My August Trip is Underway
Posted: Mon 15th Aug 2016 08:36 pm
Monday August 15, 2016
Everything I know about packing light, I learned hiking the Appalachian Trail. First rule is no cotton. On the trail cotton kills. That means no jeans, no cotton t-shirts, no cotton socks, no cotton underwear, no sweat shirts. Even when you don't have worry about freezing to death on a mountain, cotton is just to bulky and heavy. Also, no traditional sweaters--they are too bulky.
If you had told me 15 years ago that I would be wearing nylon underwear, I would have told you that you were nuts. But now I wear Under Armour nylon underwear, with six inch legs exclusively. They prevent chaffing when you are walking 15-20 miles a day up and down mountains. But they also work when strolling down Warmoesstraat 15 times a day. They are light weight and roll up into a tight little sausage.
I wear Under Armour t-shirts, but any nylon t-shirts should be fine. For short trips, like this one (eight days in Europe and two travel days), I have one for each day of my trip. For my month long adventures, I bring 10 and wear one, and then I plan on doing laundry twice. Normally, I wear one golf style nylon shirt with a collar on the plane, in order to look a little more dressy than a plain t-shirt
I bring one or two long sleeve button up the front style hiking shirts. The number depends on the time of year, and how often I plan on eating in restaurants where a t-shirt would be too casual. I always wear a t-shirt to help keep the long sleeved shirt clean.
I wear nylon hiking pants. I wear one and bring one spare. I found some with 5 zippered pockets. Speaking of pickpockets and security, I wear two money "belts." One is a passport holder that I wear around my neck and under my shirt. The other attaches to my "belt" and is inside my pants. I put belt in quotes, because I use a nylon belt with a plastic buckle--no need to take your belt off going through security.
I like wool socks. Smart wool were my favorites, but Costco sells a knockoff that is superior. But good synthetic hiking socks are also fine.
I have experimented with different shoes. I finally settled on Mephistos. But any black walking shoes are fine. You can wear black tennis style shoes anywhere that you might want to venture. I have visited many a fine dining establishment in my black tennis shoes including a few Michelin 3 stars. You would look absurd trying that in multi-colored Nikes.
For warmth, the old saw about layering applies. For a trip in the middle of winter I bring a pair of silk long underwear, because they are slightly less bulky that the synthetics, but I wouldn't argue about that choice. Next is your t-shirt. Next is your long sleeve hiking shirt. Next is a synthetic wind shirt. I have a GoLite Wisp. It has an integrated stuff sack and is about the size of a tennis ball. Finally, an ultra-lite down jacket/sweater works down below freezing. I sprung for a custom made Nunatak Skaha Down Sweater. It stuffs down to the size of a softball. It kept me warm in the snow on Jungfraujoch.
I am a backpacker, and I use an Ultralight Adventure Equipment OHM pack. My pack fully loaded for a month in Europe weighs in at about 23 pounds. My wife and I have a motto: if we can't carry it on the plane with us, then it is not going. But even if you prefer to use a heavier, bulkier roll aboard, I still recommend using stuff sacks. I use Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil dry sacks. For this trip, I have eight as follows: socks, t-shirts, underwear, long sleeve shirt, pants, electric, toiletries, dirty clothes. I roll up each piece of clothing, with a dryer sheet to keep things smelling fresh. Put them in their respective stuff sack. Using your body weight squeeze the air out and roll up the seal. That is how you reduce bulk and turn that bulky down jacket into a soft ball. (For a winter trip, you are going to have a sack for your jacket and long underwear.)
I debated whether to bring my down sweater on this trip as insurance, and gambled that my wind shirt will be enough. If I get cold I will buy a cheap sweatshirt. I am sort of violating my rules with one item. Years ago, on a whim, I bought a ExOfficio travel vest. You know the type. It has eight or ten zippered pockets, and is worn by retired American tourist men. It then hung in my closet for several years, because I was to embarrassed to wear it. But on my February Amsterdam trip, I decided to wear it. You know what? It was incredibly handy for carrying my stash, rolling papers, grinder, lighter, and on this trip, it will also carry the new Mighty, along with the filling tool. And even though it is August, I haven't been uncomfortable wearing it in Atlanta.
Speaking of wearing extra clothing, when I travel with my wife and we may be visiting some dressy restaurants, I will wear a sport coat. But this is a solo trip, and even though I might do Restaurant Vermeer, one night, they have never require a jacket in the past.
I got to the airport five hours before the flight is suppose to leave. I typed this up while sitting in the business class lounge, sipping a bourbon and ginger. I know that you want to hear about coffeeshops and smokables, but that is still about 15 hours away. I am flying to Dusseldorf to save miles, so after I arrive in the morning I will take a train to Venlo and will report on Coffeeshop Nobody's Place tomorrow evening.
