The new Tri-Star - up close

Here are some pictures and thoughts on the new Tri-Star carry-on convertible from Tom Bihn (Click on photos for a large version)

The Tri-Star outfitted with my preferred method of carriage - the essential Absolute Strap.

The Tri-Star (19” x 13” x 8” / 480 x 330 x 205mm) and its older and slightly smaller cousin the Western Flyer 18” x 12” x 7” / 455 x 305 x 180mm). The Tri-Star has three compartments, the WF has two. Respective volumes are 2000 & 1600 cubic inches (33 & 26 liters).

This view shows the Tri-Star’s double handle shows the relative size of the three zippered copartments.

The Tri-Star has hide-away contoured backpack straps with a sternum strap. Carrying comfort at 15 pounds is similar to most other convertibles I’ve tried.

Beginning with the rear compartment we see something that’s never before appeared in a TB travel bag - hold-down straps. They’re well-positioned and have nice, thin buckles. My bundle had two pairs of pants, two l/s shirts and one s/s shirt. I’m working on a sort of modified simple bundle method that works well with this compartment and its straps.

The middle compartment is a good place for a computer. You can see my netbook stowed vertically in an over-sized sleeve on the left and a small Tri-Star cube holding a pair of size 10 shoes (pretty thin and flexible dress shoes - much larger or thicker shoes would not fit - not for Sasquatch, a neighbor of Tom’s).

A better view of the shoe situation.

This end view shows that the middle compartment zips only across the top and few inches down each end, making it more secure for a computer. This compartment also has buckles that work with Tom Bihn Brain Cell laptop sleeves. Also note the nifty pull handle found on each end - for quick extraction from the overhead compartment.

Here’s something else the TS shares with the WF - the zipper-divided front compartment. My wife, who uses the WF almost weekly, likes to drop her hair stuff in the divided pocket. For folded clothing large printed material you can unzip it for a large compartment that can be opened flat like the rear compartment.

By now you’ve noticed the nice light-colored interior. The interior dividers are semi-translucent so you can even see well down into the middle compartment. I’ve always preferred a llight/bright interior material.

To the front - we see the three horizontal pockets with the new 3D Organizer Cube (which can reputedly pass a 3-1-1 baggie) peeking out of the top one. (See the bottom of this post for a video demo of the 3D Cube) This pocket layout was first seen on the WF which had only two.

Here’s the water bottle pocket. I’m not much on water bottles but I can see using this pocket for tickets, iPod, or snacks. You might see a slight tendency to bulge here. If you pack the front pockets heavily you need to under pack the front compartment to allow a little sacrificial space for the pockets to bulge inward rather than out.

This close-up of the water bottle pocket shows the TB attention to detail and a texture view of the bag’s most important quality: excellent-quality ballistic nylon which wears like iron and fights bulging. Also note the water-resistant gasketed zippers - just what you’d expect from Seattle.

The TB system approach - four new cubes just for this bag. The full-size half-mesh (large), the 2/3 size half-mesh (medium), the 1/3 size half-mesh (small), and the 1/3 size solid (which I used for shoes).

I packed this bag, which weighs about 3.5 pounds, to 15 pounds. This load included more clothing than I take for a long European trip and a netbook.

At $240 this bag is definitely not cheap, but it looks like a very labor-intensive bag to sew and the materials are top-notch. A great deal of thought has gone into its design. More to come about this bag.

Update on June 22, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

In response to a queston, there is no padding in the bag except on the back wall of the rear compartment - to make backpack use more comfy.

