Packing Light | How Do You Pack a Child’s Travel Wardrobe?
@GarySChapman
No matter the activity, our children always seem to end up in the same outfits for all their adventures.
Traveling is a beautiful gift, but it’s expensive. One of the ways I have worked within our budget was to simplify our children’s clothing, stick to certain brands, and start with what we already have. By doing so, I spend less time agonizing over online shopping carts and less money on clothing. But this didn’t happen overnight. My process for downsizing their wardrobe and packing before trips has a few key components that I’ve honed in the last few years. I thought I would share.
Nicolas soars on his bicycle as the sun sets @GarySChapman
Lifestyle \ A good rule of thumb while traveling is to pack a week's worth of clothes. Whether going for one week or one month realistically we’ve needed the same amount of clothing. Faced with how much laundry we do at home that may be hard to believe. Factors to think about: how often will we do laundry and how much are we willing to carry? Will laundromats be accessible and practical? It may be helpful to limit family members to a bag number (wink). It also would be helpful to consider places you’re visiting. In cold or wet climates, wool is naturally water repellant, whereas in more tropical climates we tend to stick with synthetics with natural quick drying properties.
Pack two of the essentials \ A good travel maxim to keep in mind is to pack two of each item; two shorts, two pants, two T-shirts, etc. When one bathing suit is wet and being worn the other can be cleaned and dried. I don’t know about you but I’m getting chilly thinking about putting on a cold wet bathing suit. In the summertime, swimsuits become part of the boys’ every day wardrobe. Take enough underwear to last a week; and more socks than you think for those usual wet feet scenarios. Then one each for specialty clothing items.
water shoes are so versatile I’ve bought a pair of Natives for the boy's every summer
Think versatility \Try to choose clothing that combine well and serve a number of purposes. In my mind, I don’t want to have to think about what my children will wear each day based on the weather. For the most part they have warmer and cooler weather outfits, and numerous layering pieces. For instance, a button down flannel can be worn over a thermal underwear top to create a sweater effect. Add a T-shirt underneath that same outfit, plus a windbreaker and a heavy jacket has been made. That same thermal underwear top can also work as pajamas in cooler temperatures. Versatility is key when traveling light. I had been tempted to remove pajamas all together from our packing list, but on second thought felt that they help to convey the message that it’s time to go to sleep for the boys.
Versatility is key when we spend most of our time with swinging temperature ranges: highs in the mid 60’s and low’s in the 30’s.
Choose Darker, Durable Clothing \ I have learned never to buy white shirts, white pants or any lighter shade of clothing for my boys. Only durable, darker clothing stands the test of time and mud stains. I knew I wasn’t going to feel like laundering a pair of pants or shirt every time the boys played in the dirt. I learned the hard way but realized rather quickly blue jeans weren’t a good idea. When water must be conserved and I had to turn to hand-washing, blue jeans are bulky and take forever to dry! My exception are overalls which, with the bib front, keep my boys looking clean and don’t show superficial dirt. Some items are too cute to pass up!
Overalls can be so versatile.
A note on footwear \ Footwear is the bane of many a growing child’s parents. In fact, I recently purchased replacement sneakers for my boys when my son commented that he no longer had “grippies” on the bottom (tread was completely worn out!) and my other son’s toes were seen through the front. It doesn’t take long in any active child or sports oriented family to find yourself dishing out large quantities of money for footgear that may only last six months to a year. With my experience this past year, I don’t feel hiking boots are necessary for a child under the age of five. Toddlers are best off wearing what they will actually put on, an every day sneaker. Most likely any hiking trail that is too strenuous or precipitous for regular shoes will probably find your younger children packed away in a hiking pack. At least that has been the case for us. I limited the boys to four pairs of shoes. A water shoe/summer sandal, an everyday sneaker, a rain boot, and a snow boot. I hesitated with the last two, feeling that a snow boot would cover for rain and snow, but because the boys love their rain boots I added them in the mix.
Below you will find the process and packing list I used to create the boys’ wardrobes for a long term trip.
Make a List \ One month before our departure I created a clothing list for each member of the family. You could do this any time. Maybe, for you, it’s before back to school, or perhaps a seasonal endeavor. Or maybe like us, you’re planning an extended trip. This will become part of your inventory checklist. Once done, you can easily spot the holes in each family member’s wardrobe. Afterwards, I went “shopping”: highlighting in red the items I needed to buy and where I wanted to purchase them. I highlighted in green the items I wanted but which weren’t a top priority. Two weeks before departure, I made the necessary purchases.
