Can’t wait to look this happy again!
As Anner wrote on her post, I was quite remiss in making my own clothing list. Sooo, I guess I’ll do my best to rectify that now with a post combining last trip and our upcoming Tanzania adventure! Everything I brought was green or brown/beige so it could easily mix and match. I might have to branch out a bit this time as some of the colors aren’t available this season, but one must adapt. Here we go…
Lets start from the ground up with shoes. I went with the North Face Hedghog Fastpack Goretex. They’re waterproof and essentially low hikers. Took one pair and replaced it twice along the way. Got a new pair I’m breaking in now for the next trip. The colors keep changing, but the quality remains!
Keeping my feet dry for miles and miles!
Sandals – 1 pair of Merrell Continuums which are kind of like beefier Tevas. I’ve got delicate feet, so wanted something with more padding. They don’t make my exact ones anymore, so I’m taking the same pair to Tanzania.
Moving up…socks! I started with an old wool pair from a trip to India back in 1999/2000 and a pair of Thorlos, both of which were quickly discarded for the wonder that is Darn Tough wool socks. Ohhh how I love my Darn Toughs! I’ve been wearing them since the trip and they are THE BEST!!! Even wrote a post about them. Bringing 3 pairs this time.
Pants were a bit of a challenge before as I knew I needed to deal with both warm and cool weather. This time I can stay pared down with my two faves: an Ex Officio pant with mesh running down the inside of the legs to let air in and some Prana Stretch Zions that roll up and snap at the calf. Both are spectacular!
For shorts, I’ve tried a bunch and I’m all in on the Ex Officio Amphi-shorts. I’ll be bringing two pairs of the older style (with the built-in belt) on this trip. Last time I had one and a pair of Eddie Bauer quick dries. The EB’s were fine, but I prefer not having to add a separate belt. Unfortunately, it looks like the new amphi-shorts have lost the belt, so I’m glad I still have a couple of the older style still kicking. I use these for everyday and as swim trunks.
Really appreciate the belt on the older style amphi-shorts.
Speaking of belts, I brought a simple Bison Designs webbing belt that rolls up small and it worked nicely for the pants when needed. Quality was great and it’s coming along again.
Underneath I’m a boxers sort of fellow, and I’m ALL about the Ex Officio Give ‘n Go Boxers. That’s all I wear at home and I’ll be bringing three on this trip. I tried a bazillion styles before the original trip and these were the hands-down winners.
I brought a couple of over-shirts – one for sun, one for warmth. For sun I went with a light button-down from Ex Officio (notice a trend here? Ex Officio makes great warm-weather travel gear): the Air-Strip. The all wool IBEX Shak over-shirt kept me warm. It has a 1/4 zip top and is quite comfy. Unfortunately IBEX went out of business. Fortunately, I still have both shirts and they’ll both be coming to Tanzania!
My Shak is nice and toasty, here in South Africa.
Icebreaker 100% wool Tech Tee Lite t-shirts (150g) were my go-to for the original trip. I brought 2 which I’ve continued wearing since. They are now full of holes, so must stay home. Also, the new Tech Tee Lites aren’t 100% wool anymore! I’ve replaced them with an IBEX OD Henley 100% wool (150g) and a 53% wool Icebreaker Cool-Lite Sphere (130g). Just bought that one a couple days ago, so can’t give a report on it yet. Those’ll come on the trip, possibly with another straight polypro or my green Icebreaker Tech Tee which is 100% wool, but a little heavier at 200g.
UPDATE: The Sphere shirt was SPECTACULAR for the hot weather! I’ll happily get another for the next time I go hot-weather traveling. The 200g worked fine, but I definitely did sweat more in it.
You can’t see it, but the top tee has a 1/4 button down. The green one is the slightly heavier version and the bottom shirt is the super light one. Looking forward to trying that one in the heat.
What else? Last time I brought a packable puffy coat (North Face Thermoball) and a packable Patagonia raincoat. This time I’m leaving the puffy coat and I’ll be bringing my new packable North Face rain jacket (the Patagonia eventually became less protective, though I still have it). I’ll probably also toss in my light fleece vest from North Face, but undecided on that one.
Definitely bringing my beloved Columbia Insect-Blocker hat with mesh section to keep my head cool in the sun again (here’s the newer version). It’s got a brim all the way around and makes me look a little dorky, but I like it anyway! I’ll also bring a simple beanie for warmth.
My hat, long sleeves, and long pants made it through Mongolia and Tanzania before; I’m sure they’ll make it through Tanzania again!
Finally, I tend to run cold at night, so to sleep in I brought some lightweight long sleeves and long pants base layers from REI last time. Love them, but they’ve worn out and REI doesn’t make the same light weight anymore, so I’m switching to Kuhl Valiant this time. They are even lighter, but with some wool which I think should work in Tanzania.
UPDATE: The Valiant worked perfectly and I brought an old pair of light base pants from First Ascent (85% Polypro, 15% Bamboo) which also worked nicely.
And there you go. That’s what kept me from going naked last time and, hopefully, will do so again!