Update on June 22, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

Update on June 24, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

OBOW reader Esther is headed to Europe and has posted the following on the Fourm:

Photos of my packed TriStar at 17lbs.
Not pictured: iPhone and charger; itinerary papers

10 countries, 18 pounds, one Air Boss

A nice list from Tactical Gearhead:

• 1 pair of dress shoes (business)
• 2 pairs of slacks (business)
• 2 nice button down shirts + 1 tie (business)
• two pairs North face convertable pants (casual)
• 3 quick dry shirts (casual)
• 1 North face fleece
• 3 pairs quick dry underpants/socks
• toiletries kit + 2 oz bottle w/ woolite
• sink stopper
• netbook + power cords
• GPS + mount / power cords (for the rental car)
• Moleskine notebook
• Rick Steves Europe book
• Travel Documents
• Camera + chargers
• iPhone
• Blackberry (unlocked for international use)

“Total weight of bag 18lbs.”

“This bag (Red Oxx Air Boss) allowed me to carry about 50% more than my 22 inch rollaboard bag and to do so at a fraction of the weight. While traveling in Europe, I often had to run up and down stairs, across cobble-stone streets and into and out of trains, planes and automobiles. The bag made each task a breeze. Furthermore it kept my three week supply of clothing wrinkle free.”

 Read the entire post.

Photographic evidence

After much discussion of “how they dress in Europe” I realized that I had a conclusive piece of visual evidence. Check out these gentlemen playing big chess on a Saturday afternoon in the Geneva park that is home to the Reformers’ monument:

Note that the gentleman on the left’s coat is hanging on one of the taken chess pieces. And remember this is a Saturday. This look was by no means uncommon in Geneva. I was not surprised. And I had visited The Sartorialist enough to know I stood no chance in Italy.

Update on June 20, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

To be fair, here’s our German tour guide after a making a group photo with multiple cameras in Paris. Not the banker look:

Update on June 22, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

The Sartorialist has been in Florence a week or two after I was there. His photos show the variety to be found there. I half expect to find Till on The Sartorialist one day…

20 days, 14 dresses

I like the blogger’s name - Jetsetera - but her post title is oddly familiar - One Bag, One World:

“I am nonchalantly packing for my 20 day trip. 12 cities, 5 different countries.

In one bag.

1 overnight bag.

1 makeup bag.

1 accessory bag.

1 travel journal.

1 mini-laptop.

2 pairs of flip-flops.

2 pairs of heels.

2 sweaters/cover ups.

6 books.

14 knit dresses.

Done!”

Short and sweet. Read her here.

The Ultralight Alternative, part 4

Mulling the maxims through the prism of the 13 days/13 pounds trip.

Ultralight travel means the traveler must commit to doing a certain amount of sink laundry (#6)

Indeed it does. Doing no laundry on a trip of a week or more (unless a bathing suit and tank top are the height of your sartorial needs) will leave you with a bag that is quite heavy - 20 pounds or more - in many cases. Not to exceed our magic carry-on comfort weight of 15 pounds is the goal. So some of the wardrobe must be washable in the hotel sink and, more importantly, able to be dried overnight.

Is it a hassle? Some will think so, but I can honestly say I never spent more than 10 minutes washing out my day’s clothing and sometimes I did two “loads”. Drying the clothing in a humid climate is more of a challenge. As I’ve mentioned before having more than one way to hang your clothing will help because you rarely know what you’re gong to get in the hotel room. Some have powerful exhaust fans which really speed up drying, some have no ventilation at all. A window may speed things up, but with high humidity this may not even help. Some rooms have balconies with little or no place to safely hang clothing, and most hoteliers probably frown on displays of drying clothes - so you have to be smart and sensitive to your environment. I always pack hangers. The ones that swivel and have notches are best, and don’t forget a cheap plastic pants hanger. The clothespin shower rod hooks are nice too. Unfortunately you can’t count on having a shower rod. Get a good clothesline. They’re out there, I just don’t have one. Curtain rods above the sliding doors to balconies were the best places I found to hang dry. Of course a hair dryer can help you in a pinch.

I did not take the plunge for a full-size microfiber towel for this trip (as a drying aid). My best advice remains to request an extra bath towel or two and use them to wring out your wet stuff.

