Danny’s Clothes

Danny’s pack is filled with some of the best in adventure clothing.  All of the clothes are light-weight and quick-drying.  Most are also odor resistant for those unfortunate days where we don’t have an opportunity to change.  It isn’t much, but it is my entire wardrobe.

• Shirts
  • ExOfficio Halo Long Sleeve – Received this directly from Ex-Officio to test for them. It handled extremely well inside Africa as it was both lightweight, very breathable, and still pretty ‘normal’ looking.
  • ExOfficio Trip’r Shirt – Gave each of these up, the short sleve becuase I preferred polos and the long sleve because I liked the Halo style better.
  • T-shirts – Always super wicking, also withstanding hurricane force winds and can repel Superman’s X-Ray vision.  One from Eddie Bauer and the other from Mountain Hardwear.
  • Mountain Hardware Polo – Traded some of the T-Shirts for nicer looking wicking polos.  This is easily my most comfortable shirt.
  • ExOfficio Polo – Very comfortable, wickable, and not smellyable. The sad part is that it was a bit ‘cotton like’ and with all the wear I put in, there were some pit stains coming out of Africa.
  • EMS Polo – Picked this up on discount before starting our final leg. I’ve found lighweight wicking polos to be the best type to shirt for this kind of travel as cotton like material tends to discolor in places.
• Pants
  • Convertible Pants – I have two pairs of convertible pants. Pants or shorts…plenty durable no matter what. One pair is ExOfficio and has been with me on this trip since Day 1! The second pair I started with was from Columbia which I replaced with a North Face pair, then an REI pair, and now finally one from EMS. When looking for convertible pants I prefer two secured cargo pockets. Best if both of these have a zipper and velcro but I can live with one pocket or no zipper if the velcro is strong. I carry a third pair of pants as well, currently from ExOfficio, which is not convertible but looks nicer and is lighter weight than the others…Before this pair of pants, I had an old canvas pair of convertibles which were both too big and too heavy.
  • Gym Shorts – For the gym, for exercising, for sleeping…you decide.
  • ExOfficio Boxer Briefs – Wear, Wash, Repeat. Doesn’t get any simpler than that. I have several pairs in addition to a pair of long undies by ExOfficio. I also have a pair of Under Armor undies, as well as EMS performance undies.  review
  • Money Belt – Looks like a belt. Holds my pants up. Has a secret pocket on the inside.
• Feet
  • Chaco Sandals – What I wear on most days…these sandals are better than most sneakers.  review
  • Vasque Mantra XCR – My new boots.  A bit heavier than the Salomons but I wasn’t really jogging much anyhow.  These are waterproof though which will be a big help climbing Kilimanjaro!
  • Salomon Exit Aero Hikers – I loved these and although they were still “kicking” they didin’t look like they’d make it through Africa.
  • Smartwool Socks – There are tons of varieties. These are lightweight and handle water and sweat well but are also thick enough to provide support.  I have a thick pair for hiking and a thin pair for running.  For heavy hiking I wear both pairs together.
• Everything Else
  • Osprey Talon 44 – Smaller and Lighter than my Z55.  By downsizing, the weight load on my back has gone down by nearly a third.  I’m still not packing this one to capacity so I feel it was the right move to knock down the size!
  • Gregory Z55 Backpack – All this travel and I’ve learned to pack lighter and I wanted a smaller pack.  It was hard to say goodbye but ultimately I made the decision to pull the plug. review
    
  • Eddie Bauer Weather Edge Jacket – Wish I had this one from the start.  It weighs a touch more than the Hurricane but it seems to be much strong right from the start.
  • Sierra Designs Hurricane Jacket – Decided to go with a rain jacket and fleece combination but this jacket just didn’t live up to expectations.  After a year of use the zipper was busted, the waterproofing gone, and it had sprouted several holes.
  • REI Polartec Fleece – Started wearing this for South America when we left the REI One behind, it was great but I decided to bring a tent to hot, hot Africa rather than a fleece.  Now that we’re heading through Central Asia, the tent is gone and this baby is back!
    
  • REI One Jacket – This one didn’t make the cut.  A great jacket  it is now stored safely in the USA.  Ultimately we realized the two pieces I have now for rain and warmth do a better job than the one jacket did…and take up the same space too.