My Nomad Wardrobe Essentials: Packing Light for Adventure

Good evening and welcome to another camp in South Dakota. I think this is my last video in South Dakota. Spoiler alert this is not the last video in South Dakota. I actually decided to split the hiking clothes video and the hike that I do which is actually really cool into two different videos so you'll be able to see the hike in the next video. Before I go I'm gonna head out on a pretty decent hike tomorrow. It is still a moderate hike but it's got a fair amount of climbing so we'll see how all that works out but I'm pretty excited about it and I thought that this would be a great opportunity to talk about some of my favorite items of hiking clothing. I've been getting a lot of questions lately about different elements, different pieces of my clothing, footwear, etc. pertaining to hiking and I thought this would be a great opportunity to share. So since I do live full-time in my Subaru Forester almost my entire hiking wardrobe fits in this 25 liter cube right here. This is a REI cube. I have two in this size and one in a smaller size and that is essentially my entire wardrobe out here on the road but this contains almost all of my hiking tops and all of my hiking bottoms. So we're going to walk through this and a couple of other things like my shoes, my socks, and some layers. Before I totally jump into it let me just say that some of these items are affiliate items meaning that I recommend them. There are links in the description. If you shop through those links you help support my channel. It doesn't cost you anything more but I do get a little kickback from the brand. Now that doesn't mean that any of these brands are paying me to say any of this. These are all my genuine thoughts, feelings, and opinions and things that I use. Look, my wardrobe is this small. I don't have space to be carrying around things that I don't use on a weekly basis. So just know that I wear, wash, rinse, and repeat all of these items over and over and over again because I truly enjoy wearing them. Some of them are more popular items and some of them are things that I just personally really like how they fit and feel on my body. Now let's get into it. All right let's do a quick little overview of my cube here. I think it might be helpful to see how I have it all laid out. So I have one little divider in here. I don't know why this thing is detached right now. This is all bottoms. This is all tops. So I have a couple of things that lay on the top like this that when I need to get under them I just pull them out, set them aside, and now lined up I have my tank tops. Pretty much there are two styles of tank tops in here. We're going to get into the details of those soon. And then there are some like specific hiking tops for sun protection that sort of live on top right here. I've got technical hiking pants on top here and then all kinds of leggings. I have different weights of leggings, leggings for different activities, different kinds of hiking I guess, and then I've got some shorts and a skort that are really just more like camp stuff. I don't particularly hike in those. But before we get into the details of all this, I want to make sure I don't forget all of these pieces right here. So I have to stop myself from blabbering on and on and on and on about each one of these pieces and why I like them. I could talk an entire essay about every single one of these things and I'm not going to allow myself to do that, but there's a couple of things that I probably will talk more about and that is my shoes. So I get a lot of questions about my hiking footwear. Primarily this is what you're going to see me wearing. These are La Sportiva Bushido 3s. Just this year La Sportiva launched the Bushido 3. They did away with the Bushido 2, but for years I was wearing the Bushido 2 and I don't notice any difference in foot feel or performance with the 3s. There are some changes in material. I won't get into that because it doesn't impact me in any way. What I love about these shoes is they are comfortable and lightweight for me to wear. I feel like I can move my feet well in them. I can build ankle strength. I can move quickly and agile. I can really get good rotation with my feet more so than a boot and I actually find that to be a much, much safer way to be moving through difficult terrain. Also the grip on the bottom of these shoes is fantastic. Sandstone, granite, sand, slick surfaces. They perform really, really well. Very well balanced grip and they have a rock plate in them so you're not striking your foot down and hurting it in that way. Over the years the one hesitation I've had to suggest these to a wide range of people is that they are a bit narrow. They're definitely not as wide as those ultras that are really popular with hikers. I don't particularly like the way that those feel on my feet. I like the way that these feel on my feet but if you do need a wider toe box, La Sportiva is now making these in a wide width so you can get all of the wonderful aspects of the performance in something that may fit your foot a bit better. Real quick, two more things. They don't have a steep drop. They're not like those hokas you see people walking around in with the huge platform. These are really going to encourage a more comfortable or more natural way that the foot is sitting without being excessive like a zero drop shoe. Zero drop works for you. Great, congratulations. Also, what I