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Travel Packing Advice

JAileen

Veteran

I marvel at those of you who can travel for a week or two without checking a bag. I’m not one of you, unfortunately.

I have an upcoming trip of approximately two weeks. We have to minimize our luggage somewhat. I will be wearing gear every day. No jeans, only hiking pants or water proof pants and long underwear. On top I thought about long sleeve cotton tees, layered with fleece, an insulated layer, and a waterproof shell. A year or so ago, I bought several pairs of super stretchy nylon undies. These can be rinsed out and hung to dry.

My problem is the tees and socks. They are bulky. My original plan was to take six pairs of socks, and six tees. I figured that no one would be super clean (although we will have bathing facilities available), so I would wear the socks again after airing out. I just can’t picture myself wearing a tee I already wore. Do you do this on a trip? Do I just need to get over it? Please advise.

General

41 replies

Latest reply was from Cee

rachylou

Veteran

Oh, I totally re-wear tees. Like, even on three-week group trips where the same people will be looking at me day after day. I don’t sweat that much and 24-hour Dove can honestly last me 72 hours, which is probably TMI. Anyways, I do three tees. I figure two days should be enough for a shirt to dry in, should I wash it.

Socks however... I load up on the socks. But we all know I have a sock problem. But I *need* options I tell you!

Anonymous

Hi Jaileen! I am a minimalist in life, but I certainly am not a minimalist in packing.

In contrast to Rachylou, I think I could rewear the socks after letting them air out. Is there any chance you could hand wash them and let them air dry?

Depending on the activity, I could easily rewear the tee shirts. However, if sweating is involved, I would have to wash the shirt between wearings. I sweat a lot and my sweat has an oily taint to it. I have tried the 24-hour deodorants and they have made a huge difference during the summer months, but I sweat in front and back. When that tee shirt comes off, it is not going on again until it has been washed.

I hand wash a lot when I am traveling.

Anonymous

Thank you for your comment on my ruby bag! It made me happy to read.

Eliza

Veteran

Have you checked out Uniqlo Airism tees? Some are more “stand alone” for exercise and expeditions, while others are more like capped sleeved camis that can be worn under other tops. I travel with the cap sleeved ones and they extend the life of whatever they are worn under. Quick wash, rinse and dry; very lightweight.

Sounds like an interesting trip. Enjoy!

Classically Casual

Veteran

If you have enough time for shipping, or traveling to a store, do a search on Athleta for “unstinkable tees”. They really are in my experience . You can wear several times between washes. They are more gear-like in appearance, but maybe not an issue for your trip?

Have fun!

JAileen

Veteran

Rachy, even if I bring a tee for each day, the others will think I’m wearing the same one, because they’re all grey!

I don’t want to rewear the tees.

Sterling, I think I sweat like you. Maybe I should make room for more tees. Handwashed socks would take forever to dry because the humidity will be high.

Eliza, I’ll look into them. Thank you.

Classically Casual, that’s a good idea.

Anonymous

I have hand washed socks. I wrapped them in a towel to remove excess water. They dried overnight. But I admit that has to be rare.

I like both Eliza’s and Classically Casual’s ideas. Let us know what you ultimately decide on and how it works.

Lucy

Veteran

i live in a hot and humid climate, and would not re-wear socks or t-shirts. I'm not a very sweaty person, but the humidity gets even the best of us! That's not much help I know. I like the idea of looking for some light weight, air dry tops at Uniqlo or elsewhere. I'd bet they have some good stuff at camping and outdoor shops too.

featherwitch

I would stay away from 100% cotton anything on a a trip like this: it doesn't easily hand wash and dry in a quick manner.

Joy

Veteran

On trips I only do carry-on luggage and definitely rewear things I am the only one who notices. You are wise not to do jeans. They are bulky. Consider an inexpensive puffer jacket that can be layered under a trench or utility coat. Scarves are light weight and can change the look of an outfit. Use socks that are not cotton. I like Smart Wool socks that are not padded and dry pretty fast if you roll them first in a towel to remove lots of the moisture. Woven tees in nylon, silk, or even polyester would be better than cotton. Again wash, roll in a towel. Put on the bathroom floor and do a happy dance on the towel wrapped tee, then hang to dry.

