Packing Considerations: Part II - Clothing

Sorry for the delay - I've been spending the last few days researching and finalizing my packing list, as well as ordering last-minute supplies (Fun Fact™: All university students can sign up for a free 2 years of Amazon Prime, which includes free 2-day shipping). We're going to touch on a couple different topics here, beginning with clothing and seeing what happens after that (actually, it looks like it will just be about clothing.  Apparently I have a lot to say on the subject!).  In case you don't remember from two posts ago, we're dealing with a 75L hiking backpack, and about 44lbs of packing weight available.  Let's get started!
First of all, I'd like to thank Jelly.James for linking me to snapshotjourneys.com for their advice on packing for travel.  A lot of the information in there is picked up naturally through experience, and other portions are specifically advice for women.  Still, it's a worthwhile site to check out if you don't have much experience packing to carry.  I'll be outlining the relevant bits from that site, as well as sharing my own experiences.

The first consideration is the optimal intersection of packing space, laundering facilities, and mobility.  Obviously, you can only carry so many clothes, and you don't want to carry any more than you need.  On the flip side, there are only so many times you can rinse something out and dry it, and sometimes circumstances simply don't allow such stalling tactics.  Proper laundering facilities give you an opportunity to "reset" your wardrobe, but each wash requires you to carry around more detergent (unless you wish to purchase it at exorbitant prices).

The second consideration is more social than anything else - the more you move about or the more remote your destination, the fewer repeat encounters you are likely to have, and nobody knows you're wearing the same shirt for the third time that week.  Even if you're rinsing or washing between uses, others you repeatedly encounter don't know that, and the image you give off could suffer.  You need more outfits on a cruise ship than you could get away with trekking across Europe, for example. Whenever possible, use the ignorance of others to your advantage.

 In comparing these factors, one usually arrives at a sweet spot.  Often there's a little wiggle-room either way, depending on what sort of traveling lifestyle you would like to lead.  For a 4-week trip to Scandinavia, I find that the sweet spot is at 5 days.  I could pack for as many as 7 days if I felt that a diverse wardrobe was essential, and didn't mind carrying around the extra clothing, or I could pack for as few as 3 days if I felt like converting the sink at every hostel into a manual clothes-washing station.  I'd rather not go to that extreme, but rinsing some clothes out between washings to stretch my wardrobe sounds like a good trade-off for saving a little weight and space.  I'm going to shoot for a 5-day wardrobe.

Now that I've solved that little dilemma, what precisely do I take?  First, we should lay down some cardinal rules of packing.  These rules always apply.  ALWAYS.

1. Layers, layers, layers.  Bulky coats are a luxury that you can afford to partake in at home when you're just going out to the store for Italian bread in -5 degree weather because you forgot it when you were shopping for the other ingredients for your "It's 5 Degrees Below Zero Spaghetti Bash".  When you actually have to be outside for any significant portion of time, you may become aware that temperatures fluctuate throughout the day.  Your options upon realizing this are either to have packed a unique coat for every temperature range, or to have packed enough layers that you can build to whatever degree of warmth you require - quickly, easily, and without a lot of extra baggage.
2. Everything pulls double-duty.  Or triple duty.  With the exception of small-time items like socks and underwear, pretty much everything you pack should have multiple conceivable uses.  If there's only one situation you need an item for, you are wasting energy lugging that item around all the time you're not using it.  For trips longer than a week or so, this is necessary as a matter of course - it's not physically possible to carry around unique clothing for a month.  I'm not even sure I own a month's worth of unique clothing.
3. Everything plays nice together, or else.  Common elements should be neutrally colored and neutrally patterned.  Don't take clothing that requires "wardrobe support".  It's fine to take an item that can combine with something else well, but each should be able to stand on its own (or combine with something else as well).  This rule is especially important for utility clothing.  You have to take a jacket no matter how many days you are packing for, but if that jacket is waterproof, you've just saved yourself from packing a raincoat as well.

All this theoretical babble is well and good, but what am I actually taking?  Well, here goes:

• 5 pairs of underwear
• 3 pairs of socks (this will make sense - trust me.  Two ankle-cut black and a white pair)
• 1 belt (woven - jamming clasp)

• 1 pair jeans (Dark wash increases their dressiness slightly, making them more versitile)
• 1 pair fatigue pants (BDU)
• 1 pair khaki slacks (These are the "nice pants" I'm bringing)

• 1 pair jean shorts
• 1 pair cargo shorts (camouflage)
• 1 pair exercise shorts

I would only take 3 pairs of pants and a pair of shorts (or vice-versa), but Copenhagen is hanging around 20C, so it's hard to lock in to one or the other.  Additionally, I'll be heading pretty far north in Norway and Sweden, so better safe than sorry.

• Sneakers (All-black - can double as "dress shoes" in a pinch)
• Vibram Five-fingers (Double as shower shoes, and saves me from needing to pack as many socks)

• 3 T-shirts (For utilitarian, everyday wear.  Choices will be neutral and culturally-sensitive).
• 4 undershirts (Can be used by themselves or with...)
• 2 silk shirts (Dressier and lighter than t-shirts, so can be used for hot weather or more formal situations. Also, pack down small)

• Rain coat/Rain pants (Compactable, waterproof)
• Fingerless gloves (For warmth or protection)
• Swim suit (For non-nude beaches)
• Jacket (Wind-breaking, warm - I wish it had a hood, so I could skip on the rain coat)

• Detergent for 10 loads

And there you have it!  All the clothes I'll need to get through 4 weeks.  In the next post, I'll discuss the rest of what I'll be taking.  If you have any suggestions regarding how to get this clothing list down any smaller, please comment and let me know!