I used bundle wrapping to store my socks, sleeping tank, and underwear inside of my tee shirt. This slid into a small zippered pouch.

Below is a photo of everything I took in my purse.

• Top row: Rain jacket, clothing pouch, foldable sun hat.
• Second row: Clip on sunglasses, inflatable hanger, soap in Korean towel, two N-95 masks for the plane.
• Third row: Jabra earbuds, retainers case with retainers, sunscreen stick, hairbrush, tech bag, Nanobag.
• Bottom row: makeup bag, liquids bag, grooming bag.

I placed the makeup bag and grooming bag on the bottom of the Uniqlo bag to form a base. I then added the raincoat and clothing bags. After that I slid the foldable hat and N-95 masks into the side of the bag. I put the liquids bag in the internal side pocket so it is easily accessed. I then put the fragile glasses case between the raincoat and clothing. I also placed the retainer case there to prevent it from getting squished. After that I tucked the remaining items into the two ends of the purse. My scarf was tied in a square knot around the purse strap. There actually was room in my purse for the scarf if I chose to put it there.

I closed my purse normally, which was a huge surprise. There was barely any room left. I expected that larger souvenirs would have to go into the cargo pockets of my pants.

The Execution

Wow, it was freeing. I was concerned that the heavier than normal purse would put too much pressure on my shoulder. Then I remembered that I had several ways to carry the bag. I found that if I shortened the strap I can wear the bag as a waist bag or bandoleer style. I can also wear it as a backpack. Additionally, the shoulder holes in my Nanobag are large enough to wear that as a backpack if needed. I could toss everything into the Nanobag and carry it that way. That left me with five different ways to carry my stuff. Most of the time I just wore the purse as a cross body bag.

I spent my arrival day doing basic tourism. I had a tour at the BibleProject and from there took transit to the Oregon Historical Society Museum. I checked into the Northwest Portland Hostel at 5 PM. I wet down my packed linen tee and my packed silk scarf. I hung the tee up to dry on my inflatable hanger. This ensured I would have no wrinkles in my shirt for the next day. From there I headed off to the International Rose Test Garden.

That evening I came back and washed my linen shirt. My tee had already dried, so I replaced it with my shirt on the inflatable hanger. I slept in my silk tank top. I easily pulled on my pants for midnight bathroom trips.

I wore my linen tee and pants for my Columbia Gorge tour the next day. I packed my merino sweater, rain jacket, foldable hat, and a water in my purse. It worked well for hiking. Sadly, the Multnomah County SAR was doing a body recovery at Multnomah Falls. This is a reminder that yes, you really do need decent gear even for light hikes! And if you get lost, stay put!

We safely returned to Portland that afternoon. In the evening I visited some of Portland’s food carts. After that I had to visit Powell’s City of Books. It is a good thing I was zero bagging. Otherwise I would have spent too much money on books!

The last day I packed everything up into my purse. I went on a guided food tour before heading back to the airport.

What I Missed

Nothing, really. It worked out great!

Things that worked well

The virtual Hopper card was great! It’s an easy way to travel around Portland.

I only needed a single plug and USB-C cable for everything. The key is to take a small number of electronics. In this case I had my phone, my watch, my earbuds, and my battery.

I am happy that I brought a small packable rain jacket. It rained on the side of Mt. Hood.

Annoyances

I didn’t bring a toiletry kit. This meant that I had to take several items into the bath instead of one single item. I was nervous that I would drop or lose something. I found that putting everything in my shower cap kept me organized.

The thinner plastic of the snack bags was a problem. My electronics bag developed holes within the second day of the trip. I think I need a small thin electronics bag made out of Tyvek or similar material.

Portland was fairly warm, especially on the first day. I had to remove my merino sweater and I had no place for it in my bag. I had to tie the sweater around my waist. I didn’t think to move things in my purse into my cargo pants. Whoops. The long sleeve linen shirt was hot. I wish I had brought two linen tees instead of a tee and long sleeve shirt.

The long sleeve linen shirt was bulky, which meant that I was forced to wear it on travel days. This is the down side of “wear bulky items on the plane.” Also, the white linen shirt was overdressed for Portland aesthetic. Portland is a tee shirt and shorts town.

I didn’t need or use my makeup.

I didn’t particularly like the taste of my brand of tooth tabs. I will look around for a different brand that I like better.

The Specialized Items Experiments

My foldable hat was a goofy looking but protected me from the sun when I was on Mt Hood. I am glad I brought it.

My repurposed deodorant worked excellently. I will definitely keep using it for short trips.

Using the Korean towel for storage of my soaps worked very well! Rolling the wet Korean towel up in a bath towel meant it was almost instantly dry. That meant I could quickly roll up the damp soap inside of it for storage. The soap still dries out!

The small 5000 mAh battery was more than enough for my needs.

The drawstrings on my wide leg pants worked very well for hiking. I could cinch in the legs so I didn’t catch the pants material on anything.

The Return

I managed to get souvenir jam and a Christmas ornament into my purse. I didn’t need the Nanobag at all. The only things in my pockets were my phone and my electronics bag.

Conclusion

I only used my four liter purse for travel. I didn’t need to use the cargo pockets or the Nanobag for overflow. This was a surprise to me, as I actually expected some overflow during the trip. With that said, a four liter bag is fairly small.

Sometimes it is good to take a low stakes extreme trip. It helps you to discover what you really do or don’t need for travel. The knowledge gained helps you if you ever have a weight or bulk limited trip in the future. You will know the difference between what is truly needed Vs what is wanted.