Uniform approach

We all know that the secret to light travel is not the right bag. The secret is the right amount and kind of clothes and tech gear. Developing your own travel uniform is one way to simplify and minimize. For a middle-aged guy it might be traveling with two identical pairs of khakis and two travel oxfords, plus underwear (possibly including undershirts that double as t-shirts) and a jacket. Add a scarf, tie, swimsuit or pair of shorts and you have a sub 12-pound outfit that will take you around the world, and through most climates — provided you do a little laundry every other night. The key to the uniform is that each piece work with every other piece. Exciting? No. Efficient? Yes. Surprises? Few. Please share your uniform suggestions.

(Brad)

Comments

[Andy Mesa]

My uniform for any trip regardless of length (and often at home too):

2 Icebreaker shirts
3 Ex-Officio briefs (upped from two, some days you just can't wash)
2 pairs REI Merino wool socks
1 pair REI Adventures pants
1 pair REI Adventures shorts
1 pair Rockport Eberdon shoes
1 pair flip flops

Cold weather gear as necessary; a microfleece for mild weather, a down jacket for colder weather, and a waterproof shell for rain, handles sub-freezing conditions and packs tight.

I'm not middle-aged and I don't travel for business so this works well for me. Icebreaker makes some nice polos and buttoned shirts as well, if necessary. The pants, which I have in both navy blue and khaki work well for most occasions as do the shoes.

[Andy Mesa]

Also, I think the secret to traveling light is everything, including the bag. I find it amazing that people own and use bags that weigh 5-7 lbs *empty*.

My go-to bag is a Patagonia Lightweight Travel Duffel, which weighs 14 oz. Add the clothes and other things I pack, and I'm usually between 6-8 lbs fully packed. This allows me to take my bag with me everywhere all the time, which has been immensely convenient.

[AndyW]

I agree with Andy Mesa, 3 pair of briefs is the way to go. Sometimes after 20 hours of travel, you just want to (need to) change...

Here is my uniform... Black is the key

:: Clothes ::
3 black pants
3 black golf shirts (collar no pockets)
1 zip-up black cardigan sweater
1 black mock turtleneck
2 pair ecco black shoes
3 pair ex-offico black boxer-briefs
3 pair black socks
1 black t shirt
1 black gym shorts (used for workouts and swimming)
1 black belt
1 black bag (currently redoxx small aviator bag, I hook a shoulder strap to the handles)
1 pair black flip flops

:: Toiletries ::
ear plugs,
eye mask
toothpaste
toothbrush
little scissors
nail clippers
plastic razor
bag of q-tips
hair trimmer and chord (US or European, depending on destination)

:: Sanity ::
1 ukulele (in light weight case) with extra strings

:: Tech Gear ::
1 black computer bag (incase 15")
1 laptop, power supply
1 utility plug adapter (3 plugs)
2 USB jump drives (one has a full recovery disk on it, the other has anything critcally important to restore my machine, like serial numbers, software registration keys, etc)
2 international SIM cards ( I by them from the kiosk at the airport)

iphone
iphone cable and charger
1 pair of headphones (nike, behind the head)

nokia phone
usb cable (as charger)

ipad
ipad charger
1 scrap of microfiber cloth

-------------

If my destination is cold, I add a pair of gloves, a hat, a buff or scarf, and an outer shell coat.

If it is more formal I'll bring a white shirt, silver tie and wear a suit jacket

I wear one set of clothes on the plane, including the cardigan and jackets.

Everything else fits into the small aviator bag and weighs under 20 lbs. (sans the laptop and charger)

:: Hints ::

Every hotel has soap.

My iPad, replaced my mini laptop as my personal computer for travelling. I use it at work more than my laptop.

Once I can fully use some desktop sharing software, I will consider not bringing the work laptop and add my bluetooth keyboard and I will have to bring a nokia charger for the nokia.

I use the nokia on pay per minute mobile plans over seas. You can buy a sim and number at every airport in the rest of the world

I used to FTP all my backups to a remote server, but dropbox and other services have replaced FTP.

The only other thing I have considered is a walking cane.

I never fly through the UK, or they will make me check my bag.

I lived in Cairo Egypt for 2.5 years on this setup. It took me 1 trip to get down to this list.

I've also lived/worked in Romania, India, Greece, Turkey and France with this same setup.

------------

I'm famous for wearing black, to the point that other people have come dressed as me (in black) for halloween. They just ask for my ukulele or my ipad.

[David]

Andw:

What bag do you use?

