Ben here!
I was suckered into a post about how I shopped and packed for this 7 month adventure. I call it, the adventure before the adventure.
Emily and I decided on some basic criteria starting out (see her previous post for the deets), and turns out I had very few clothes that met the requirements. Basically, quick drying and multi-dimensional clothes that could work in the backwoods of Patagonia and out to dinner at the nice restaurant in Tokyo. So, I ended up doing a lot of shopping trying not to break the bank.
There were a few stores and brands that ended up being my go-to and I'll introduce you to them and I recommend browsing their offerings.
REI and REI Garage - This store was always my first stop and typically fits the needs for backwoods and quick dry options. The REI Garage is a little cheaper but the downside is that you don't always get the 10% dividend from purchases like at the main REI offerings. Definitely shop here for base layers and quick dry t-shirts as well as backpacking gear.
Prana - They are primarily known for their women's yoga clothes but have a surprisingly excellent collection of men's clothes that are great for travel. Their Zion fabric is quick dry, versatile, and super comfy and I ended up with two shorts and a pair of their pants. They also support sustainable sourcing of their fabrics and most of their cotton is Fair Trade. Highly recommend!
Woolly Clothing - I discovered Woolly after searching for merino wool shirts to use as a base layer and found them selling on Amazon.com. They don't have a huge selection but I bought a few merino henley shirts that I can layer. They are basically the most comfortable shirts I've ever worn.
Here is my full packing list (for those interested). I may come back to this at the end of the trip to adjust my recommendations based on how the entire 7 month trip plays out.
I was suckered into a post about how I shopped and packed for this 7 month adventure. I call it, the adventure before the adventure.
Emily and I decided on some basic criteria starting out (see her previous post for the deets), and turns out I had very few clothes that met the requirements. Basically, quick drying and multi-dimensional clothes that could work in the backwoods of Patagonia and out to dinner at the nice restaurant in Tokyo. So, I ended up doing a lot of shopping trying not to break the bank.
There were a few stores and brands that ended up being my go-to and I'll introduce you to them and I recommend browsing their offerings.
REI and REI Garage - This store was always my first stop and typically fits the needs for backwoods and quick dry options. The REI Garage is a little cheaper but the downside is that you don't always get the 10% dividend from purchases like at the main REI offerings. Definitely shop here for base layers and quick dry t-shirts as well as backpacking gear.
Prana - They are primarily known for their women's yoga clothes but have a surprisingly excellent collection of men's clothes that are great for travel. Their Zion fabric is quick dry, versatile, and super comfy and I ended up with two shorts and a pair of their pants. They also support sustainable sourcing of their fabrics and most of their cotton is Fair Trade. Highly recommend!
Woolly Clothing - I discovered Woolly after searching for merino wool shirts to use as a base layer and found them selling on Amazon.com. They don't have a huge selection but I bought a few merino henley shirts that I can layer. They are basically the most comfortable shirts I've ever worn.
Here is my full packing list (for those interested). I may come back to this at the end of the trip to adjust my recommendations based on how the entire 7 month trip plays out.
- Clothes:
- 3 Pairs of shorts
- 2 Prana Brion shorts that can be worn in pretty much any situation.
- 1 Pair of Athletic shorts that can be worn to bed and if I want to beat Emily at a quick game of pickup basketball.
- 3 Pairs of long pants
- 1 pair of Prana Brion pants. Basically using these as a quick dry replacement for jeans.
- 1 Pair of convertible pants/shorts for hiking.
- 1 Pair of athletic pants that can be used as a baselayer in the cold or as pajamas.
- 3 Long sleeve shirts
- 2 Henley's with one heavier and one lighter. Easy to layer and can be used as a nice shirt to go out to dinner.
- 1 button down Eddie Bauer shirt that my Mom got for me for hiking :)
- 7 T-Shirts
- Various styles and fabrics (Polyester quick dry and merino wool). I hate wearing shirts more than a day so I needed to bring a few to get me through to the next laundry stop.
- 3 Outerwear
- 1 Puffy jacket from Columbia
- 1 Rain jacket from Columbia
- 1 Hoodie from REI
- Random
- 11 Pairs of underwear
- 11 Pairs of socks
- 1 Pair of compression socks for the long flights
- 3 Pairs of SmartWool socks for hiking
- 7 Pairs of Balega running socks
- Shemagh Scarf
- Multipurpose scarf that can be used for everything from sun protection, to a towel, to a pillow.
- Small Winter hat
- 1 swimsuit
- 3 Pairs of shoes
- 1 Pair of Hiking/Walking shoes that are absolutely awesome. They are light enough to run in but heavy duty enough for backpacking.
- 1 Pair of Sperry's for nice outings
- 1 Pair of Olukai Ohana Sandals that provide a lot of support for long days of walking. Highly recommend but you'll need to wear them a few times before you go to break them in.
- Other things in my backpack
- 1 Toiletries bag
- Toothbush, toothpaste and floss
- Deoderant
- Bar of Soap
- Shampoo
- Bronners Soap
- Qtips
- Ibuprofen
- Probiotic supplements
- Prescription drugs (anti-diarrheal, malaria, altitude sickness, etc.)
- Ginger Chews for motion sickness
- Sleeping bag liner for sleeping in hostels
- 1 Nalgene bottle
- Headlamp
- Backpack cover
- Inside my Timbuk2 Division Pack
- MacBook Pro
- Unlocked iPhone
- Power converter with various plugs
- 1 Journal, 3 books to start
- Sunglasses
- mophie charger in case we are in a pinch
- headphones (just the basic apple ones and left the bluetooth ones at home to save space).
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