Everything I know about packing light, I learned hiking the Appalachian Trail. First rule is no cotton. On the trail cotton kills. That means no jeans, no cotton t-shirts, no cotton socks, no cotton underwear, no sweat shirts. Even when you don't have worry about freezing to death on a mountain, cotton is just to bulky and heavy. Also, no traditional sweaters--they are too bulky.
If you had told me 15 years ago that I would be wearing nylon underwear, I would have told you that you were nuts. But now I wear Under Armour nylon underwear, with six inch legs exclusively. They prevent chaffing when you are walking 15-20 miles a day up and down mountains. But they also work when strolling down Warmoesstraat 15 times a day. They are light weight and roll up into a tight little sausage.
I wear Under Armour t-shirts, but any nylon t-shirts should be fine. For short trips, like this one (eight days in Europe and two travel days), I have one for each day of my trip. For my month long adventures, I bring 10 and wear one, and then I plan on doing laundry twice. Normally, I wear one golf style nylon shirt with a collar on the plane, in order to look a little more dressy than a plain t-shirt
I bring one or two long sleeve button up the front style hiking shirts. The number depends on the time of year, and how often I plan on eating in restaurants where a t-shirt would be too casual. I always wear a t-shirt to help keep the long sleeved shirt clean.
I wear nylon hiking pants. I wear one and bring one spare. I found some with 5 zippered pockets. Speaking of pickpockets and security, I wear two money "belts." One is a passport holder that I wear around my neck and under my shirt. The other attaches to my "belt" and is inside my pants. I put belt in quotes, because I use a nylon belt with a plastic buckle--no need to take your belt off going through security.
I like wool socks. Smart wool were my favorites, but Costco sells a knockoff that is superior. But good synthetic hiking socks are also fine.
I have experimented with different shoes. I finally settled on Mephistos. But any black walking shoes are fine. You can wear black tennis style shoes anywhere that you might want to venture. I have visited many a fine dining establishment in my black tennis shoes including a few Michelin 3 stars. You would look absurd trying that in multi-colored Nikes.
For warmth, the old saw about layering applies. For a trip in the middle of winter I bring a pair of silk long underwear, because they are slightly less bulky that the synthetics, but I wouldn't argue about that choice. Next is your t-shirt. Next is your long sleeve hiking shirt. Next is a synthetic wind shirt. I have a GoLite Wisp. It has an integrated stuff sack and is about the size of a tennis ball. Finally, an ultra-lite down jacket/sweater works down below freezing. I sprung for a custom made Nunatak Skaha Down Sweater. It stuffs down to the size of a softball. It kept me warm in the snow on Jungfraujoch.
I am a backpacker, and I use an Ultralight Adventure Equipment OHM pack. My pack fully loaded for a month in Europe weighs in at about 23 pounds. My wife and I have a motto: if we can't carry it on the plane with us, then it is not going. But even if you prefer to use a heavier, bulkier roll aboard, I still recommend using stuff sacks. I use Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil dry sacks. For this trip, I have eight as follows: socks, t-shirts, underwear, long sleeve shirt, pants, electric, toiletries, dirty clothes. I roll up each piece of clothing, with a dryer sheet to keep things smelling fresh. Put them in their respective stuff sack. Using your body weight squeeze the air out and roll up the seal. That is how you reduce bulk and turn that bulky down jacket into a soft ball. (For a winter trip, you are going to have a sack for your jacket and long underwear.)
I debated whether to bring my down sweater on this trip as insurance, and gambled that my wind shirt will be enough. If I get cold I will buy a cheap sweatshirt. I am sort of violating my rules with one item. Years ago, on a whim, I bought a ExOfficio travel vest. You know the type. It has eight or ten zippered pockets, and is worn by retired American tourist men. It then hung in my closet for several years, because I was to embarrassed to wear it. But on my February Amsterdam trip, I decided to wear it. You know what? It was incredibly handy for carrying my stash, rolling papers, grinder, lighter, and on this trip, it will also carry the new Mighty, along with the filling tool. And even though it is August, I haven't been uncomfortable wearing it in Atlanta.
Speaking of wearing extra clothing, when I travel with my wife and we may be visiting some dressy restaurants, I will wear a sport coat. But this is a solo trip, and even though I might do Restaurant Vermeer, one night, they have never require a jacket in the past.
I got to the airport five hours before the flight is suppose to leave. I typed this up while sitting in the business class lounge, sipping a bourbon and ginger. I know that you want to hear about coffeeshops and smokables, but that is still about 15 hours away. I am flying to Dusseldorf to save miles, so after I arrive in the morning I will take a train to Venlo and will report on Coffeeshop Nobody's Place tomorrow evening.
