The 10 Most Useful Clothing Items in Our Backpacks

People often ask me and Chris about our favorite clothes from our 8 month trip around the world.  Since we were each living out of a 55L backpack,  we did our best to make sure every piece was multi-purpose, easy to wash and durable; traits that are hard to balance with style.  Here are our top 10 most useful clothing items from our trip around the world:

1. Merrell Dash Glove Women's Shoes 

These were my only sneakers for the entire trip and they were comfortable, light, flexible and easy to pack. After 8 months of hiking, walking, and running around the world, these Merrell shoes are still in great shape!  Chris originally packed a pair of Saucony running shoes but they quickly developed holes in the mesh so he parted ways with them and purchased a pair of sturdy men's hiking Merrells, which still look brand new today.  (As a side note, the Merrells were the only size 13 shoes he could find in all of Hong Kong, so it worked out well).

2. Mango Embroidered White Tank

I picked up this tank at Mango in Barcelona and wore it all the time.  I loved it because it was loose fitting (thus it didn't get sweaty when I got sweaty), the white color kept me cool, it was easy to layer, easy to wash, dried quickly, and it didn't really wrinkle. I wore it everywhere, as evidenced by the pictures below. 

3. Puma Anorak Sport Lifestyle Jacket

I purchased this Puma jacket in Boston years ago. It was perfect for my trip around the world because:

• It's made of sweatshirt material but still has lots of structure so I could wear it hiking or out to a casual dinner.
• It has a hood, which kept me warm and the two front pockets were useful for storage and as hand warmers.
• The drawstring waist is flattering and and the length made it comfortable.  
• It was easy to wash and light enough that I could squeeze it in my bag or wear many layers underneath. 
  
• It wasn't waterproof, so I carried a lightweight shell in my bag that I'd wear over the jacket on rainy days.

I couldn't find the jacket online so I think Puma discontinued this product. Please comment if you find something similar!

Puma jacket at the beginning of the trip, worn with multiple layers underneath. It was perfect for the chilly morning hike to Machu Picchu.

Puma jacket at the end of the trip - a little faded and stretched out but overall it's still in decent shape!

4. Urban Outfitters Scarf

A scarf is a travel must.  I used this Urban Outfitters scarf every day.  I washed it regularly, dried it overnight and it never wore out.  Not one hole!  The pattern hid wrinkles and the color matched with most things. Originally, I had brought another colorful eternity scarf on the trip but eventually sent it home. While I love the way eternity scarves look, I don't recommend them if you have limited packing space.  Why?  Eternity scarves are less multi-purpose than a traditional scarf which can be used a shawl, "hood", sarong and even a substitute for a towel on the beach! 

5. Elastic Tube Maxi Skirt/Dress

I picked up this skirt/dress for $5 at an outdoor market in Cambodia and used it all the time. Since women are not allowed to expose their legs in the temples, the long skirt was perfect because it covered my legs, kept me cool-ish and when I left the temples I could turn it into a short skirt by tying it around my waist. I also used this as a beach cover-up/sarong as well as a beach "towel".  At night, the long skirt even kept the mosquitos off my legs.  No need to buy one of these before your trip - they are usually on sale at most outdoor markets in warm destinations. 

6. Aqua Print Dress/Tunic

I picked up this dress in a German department store called Karstadt. It was the middle of a very hot summer and I needed a lightweight sundress to stay cool and somewhat stylish.  This dress was perfect. I was so tired of wearing black and white so the colorful tribal print was a nice change of pace. The best part about this dress was that it was a loose-fitting polyester dress. This meant that it was incredibly lightweight, NEVER wrinkled, and dried quickly.  It kept me cool on sweltering days and on chilly days, I'd throw on a pair of leggings, scarf and my bomber jacket for warmth. You can find Aqua dresses at Bloomingdales in the US.

Sporting the Aqua dress on Rugen Island in Germany

Chris found the following items especially useful:

7. eBags Packing Cubes

These packing cubes were key. We each had 4 slim cubes in our backpacks and it made finding things so easy. We'd usually put warmer weather clothes in separate bags from cooler weather clothes so we'd only have to unpack a couple cubes at each destination. 

8. ExOfficio Boxer Briefs

Two of these ExOfficio boxer briefs lasted Chris 8 months!  They usually dry in just an hour or two.  Every night he'd wash one pair for following day. 

9. REI Convertible Pants

I'm not the biggest fan of convertible pants (especially on women), but Chris loved his REI Sahara convertible pants. They immediately won him over because they come in the hard-to-find 36" inseam.  Chris found them incredibly convenient for temperature change or when he had to cover up his legs to go into a religious site.  He also loved the cargo pockets and the super lightweight material dried in a jiffy (unlike the pair of Dockers he brought). One day he left them out to dry on our balcony in Berlin and the shorts blew away, never to be seen again. Luckily we were heading back to the States for a few days shortly thereafter so he was only deprived of his pants for one week. 

10. Gap Cotton Button Down Plaid Shirt

Chris purchased this shirt a few years ago and it was a staple in his weekend wardrobe prior to the trip.  So he brought it along and wore it frequently, in both hot and cold weather.  The shirt has snaps instead of buttons which makes it easy to take on and off and the loose fitting cotton material kept him cool in the sun. Other benefits were that it rarely wrinkled and dried quickly. 

Taking a rest after biking through Berlin