Travel clothing should offer enough flexibility and protection so you can comfortably go about your affairs without remaining at the mercy of the elements. It should also be as light and compact as possible since your space and strength are limited. Clothing should also project the image or style of your choice, because to a great extent clothing determines how you are perceived as a traveler in foreign lands. Like it or not, clothing is a basic form of communication.
Traveling lightly upon the cultural environment demands some consideration to clothing and appearance, since both are often perceived as forms of respect. Many religious buildings have clothing requirements such as skirts for women, pants for men, or removal of shoes.
In some countries it is objectionable and unsafe for women to wear revealing clothing--which may mean showing any skin other than a bit of face and hands, or by not wearing a bra. Some smaller societies are disturbed by visitors wearing copies of their clothing as they connect religious and/or cultural significance to their apparel.
My recommendation is to try to look at least neat while traveling. The world's peoples may think better of you, may want to talk to you more often, and may be more likely to offer you some kind of hospitality. Moreover, you will make it through customs faster and get hassled by the police less often.
On the other hand one of the great things about travel backpacking is there is no mold we have to fit. If you can just be yourself you'll do great.
Sun and mosquito protection are the primary functions of clothing in the tropics, and clothing which does these jobs well will keep you far cooler and healthier in the long run. Long sleeves, collars, hats with a generous brim, and baggy pants will keep you cooler and fend off heat exhaustion better than tank tops and shorts. Knit or extremely fine materials offer little sun or mosquito protection as rays and proboscises easily penetrate. A 100% cotton, long-sleeved, loose-fitting shirt with buttons, collar, and a breast pocket or two works great.
Tight denim jeans are a bad idea for jungle trekking, and not so comfortable in any hot climate. They are hot to wear, slow to dry, and heavy to carry.
A straw or canvas hat with at least a three-inch brim all around is essential for many backpackers--especially hitchhikers--in sunny climes. Baseball caps don't offer much protection. I usually buy locally-made hats for a few dollars.
Sleeping cold and being cold are among the big daddies of hardships for travelers. For winter travel you'll want a number of wicking/insulating, insulating, and windblocking layers as detailed in the glossaries below.
I highly recommend having at least a layer or two of of the new synthetics. They are easy to wash, can often be dried with body heat, and provide the most warmth for the weight and bulk.
For winter travel in continental Europe you will want either a long heavy windproof coat or rain shell, insulating layers of pile and/or down, and quality long underwear, in addition to gloves, heavy socks, and headgear. As opposed to spring, summer, and fall travel where weight, bulk, and style are factors, for winter travel you will probably wear most or all of this clothing anytime you're on the move, if you're not sleeping in it, too.
Photo: I bought this midweight polyester zip turtleneck several years ago for $30. Now I wouldn't travel without it.
Versatility is the key. Select clothing that goes double-duty for day and evening wear, and can be worn with every other item of clothing. An outfit that can only be worn by itself becomes very heavy in the pack. Simple styles and basic colors work best. Black and white are good for day and evening.
If you wear one set, carry two in your pack, and everything more or less mixes or matches, you'll have enough clothes to begin your trip. As they wear out or your needs change you can easily buy more clothes exactly appropriate for the climate or conditions at hand. (That's kind of how the world works.)
Don't be so delusional as to bring anything reserved for one special event or purpose. While that special night or purpose may or may not suck, carrying clothing with limited utility will suck.
I've gone to quite a few concerts in fine halls wearing slacks and a decent shirt. While I can't say I felt particularly comfortable being in the sartorial bottom one percent, it was no big deal, either. Many women backpackers include in their packs a combination which looks more than okay at such events, but can also be worn everyday.
Keep your head down and don't look at anybody. Actually, whatever you wear many will sense you're from somewhere else, which, since it's the truth, is usually good.
Photo: Blue Skies in Mexico City
- Wicking
- Property of a fabric to transport moisture away from the skin to the outer side of the fabric where it can evaporate. Wicking is crucial when working up a sweat in cold weather, since you can later become chilled from your own sweat.
- Layering
- Best method of dressing warmly. Inner layer of clothing is a wicking fabric such as polypropylene, pile, or Thermax. Next layers consist of whatever warm clothing you have; a synthetic pile or fleece jacket is ideal. Down jackets and wool sweaters are also good. Outer layer is a shell, which blocks wind and rain. Layers can be removed and added as conditions change.
