I’m Moving to San Francisco for YC. What Should I Bring?
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The short answer
Pack for three intense months, not for a permanent relocation. Bring one carry-on of layers, seven days of ordinary clothes, one meeting-ready outfit, two pairs of walkable shoes, your complete work setup, prescription medication, identity and immigration documents, and digital copies of every important record. Do not ship furniture or buy a car before you arrive. Once housed, build the one-week emergency supply that San Francisco officially recommends. YC is in person in San Francisco, beginning with a three-day retreat and continuing with weekly meetups, so optimize for fast setup and low distraction.
- YC describes its program as a three-month, in-person batch in San Francisco.
- San Francisco is a city of microclimates.
- The batch is designed around working on your company, and YC says the scheduled program itself takes only a few hours per week.
- Put original documents in your personal item, never checked luggage.
- Bring one pair of shoes you can walk in for hours and one backup pair.
This guide separates sourced facts from our packing recommendations. Program details come from Y Combinator; climate guidance comes from the National Weather Service; transit information comes from Clipper; and emergency advice comes from San Francisco’s Department of Emergency Management. Quantities in the packing list are practical recommendations for one founder staying for a three-month batch, not official YC rules.
The exact packing list
| Category | Bring | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing | T-shirts or everyday tops | 7 |
| Clothing | Warm mid-layers: sweater, fleece, or overshirt | 2–3 |
| Clothing | Wind-resistant outer layer | 1 |
| Clothing | Long trousers or jeans | 3–4 |
| Clothing | Meeting-ready outfit | 1 |
| Shoes | Comfortable walking shoes | 1 pair |
| Shoes | Backup or meeting shoes | 1 pair |
| Work | Laptop, charger, phone, headphones | 1 each |
| Work | Portable charger and compact power strip | 1 each |
| Documents | Passport or government ID plus required immigration records | Originals + encrypted copies |
| Health | Prescription medication and copies of prescriptions | Enough for the move; confirm refill rules |
| Home | Only personal items needed for the first 7 days | One small bag |
Why you should pack for three months, not move your whole life
YC describes its program as a three-month, in-person batch in San Francisco. It starts with a three-day retreat and includes weekly meetups. YC also says founders can go wherever they want after the program. That makes a reversible move the sensible default: arrive able to work on day one, then decide later whether San Francisco becomes permanent. YC’s official FAQ · What happens at YC
Use two luggage tests. First: can you carry everything yourself up one flight of stairs? Second: could you relocate again in one afternoon? If not, you are probably bringing too much for the batch.
1. Bring layers, even if your batch starts in summer
San Francisco is a city of microclimates. The National Weather Service attributes sharp differences over short distances to the city’s hills, ocean, bay, and wind channels. A sunny afternoon in the Mission can become a cold, windy evening near the western neighborhoods. The useful unit is not a winter coat or a summer wardrobe; it is three removable layers.
- **Base:** T-shirt, shirt, or another light top.
- **Middle:** Sweater, fleece, cardigan, or overshirt that fits in a backpack.
- **Outer:** Light wind-resistant jacket. Choose a water-resistant one if your batch overlaps the wetter part of the year.
Bring seven everyday tops, three or four pairs of trousers, two or three mid-layers, and one outer layer. That supports one weekly laundry cycle without turning your room into storage. Add one outfit suitable for an investor meeting, customer visit, or event. San Francisco startup dress is informal; clean, comfortable, and intentional is enough.
2. Build a work kit that survives moving between rooms
The batch is designed around working on your company, and YC says the scheduled program itself takes only a few hours per week. Your kit should make a kitchen table, coworking desk, café, or borrowed meeting room usable within two minutes.
- Laptop and the charger you trust. If your computer is unreliable, resolve that before the batch.
- Noise-isolating headphones for shared housing and calls.
- A portable charger capable of giving your phone at least one full charge.
- A compact power strip or multi-port charger for rooms with too few outlets.
- One video-call setup that works every time: tested microphone, camera, and a simple laptop stand if needed.
- Hardware security keys if your company uses them, plus a second key stored separately.
- Encrypted backups and recovery codes that do not depend on the laptop in your backpack.
