J’adore – My Favorite RV Lifestyle Gear – Wardrobe Edition
Now that I shared some of our trip highlights and I gave you a peek into our budget, I thought I might share some of the gear that made Project Escape enjoyable.
The most important part of RVing, except for all the fun you are going to have in it, is what you put into it. The two critical things you have to take into account are limited space and weight restrictions. One of the most dangerous things you can do as an RVer is to have your rig overweight.
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So what we brought with us had to be lightweight, durable, and serve multiple purposes. Plus it had to be functional.
In this post, I am focusing on the clothing and shoe gear (the kitchen/foodstuff is coming next). Truth be told, a lot of the stuff I used throughout the year on the road I already had, but rarely used. Maybe a couple of times a year at the most. However, on this trip, they got USED, big time! On a near-daily basis. But you know what? They all came through with flying colors, despite the solid abuse! So I am not only happy to share this gear, but highly recommend it as well!
The Shoes
For the vast majority of the year, I wore three pairs of shoes. They served me well in almost any situation and I never had sore or tired feet.
For easy trails, driving in the car, and walking around parks or town areas, I relied on my Merrell Moab low hiking shoes. It was a great everyday shoe and I wore the hell out of them.
I've even stopped wearing my tennis shoes on our walks along the paved route by the Columbia River here in Portland in favor of these shoes, they are just that comfortable!
For trickier trails, snow, water, sand, and any situation that I wasn't sure what I was going to face, I always relied on my Lowa hiking boots to see me through. These boots are tough! And comfortable. I think that's not always a given when it comes to boots like these, ones that really protect your feet from the elements. I walked through full-on freezing streams and came out with dry feet!
I finally bugged Mr. Misadventures about how great mine was enough that he finally got a pair, but I am super jealous because his boots are a beautiful blue. My next pair is going to be these red ones!
For driving days in the RV, warm water, sandy beaches, and urban walking, I liked my Keen Whisper sandals. I mainly wore my brown and teal pair, but I do have a red pair as well (I can't resist that color!). I also took these with me to Portugal, one of the two pairs of shoes I brought with me.
I'm weird, I like to wear mine with socks, except in the water of course! They are super easy to slip on and off which was great for moving around in the RV while driving. I don't allow shoes past the captain's chairs in the RV, the easy on/off aspect of these was highly appreciated!
From time to time, I also got to wear my polka-dot rain boots from Target, these were so fun! During our time on the Oregon coast, I wore my Bogs high waterproof boots for moving around in the tidepools. We actually bought them to go to Norway in 2015, but we had to cancel that trip and I had never worn them until this trip! Whenever I could, which was not very often, I slipped on my favorite shoes in the whole world, my Converse. I am so happy to be back in an urban environment where I can wear them more often!
The Jackets
If you follow me on Instagram, you can pretty much guess this one! Whenever the weather called for a jacket, the only jacket I had to wear the entire year was my red Patagonia jacket.
Wind, rain, or snow, this baby kept me warm! There is an inner jacket I can zip out when it is a little warmer and pockets everywhere for carrying gloves, hat, cell phone, etc. It was the only jacket I needed. I think that is pretty amazing!
When the weather was a little warmer, or not quite cold enough for a full jacket, I wore my down Patagonia vest. (Sometimes when it was SUPER cold I wore it under my Patagonia jacket!) A lot of times when we went out for sunrise it would be cold until the sun came up, so I would start peeling off the layers!
The Backpack
The other item you saw everywhere on my Instagram feed was my red Osprey backpack, usually with some kind of Sahale Snack stick out of the pocket! Being outdoors all the time, a purse just wasn't practical, so I used this most of the year as a pack, purse, and meal hauler. On longer hikes in warmer weather, I had a camel attachment as well.
I've had this backpack for years, but this past year it had its work cut out for it, and it is still in really solid condition.
For clothes, I had two pairs of jeans: Levi's and J. Jill. I had 4-5 shirts and 2 North Face fleece pullovers. I also had thermal underwear, four pairs of thick socks, and four pairs of booties. And that's about it!
How about you? What's your favorite outdoor gear? What's your go-to jacket or pair of shoes? Do tell! I'd love to hear.
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Wow this is all really cool,and the clothes are neat.
I really need a pair of hiking shoes. The merrill’s look great. I bet they really are comfy for long walks!
@Stephanie, mine definitely served me well this past year!
When the time comes and we are able to travel, some of your items we would
could use. It is important, I feel, to have durable and appropriate footwear. The
jacket and vest you mentioned would outfit my wife perfect! I also like the backpack!