- Polypropylene (polypro)
- Synthetic fiber with excellent wicking and warmth. It retains very little water. Walmart has them.
- Polyester
- Backpackers consider the new formulations of polyester a wonder fiber, even a life-saver. The new polyesters are soft and comfortable to the skin, retain very little water, keep you warm when wet, dry with your own body heat, and wick well. Brand names include Thermax, MTS, and Capilene.
- Pile and fleece
- Generic terms for a thick and fluffy polyester fiber. It is warmer and lighter than wool, soft and comfortable on skin, wicks well, absorbs very little water (comes out of the washer 99% dry), and is durable. Pile is not windproof, but some pile clothing incorporates a wind barrier which makes them much warmer.
- Cotton
- Best used in hot and humid climates where cotton's breathability and coolness are
- matchless. These same characteristics make cotton clothing a bad idea for backpacking in cold and rainy climates. Wet cotton clothing in temperatures well-above freezing is a leading cause of hypothermia and resulting death.
- Wool
- Heavier for equal warmth than pile, fleece, and polyester fabrics. Wool retains some insulating capability when wet. Look for a tight weave as in British Army-type sweaters.
- Shell
- An outer garment such as a rainjacket which blocks wind and rain. Due to this wind-blocking function shells provide the most warmth per weight of any garment.
- GoreTex
- Brand of waterproof/breathable fabric. GoreTex is a membrane attached underneath the outer fabric and protected on the inside by a nylon or mesh liner. Its pores are 700 times smaller than a water drop, but still large enough for perspiration vapor to pass through. Thus after several hours of wear you don't become damp or wet from your own perspiration. It's also windproof. Not a necessity (I've not yet afforded it), but it works.
- DWR
- Durable Water Repellent. A Teflon, silicone, or other treatment on the outside of a fabric to provide moderate water protection, yet maintain breathability. Available in spray cans from outdoor shops and Walmart.
- Coated nylon
- Nylon fabric coated with polyurethane to make it waterproof, windproof, and non-breathable.
- Rolling
- All over the world backpackers carry their clothing the most compactly and with the least wrinkles by rolling-up each item.
- Organization
- Nylon bags are the traveler's drawers. While many use different-colored nylon ditty bags, I prefer mesh so I can plainly see what's inside the bag. Socks and underwear go in one, shirts in another, etc. For more information see Chapter 20 Organization and Packing
- Rainjacket
- I recommend a long waterproof/breathable jacket with a hood and several pockets. The extra length helps keep your lower body dry, and doesn't bunch-up under the hipbelt when wearing a pack. Weight will be about 1.5 pounds, and packed-size about 4x9 inches.
- A simple coated nylon jacket, such as the Sierra Designs Microlite ($30, 8 oz.), works well for warm weather travel, and its packed-size and weight are unbeatable. Some water may leak in the seams in a heavy downpour, and perspiration vapor will condense on the inside, but usually this isn't a great problem.
- Ponchos
- Popular with many backpackers, although I prefer a regular rainjacket.
- Shoes
- Should be comfortable, supportive, and lightweight. Most American travelers will be walking far more than they are used to. Shoes should be roomy since with heavy walking your foot size noticeably increases (up to a full shoe size with long distance trail hikers.) The tread should have a good grip and be long-wearing. My last pair of soft rubber soles was only good for 200 miles before becoming dangerously slick.
- Boots
- Most backpackers don't need boots since you really don't even need them for trail-walking. If you plan on blazing your own somewhere, then yes, you may need a pair of boots, along with a machete and anti-venin. Otherwise they are too much extra weight for limited utility, and take too long to dry. Most true long distance hikers on the Pacific Crest and Appalachian Trails switch to to simpler leather, canvas, or light trail shoes within a few hundred miles.
- Sandals
- Birkenstocks are incredibly popular among backpackers. I carry a cheap and light pair of sport sandals. In the developing world many backpackers buy locally-made sandals, which are cheap but not always available in large sizes. Others use flip-flops.
- Pants
- I travel with two pairs, usually along the line of Levi's Dockers. Comfort over the long haul is my primary consideration. These pants weigh under one pound each, and dry quickly. Regular denim jeans take forever to dry and weigh about 1.5 pounds. Thus you easily save a pound of dead weight by choosing lighter pants. Nevertheless, most backpackers pack at least one pair of jeans.
