Packing List Clothing Indoor & Outdoor for Van, Camper, Bulli & Co.

Germany, the land of socks and sandals? At least that's how we were seen abroad for many years. Yes, I know, it's hip again today. But we are neither hippsters nor sandal wearers. We don't want to ride this wave any more than we want to ride the classic outdoor functional clothing, ala Jack Wolfskin. It has to be functional, comfortable and practical. Robust and easy to care for? Sure, but does that mean it has to look like shit? Yes, I know, clothes are a matter of taste. And that's a good thing. We just don't have to chase after every fashion trend anymore. We've seen it all before, we don't have to see it again. Over time, we sort out what doesn't make us happy or doesn't fit in a washing machine together. So white is passe. Perceptions change. But this is also fashion. Over time, personal items of clothing crystallize. 

Test of endurance

What has proved most successful so far? Two very simple items of clothing that we feel we always wear. Whether it's sun, rain or snow: flip-flops & surf ponchos. Surf ponchos are to us what jogging bottoms are to others.

Our surf ponchos

Torgit loves her surf poncho from BILLABONG made from 100 % cotton. It has become shorter and shorter over the years and now she is looking for a way to lengthen it. Unfortunately, it is no longer available to buy.

Marc's surf poncho is from All-In: it's long, fluffy and, above all, practical. Both on the way to the shower or as a portable changing room. - But above all, it's a great alternative to a tie and collar.

Our flip-flops

Not without my flip-flops. There's plenty of proof pictures on our blog. 

Torgit loves her glittery Ipanema, Marc swears by his super-comfortable Crocs. He mourns his cool Crocband Seasonal Graphic Flip, which unfortunately is no longer available with the cool camouflage print. 

Actually, I should write a separate packing list for each country and go into detail about the respective peculiarities. Did you know, for example, that men in Italy have to wear tight-fitting swimming trunks if they want to swim in a pool? Shorts are not allowed. And swimming caps are compulsory. We learned this the hard way at an outdoor pool in Milan. By the way, we each have a box for our clothes. And we roll all our clothes. That way, nothing creases and we can find everything more quickly. 

Shoes

We each actually have 6 pairs of shoes with us on the road. We think that's a lot, but we allow ourselves this luxury. After all, you can't buy good shoes just anywhere (especially not in size 48 or size 50 sneakers).

Rain poncho

Not photogenic and not sexy, but a 'must have' in the rain: our rain poncho. Waterproof, ultra-light and windproof. For Torgit this Rain poncho and for Marc this Rain ponchoso that I can find it everywhere 😉 You should always stow it so that you can get to it quickly. Because rain showers often come suddenly and unexpectedly. Like Christmas. (Marc: I don't understand the description. I think my red cape is really stylish. 😎)

Pants

After Torgit's oh-so-cool jeans didn't last long on the first tour, something more durable was needed. We discovered the Brandit brand for ourselves. The pants are super practical with lots of pockets. They don't crease, even if you quickly roll them up over your knee to wash up in the sea. They survive every launderette with an extra-hot quick dryer without a trace or damage. And they're brilliant for the beach or sunsets on the cliffs. I can't say out loud that Torgit wears them practically every day if it's not too warm. 

 Onion look

If there's one thing we've learned on our tours, it's that nothing is as changeable as the weather. The onion look is and always will be a good way to adapt to different weather conditions. That's why, in addition to a surf poncho and flip flops, there are a few items of clothing that should not be missing on board:

Hoodie

A hoodie simply has to be on board and the gender- and across generations. The hood protects against unexpected draughts. It's been a few days since your last hairdressing appointment, which can happen on tour. A hood is great for this. Above all, a sweatshirt with a hood can be quickly pulled over a T-shirt and combined with a jacket or vest in the next step. 

Quilted vest

A vest like this looks good and is simply practical. It is important that it can be rolled up as small as possible. A high collar offers additional protection. 

Bomber jacket MA-1

The bomber jacket has also become one of our favorite items of clothing and the perfect addition to the two-piece look. You could say it has become a classic. Just like us, the U.S. Air Force flight jacket is getting on in years - fifty plus, that is. Right from the start, it established itself as the classic flight jacket of the fighter jet era. It was specially designed for colder climates. (-5°C) Chuck Yeager wore this jacket when he broke the sound barrier. The original MA-1 was made by Alpha Industries. 

Our safari tour in South Africa in 2018 was certainly a good example of this onion locomotive. It's still damn fresh in the morning. Later it gets warmer, not to say hot. Olive green and sand tones don't just suit Africa. We found that out at the latest when we were peeing in the wild. Nevertheless, you have to realize that the lions are still the most stylishly dressed. Bomber jacket, sand-colored trousers and sweater, camouflage scarf, all still on board.