Our two year old’s clothing inventory. We also included where it would be stored on our travel trailer.
Below I’ve included a list of what we brought as a simplified four season wardrobe. The list was chosen with all types of adventure in mind. It covers all items carried on our Living Vehicle during a year-long trip.
Children’s Travel Wardrobe
2 long pants (1 thin/1thick)
2 sweatpants
3 shorts (potty-training)
4 T-shirts
1 Tank Top
2 Long-sleeve shirts
1 Nice Outfit (overalls + stripe shirt)
1 Pajama (long sleeved or footie)
1 Set of Long Underwear (can also serve as PJs)
2 Swimsuits
1 Sun shirt
1 Sweatshirt w/Hood
1 Button down flannel
1 Rain Jacket w/Hood
1 Muddy Buddy* (multipurpose)
1 Pair of gloves
1 Winter Hat
1 Baseball Hat (sun protection)
7 Pairs of Underwear
3 Regular Socks
2 Wool Socks
1 Pair of Sneakers
1 Pair of Water Shoes
1 Rain boot
1 Snow Boot
1 Thicker Winter Jacket
*Muddy Buddy - lightweight, waterproof, and durable we use ours in all kinds of weather. Placed overtop shorts and a shirt it can be used in the heat of an Atlanta summer shower with rain boots. Placed over winter clothing and snow boots it serves as a snowsuit in winter.
My two year old’s summer travel wardrobe.
My two year old’s winter travel wardrobe.
Downsize & Trial \ Once I created our inventory on clothing for the trip, I actually packed away all the other clothing. I use clear bins in our eaves and differentiated children’s clothing by age. What was leftover was what I thought we would need on the trip and a few pieces I wasn’t sure about. Then, for the next three weeks, the boys’ lived with their slimmed down wardrobe. It was very easy to see what worked, what was impractical, what needed replacing due to wear & tear or was outgrown. By planning ahead, and trialing the clothes we’d take, I could also see the footwear that was more practical for every day kid friendly use. (See our previous post which details how to inventory and downsize your home in more detail.)
Luca climbs a tree @GarySChapman
Be Practical \ Practicality isn’t my forte. But by following this process I wasn’t rushed to give up a cute jean short for my boys or a sandal right away. After a month of trial and error, my mind changed. I knew they would only be comfortable in elastic shorts and I wasn’t about to clean leather on a trip where saving water was important and dust and dirt would be prevalent.
I tried to think about what my boys actually wear most days. And learned quickly not to pack what I wished they would wear. In the end my boys get dirty. It was helpful to visualize the kinds of activities I knew we’d like to do on our trip, like wading in creeks, playing with rocks, dirt and trucks, or climbing at a playground. Jean shorts didn’t make the cut. Neither did “church outfits.” Instead, I added a second pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. Realistically, it’s helpful to think about what I, myself, would want to wear to travel in formulating their packing list as well.
Pick 2-3 brands you love \ There’s nothing more upsetting for me than constant returning of wrong sizes. I found a few brands I love and I always know what size will fit my boys; I stick to Tea Collection, Zara, Childhoods clothing, and Target’s Cat & Jack. I made the mistake of changing brands of underwear before the trip and dealt with morning meltdowns for a few weeks when it was time to get dressed. I felt silly! With basics like underwear and socks or winter accessories, I try to stick with stores that I know we’ll encounter on the road (Target’s Cat & Jack line.)
*In the case of a good winter jacket it’s hard to beat Patagonia, Columbia, or anything sold at REI. But that doesn’t mean it has to be brand new. We have found some great second hand stores along our route which have been fun to find outerwear and boots for growing children.
Disclaimer: Young children grow so fast! Our two year old has outgrown two pairs of pants, a pair of shoes, and numerous tops in a six month period. I’d advise, especially for younger children, to bring clothing with room to grow. Also, we hadn’t thought about potty training our two year old, but should have. Bringing extra underwear and pants would have been helpful!
What to take on a family travel adventure is determined by a number of things: what type of trip you plan, the destination, the ages of your children, the climate, length of your trip, whether you’re traveling over a school year, and your mode of transportation. The above information is just our own experience this past year specifically with full time travel in an RV. We learned early on that too much can be inhibiting, but with the goal of simplifying we soon discovered how little we needed to get by in life, and get by happily.