- Shirts
- I begin with three or four of my favorite, best-looking, or luckiest shirts, which usually means one nice, long-sleeved, 60% cotton/40% polyester shirt, one nice, long-sleeved 100% cotton shirt, and one or two t-shirts or polo shirts. Long sleeves are good for sun protection, and can always be rolled up. Also, depending on the climate, a turtleneck made of Thermax.
- Shorts
- A pair of nylon shorts with pockets weighs about three ounces, doubles as swim trunks, and rolls-up to almost nothing. Heavy cotton shorts weigh about nine ounces.
- Underwear
- Some backpackers take one pair of boxers for emergencies and nightwear, and go commando the rest of the time. Saves weight, but requires extreme caution when up-zipping. In hot and humid climates women should have 100% light cotton underwear, as these are cooler than nylon and may help prevent gingrich.
- Layering pieces
- A mid-weight, high-tech polyester top will give you the most warmth and comfort for the weight, space, and money.
A midweight, zippered turtleneck has served me well. For traveling in winter or at altitude you will want heavy-weight top and bottom underwear, a pile or down jacket, and a long shell.
- Down jacket or vest
- Traditional layering piece. While it loses nearly 100% of its loft and warmth if it becomes soaked, many backpackers use down jackets because they are lighter and compact 50% smaller than comparable pile jackets. The down vest at right supercompacts to the size of two of my fists and also makes a supergreat pillow.
Gloves
- Fast-drying materials like pile and polypropylene are preferable, since wet gloves are no fun.
- Headgear for cold protection
- Most flexibility and warmth for the weight comes from a polypropylene baclava (1 oz, $7) It can also be worn as a cap or scarf. If it's really cold you will also need a pile, acrylic, or wool cap.
Socks
- Are crucial travel equipment. I recommend the Thorlo or equivalent brand of hiking, walking, and sports socks. These have thick padding at the heel, ball, and toe areas, and are made of acrylic, which wicks moisture away from your feet and dries quickly. Cotton socks wick poorly and take a long time to dry, which leads to blisters.
- Liner socks
- Some backpackers swear by these for preventing blisters. Liners socks are very thin and worn under your regular socks. They are made of polypropylene or silk to wick moisture away from your foot, and to provide a smooth, sliding surface to prevent blisters.
- Miniskirts
- Cool, comfortable, light, and always in style.
Travelers do much of their laundry by hand. Frequent clothes washing is universally seen as more efficient than carrying twenty pairs of socks, twenty pairs of underwear, and eleven shirts, as did one Kierkegaard-toting, poor-bargaining backpacker friend (who prefers to remain anonymous).
Hotel, hostel, and campground handwashing is easy. Hostels and campgrounds will usually have several washing boards where you mix soap, water, clothes, and labor. In Europe and the rest of the developed world most hostels also have machines, as will most campgrounds.
Note that the "90" setting on international laundry machines represents 90 degrees Centigrade, which is almost boiling. Not realizing this I shrunk my best down jacket half-a-size and turned my clothes several shades of gray. (Got 'em really clean, though.)
You can start your trip with a small plastic zip bag of powdered laundry detergent and buy additional powder as you go. A small handbrush or nylon potscrubber gets your clothes much cleaner.
In the developing world you might ask at your hotel if anyone washes clothes. Probably one of the maids will do an outstanding job--including getting out stains you thought were permanent--for a fair price. Benefit from my experience by determining in advance exactly when you'll get your clothes back, though.
- Put your hands inside the socks and scrub. Brilliant, huh?
- A good way to hang clothes without clothespins is to double-up your cord and twist it together a few times. You then tuck your clothes between the two cords.
- If you are going to be washing clothes in sinks (you will), bring along a flat rubber drain stopper which fits over drain holes. It weighs only an ounce, takes up hardly any space, and you will need your own as there is an amazing worldwide shortage of drain plugs. Buy one at your supermarket for $1.
Bring at least one good pair of pants, one dress shirt, and a polishable pair of walking/disco shoes like Rocksports or Dexters. You may badly want them to get where dancing women are. You may also want them to take advantage of the swimming pools and other accouterments of better hotels. Turbo Maserati, USA
(Don't forget your cohones.)