For multi-stop trips plan your laundry around places where you’ll be staying more than one night. This takes all the urgency out of drying, assuming you have a couple of changes of clothing. What you’re wearing plus two changes (more than I took this time) is recommended. One last tip: be considerate of your hotel maid when hanging laundry. I try to make sure it’s out of their way. This also minimizes the possibility of it getting knocked down. If something is nearly dry you always hang it in the room wardrobe or clothing rack for the day.

A laundromat or hotel facility will obviously work as well, though you rarely find either in Europe. Both are plentiful in the US. You may still find that doing your own in your room is  faster and more convenient.

My Stinkfighter Formula works well to odor-proof synthetics. You can also use Woolite, whatever you use at home, or any of the various camp/travel soaps.

One last benefit of doing laundry as you go: you’re never carrying much more than a days worth of dirty clothes in your bag.

Update on June 19, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

Don’t forget a little spray bottle of Febreze. It’a an element of the Stinkfighter formula and you can use to blast your bag or offending article of clothing - but hopefully never any of your traveling companions.

Economy, necessity, size & scale

The luggage for our recent trip (me, wife, and son) barely fit in the trunk of my old Toyota Echo. This typical Roman street view (from the window of our group coach) makes minimizing look less like an option an more like an eventual necessity. These microcars wouldn’t begin to hold the luggage of a typical American couple, let alone family. In fact, you could probably put a pull handle on an old Fiat 500 - still seen in abundance - and check the darn thing. The alternative in cities like this would be an expensive cab ride or the subway. Taking less looks better all the time.

CHECK ME!

The tiny 500’s “child” may be headed to US markets in 2010 thanks to the shotgun marriage of Chrylser and Fiat.  More buzz from the NYT.

Update on June 19, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

And if you had to limit your earthly possessions to what would fit in your trunk…(Thinking on the Margin).

An even better belt?

An OBOW post earlier this week discussed metal-free belts for wearing through the metal detector. I may have discovered a better version from ExOfficio. This one is metal-free, steplessly adjustable, and has a hidden money compartment. It come in a couple of patterns that would probably match most clothes, and it’s cheaper than anything previous mentioned.

A difference of opinion

A reader who recently e-mailed me disagrees heartily with my clothing choices. In the interest of airing all sides (no pun intended), here goes. Tell me what you think.

My wife and I have been to Europe twice, in 2003 and 2007. The last trip was to Bath and London – U.K, Paris, Nice and the French Riviera - France, and Milan - Italy.

The universal dress code I saw in Europe and probably the world, is cotton blue jeans, cotton t-shirts, walking/running shoes, and a lightweight pullover sweater when needed. Near the water, like the French Riviera, the dress code was cotton shorts, cotton t-shirts, and sandals. The only time the Europeans dress up, is for business, when needed. You are way-way over dressed, in my opinion, and to be able to see your white undershirt is a no-no. In hot and humid climates, one should wear cotton underpants, not these plastic synthetic ones. Why? Because you will end up with Intertrigo, which is a troublesome fungus. While these synthetic clothes have their place, such as going on a hike or safari, they certainly are not the universal dress code for Europe. So if you want to look like Jungle Jim, be my guest. The readers of your excellent web-site should be aware of this fact.

My responses would be:

• I don’t believe Europeans only dress up for business based on what I’ve seen on four trips to Europe in the last four years, especially in London, Geneva and Venice. I’ll grant you though that Europeans seem to be a little more relaxed and more American every year. Still, I felt very underdressed a few times. I also don’t feel great about visiting churches and major museums in extremely casual clothes. And we almost always visit churches,  museums, and go to the theater. It’s easier for me to take slightly nicer clothes since they’ll do almost anywhere.
• As for the synthetic undies health concerns,  I wear them all often in the southern US where I live and generally find them more comfortable than the natural fiber alternative. I sometimes work with a friend of mine, more or less for fun, who’s a high-end finish carpenter. I turn to the technical stuff when I know I’m going to be sweating all day. Southern Europe or the southern US (where it’s typically warmer) are not the tropics.
• I’ve tried not look like Jungle Jim, but you make the call. 
• Lastly, I sometimes choose to take “travel” clothes so I can test them for the sake of the OBOW readers, knowing that there’s interest there. It’s a thankless job, etc. etc….

