What My Fancy Mom and I Packed for a Rustic, Outdoorsy Vacation
We're not packing in outfits anymore.
For the last twelve years, my Fancy Mom and her Fancy Man have rented a house on Salt Spring Island, off the coast of Vancouver, to escape the heat in Austin. My kids and I went to visit her this year, and it was my first time back on the island since I got pregnant with Ellis, eight years ago.
When we’re here, we do a lot of hiking, berry picking, lounging, swimming in a lake, eating, cooking, general cozy-ing around and visiting farm stands. It’s not exactly off the grid, but nor is it plugged in. It’s outdoorsy and casual, and I need functional, practical clothes rather than OUTFITS. It’s honestly not that different from how I dress in my everyday life in LA, just way more machine-washable and low-key.
I’ve had a few friends ask me recently what to wear to look cute while hiking, and I do think a trip like this presents a unique set of challenges. I am who I am, and just because I’m laying flat on my belly on a dock looking for purple sea stars with my kids, or shucking corn, or catching crabs, it doesn’t mean I don’t want to dress and feel like myself. So much has been written about what to pack for a trip to Europe or a beach escape or whatever other glam glam thing, but what about when you’re going somewhere beautiful but casual and you might not see another soul but you don’t want to disturb the natural beauty with hideous clothing?
I’ve got you.
WHERE TO START:
When you’re going on a not exactly elegant vacation, do NOT simply throw all your most functional and most durable clothes in a suitcase and call it a day. You won’t be happy. Start with the most obvious: look at the weather. If it’s going to be raining, you’ll need to plan for that. If it will be cold and foggy in the morning and then sunny and nice, plan for that. If you’re going to the Azores and every day is going to be a mix of every weather imaginable, good luck. I’m going to break out rain as its own thing here, and then move into what I actually packed.
RAIN:
The Pacific Northwest calls for rain, a lot of the time. Summer rain is tricky because being wet and hot is awful. I’d advise to pack a good rain jacket and some jeans. If it’s going to be pouring the whole time, bring a pair of boots like Blundstones and socks, and plan to wear those with your shorts. Otherwise, retro feeling sneakers (for me, New Balances, read about the saga here) are the way to go.
HERE’S THE THING:
If you live in a city and colors like olive, tan, and khaki, and quick-dry and gore-tex aren’t already part of your everyday wardrobe…now is not the time to go there. You do not want to show up like that nerd who went all gear-head before five days in the relative “wilderness.” That is a very bad look. Don’t change your entire personality (same goes for a trip to Paris, or Italy, or Mexico, or a safari OMG please resist the full khaki 19th century explorer look…don’t play into TV stereotypes) for your vacation. And that’s really what my Fancy Mom and I both kept in mind for Salt Spring.
SO WHAT DID I PACK:
Here’s more or less my packing list:
