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 in it. The two critical things you have to take into account is limited space and weight restrictions. One of the most dangerous things you can do as an RVer is to have your rig overweight.
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/food stuff 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.
Wearing my Merrell shoes while waiting at the Great Fountain Geyser in Yellowstone.
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!
Me and my Lowa hiking boots in the Bisti Badlands in New Mexico
I finally bugged Mr. Misadventures about how great mine were 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.
Me and my Keen’s in Lisbon.
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!
Rain boots, water boots and Converse!
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 most 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 weather called for a Jacket, the one and only jacket I had to wear the entire year was my red Patagonia jacket.
My Patagonia jacket all over the country, plus Paris!
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!
Me in Valley of Fire after peeling off my jacket, my Patagonia vest was perfect and just enough to keep me warm.
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 pack, purse, and meal hauler. On longer hikes in warmer weather, I had a camel attachment as well.
Me and my Osprey backpack, my constant companion!
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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