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Sunday, April 19, 2009

RV Travel Clothes Packing - Light not Tight

Because I am a full time RVer and my mail must be forwarded to my current location (wherever that may be) I don’t subscribe to magazines or catalogs. But when I received my mail last week I was tickled to see a Tilley Endurables catalog that snuck in amongst the envelopes. Have you heard of Tilley hats? I’m quite a fan and enjoy the travel ramblings and resources provided by Canadian Alex Tilley.

My husband got his Tilley as a well-earned reward at the end of a very busy summer season. He’d been looking for a versatile, good looking, high-quality hat and found the perfect solution in a small hat shop in Provincetown on Cape Cod. It’s been a great hat but didn’t fare so well when, as a recommended option, was washed in the washing machine. Fortunately for him, the Tilley is guaranteed for life. A productive call to Tilley resulted in the service rep asking him to roll it up, pop it into an envelope and mail it back. In less than a week he had a brand new replacement. It’s a real winner…but I digress…

As I thumbed through the catalog I came across a concept that is by no means new or a Tilley invention but intriguing just the same…they call it Travel Light, Travel Happy – 10 pieces will take you there. The idea is to coordinate 10 all-around, mix and match pieces of clothing that will make a myriad of outfits to serve all your travel fashion needs. Yes, I know, as a fulltimer I always have everything with me…except when I take off for the summer in my little RV Cooking Show Tango Travel Trailer (Wanna see how they make Tangos? Click here for a virtual factory tour!). In that instance I have to scale down from 31’ to 20’ – much easier and more enjoyable to poke around the country with but, well, space is limited.

I think I’m going to give the 10 piece thing a go but perhaps double it due to the length of time I’ll be away from the mother ship – my fifth wheel – and add a dressier piece or two just in case.

So, here’s what they recommend (and I think it would work just terrific for a two week vacation or adjusted for a business trip):

1 pair of pants
1 pair of shorts
1 pair of capris or all around skirt (can serve as dressy)

2 T-shirts
2 short sleeve button down tops

1 long sleeve button down top
1 cardigan
1 jacket

To that I think I’ll add:

Another pair of shorts and another pair of capris (2 pcs), an easy to dress up or down dress (1 pc), three tank tops (3 pcs), three long sleeve T-shirts (3 pcs), and a sweatshirt (1 pc).

I’m really excited to see how this goes. Last summer I jammed the little camper full and was absolutely shocked when I transferred my clothing back to the big one – there were several items – several – that never saw the light of day. Heck, that could have been more room for my cooking utensils, specialties items, and general goodies. Live and learn.

Do you have a packing tip or trick? Leave a comment so we can all travel a little more lightly – saving fuel, space, and peace of mind.

Happy camping - Evanne
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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

My first thought about this "Tilley wardrobe" is the frequent trips to the laundry required to have these items available when I want them!

RVCookingShow - Evanne said...

Good point. I do, however, notice (especially with men!!) that items get worn several times before being put in the laundry. Could be a bonus!

Now if I don't dribble too much :> I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks for the comment - Evanne

Mendel Potok said...

That is some excellent advice! I've been doing this for years of course (I think I only own two pairs of pants) but the wife wouldn't hear of not having her entire wardrobe on her at all times. Maybe we can finally clear up some room for my golf clubs :)

RVCookingShow - Evanne said...

It turned out to be completely do-able. We didn't have massive or frequent trips to the laundry and it made getting dressed much more pleasant. And, much to my surprise, we had a lot of different outfits with the mix and match concept. Luved it!

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