One more excerpt from the e-mail:

While waiting for the flight to London, U.K. in 2007 at the Dulles Airport in Washington D.C., I saw the “perfect traveler.” He was a thin man, traveling alone, in his 50’s, going bald, with gray hair and a beard. He had gray glasses on. His clothes consisted of a light gray sweat pants with cargo pockets, light gray t-shirt, white walking shoes, and a thin light gray pullover sweater tied around his neck. His luggage consisted of a black colored duffle bag, with compartments on each end. He picked up the bag with such easy, that it must have weighted 10 pounds, if that. An aura of “peace and tranquility” radiated from him, and his body language was Zen like calmness. He was one of the last people to board the plane, after everyone had pushed and shoved their way to their seats. He appeared to not be in any hurry, at all. I couldn’t see where he put his duffle bag, but it would have fit anywhere, unlike the rest of the wheeled and non-wheeled luggage stuffed to the bursting point in the overhead compartments.

I could certainly be a little more relaxed. When it comes to travel, though the word has the same root as the word for work (travail), it shouldn’t be work. Do what works for you. And keep the suggestions coming.

Update on June 19, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

You must see the picture that accompanies this Daily Mail post:

This week has seen the Foreign Office take time out from wondering whether its big chief is staunchly supporting the Prime Minister in his hour of need or preparing to do his best Brutus-in-the-Forum impression (‘Et tu, Milibandus?’) – by issuing a warning to British tourists about respecting local sensitivities when holidaying on foreign shores. - see the pic

Will US standardize carryon sizes?

Maybe, if a Congressman Lipinski gets his way. The proposed standard is 50 inches max, which would curtail the current sizes of only a few carriers.

The bill would set the maximum dimensions at 10 inches by 18 inches by 22 inches. It would also require the Transportation Security Administration to install templates at airports to check the bags to make sure they weren’t too big.

AFA-CWA international (ed: flght attendant union) president Patricia Friend says that “the lack of uniformity in carrier programs and effective enforcement makes carry-on baggage a multi-faceted problem onboard aircraft today.” - AIRLINE BIZ

Cranky Flier also has a take on this. It’s hard to see what this would accomplish except to cost the TSA (and by extension, US taxpayers) some money. I’d be surprised if any new rule would be honored any more than the current rules.

Update on June 19, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

Not sure anyone knows what to make of this.

The Ultralight Alternative, part 3

Ultralight travel requires a certain amount of specialized gear and clothing (#5).

LUGGAGE - There is no reason that ultralight travel has to be expensive to outfit. An expensive bag is not necessary. More money gets you durability, the best set of special features, and the satisfaction of knowing you bought something this year that wasn’t made in a sweatshop. The bag or pack simply must be reasonably light (three pounds or less in my world), small enough to serve as a carryon, and comfortable to carry. My Tom Bihn Western Flyer is excellent for the type of load I carry, but there are dozens of choices. Personal taste and travel style are the determining factors.

CLOTHING - Here is where the most important choices are made. On-the-road laundry dictates that most of what you bring can be dried overnight. It’s wise to purchase a few travel-specific items like quick-drying undies.  I used mostly ExOffico underclothing which dries quickly and has anti-microbial treated fabric. You can usually wear it more than one day (if you really need to) even in nasty climates. I am also a big proponent of Smartwool socks in season-appropriate weights. I took two pairs on the Euro trip and washed one of them - once. They fight blisters and odor. I would not travel without them.

For men, the toughest call is pants. I loved the very light REI Adventures pants for the Euro trip. They look like normal pants since the extra pockets are hidden in the outer leg seam. One of the pockets is absolutely ideal for a passport and the front pockets are plenty deep for a travel wallet to foil pickpockets. My other pants were actually golf pants (no, I don’t) made of Cocona poly fabric.  They have an excellent waistband (which keeps them up and the shirt tucked) but lack the cool passport pocket. They do however have a little pocket that seems to have been made for a Paris Metro ticket - probably meant for tees.

