Camera, water, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, tissues, etc. It can be hard to travel light without sacrificing the essentials that keep you comfortable and healthy on the road. But hauling around a backpack or purse all day can be a (literal) pain in your back and shoulders, too. So maybe it’s time to think beyond the bag. This gear will help you carry your stuff in unconventional hands-free ways.
Image Gallery
![ExOfficio FlyQ Lite Jacket](https://www.smartertravel.com/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/doc-root/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/stm556888edd471720150529.jpg.webp)
ExOfficio FlyQ Lite Jacket
This summer-weight jacket is perfect for protecting you from rain showers or chilly night temperatures. Leave the bag behind when you're wearing this, as the FlyQ has an "Interior Ten Pocket Travel System" with spots for everything from your passport to your water bottle. It's available for women and men. (Men get an extra, eleventh pocket.)
![ExOfficio FlyQ Lite Jacket](https://www.smartertravel.com/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/doc-root/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/stm556888edd471720150529.jpg.webp)
ExOfficio FlyQ Lite Jacket
This summer-weight jacket is perfect for protecting you from rain showers or chilly night temperatures. Leave the bag behind when you're wearing this, as the FlyQ has an "Interior Ten Pocket Travel System" with spots for everything from your passport to your water bottle. It's available for women and men. (Men get an extra, eleventh pocket.)
![SHOLDIT](https://www.smartertravel.com/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/doc-root/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/stm556888c0d904a20150529.jpg.webp)
SHOLDIT
Hide your valuables in plain sight with SHOLDIT, a scarf that can hold everything that a purse can, via a secret zippered pocket. If you do decide to travel with a (small) bag, it can also fold down into a zippered clutch.
![Pick-Pocket Proof Pants](https://www.smartertravel.com/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/doc-root/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/stm556888885602b20150529.jpg.webp)
Pick-Pocket Proof Pants
One downside of traveling with a backpack or purse is it makes you more vulnerable to pickpockets. Instead, rock the Pick-Pocket Proof Pants from Clothing Arts, which have double-secured pockets with a zipper and button flap for extra protection.
![Girly Go Garter](https://www.smartertravel.com/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/doc-root/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/stm5568885db04eb20150529.jpg.webp)
Girly Go Garter
The Girly Go Garter is the sexiest alternative to a money belt we've ever seen. It's an adjustable garter belt with built-in pockets that hold your phone, cash, passport, ID, credit card ⦠or even your flask. It can hold up to three pounds of stuff without falling down—even through strenuous activities like running or dancing. Find it on Amazon or apricotlaneboutique.com.
![Scottevest Featherweight Vest](https://www.smartertravel.com/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/doc-root/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/stm5568883906a2520150529.jpg.webp)
Scottevest Featherweight Vest
The whole Scottevest line is designed to help you travel without a bag, and we love the new Featherweight Vest because it only weighs 0.6 lbs. This means you can load up the vest's 14 hidden pockets without feeling too bulky or dragged down.
![Hips Sister](https://www.smartertravel.com/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/doc-root/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/stm556888130386a20150529.jpg.webp)
Hips Sister
The Hips Sister is basically a less obtrusive alternative to a fanny pack. This belt blends in with your clothing, but has three pockets to stash all of your stuff.
![Speakeasy Travel Scarves](https://www.smartertravel.com/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/doc-root/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/stm556887d338dbe20150529.jpg.webp)
Speakeasy Travel Scarves
Coming in all kinds of cool colors and fabrics, Speakeasy travel scarves look exactly like a normal infinity scarf. But they have a secret: a hidden zippered pocket that can hold your phone, camera, passport, keys, cash, etc. Your stuff is hidden to pickpockets, but easily accessible to you. Perfect.
![Bandi Pocketed Headband](https://www.smartertravel.com/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/doc-root/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/stm556887b270fb620150529.jpg.webp)
Bandi Pocketed Headband
Want to go for a run in a new city, but don't have any pockets to keep your cash and hotel key in? Toss on the BANDI Pocketed Headband, an athletic headband with a built-in pocket that can hold a few small essentials.
![Clever Travel Companion Shirt](https://www.smartertravel.com/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/doc-root/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/stm5568878c9bb1720150529.jpg.webp)
Clever Travel Companion Shirt
Keep your belongings close with the Clever Travel Companion T-shirt. This T-shirt is fitted, so you can wear it as a base layer, hiding whatever you've stashed in the two built-in zippered pockets. We love that the pockets are on the side of the shirt, so it's more inconspicuous than front money belts.
How do you get around without a bag while traveling? Tell us in the comments.
Some review products are sent to us free of charge and with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions, positive and negative, and will never accept compensation to review a product.
More From Smartertravel:
We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.
Related
Top Fares From
Today's Top Travel Deals
Brought to you by ShermansTravel
Greece: 8-Nt, Small-Group Tour, Incl. Aegina,...
Globus
![](https://d2619hvqn7b355.cloudfront.net/uploads/default_image/image/113/main_greece_2.jpg)
Amsterdam to Copenhagen: Luxe, 18-Night Northern...
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
![](https://d2619hvqn7b355.cloudfront.net/uploads/default_image/image/92/main_europe_2.jpg)
Ohio: Daily Car Rentals from Cincinnati
85OFF.com
![](https://d2619hvqn7b355.cloudfront.net/uploads/default_image/image/121/main_rental_car.jpeg)