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Revisiting the road trip packing list

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Paul’s currently on a year-long road trip around the states.  While on the road, he’s keeping an eye on the style of the places he visits, and trying not to dress like a bum.  Follow his other adventures on drivinginertia.com.

About six months ago I asked for packing help.  Some advice was good, and I followed it.  Some I ignored.  John shared this link and successfully determined I am, in fact, white and taking a year off.  Right now, I’m six months into the year I’ve dedicated to travel.  Here’s what I’ve learned living on the road (stylishly, of course).

I can’t do laundry every day

A couple guys suggested a sink-wash underwear rotation (wear one pair, wash the other, rotate, repeat). Couldn’t do it. I’ve got a stack of boxers and I wash them when I run out.  Why?  Sinks … mostly.  Not every campsite has running water, and I’ve stayed at some sketchy ones.  And I just couldn’t do it – I didn’t want another daily unknown on my agenda.  I have enough to worry about trying to find places to eat and sleep while keeping things in budget.  I didn’t want to worry about washing my drawers too.

I dream of Merino

Yes, Merino wool is probably the perfect travel fabric – looks good, doesn’t smell, is versatile – but I couldn’t rationalize spending the coin needed to outfit myself with this wonder fabric.  I’m wearing basically standard garb, no special equipment.

Shoes need to multi-task

Driving loafers put into rock scrambling duty.
Driving loafers put into rock scrambling duty.

Butch_Z suggested I ditch my hiking boots.  Great call.  I didn’t need them and got rid of them after a month.  I’ve hiked through Death Valley and up mountains and jumped across streams fine in sneakers.  That said, my Pumas are probably the worst shoe in the world to wear on gravel paths.  They annoyingly absorb gravel only to deposit it inside our van.

Meanwhile, I’ve come to regard driving loafers as possibly the most versatile shoe in existence.  These are what I wear.  I’ve crawled around on boulders and cliffs in mine, used them as slippers in sketchy hotels, and worn them to weddings.  I don’t think any other shoes could have pulled that off.

My luggage is basic

Mike asked about luggage.  Because my wife and I are mainly car-camping, I’ve been able to keep to a small duffel bag filled with clothing and a flimsy backpack for underwear, socks, and accoutrements.  This works in the van but is absolutely terrible when stopping at a friend’s or a hotel.  If we’re staying indoors, I pack up one of those reusable shopping bags with a change of clothes.

I am a hat guy

Living outside is tough, especially in the desert.  I now own and regularly wear a full-brimmed hat.  The best I can say about it is that it’s not overly un-stylish.

I love regional style

Granted, a lot of people dress homogeneously across America, but there’s still a lot of regional variations in style.  I enjoyed seeing men in Uggs in California (they make perfect sense if you’re a surfer and you just spent the last hour dangling your feet in frigid water).  I liked seeing blaze orange in Wisconsin (hunters, natch).  People in New Mexico look exactly how they should look – Navajo shirts and turquoise and silver accents.  It’s amazing and wonderful that we all manage to not look exactly the same.

Got any tips or questions about life on the road? Post them in the comments.

Comments

  3. Hey, someone actually listened to me haha. Hiking boots are great if you’re wearing a heavy pack. But if you’re not, you really don’t need ’em. Sounds like you’re having a great time, Paul.

  5. What a great article!  Good luck and can’t wait for the next update, Paul!

  6. If you haven’t yet visited drivinginertia.com yet, definitely do so. Paul’s ongoing adventure is an inspirational, at the very least. He’s also very open minded when it comes to style (and other things). It’s easy to get caught up in what’s the “proper” way to dress, and every one of his guest posts on Dappered reminds me that “style” and “fashion” has its own cultures that should be respected, if not admired.

    Also, missing a week on Driving Inertia could result in missing an opportunity to meet up with or advise Paul and his wife on where to visit. I still kick myself for being out of town when he visited Paso Robles. He went to the wrong wineries!

  7. What full-brimmed hat do you wear? I’ve got a Tilley with a medium-sized brim that I wear for summer hiking and hanging out at the lake. I’d like to think it looks decent, but really the most that can be said for it is, like you’ve commented, it’s not overly unstylish. And when the alternative is frying your retinas and your skin for three or four straight months, “not unstylish” isn’t such a bad deal.

  8. The best part of this article is when he confirms that the link for the List of Stuff White People Like is an accurate judgment.

  11. You might look into Drymax socks. I haven’t used my new pair yet but apparently they are awesome at keeping your feet dry and ultra running god Geoff Rowes used one pair — I think — for his recent win during the Iditarod Trail Invitational.

    I’ve always been happy with my Ex Officio underwear when I’m traveling light and would probably use trail running shoes for both running and hiking if i was in a similar situation.

  15. If visiting one of those wineries is wrong, I don’t want to be right. We loved Paso Robles. You may have some new neighbors.

    Curious to hear your favorite places. Is Papi’s the best place for tacos??

  18. Yeah … I’d rather save quarters and stop at laundromats. They’re a wild scene. Once saw a kid at one wearing a Yankees baseball hat with a plastic shower cap over it. Kids these days!

  24. Geoff Roes is originally from Cleveland NY and Lisa graduated with his younger sister. Hear he is a great runner!