Runcarla

Veteran

I'm a minimalist packer and manage to squeeze a lot into a carry-on. I WOULD NOT wear the same socks two days in a row. I can get away with repeat wearing of tops at home, but find the activity of trips results in a desire to have a fresh top for each day. I'm not so fussy about bottoms and can get several wears out of them. Rolling tops can render them pretty compact - barely bigger than a hot dog! One of each type of needed outerwear might create more space in your bag.

I'm not a fan of layering T's, but many moons ago ended up ordering what I thought were regular T's, but ended up with ones that were pretty thin. I brought them on a trip, and wore two at a time (for warmth). The one closest to my skin was discarded at the end of the day, but the top shirt became the under shirt the next day.

StyleDetective

Have you considered investing in a couple of lightweight merino wool tees? They are breathable and take longer to get stinky - ditto for socks. I find them comfier than synthetic odour-resistant fabric personally.

I am a loyal customer of a brand named Icebreaker for both warm and cold weather hiking tees (not cheap, but worth it imo). I'm sure there are lots of others as well

Anonymous

Now don't be meeting me wearing a 3-day old t-shirt

Kidding - I have no packing advice.

JAileen

Veteran

After my last comment, I went to REI to look at quick drying tops. I bought a few to try out. While I was there, I ran into Karen13! It was nice to see her and catch up on our travels.

Sterling, if I handwashed socks here in the desert, they would probably dry. But because of the humidity, I don’t think washing on our trip will be very practical.

Lucy, it will be humid, but not hot. I suppose I could wash a pair each night, and in five days it would be dry. Hopefully!

Featherwitch, I think you’re right. Last year we went to Barrow, Alaska and I wore cotton tees, but our trip was shorter, and we were allowed more luggage.

Joy, that’s a good tip on drying socks. I’m going to keep that in mind.

Carla, I think I would let the socks air for a few days between wearings. I might try to squeeze in a few more pairs.

StyleDetective, Karen13 suggested Icebreaker, too. They would probably be good on this trip, but I didn’t see any at REI. I’ll keep them in mind.

Lisa, you are *so* lucky - we’ll meet at the beginning of our trip!

celia

Veteran

The trip sounds existing.
I am glad others had advice about the packing because I always feel like I pack the wrong things.

Jane

Veteran

The problem I would have is that my emotional state would be ever so slightly lifted by wearing fresh clothes. So I would be definitely exploring the options for taking enough t shirts.

I would try every travel and gear shop to find t shirts that rolled to tiny squishy proportions and also weren’t wrinkled.

Socks I think I could live with wearing a couple of times, particularly if I took slippers. May be that’s not possible. Send a package in advance - slightly ridiculous!

How about DH, are there any wardrobe sharing opportunities?

Anonymous

Ditto Featherwitch, gear fabrics dry much quicker! I never rewear tops or socks either-so would be either bringing more or hand washing after each use. Normally I travel for a week and bring 4 outfits, and do laundry mid week. DH and I share 1 suitcase to save $ and schlepping.

JAileen

Veteran

Celia, I feel the same away about packing. But last year in Barrow, Alaska, I packed perfectly. It was the first time in my life!

Jane, I like to wear clean clothes, too.

Suntiger, a week is doable for me. Our recent road trip was 12 days, and no laundry. My bag, a rolling duffle, weighed 40 pounds! But we had forecast temperatures from the 20s to the high 80s. So I had sandals, and crops, plus warm jackets and gloves, etc. This trip has forecast temps from high 30s to low 60s, with rain.

Here are the tops I bought at REI. They are having their big sale, but this is the tail end, so things were picked over. These tops are all for runners, except the first one, which is for bicycling. I think they’ll work for me, and I like them well enough that I’ll wear them after the trip. All except for one were on sale, and I used my member coupon on that one. Thank you everyone for your helpful suggestions.

1. Patagonia. 2-5. REI. 6. Patagonia

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Anonymous

I'm so glad you found something that will work for you. These look great.

JAileen

Veteran

Sterling, thank you. Well, hopefully they’ll work! A SA at REI said another advantage is they pack smaller, too.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I can't go without fresh underpants, socks if I'm wearing them, and shirts if I'm doing anything at all strenuous, like hiking.