Shirts/blouses are best when made of all-poly or poly/cotton blends. All-cotton is terribly slow to dry and linen will always be wrinkled. I used ExOffcio Trip’r shirts but I’ve also had good luck with some 60/40 standard dress-casual shirts. Only experimentation will tell if a shirt is going to dry overnight or how unwrinkled it will dry after being sink laundered; it’s very difficult to predict.  The ExOfficio shirts perform very well in these respects.

A nice addition to my bag for this trip was some no-name short-sleeved, poly, slightly-hipper-than-a-polo shirt that I picked up on a sale rack. I don’t mind occasionally spending big money on a piece of specialized travel clothing since most of my daily clothes come off the the deep-discount racks, outlets, or secondhand stores. Spend strategically, spend wisely.

Update on June 18, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

I did not have the problem with lint that many people report with the REI pants - and mine were the charcoal. More pants suggestions here…and I’m always looking for recommendations, so share ‘em if you got ‘em.

Update on June 18, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

The ExOffico Trip’r shirt has a little bit of the poofy sleeve thing going on (not as bad as the Seinfeld episode). This is mostly because I fell between the medium and large sizes and opted to go up. I probably should have gone with the medium. 

Update on June 18, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

One of the ways you can go cheap, very cheap for a bag.

The Ultralight Alternative, part 2

I’m using the matrix of the Ultralight Manifesto to assess the results of my 13-day/13-pound Euro trip:

NEAR THE END OF THE TRIP, READY TO BOARD THE TGVUltralight travel does not mean the traveler must look, smell, or feel bad (#4). This much is true. While I can look rumpled in freshly-pressed suit, I don’t think I embarrassed anyone on this trip. Indeed, my clothing more closely approximated “business casual” than “grimy hiker”. You can travel in clothes that don’t make you stand out as a tourist or leave you with a nagging self-consciousness. Though blending in as a local is impossible for most of us, standing out like a sore thumb is not necessary. And courtesy to the locals (in my mind) demands that a traveler not blow in looking like a skateboarder or beach bum, however stylish that may be in your own postal code.

Ultralight travel does not mean the traveler must look, smell, or feel bad (#4). Some of my fellow travelers, upon learning of how little clothing I had in my bag, joked that they would be engaging in olfactory oversight of my person. This proved unnecessary. A combination of the right clothes and a clothing care regimen that included sink washing with my Stinkfighter formula, airing out of lightly worn clothes, and a a little Febreze kept everything fresh. My wife would have tolerated no less. 

Ultralight travel does not mean the traveler must look, smell, or feel bad (#4). Discomfort need not be part of the equation. I will readily admit that poly clothing - especially shirts - can be a little uncomfortable in warm and humid conditions (southern Europe in June). My ExOfficio shirts dried very quickly though, even while being worn. I did dispense with undershirts for a couple of days, which helped. Cotton would have gotten wet more slowly but would have stayed that way much longer.

This was my warmest extended trip yet. That being said, I’m glad I had the poly shirts,  technical undershirts, and treated cotton Orvis sport coat since the first two and last two days of the trip (Switzerland and Paris) were quite chilly. I’d rather err on the side of clothes with slight insulating properties. I fear being cold more than being hot.

More to come…

Chicago O'Hare it ain't

This is not fiction or the product of the hallucinations of a jet-lagged victim of airline abuse, it’s USA Today:

If you could design the ideal airport, what would you include? How about free Internet access and free public access computers for those inclined to leave their laptops at home? Perhaps you might provide free showers and a clean place to change clothes between connecting flights. Would you consider a lounge accessible to any passenger with a tempting buffet of hot food and super comfortable lounge chairs, available for a nominal fee or free for premium credit card holders? How about a full-service hotel adjacent to the gates where you can rent a private room and bath for just $40 for up to six hours or $100 for 24 hours? Would it ever occur to you to offer connecting passengers an array of local one- to six-hour guided sightseeing tours or golf outings that whisk you away and back to the airport again in time for your next flight?