Washing

Since we no longer have our own washing machine, we wash in laundromats. And that works well. However, we have organized our clothes accordingly. Because washing is time-consuming in that I first have to find a launderette, drive there, find my way around and stay there for a long time. This means that I don't wash every 3 days. Laundromats are not really cheap, you pay between €5 and €9 per washing machine, depending on the size of the washing machine. And the number of washing machines in laundromats is limited. So I can't line up 8 washing machines sorted by color and temperature like I can at home. I usually wash when our bed linen needs it: An 8kg machine as hot as it goes, which is often 60 degrees and a large 11kg machine at 40 degrees for the rest. That's all. As I no longer sort by color and don't use an extra wool washing program, I have sorted out white clothes and all delicate materials.

As important as washing is, drying is even more important. In the beginning, when we were still staying at campsites, I did the washing there. And I had a huge problem drying the laundry. Because there are often no dryers on campsites, or they are out of order. I first had to clean our van so that I could hang the typical washing line on it. I set up all the chairs, armchairs and hammock to hang the washing over it. Only to end up lying in the still damp bed linen in the evening because the weather was worse than forecast. 

I don't put myself through that stress any more, especially not in winter. I only wash when I have a dryer available. Or rather: I only wash if I have an industrial dryer available. These are available in almost every good launderette for little money: €2 - €3 for 20 minutes and the laundry is dry without stress. However, the laundry suffers. But it also suffers from the fact that I wear it every day. You should get used to the idea of replacing your clothes every year. 

Sunglasses

I (Torgit) have been wearing the same sunglasses for what feels like an eternity. I buy the same model over and over again. When we were in Gibraltar, my sunglasses were very scratched and I urgently needed new ones. And it was time for something really new, for a new model. I wanted a different shape. I don't like buying sunglasses, this huge range completely overwhelms me. As Gibraltar is considered the shopping paradise par excellence, I plucked up all my courage and bravely went into an eyewear store. Marc waited on the nearest park bench. When I still hadn't returned an hour later, he almost wanted to start a search. I don't know how many pairs of sunglasses I tested. Only to end up buying the ones I always had. But now I know again that my classic RayBan is absolutely right and perfect for me.

Checklist Torgit

• Surfer poncho
• Shoes: flip-flops, clogs, running shoes, Blundstones, hiking boots & shepherds
• 3 long pants:
• Robust outdoor trousers for every day
• green corduroy pants from the Ibiza Hippie Market
• Black harem pants instead of jogging pants
• 2 shorts
• 7 T-shirts
• 3 shirts without sleeves
• Underwear, also for sports
• 2 hoodies (I love hoodies)
• 2 denim dresses
• 1 Linen dress for chic
• 2 Bikini
• 2 sports pants & 2 sports shirts
• 1 pair of jogging socks
• 1 hiking socks
• Denim jacket
• Bomber jacket
• Transition jacket
• Rain poncho
• Warm long winter jacket with hood, ultra light
• Black leather belt, fits every pair of trousers
• Cap
• Scarf
• Sunglasses 
• Swimming cap: compulsory in outdoor pools in Italy

Checklist Marc

• Surfer poncho
• Crocs flip flops
• Stetson racket cap
• Scarf
• Bomber jacket
• Gulf jacket
• Barbour jacket waxed for cold days
• Diesel jacket black for evenings
• Colmar vest silver
• 2 hoodies Look54
• 2 swim shorts
• Tight-fitting swimming trunks compulsory in Italy
• Swimming cap: compulsory in outdoor pools in Italy
• Pixeltarnarn Jacket & Pants Mil-Tec
• Rain poncho
• T-shirts Diesel, Tigha & Look54

Stylish & practical

This is the standard we set for most of our clothing. We even had a white dress on our first tour. But this has since been taken off board. Our clothing should be as  be crease-resistant and robust. A number of pockets are also always welcome, even concealed ones. Because there is always something to secure.take. A thousand thanks for that!

Note: Our packing list contains our personal product recommendations with so-called affiliate links. Don't worry: Nothing will change for you. The products will not become more expensive. If you buy something through one of these links, we get a small commission. It doesn't matter if you buy exactly the linked item or something else. In the year 2020 we have earned € 29,87 by doing this  Maybe we'll get rich after all. As we live off our savings, you will be supporting our planBwagen and we will be able to take you with us on our travels for even longer.

PS: Onion look always works, even at five o'clock in the morning, still very sleepy, at sunrise by the sea. Still wrinkled but happy.