Preparation – Clothing

Travelling, no matter with which means of transport, undeniably involves difficult choices when it comes to clothes.

You must find the right balance between what you want versus what you need versus what can be brought!

Whether you’re on a backpack trip to Europe, a Machu Picchu expedition or a 6-month motorcycle trip, I have learned over the years that with good choices, it is possible to travel several weeks with a limited amount of garments.

For this trip, I have planned for 4 types of clothing:

• Casual
• Sports (walking or jogging)
• Dressed (for the exits at the restaurant)
• Cool or rainy weather

My firsts criteria for a piece of equipment are always quality, efficiency and durability. Nothing is more unpleasant than relying on something that lets you down along the way.

Second, it must be versatile.

Take for example the Arenite jacket from Arc’teryx.

It is useful for trekking, for a cool evening in town and even for more formal occasions like an evening at a restaurant or something a bit more chic. It’s a highly technical item that provides a more formal look if necessary.

The final criteria is, wherever possible, items that do not wrinkle, or at least, very little.

For example, the polyester knit tees by The North Face. I recently went for a 2 week trip to England with only 3 of these. Easy to wash by hand, strong fabric and no wrinkles! They are versatile, can be worn comfortably while visiting a city and also for a serious day trekking on a mountain.

A major challenge for me is shoes! I’m worse than a girl when it come to footwear! As mentioned in a previous articles, I decided to ride the motorcycle with a pair of hiking boots. This eliminates the need to pack an additional pair and a major saving in packing space and weight.

Reluctantly, I’m going to bring a pair of running shoes as I hope and need to find time to do some running in order to keep fit. I’ll also have a pair of casual leather shoes that can be used while going for dinner on a cool evening. Those shoes from Frye are very durable and can be worn with jeans or shorts.

Obviously, I’ll need sandals. I’ll wear a pair of Reef’s for the beach and evenings.

Here is my list:

The next post will cover electronics.

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