It refers to a real place. Read more from Skytrax/World Airport Awards.

Pants up, beep-free

I certainly wish I’d had one of these in the last few weeks: the Beep Free Belt. The buckles look metallic but they’re not, the belts are real leather, and the prices are competitive. Alas, for one less hassle. You have to wonder if the screeners will think their equipment is malfunctioning when the buckle doesn’t set off the alarm.

The Ultralight Alternative, part 1

My grueling 13-day Euro trip on which we (technically) touched six countries convinces me that ultralight travel is a feasible alternative to traditional approaches, such as stuffing a maximum-size carryon and a personal item to the gills or packing half your earthly possessions in a rolling case. Nothing I experienced on this trip negated any of the positions I put forth in the Ultralight Manifesto (which I’ll break down point by point).

Ultralight travel is not for everyone (#1). This is still true. Cosmetics and personal care items may be a bigger barrier to most travelers who try to go ultralight than the problem of minimizing clothing bulk. My wife puts less time into her hair and makeup than most but she still had a large quantity of stuff in her checked suitcase that would have never fit in a 3-1-1 bag. She’s done a 5-day UK trip before with no checked bag, but it was tough for her. There are many excellent suggestions on this site for minimizing personal items. I’ll try to group them together in a category soon so they can me more easily located.

Ultralight travel is not just traveling with one suitcase (#2) and Ultralight travel means carrying 15 pounds or less (#3). This is the key if the true benefits of comfort and mobility are to be realized. Sans netbook my load could have been as light at nine pounds for this trip. Switching to a pack cloth bag might have gotten me near seven pounds. Without the netbook I could have taken one more change of clothes. This extra pound or two would have made the laundry issue less pressing and would have still left me with a 12-pound load or less. A bag this light means you can hop a train, roll into a town without reservations, and if you have to carry your bag all day until you check into a hotel, who cares? This is simply impossible with the other approaches. It is reason number one to go really light.

Traveling anywhere outside the US amplifies the need to go light. Our wide sidewalks, smooth pavement, widely-available laundry facilities, and large elevators make traditional travel styles much easier.

More to come…

Update on June 15, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

Possibilities for very light (under three-pound) bags include the Tough Traveler Minivan or some of the light nylon backpacks. I have it on good authority that a US bag manufacturer will introduce later this year a very light shoulder bag made of hi-tech ripstop fabric.

Quick trip notes

1. Nothing is free in France, including WiFi, toilets with seats (or toilet access at all). Spending $20 bucks at a cafe is the best way to find a nice toilet.
2. The French can be exceedingly nice. I went through security for my Paris departure with my wife’s boarding pass while unknowingly holding mine in my bag. She was back at the ticket counter getting our large group through. This could have become a monumental hassle and security red alert. It was handled rationally, politely, and reasonably by the French airport authority staff. TSA they are not. Vive la France. I take back 49% of all the nasty things I’ve ever said about them.
3. Heathrow Terminal 5 is OK - neither as good or as bad as you might have heard. It’s a great spot if you want to spend $600 on perfume or see an Italian supercar spinning on a turntable. Finding a bottle of water is a bit harder.
4. No review any time soon on the Rick Steves bag. My creature-of-habit brother-in-law couldn’t let go of his eBags Weekender Convertible.
5. A rarely-mentioned reason to go light/one-bag is the paucity of elevators in most of the world outside the US. A 40-pound rolling bag up five flights of stairs is miserable and many are destroyed as their owners thunk-thunk-thunk them down. A cheap rolling bag is always one curb or staircase from destruction.NC10 ON THE TGV
6. The high-speed TGV is cool and comfortable, but boarding one with a lot of luggage is not. A small carryon is also a must if you want to keep your bag nearby since the overhead rack on the TGV is not too spacious. And the TGV is double decked - another reason not to have a large or heavy bag.
7. I wouldn’t want a larger computer than the 10-inch netbook for plane or train. The tray tables in coach are just too small for anything else unless you like using your screen at less than 90 degrees (see photo).