particularly like about these shoes and the one weakness that I have when wearing trail runners is that I cannot handle anything that goes up too high on my heel. If I'm going to get a blister it would probably be on my heel. My heel is rather narrow and if a shoe comes up too high back there it's going to rub. It's going to give me a blister. These don't do that. That's something that I look for specifically in any type of shoe but especially one that's going to be seeing a lot of walking and that could be a solution for you if you do tend to get blisters in that area. Another thing to help fight blisters are going to be the right kinds of socks. These are fantastic socks. They're made by Njinji and they're toe socks. These are my favorite pair that I have. They're a crew sock. Each one of your little toesies gets its own little room. That way your toes after many many miles are not rubbing together and causing blisters. Each toe is protected from a blister. They also come in a boot length like this and a mid-length like this. Something that you would have seen recently potentially if you watch all of my videos. Why don't you watch all my videos if not? Okay I'm just kidding but these are my Melanzana microgrid fleeces. I just picked these two up in Leadville by appointment and they're super comfortable. Really really versatile. I really like wearing these around camp, day to day, out on hikes, for big days in the mountains. These are coming with me for overnight in the mountains. These are coming with me. Okay one at a time not both of them and I really enjoy them in fact so much that they've encouraged me to get rid of some other pieces in my wardrobe that I just realized were underperforming. I'm going to touch on those just real quick because this is about what I like not what I don't like but I have had these for years. I do like them. I'm going to keep them but they're going to go into storage as soon as I have the opportunity to put them there and these are just the Lululemon swiftly long sleeve. They're basically just like a workout top but these really only work for me when it's very cold outside. I can't layer underneath them so if I choose to wear one of these then this is as cool as I'm gonna get is what this provides which is actually pretty warm. So I would much rather have one of these which actually is warmer but more breathable and more versatile because I can wear a tank underneath it. Talking about my tank let's go ahead and jump into my little bag here and talk about some of my day-to-day favorites that are also versatile for hiking. All right well maybe this is the best demonstration but I'm wearing one right now if you watch any of my videos you've probably seen me wear one of these tank tops because I own probably like six of them in various colors and in a couple of different sizes. These are the Lululemon Love Tanks. They are a blend. They feel cottony but they also have moisture wicking properties so they dry really quickly. They do well under technical performance need but they also pass really well for day-to-day wear I think and they're comfortable in day-to-day wear like that. They're not that super polyester feeling like grabby stuff that some things are so I just really like these tank tops. I like the way that they fit my body and with the curved hem and the open neck they're comfortable. I like them. They're kind of expensive for what they are but I also wear the heck out of them and it takes a lot a lot of use and abuse for them to show any signs of wear so it's worth the investment. Also I've got a couple of these button-up UPF hiking tops. This one is the REI brand and then this one is the Columbia brand. They do have very different feels to them. This one is much more silky and soft. This one is much more rigid and a little bit thicker so I would say this is a lighter weight one better for really hot temps. I still don't find that either one of these things are my favorite. Now that I do have a new favorite for hot weather sun protection hiking which is this UPF sun hoodie by Wild Rye. It comes up. It's a hoodie. I can wear it. You know I could throw my ball cap on, throw the hood up. I feel really really protected from the sun. I've worn this on multiple long hikes and backpacking trips. I like that it has the thumb holes. It's super soft and it doesn't get me feeling too hot. I do like that I don't have to wear another layer underneath. I mean technically I don't have to wear another layer underneath this either but I don't know. I just always do. Anyway, I highly recommend this product by Wild Rye. It's a great great sun hoodie and I would definitely check it out. I really only have one other style of top in here other than the Lululemon Love Tank and that is these tank tops. I picked up some of these. They're the athletic brand. They're from Walmart. They were like five dollars each and these actually they're just great for really hot sweaty hikes. I have no complaints about them and I can't also really rave about them. I just bought them because it's like another tank to wear on a day-to-day basis. I would much rather put on the Lululemon Love Tank. It feels much more comfortable, much more look, also way more expensive so it should. But these are great for just hot sweaty workouts and they are very affordable. Taking a look at pants. So I do have a pair of these REI hiking pants. I will have to try to find out what model they are and I will put it on the screen. These