Do not bring a desktop monitor unless your housing confirms there is none and you know you need it. A secondhand or rented monitor is easier than flying with one. The same rule applies to printers, speakers, office chairs, and kitchen equipment.
3. Carry the documents that are hard to replace
Put original documents in your personal item, never checked luggage. Keep encrypted digital copies somewhere you can reach without your phone. International founders should confirm their own entry and work authorization requirements with qualified immigration counsel; a YC acceptance does not replace the correct immigration status.
| Document | Why you may need it | Backup |
|---|---|---|
| Passport or government ID | Travel, identity checks, leases, banking | Encrypted scan |
| Immigration documents | Entry and status evidence for international founders | Encrypted scan + counsel contact |
| YC and company records | Program, banking, landlord, or service-provider questions | Secure company folder |
| Health insurance details | Care, pharmacy, and reimbursement | Wallet card + digital copy |
| Prescriptions | Replacing medication or explaining controlled medicine | Copy with generic drug name |
| Housing confirmation | Arrival, address, check-in, and deposits | Offline copy |
4. Bring walking shoes; delay the car decision
Bring one pair of shoes you can walk in for hours and one backup pair. Hills, stairs, and moving between meetings punish new shoes. For transit, Clipper is the Bay Area’s shared fare system and works across 24 or more transit services; visitors can also pay fares with a contactless bank card on supported services. You can set that up after landing rather than buying a special travel pass in advance. Clipper’s official transit guidance
Do not buy or ship a car before you understand where you will live and where your regular meetings happen. Spend the first two weeks testing walking, transit, bikes, and occasional rides. Then decide from actual trips rather than assumptions.
5. Buy emergency supplies after you have an address
Do not use luggage space for a week of water. Buy it after check-in. San Francisco’s Department of Emergency Management recommends a home Stay Box with one week of essentials and a portable Go Bag for every household member. The city also warns that cell service may be unavailable after an earthquake.
Your first-week emergency setup
- A week of water and shelf-stable food, adjusted for each person in the home.
- A sturdy backpack for a Go Bag.
- Flashlight or headlamp, spare batteries, portable radio, and phone power bank.
- First-aid basics, required medication, masks, and personal hygiene supplies.
- Printed contact details, copies of key documents, a little cash, and a paper map.
- Shoes and warm clothes near the bed; secure heavy furniture after checking with the landlord.
Choose two meeting places with your cofounder or housemates and one out-of-area contact. That follows ReadySF’s official planning advice and matters because calls outside the affected area may be easier to complete than local coordination. San Francisco’s emergency supply guidance · ReadySF emergency planning
What not to bring
| Leave it | Why | Better move |
|---|---|---|
| Furniture | Short-term housing may already be furnished | Confirm inventory, then buy used locally if needed |
| A full kitchen | Duplicate appliances waste luggage and room space | Bring only a medically necessary or truly essential item |
| A car by default | Parking and location may make it a liability | Test your real routes for two weeks |
| Formal business wardrobe | One flexible meeting outfit is normally enough | Use layers and repeat outfits |
| Three months of toiletries | Heavy, replaceable, and easy to buy | Pack 3–7 days |
| Every book you plan to read | YC is a focused three-month sprint | Bring one, use an e-reader, or borrow |
| Valuables you cannot secure | Shared and temporary housing adds risk | Leave them or arrange proper storage |
The 48-hour arrival plan
| When | Action | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| Before takeoff | Download IDs, housing instructions, local map, and essential contacts for offline use | You can reach the address without mobile data |
| Hours 0–3 | Check in, photograph the room condition, test locks, Wi-Fi, shower, and smoke alarms | Problems are documented immediately |
| Hours 3–8 | Buy food, water, toiletries, and any missing bedding | You can sleep and work the next morning |
| Day 1 | Test one video call and your complete charging setup | Audio, camera, Wi-Fi, and backup connection work |
| Day 1 | Set up contactless transit or Clipper and walk the nearest regular route | You know the real door-to-door time |
| Day 2 | Buy the Stay Box and Go Bag basics; register for AlertSF | Emergency supplies and alerts are in place |
| Day 2 | Agree on quiet hours, guests, cleaning, and shared costs with housemates | The rules are written in one shared note |
Best practices, in order of impact
- **Arrive able to work immediately.** Laptop reliability, housing access, medication, and sleep matter more than a perfect wardrobe.