[Brad]

You're right - three pairs of briefs are the way to go. I sometimes take an old cotton pair that needs to thrown away. I also agree that the bag should be sub-three pounds. There's just no magic bag. I usually use a TB Western Flyer but sometimes use ultralight packs or even smaller bags of various types.

[Alan B]

"Uniform" is not the necessary approach, but COLOR COORDINATION must be, i.e., any one item such as slacks can go with any shirt or jacket. If one is not carrying very many of any item, then this shouldn't be too hard. Black does make a good base, but of course black slacks do not necessarily go with a black jacket; having one or other in a gray tone helps. As to what I'm wearing at the moment, it's the same outfit I used for hospital rounds, plus someone's surprise birthday lunch several days ago, medium dark gray slacks, plus a black long sleeve shirt, shoes black slip-ons.

[Paul Z]

PACK:
1 pair RailRiders Backcountry Khakis
1 pair Tilley Different Drummer Lontano pants
1 Rohan Expedition shirt
1 RailRiders Adventure Top
1 TravelSmith Coolmesh polo shirt
2 pair Duluth Trading "Buck Naked" undershorts
2 Tilley Travel Undershirts
2 pair Tilley socks

WEAR:
"Suit" of Rohan Travel Linen Jacket & Pants
Tilley cotton polo shirt
Josef Seibel walking shoes
1 pair of the Duluth undies mentioned above

(Remember, you don't need to PACK 3 sets of underwear, since you're (probably) wearing a set in transit...)

A hat goes without saying, as does raingear. Anything else is dependent on location - no swim trunks if there's no beach or pool, etc.

[CoCoYoYo]

I've developed something of a uniform, too:

-2 black or 2 brown tees (one v-neck, one crew neck) - I have long sleeved and short sleeved versions
-1 pair of denim jeans or capris (depends on destination/weather; I wear one pair out, too)
-pjs (1 tee and shorts)
-undies and socks
-if necessary, a dressy outfit (black dress pants, a sweater or blouse and either sandals or flats)
-lightweight, thermal-type tee to wear under short sleeved tees in case temps drop unexpectedly

*I try stick to just one pair of flip flops (Chaco Flips or Keen Antigua), sandals (Keen Bali slides) or sneakers (Simple Satire for dry weather, Keen Toyah for wet or snowy).

*I usually have a hoodie or pashmina to wear on my plane and at my destination in case of the cold.

I'd like to find tees in a lighter color as black and brown tend to be dreadful on bright, sunny days... but I loathe the pastel colors that are generally popular for women. Sigh... And one of these days I'll find a pair of lightweight pants to try but for now, I'd rather cart around my beloved jeans.

[TA]

Andy Mesa , AndyW, & PaulZ

Please post a picture of your uniforms.

[Paul Z]

I'll try to remember to take a picture of it all laid out before I pack everything next week.

[MaxD]

Here's my usual packing list for a week. I don't usually like to wear jeans much.

CampMor T-Shirts - (3) Wear one, pack two. These are mostly poly, maybe 85/15 cotton. Not much stretch. CampMor Logo on the chest but not too obtrusive. Double duty as undershirt and work out shirt. In Grey, Green and Tan. (Not necessarily one of each but I have about a dozen in all colors. They are great and were $4 apiece. http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___33509

Banana republic poly/wool blend trousers - (2). Usually 1 tan/camel color, 1 grey. Wear one, pack one. I like these because they are cheap and if something bad happens, it is no great loss. Not easy to wrinkle.

Lands End oxford shirts - (3), wear one pack two. Pink/white/blue usually. Lands End are good because they have many fabrics and are inexpensive even if not bought on one of the frequent sales. I like to just use a same day/next day laundry if available. When on the road it is worth it to me to pay the premium (unless it is a hotel dry cleaner wanting to charge me $12 to launder a shirt.) I found one in lower Manhattan that was about $2 per shirt.

1 sport coat/jacket. I like to use something from Orvis. I have an old Harris Tweed for winter and a poplin for summer. They do not wrinkle and are pretty durable. Andersen-Little have a poly blend made in USA blue blazer that I am thinking of trying.

Ex Officio trunks (2 or 3 depending on how much I want to wash)
Wright Socks (2) for jogging. Any type of Cool Max is good.
1 pair dress/casual shoes. Loafers, wing tips, whatever.
1 pair of jogging shoes. I like the Nike Frees because they smush flat and are light weight.
3 pairs dress socks. Wool or nylon. Not much preference. Usually maroon.
1 pair shorts for jogging. Any nylon pair will do. I like Soark and Sub4USA which are both made in USA.

[AndyW]

I use a Red Oxx Small Aviator bag.