Packing 101: Clothing

Selecting Clothing to Pack

First Rule: Pack less

An old plan for packing calls for you to lay out everything you plan to take, then put half of it back. That is not a bad idea. However, if you follow the Hargrove No Check Checklist, it will do the work for you. For instance, it calls for 3 shirts and 2 pairs of pants, plus the ones you wear on the plane.

The Right Clothing:

This is going to read like an infomercial for Ex Officio. There are several other clothing retailers that have good stuff. I like Ex Officio for several reasons:

• Lightweight, easy-to-pack stuff. When I first saw the nylon-based pants in Papua New Guinea in 1995, I knew they were for me. Lightweight and rugged, they shed wrinkles -- if that matters to you -- and dry quickly. That last is critical.
• Insect Shield™™®: This is a great innovation for birding. Permethrin is bonded to the cloth before it is made into pants, shirts, etc. This gives you lots of bug protection without worrying about putting on DEET. Other companies besides Ex Officio have caught on to this. Everything I wear in the field is treated with Permethrin. I usually apply some myself before leaving on the trip just to be on the safe side. I prefer this to taking something for malaria all the time.
• Several styles, for example, leg bottoms that zip or no, security pockets, etc.
• The underwear is great: I like the fit, and it dries quickly, especially the T-shirts.
• The shirts are also some of my favorite. I usually take three and wear one on the plane. I learned about the combination of a T-shirt and long-sleeve in Thailand from another birder. The T-shirt absorbs all the sweat, helping to keep the shirt wearable another day. Since you have at least two T-shirts, you can wear one while the other is drying from a nightly wash. This actually works quite well.

Linda, the other half of the Jim and Linda birding duo, prefers some pants she bought at Royal Robbins some time ago. The come with some Teflon woven into the fabric. This means they shed water like a duck's back. When washed, they dry quickly. When they get rained on, it doesn't take long for them to recover. They lack Permethrin woven into the fabric. I always treat them before we leave on a trip.

For warmth, we use layers. For the coldest spots, there is nothing better than modern thermal underwear, which is lightweight and warm. In addition, we use a "fleece" jacket. made from old plastic bottles. This is very warm, light weight, and crushable.

You will probably want to try some of these ideas and decide what you like. Just make sure it is light weight and quick drying.

OK. We've mentioned quick drying enough that you probably know where this is all heading. There are two secrets to packing light:

1. Wear the clothes several days before declaring them dirty. Your fellow birders won't even notice, particularly if you have several identical pants and shirts.
2. Plan on washing. We use some packets of Woolite. These packets don't count as liquids so far as the TSA is concerned, so you can carry enough for the trip. We buy them in convenient 10-packs. Be sure you have a universal stopper along. Many, probably most, sinks you'll encounter on a typical birding trip won't hold water using the built-in stopper, even in 5-star hotels.

If you travel like us, you plan to arrive early for the start of the tour. That means that your first night is a great time to wash clothes. Don't pass it up.

Some caveats:

• Don';t wash socks. You'll notice that the Hargrove No Check Checklist includes many pairs of socks. I have tried to find socks that can be washed in a sink and dried overnight. Unfortunately, the ones that dry quickly are too thin to be of much use with hiking boots. Plan to take lots of socks and have them washed by the lodge staff someplace with a drying room.
• Beware of the humidity: Sometimes, it is simply too humid for anything to dry well. Turn the washing over to the lodge staff, provided they have some place to dry the clothing. Don't be shy about asking about a drying room. This led to a wonderful tour of the lodge's hydroelectric plant once in Ecuador.