How about taking just 4-5 shirts and enough lightweight sleeveless or cap-sleeved undershirts to have one every day (or do laundry once)? The same strategy could work for socks--wear something very light (maybe even just hose, like the footies you put on to try on shoes) next to your skin, change those every day, and wear heavier hiking socks 2-3 x each?

Have fun on your trip!

ETA I see my shirts strategy was not novel and that you've already done it.

bj1111

Veteran

You’ll be able to pack those shirts plus 6 socks plus 3 gear pants,3 shorts, all your underthings, flip flops or hiking sandals plus a pair of runnin shoes, toiletries in a carry on, easy

You’ll wear your hiking boots on the plane I assume .

JAileen

Veteran

FashIntern, yes, and I’ve already washed the shirts.

BJ1111, I’m taking a lot of warm clothes. We’ll be outdoors all day, in chilly weather. I’m taking a down jacket, nanopuff jacket, nanopuff vest, two fleece shirts, plus gloves, hats and a neck gaiter, in addition to waterproof pants and jacket, and long underwear. (Birding is like hiking, but with quite a lot of standing around, slowly freezing.)

I’m wearing my Salomon hiking shoes, and checking knee high muck boots. My husband’s and mine share a duffel. The part of our trip where our luggage is restricted, we’ll probably wear them, and pack our hiking shoes.

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annagybe

(website)

Veteran

Silk sock liners, to wear under wool socks. I just ordered some from REI for my trip coming up.

https://www.rei.com/c/womens-l.....centageoff

bj1111

Veteran

Ah...yup. Having temperature extremes or a wide range of activities limits your ability to pack small.

L'Abeille

Veteran

Smartwool socks can be reworn as long as you give them a day to air in between. The wool wicks the perspiration away from the feet.

Maybe TMI, but I use wool skiing socks and my daughters Highland danced in tartan knee-high socks. They were washed once at the end of the season.

Re: T shirts, I am a big fan of fresh Ts every day, but on ski trips where I layer extensively, the middle layers (neither next to the skin, nor exposed to me spilling food, tea etc) can be reworn. Those are usually Ts and turtlenecks, as the inside layer is a silk or tech-fabric underwear layer and the top layer is a fleece vest or big yak hair sweater. YMMV.

karen13

Veteran

Hi Janet! So fun to see you on Sunday! We need a planned meet up this summer (if summer ever comes to our unusually dreary place - it snowed again yesterday morning!).

On my recent gear focus road trip to SW national parks, I used the REI silk liners inside merino wool socks. The merino is amazing. Let it air a day or two between wearings and it is fine to rewear (and I’m sweaty!). Ditto for the washable merino shirts from Icebreaker, Smartwool, Ibex (sadly discontinued) and a bunch of newer makers. In Bryce Canyon in mid April it dumped snow and I was wearing 3 merino layers, a nano puff and goretex. Two weeks later at the Grand Canyon, a 150 gsm long sleeve Merino wool light grey zip neck was the bomb for keeping cool and sun protected.

I rinsed my technical poly shirts, rolled them in a towel and let them dry overnight when they got stinky - one to two wears depending on the shirt. I remember a thread on merino a few years back and will look for it when I’m on my computer.

JAileen

Veteran

Anna, Karen13 uses those too. I’ve been wearing REI’s hiking socks which are comfy but bulky. I love REI - we went there three times during their sale, plus I had an internet order.

BJ1111, yes, cool weather packing is a lot bulkier than for warm weather.

L’Abeille, my son played in a pipe band and wore long wool socks (in summer, in the Sacramento valley) and I can’t even remember how often they were washed.

Karen, I’m going to look into merino. It sounds great, especially for our chilly vacations. I did wear cotton tees in Barrow last year, though, and was completely comfy, but we also had great weather (no precipitation of any kind).

karen13

Veteran

Janet, lLook at the featherweight (120 - 150 gsm) and mid weight (200 gsm) Smartwool tops at REI to see if you like the fabric. Size up if it is a base layer you want to wear as a top. I adore the Icebreaker Siren hipkini (REI online, Don’t think it is in store) for travel. They discontinued it about 4 years ago! And just brought it back due to customer demand this year. I have 6 pairs that have been washed hundreds of times and only just starting to see wear on a few pairs. I just restocked with the sale.

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