@Roger, they have all served me well and I am happy to recommend them!
Looks like you have shoes for all sorts of conditions, I myself like my Columbia hiking books and runners for different occasions
@Mark, it’s great to have multi-functioning shoes, they take up so much space otherwise!
Great tips, I’m always struggling with footwear, so I will check out the low hiking boots.
@Amanda, they really are a good all-around shoe.
My husband would love these gears he very outdoorsy. Im not so much.
I’ve just been on the hunt for some hiking shoes, but nothing super heavy duty as it’s just for going up the mountain across the street from my house! My current shoes have NO tread and I don’t want to come down the trail on my bum! Will have to check into those Merrells! Thanks for all the recommendations, Andi, you are the perfect person to look to after all you did last year! 🙂
@Christina, I think the Merrels would be a good solution for you. Part running and covers the hiking, they are not too heavy.
We currently camp a lot each summer, but I would really like to buy an rv someday and take our adventures on the road. These look like great boots. I can see why you would need them.
@Jenn, I hope you get to get on the road, we had such a great time!
Those polka dot rain boots from target are so cute! I would totally sport those whilst traveling or even running day to day errands on a rainy day. Love all of the colors! The other gear you showcased are nice as well.
@Lisa, I know! Now that I am living in Portland I feel justified in having more than one pairs of rain boots, right?!!
Awesome tips — I’d never tried Keens until my luggage was lost for 7 days while I was in Italy, and a woman who was in our “women-only cooking group” loaned me hers for a trek through Pompeii. Soooo comfy! I usually rely on tennis shoes for what little hiking I do, but I really should invest in a decent pair of hiking shoes — maybe I’d get out and hike more!
@Katie, the Merrels are a good middle of the road shoe. Like a tennis, but have the hiking part down as well.
This is fantastic! I would love to check out some of this gear for an upcoming trip I am trying to plan. There will be much more outdoor activities than I am used to so packing the right gear is very important. I am going to look more into this and hopefully be really prepared for my trip. Thanks for sharing!
@Melissa, if I had to pick one of these three to bring it would be the Merrel low hiking shoes. They cover the urban and hiking situation and are comfortable for walking around and doing a lot.
I totally want to be an RVing family some day. Always wanted to travel like that. Two items caught my eye. The Patagonia bowl jacket and the sweater vest. Those are two items my wife would benefit from whether or not we’re traveling. They look very comfortable and quite warm.
@Jeff, oh I hope you get to go someday, it is so much fun. You know, my hubby buys a lot of my gear because I never want to spend the money, sounds like you are a good husband!
I’m a big traveler and have found myself in the situation where I wore ‘comfortable’ shoes, but after hours and hours of walking around touring cities, my feet were is SO much pain! I can only imagine how important footwear is when you’re hiking!
@Lisa, it’s so true! The sandals I wore in Lisbon were not awesome for cobblestone, I would have been better off with my hiking shoes!
I have a pair of merrel sandals which are great – the lining wore away as I wore them literally every day for 6 months, but they’re still comfy now I’ve torn the remains out! I also love my osprey carry on pack, we have a lot of the same taste! 😀
@Claire, it looks like we do! I love my Merrel shoes, I have to check out the sandals!
Those shoes look comfortable for everyday lol. RV’ing never interested me until about 5 years ago. It has been something that I may consider doing in a few years lol. Maybe for my retirement days.
@Marilyn, it’s a ton of fun!
Some really great gear here ,love the boots anf the pack .
Definitely some new boots, we need really good jackets for the weather we get here.
I used to have shoes similar to those and they were the most comfy ever. I need to look for another pair. I love the outdoor options they have out there now. If they just were more affordable.
Great read, very detailed! I have the same hiking shoes as yours and they’re the most comfortable I’ve ever worn!
@Amy, which ones, the Merrels or the Lowa? They are great!
I really like those bogs high water-proof boots yo were wearing and those super cute rain boots from Target.
@Wanda, the Bogs were amazing the tidepools! And when we got caught in the snow!
My favorite footwear is GoWalk by Skechers – so comfortable! But I’m not doing any rugged hiking, just normal walking. I wear whichever coat or jacket fits the weather…not anything specific like you have.
i havea hard time finding hiking boots i like… i go through shoes quickly!!!
@Molli, me too! I can never get anything comfortable. But I love my Lowa, best boots I ever had, my hubby has a pair now too. And for my daily walks I switched from tennis shoes to my Merrel and my feet don’t hurt anymore!