- **Keep the move reversible.** YC lasts three months; make permanent decisions after you have lived the operating reality.
- **Live close to your highest-frequency obligation.** Saving 40 minutes on a route you travel four times a week returns more time than optimizing occasional trips.
- **Use layers, not bulky seasonal clothing.** San Francisco’s microclimates make adaptability more useful than volume.
- **Separate irreplaceable items.** Keep identity documents, backup security keys, and recovery codes apart from the primary laptop bag.
- **Prepare for a week without normal services.** Follow the city’s Stay Box guidance after you move in.
- **Buy after uncertainty disappears.** Furniture, monitors, transit products, and household equipment should follow the address—not precede it.
Copy this checklist
- [ ] Passport or government ID in personal item
- [ ] Required immigration and company documents
- [ ] Health insurance details, medication, and prescriptions
- [ ] Seven everyday tops; three or four trousers
- [ ] Two or three warm layers; one wind-resistant jacket
- [ ] One meeting outfit; two pairs of walkable shoes
- [ ] Laptop, charger, phone, headphones, power bank, power strip
- [ ] Backup security key, recovery codes, and encrypted backups
- [ ] Seven days of toiletries and immediate personal essentials
- [ ] Offline housing instructions, maps, and contact information
- [ ] Stay Box and Go Bag supplies bought after arrival
- [ ] AlertSF registration and a shared emergency plan
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to move to San Francisco for YC?
For the current program, yes: YC says the batch is in person in San Francisco, beginning with a three-day retreat and continuing with weekly meetups. After the three-month program, YC says founders may live wherever they choose.
How many suitcases should I bring for YC?
For one founder in furnished housing, aim for one carry-on plus one checked bag at most. That is a practical recommendation, not a YC requirement. If you need more, list the specific items causing the extra volume and ask whether they can be bought, borrowed, or supplied by the accommodation.
Do I need formal clothes for Demo Day or investor meetings?
Bring one clean, flexible meeting outfit, but not a full formal wardrobe. The right choice depends on your industry and customers: a hardware founder visiting a factory and an enterprise fintech founder meeting a bank may need different clothing.
Should I bring a monitor?
Only if your productivity materially depends on it and your housing confirms one is not available. Otherwise, arrive with the laptop setup, then buy or borrow a monitor locally once you know your desk and room.
Should I bring all my medication?
Bring enough to prevent an interruption and carry prescriptions using the generic medication name. International founders should check US entry rules and refill availability before travel, especially for controlled medication. Get professional medical or immigration guidance for your specific situation.
Which neighborhood should I live in during YC?
Choose based on your recurring destinations, housemates, budget, and ability to sleep and work—not neighborhood status. Map the door-to-door trip to weekly commitments before signing. Our separate San Francisco founder guide explains how the city’s startup activity differs by neighborhood.See where San Francisco founders actually hang out
What should cofounders share instead of buying twice?
Share the power strip, first-aid kit, basic tools, household supplies, printer if truly needed, and emergency Stay Box. Do not share the only copy of identity records, authentication devices, laptop chargers, medication, or anything that could stop one founder from working.
What should I do before announcing that we got into YC?
Secure your accounts, decide what customers can see, prepare a short company description, and agree on who answers inbound messages. The announcement can create a brief attention spike; our free playbook turns that moment into a six-month visibility plan.Use the after-YC-announcement playbook
Sources
Program format and duration: Y Combinator FAQ · Y Combinator: What Happens at YC
Climate and microclimates: National Weather Service: San Francisco Downtown Climate · National Weather Service: Climate of San Francisco
Transit: Clipper official site
Emergency preparation: SF.gov: Pack what you’ll need for an emergency · SF.gov: Create your emergency plan · SF.gov: Earthquakes
Last reviewed September 21, 2026. YC logistics and city guidance can change; confirm current instructions before travel.