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My third zero-bag trip in about a month took me to Spokane, Washington, for a graduation ceremony. The freedom I’ve experienced from not having anything hanging off my body—no bags, slings, or waist packs—has been liberating. These trips have really underscored how much easier it is to move around when you’re not lugging extra weight.

It reminds me of video games, where your character acts like a pack mule—able to carry an arsenal of weapons, armor, quest items, and accessories without breaking a sweat. Even games with encumbrance mechanics like Fallout aren’t very realistic; you can haul hundreds of pounds of gear with minimal penalties. In real life, strap on a loaded backpack or sling bag and your shoulders and back will be aching after just a few hours of walking.

When you strip things down to the essentials—just the clothes on your back and the must-haves in your pockets—you can travel for hours without getting tired or sweaty. These past few trips have been revelatory for me, and I am reminiscing about past trips and how things would have been different had I been more Jack Reacher than Vault Dweller.

Packing List and Weights

For this trip, I made a few adjustments compared to my Deep Dish Swift outing. I left behind the iPad mini, Apple Pencil, and Anker MagGo. Below is a table listing everything I brought, along with their weights in ounces.

Item	Weight
Belt	4.1 oz
2 x Bombas Socks	3.4 oz
Ex-Officio Underwear	2.0 oz
Wool and Prince V-Neck Tee Shirt	5.1 oz
Wool and Prince Button Down Shirt	7.4 oz
Running shorts	3.5 oz
Black Bluffworks Ascender Chinos	12.3 oz
Uniqlo Utility Short Blouson Jacket	22.4 oz
Saucony Cohesion 15 Shoes	19 oz
Hairbrush	1.1 oz
Disposable Razor	0.2 oz
Toothpaste	0.6 oz
Toothbrush	0.6 oz
Dental Tape	n/a
Nylon toiletries bag	0.1 oz
Vapor collapsible water bottle	1.4 oz
ESR MagSafe Wallet	2.6 oz
iPhone 15 Pro Max	7.8 oz
AirPods Pro	2.1 oz
Apple Watch Ultra with Sport Band	3.1 oz
Anker Prime 67W Charger	5.0 oz
1 meter braided USB-C cable	0.7 oz
1 meter USB-A Apple Watch charging cable	1.2 oz
Total Weight	115.6 oz / 3.28 kg / 7.225 lbs

All in, my total carry weight came to just 115.6 ounces—just over 7 pounds or 3.28 kilograms. That includes clothing, tech, grooming essentials, and even a water bottle. Every piece served a purpose, with no redundancies or “just in case” gear. I’ll repeat it again as I have in my previous posts, packing this light not only made the physical load easier to carry (or rather, wear), but also made moving through airports, walking around town, and living out of my pockets feel effortless.

Finding Jack Reacher at Goodwill

After landing at GEG, we picked up our rental car and stopped by the Goodwill Outlet right near the airport. Jack Reacher—literary zero-bagger and modern-day knight errant—is known for picking up clothes at thrift stores when he arrives in a new town. Fittingly, I found a DVD copy of the first Jack Reacher movie with Tom Cruise atop one of the bins.

Fortunately, I didn’t need to buy anything. The clothing selection was a bit sparse in Spokane; the Seattle Goodwill Outlet still holds the title for best treasure hunting. If you’re ever in the area, it’s worth a visit.

Running, Heat, and Rain

The weather in Spokane was more varied than my previous trips to Las Vegas and Chicago. On Friday, we drove out to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. I left the Wool & Prince button-down at the Airbnb and just wore the v-neck tee. While the shirt is technically a size small, the v-neck is very deep—so much so that when I zipped up the jacket, it looked like I wasn’t wearing anything underneath. Not the best look, but this trip was about practicality, not fashion. Wool & Prince has since updated the cut, but I’ll likely go with a crew neck next time.

I used the v-neck for my morning runs. It got sweaty, of course, but that’s the beauty of wool: it resists odors and dries quickly. Within 30 minutes, it was dry and wearable again. If you’ve never tried a wool t-shirt, I highly recommend it. I’ve been curious about bamboo and hemp alternatives that keep popping up in my ads—if you’ve tried any, let me know in the comments!

On Sunday, we got some light rain, but the graduation ceremony was indoors. The outdoor reception had a bit of drizzle, and my Uniqlo jacket held up fine. If heavier rain had been forecast, I might have brought the Western Rise Meta Shell instead. It packs down into a sling, though the jacket’s bulk means you can’t fit much else in there.

Chargers and Cables

I had everything I needed to charge my iPhone, AirPods Pro, and Apple Watch—but my relatives had forgotten their power bricks. Worse, their devices used Lightning, and their cables were all USB-A. For the first night, charging was a bit of a puzzle: my Anker Prime 67W charger only has one USB-A port and two USB-C ports. I should’ve packed the USB-C Apple Watch cable instead of the USB-A one.

Thankfully, more family arrived the next day and brought reinforcements: a power strip with USB-A ports and extra chargers. Everyone’s iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches were soon back to 100%.

Battery life really took a hit from using GPS, snapping photos, and shooting videos all day. On Sunday, my iPhone 15 Pro Max dipped into the red, and I had to borrow a power bank to recharge it to 40%. I had left my Anker Prime charger at the Airbnb, and in hindsight, I should’ve brought it—or at least packed a USB-A to USB-C cable for use in the rental car.

I suppose if I brought the MagGo with me and an additional USB-C cable, I could have charged my iPhone and Apple Watch, along with powering the MagGo top off a family member’s phone and watch. I’m not sure, however, if the MagGo would have sufficient power if all three ports of the Anker Prime 67W were in use.

Returning with a small grocery bag

As with my trip to Chicago, I returned to the Bay Area with more stuff than I brought. No, I didn’t bring back a deep-dish pizza, but I did return with a small canvas grocery bag filled with books, some cookies, and other knick knacks. It fit neatly under the seat in front of me. This may have been my last Southwest flight I’ll take before they introduce assigned seating. Boo hoo.

The next zero bag trip?

I’ll be traveling a few more times in the next two months, but they probably won’t be zero-bag trips. One involves a road trip to Southern California, which means I’ll be able to bring more than usual. Another is a return to the Pacific Northwest—this time with the whole family. We’ll definitely be one-bagging that trip.

Together, these three zero-bag trips—to Las Vegas, Chicago, and now Spokane—have taken my long-practiced one-bag travel approach to its logical extreme. I’ve been promoting the idea of traveling light for years. There’s a big leap from checking a bag to going carry-on only, and another from carry-on plus personal item to just one bag. For most people, you’ll get the most bang for your buck when transitioning to the one bag lifestyle.

Going zero-bag—carrying nothing but what’s on your body and in your pockets—pushes the boundary even further, but I don’t think the jump is as big if you’re already a dedicated one bagger. You’re bringing just the bare essentials with little to no backup. At the same time, going zero bag for me also means having the financial resources to buy what you might need. Just don’t come back from your trips with carry-on AND checked-in luggage!