I am taking a long trip from Mexico, through Central and into South America. We will cover a variety of climates and elevations, though we don't plan to be anywhere super cold at any point. We are going to be gone for 1 year.

Travel gear is very expensive, so I don't have money to buy quick-drying super-lite everything. I was thinking I am willing to spend money to get 2-4 high quality items. What would be the items you reocmmend my high quality items should be? Basically, if you only have the money for a few, which are the most important.

My initial though was:

1. thermal underwear like under armour for layering and staying warm. They are light and dry fast and very warm.

2. 1 Pair of light, quick dry travel pants. I plan to have a pair of jeans as well. 2 pairs of pants total.

3. 1 travel, high-quality rain coat for temps down into the low 40s. We don't plan to get too much colder than that, and the rain coat will be useful in wet climates. This would be the only coat i bring.

What are the essentials here?

I'm curious as to what people will recommend as well. I'm planning a trip far in the future (gotta save money first), and I've made quite a few Window Shopping Wishlists.

Still, there's a nagging part of me that says, except for a high quality backpack, everything else is extraneous, and while merino wool or ultralite/quick drying clothes might be convenient, I could also just bring humdrum, run-of-the-mill t-shirts and pants and just replace them on the cheap as I travel, saving myself hundreds of dollars that could be better spent on my travel expenses. For every high-quality shell I set my lusty eyes on, there's a perfectly serviceable poncho just waiting in the wings. And if you use the towel trick on undergarments (rolling them into a towel and squeezing the extra water out that way), even cotton seems to dry out overnight. And what's wrong with that invigorating, slightly damp feel of boxer briefs on your delicates to stimulate you in the morning? Better than coffee, I say.

I've still kept my eye on travel jeans made by Kuhl or Royal Robbins that aren't 100% cotton, because they seem to cost the same as a nice pair of normal jeans anyway (if we're talking jeans in the Lucky or Mavi league.)

Of course, replacing your clothes assume wherever you're going will have the right sizes, and since I'm a fairly tall person, with larger than average (for being half-Korean, anyway) feet, then certain items like shoes might be harder to come by.

Excellent points. I certainly understand the constant cycle of getting rid of and buying clothes as we roll on. I guess I've gotten the general impression during my months of research that people who invest in a few high quality items are usually happy they did, and find that these particular items were invaluable. I've also heard from travelers who do not buy a single "travel-anything" and do just find. I find myself right in between, hence my 1-3 quality items idea. I'm not decking myself out, but I'm willing to get 1or 2 "essentials."

Curious what people think about this as well so please do chime in.

I love ExOfficio's underpants. A few pairs of those and you're set.

Re: cotton drying overnight. This his highly dependent on climate. In Vietnam, for example, I had clothes that would not dry for days, literally.

- Mike

mikeym wrote:I love ExOfficio's underpants. A few pairs of those and you're set.

Re: cotton drying overnight. This his highly dependent on climate. In Vietnam, for example, I had clothes that would not dry for days, literally.

- Mike

I have a few pairs of Tilley's myself, and travel underwear isn't nearly as expensive as other travel products (like Smartwool shirts or Icebreaker thermals), but I think normal underwear would dry out fine even in humid climates.

I live in Louisiana, and here in New Orleans we have a large Vietnamese population because when many Vietnamese were fleeing their country it was an area with a very similar climate. So I think I can make at least an informed comparison when I say that hand washing my underclothes, wringing them out, rolling them in a towel, and hanging them out to dry might not result in 100% dry clothing, but if you're willing to wear slightly damp clothing, they will actually dry quite quickly while you're wearing it. And as a procrastinator who does laundry when he's essentially already out of clean items to wear, I've done this before, and by the time I get done with my 25-30 minute, 6 mile bike ride to work, it's plenty dry.

I just remembered one of the reasons Merino wool clothing seemed so appealing to me. By all accounts it does not hold odor nearly as much as comparable fabrics. I tried out some Tilley fast-drying socks, and let me tell you, while dry, they reeked after a few weeks of hand-washing. Plus, who wants to worry about laundry every night? If I didn't stink, I could be convinced to wear the same shirt for a few days. But as with anything nice and expensive, I think I'd be paranoid of damaging it or losing it.

I like a few sets of quick drying clothes, a quick dry towel, and a nice small camera and that's about it. Most everything else you can pick up on the road.

I don't buy expensive quick drying stuff though. I get my sister to send me clothes from walmart that are primarily polyester. They dry quickly enough if I hang them overnight and if I ruin one it isn't such a profound loss.