Travel clothing

I am a skeptic of travel clothing. A part of me fears it is just another bandwagon that consumers get on in an attempt to be trendy and spend more money.

However, being on the road for the next 6 months with only:

6 t-shirts
1 dress shirt
1 pair of jeans
1 light weight pant
1 cargo pant
1 long skirt
1 undershirt
1 rain jacket
1 hiking shoe and
1 sandal/flip flop with tread

...I can't afford to be cheap in my selection.
Hence my anxiety about shopping for travel clothing.

Thankfully, as you can read in my yard sale post, God provided us with the finances to do some needed shopping today at Gander Mountain. Since some people have requested for pictures, I figured I'd show you what we purchased today.

For Ashley:

Kicker bag by Kavu. I need a purse to carry my things in when we are walking around, and this is like a secure, miniature messenger bag. Mine is not quite as cute as this one, but just as efficient.

The North Face Womens Venture Jacket. First of all, I have never until now jumped on The North Face bandwagon. I have problems justifying the ridiculous cost. And yes, it is weird to be taking a jacket overseas where it can average over 100 degrees. However, for downpours you will inevitably be caught in, as well as for comfort on cold bus rides, this jacket was ideal. It comes with "pit zips", which I knew nothing of until my travel clothing endeavors began. It's basically zippers in the armpits that you open for ventilation. Heavenly. Wesley got the men's version in blue. We also figured this would be a good investment, as neither of us have an actual waterproof piece of clothing.

I had a really hard time finding any pants. This is the story of my life, and it is especially the story with travel pants, which are not the most flattering pants in the world. I am still in the process of finding a pair.

Shirts on the other hand, were fairly successful:

If comfort were a shirt, I am pretty positive it would be a Kuhl shirt. My goodness, these shirts are SO soft. Travel clothing is not known for its excessive trendiness or general cuteness, but I think Kuhl has made an honorable attempt.



This one is my absolute favorite. Brown is a good neutral color to have on the road. You don't want too many printed things or, because we are taping for Season 2 of Revolutionary Life, you will look like you're constantly wearing the same thing. The flower print on this is subtle enough that it won't make a difference. The shirts are a blend of polyester and cotton. When you think polyester, you think itchy, awkward disco pants suit, but combined with cotton... *sigh*. These will be super easy to hand wash and dry and will be durable enough to stand the test of wear and tear on the road.

My second Kuhl shirt


I also bought one more light-weight t-shirt with a cotton/modal blend.

Mentionables that I have gotten prior to today:




Pink bandana from Claire's. I could have gotten a neutral color, and may regret this...but I just love the idea of a pink bandana.




Kelty 2500 Redwing Backpack for women. It is designed for women, complete with curved straps. I love this bag. Let's hope it loves me, because it's going to be on my back for 6 months.


IPod touch. I found the 2nd generation on Craigslist for half what it's worth. While I am planning on boycotting Craigslist, I'm glad I didn't before I saw this steal. This really was a need. I dreaded trying to share our ipod back and forth on the trip during long bus rides. Now I can have my own IPod and also skype, blog, check email, download music, etc wherever wifi is...which may not be many places, but it will still be great! There are tons of free applications, including a Bible app with passage look up. Awesome. Of course, I will not use it as a means to ignore anyone.

For Wesley:



He got his own little slice of comfort with the Kuhl Elite Cafe Crew t-shirt. One of the coolest things about this shirt is it is blended with Coffeenna, "fabric made from recycled coffee grounds. The fabric naturally enhances the evaporative cooling to help keep you drive and comfortable with excellent UV protection"- from the tag, haha.


Under Armour zip off pants. Pants and shorts in one.


White Sierra Trail pant. Another zip off.


Wesley got his backpack at a yardsale a few months ago for $12. It is a Jansport backpack.
He has several shirts that fit the cotton blend required.
He bought some Merril laceless shoes, but they didn't fit him right so he is on the hunt for some more shoes.

Currently needed:

Ashley: 3 more t-shirts, 1 long skirt, 1 light weight pant, sandals, hiking shoes, hat, sunglasses, lightweight scarf

Wesley: 3 more t-shirts, hiking shoes, sandals, hat, sunglasses.

Both: Macbook.

As I left the store clutching the receipt, the tangible evidence of what we spent took my breath away. But I have to keep reminding myself that this will be the majority of our wardrobe for 6 months.

Yikes.