Home, almost

I have time during a DFW layover to do a quick post mortem/conclusions on the 13-day/13-pound w/netbook trip.

• What I would have changed -  not much, maybe some more casual clothes for evenings. The wisdom of the approach was borne out by the temporary loss of my wife’s checked bag.
• Anyone can break the 15-pound barrier for one shoulder bag. Take away my netbook and I could have added a pair of shoes and a pair of jeans or another entire change of clothes. Operating with two-and-a-half outfits was pretty easy; jettison the netbook and add a little more clothing and it would have been a breeze.
• Always take a raincoat. I would have been soaked and freezing on the last two Scotland-like days in Paris without the Marmot Precip.
• The Stinkfighter laundry formula plus stain pen WILL remove incidental travel stains. My white ExOfficio shirt was looking nasty after a few days of helping to load and unload the bus but a little effort cleaned it right up.

More to come - after some sleep.

Clothing & climes

I’ve made trips to hotter and/or more humid climates than Italy or the French Riviera, but these areas present a particular challenge for all-day comfort and overnight drying. Though spring, winter, or fall would surely be different, for summer I would choose clothing with just a touch of cotton for the sake of comfort. The all-poly stuff is just a little too sticky right out of the gate. The ExOfficio shirts are terrific, but when paired with an undershirt of similar fabric they really get the sweat started early. The upside is that they do dry quickly when you’re wearing them though they’ll never dry completely on a muggy Tuscan day. Maybe I should just re-think my policy of always wearing an undershirt. This has probably been my problem. I’ve worn a short-sleeved collared poly shirt for a couple of days without an undershirt and it has been pleasant. Old habits die hard. But the fat lady may be singing for this one. As for drying you just have to be really intentional and inventive. There’s not a lot of forced air in even nice hotels and there may be fewer place to hang-dry. Hence the swivel hangers and (mea culpa) a good clothesline.And don’t let your signifcant partner talk you out of using the bathmat towel for wringing out your heavy laundered clothes - big mistake.

I love swivel hangers...

…and Mediterranean breezes. Here’s a perfect illustration of the utility of swivel hook hangers. Our balcony rail and patio curtain rod are the only real places to hang stuff at our hotel in Nice. The modern bathroom is cool but it doesn’t have a rod. I’m hoping the breeze off the harbor will dry things quickly. I’ll bring nothing but this type of hanger from now on.

Clotheslines and more

My problem with clotheslines is that they often fall and don’t always adapt to the particular bathroom you may end up with. Maybe if I had a nice one like the Rick Steves I’d fell differently. Italy has been a drying challenge. We have only one single-night hotel stay (in Florence) and I’ll do no laundry there. The hotel balcony in Rome would be great for drying if it weren’t so dirty (surprise). The REI pants dried very quickly; my ExOfficio t-shirt is much slower. The Smartwool socks are doing a great job of preventing blisters. Two days out of a pair of pants and I even squeezed a second day (spent entirely in transit) from one of the Trip’r shirts. Ciao!

Venice style

The range of acceptable clothing in Venice is wide indeed, but you’ll still find a significant number of men in very nice tailored jackets. I left my only moderately nice Orvis jacket in the room today in favor of a raincoat. The forecast was wrong and I felt a little under-dressed. No laundry tonight. It’s been moderate enough that I can easily get a second day’s use out of pair of pants. I’m glad since he drying conditions are undeniably poor at ou hotel. I visited a Lush store in Venice but couldn’t quite justify their price for solid shampoo.

Room laundry note to self: don’t count on a shower rod for having, bring clothes pins, and keep leaving the silly clothesline at home. And bring at least three plastic hangers with swivel hooks.