As we've shared a few times, we're hitting the road for two months this summer! We got lucky with our current rent arrangement and with comparable living expenses, we can road trip the West Coast in our RV for 2 months. We also are both teachers so we get 3 months off and still get our paychecks. This convenient combination is making for an epic summer. This also means that I have to pack for 2 months in an RV closet. For those of you who haven't seen an RV closet, it's not much. No drawers, just around 12 hanger slots (so all your clothes don't drop when driving) and a small cabinet below (not even a drawer). I also have to plan for a wide variety of weather. We'll be spending a while on the coast where it can easily get to 50 degrees in the summer with wind and rain. Then there's Southern Utah and last time I was there in June, it was 115 degrees. As you can tell, it's taking some very careful planning and organizing to make it all fit. Obviously we're going to do laundry on the road. We also are going to be in the middle of nowhere without access to laundry a lot. So I have to balance having enough clothes to last me a while hiking in the dirt and chasing my dog on the beach. I'll post how I got this all organized in my closet once the trailer is loaded. As of right now, all my clothes can fit in a medium sized box. Here's how I strategically planned my road trip wardrobe: Shirts and Tank Tops For shirts, I'm going for a wide variety. There's thicker, standard shirts and thinner shirts. Most of them also correspond with other layers I packed. So a tank top for the desert could turn into a base layer on a cold day. I also went for more neutral colors. I can wear it with more of my other clothing items so I have some more variety. They're also small so I can pack more of these without taking up too much space. I'll be adding two more shirts from 208 Tees as well and I'm pumped about them. Second Layers I picked these second layers specifically for throwing on during a cold morning or evening. They're light enough to easily carry around and only for when things are a little chilly. Sweatshirt Layers These are my heavier duty layers. I can layer these with the ones above or just wear them with a shirt. I wanted to have good variety because the weather isn't always going to be nice. I also didn't want to pack too many because it's still summertime. Also, the navy blue one is covered in Sophie hair so I made her pose in front of her handy work. Outer Layers smThese are my heavy duty, outer layers. First, I have my teal coat. This is a mid-weight coat I found thrift shopping. It's super comfy and made of tough material. I love buying cheap coats at thrift stores because I'm not as worried about damaging them. I feel a lot better about carrying around my sand and salt water covered dog in a coat like that. My next one is a down coat that fits in a small bag. This is perfect for hiking because I can easily tuck it away and it's super warm. It's also a nicer and more expensive coat. I love it but I only break it out when I know I won't damage it. Like I'll wear it on a well established trail but wouldn't go huckleberry picking in the bushes with it. Next I have my University of Idaho windbreaker. This is another one of my thrift store finds. It has no extra insulation and is exclusively a windbreaker. It's been perfect in so many circumstances. One of the best uses is layering. It's another one I'm not too worried about staining or tearing. I've worn it many times over a nice coat like the gray one. I get the warmth of my down coat but my cheap thrift store find protects it. I do the same with my teal coat but it's better for worse weather. Both the teal coat and Idaho windbreaker are a size too big so it's easy to fit the gray coat underneath. Lastly, I have one of the only two hats I ever wear. I wear a whale stocking cap and a kayaking trucker hat which also happens to be one of the best ways to describe my interests. We may be luxury camping but we're still camping. I'm not about to do my hair everyday and I will embrace the camping hair look. Pants Layers I have this weird thing where my legs never get cold. So I have a million layers for my top and not in pants. I made sure to bring a wide variety for this. The first group of clothes is shorts. I have hiking/cargo type shorts and jean shorts. I got the Columbia hiking shorts for a steal at a thrift store (I almost exclusively shop at thrift stores and it's very apparent in my wardrobe). Apparently someone my size dropped off their fancy brand shorts and I felt like I won the lottery. These are also in some different colors so it gives me some more variety. Next I have jean shorts. These can match anything and will work great for mid-range warm days. These will also look better when we're in places like San Fransisco. I guess I can't spend the entire trip looking like a mountain hippie. The shredded jean shorts are my sister's art project. She cut off her old jeans and bleached them. They're now my "I don't care what happens to these" shorts. Bring something like this camping. Traveling in an RV with a dog doing outdoor activities all day can destroy clothes. For pants, I'm bringing normal jeans and Columbia zip-off hiking pants (and they're definitely in child size because apparent zip offs aren't cool enough for adults). The jeans are just a must. The zip-off pants are the best thing ever. They're light duty, dry quickly, and can turn into shorts. They're great for hikes in the forest when it's a little colder. I have my flowy pants that I found in Venice. Super comfy and cool for hot days but not hiking in the dirt ready. Lastly, I have a plain black pair of leggings. Not only do they go with everything but I can use them as a second layer with jeans if it's especially cold. Other Items Here's my last random items I'm packing.
I have my swim suit and I'm only bringing one because I'm not much for swimming. I also have two relaxing shorts. They can multi-task as PJs, driving day shorts, or a comfy outfit for a lazy day. I have my purple striped romper that my sister-in-law found for me at a thrift store. It's super comfy and light duty. I wore it a ton in Europe when it was 90 degrees. I definitely can't hike in the dirt with this but it'll be nice for driving days, running errands, or exploring a town. Then I have two long sleeves. One is a thicker, cotton long sleeve for cold days. The other is a dry fit that's great for avoiding sun burn. It's a whole lot easier to cover places the sun can burn over trying to put on sunscreen everywhere multiple times in the day. Then I have my shoes because I'm type A and I can't break my current photo pattern. I have black Nike tennis shoes for light duty hiking. I have my Teva sandals which are one of my favorite shoes I've ever owned. Which is also why they look gross and dirty in their photo. Not pictured are my hiking boots. I intend on bringing these or trying to find a lighter pair of hiking shoes. My boots can get pretty warm in the summer so I'm seeing if I can find exactly what I want. If I can't, I'd rather just use my current boots than waste money on less than ideal shoes.
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Miki & BobWe're an adventurous couple that travel internationally and travel nationally in our RV. We have a corgi named Sophie that comes along on our adventures. Our goal is to encourage others to travel and show genuine travel over Instagrammable travel. CategoriesArchives
April 2020
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