are fine. They're okay. They're not the most comfortable. They stretch out a lot while I wear them which I don't love. By the end of the day they start feeling really baggy but they do have the elastic at the bottom so I can bring them up kind of like a little capri length and let my ankles breathe if it gets really hot outside. I am extremely particular about pants where I like pockets to fit. Where I don't want pockets to fit is actually the big thing. A lot of these like hiking style pants have pockets in places that I just find uncomfortable. So these do a decent job of that. They do stretch out so much when I wear them that it's almost it makes no no sense for them to have a button and a fly. But at least they have the drawstring inside so if they start to bag out too much you can cinch them down and make them fit on the waist once again. But if you're definitely looking for like you want that look of the more technical looking hiking pants and you are bothered by the extra bulk that a lot of pockets might add I would I would recommend checking those out. Those could be a good pair. Now what I like much more these are by Outdoor Research and they're just a much cleaner line cleaner looking lightweight hiking pant. They have a nice simple pocket in the back nice simple pockets in the front no zipper no pockets on the leg and they are just a lot more sleek more comfortable feeling. I'll have to these are called the Women's Feroci Transit Pant by Outdoor Research. So one pair of each of those hiking specific pants. Now we're going to get into basically what I wear every single day. These leggings right here. I have a couple pairs in black. I have the green I'm wearing today. I have them in blue. These blue pair on probably from like 2017 I think maybe 2018 but they are they're old. They're expensive. These are very expensive leggings but considering how much wear these have seen how old they are they actually look pretty freaking good. They have pockets right here on the thighs. They are the Lululemon fast and free tights. They are very thin feeling but they're also not transparent. Very important but they're great legging to wear when it's hot out because they don't trap the heat into your body. They have a little pocket in the back for things that you need to keep safe and yeah one pocket on each side and then also a great thing is the drawstring right there so you can tighten them up if you need to if they start to bag out or anything like that. I've worn some of these pairs when I've fluctuated in weight quite greatly and because it has that tie on the inside they can handle high impact exercises even when I'm at a lower weight than I am right now. I'm in the car. I just finished filming that video and I realized I don't think I said enough about the leggings. I want to tell you a little bit more about what they are and what they aren't and no no one's paying me to say this like they don't even know who I am let alone care but these are not booty lifting, booty scrunch, making your booty licious leggings. They don't have any tummy control in them. They're not meant for that. They're fast and they're free. I don't really know what their marketing team is trying to say when they named it that but here's how I interpret it. You can move in them. Move fast in them because they got that strength. They're not falling down on you and I've walked many many many many many miles in some of these and they're not pilling between the legs so that goes a long way because that means that they look new and they perform well and they're just comfortable to wear for a really long time when you're hiking in them. Legs going back and forth you know. Also free. It kind of has like that naked but better sensation and if you don't know what that means then you should try some of these because that is an amazing feeling. I think I'm just gonna stick to talking about those because those are really my summer weight hiking pants. There are some other items in here that I wear just more casually and then some of these are heavier weight items that I wouldn't dare wear out hiking in the summer. Lead to heat stroke immediately. So did I say I was going to do that? If I did I'm sorry I don't mean that. Trust me you don't want me to. Oh my gosh I think we're almost done. Wait is that everything? But wait that's not all. After being given the hard sell on these shorts about six million times on TikTok I finally decided I would buy them, see how they do. I do really like wearing shorts for hiking but when I have more weight on my body like I do right now it generally doesn't feel comfortable for me to wear shorts. But let me tell you I bought two of these. I put them on and I have not taken them off since. I've just been rotating. They are so so comfortable. They've got like a cooling sensation feeling. They're super super soft. A really stretchy waistband that's high-waisted and look a little pocket. So I can tell you that these are the Softly Zero Aries by Halara. They are soft and sleek, breathable, sweat absorbing with four-way stretch. I will say that if you're looking for a short to wear for high-impact activities like running or plyometrics these may not be the ones for you because they don't have that tie string in them. They may not stay up with that kind of exercise but for hiking, hanging out, walking, all that kind of stuff they are awesome. They don't ride up. Oh I'm so happy I found these and I'll probably be buying more.