BOTTOMS
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| Clay Ellis |
TNF Trinity Short
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Zoic also makes great shorts for traveling; the Triton ($45) uses a Cordura ripstop fabric that's soft yet strong. But let's not be shy about its best feature: a "fusion gusset crotch" that's stretchy and highly breathable. You'll appreciate it on long train rides. I wore them on a 14-hour rail trip across British
Columbia last summer and they held off that creepy-crawly feeling that usually goes along with such marathon sit-downs. The Trinity Short ($50) from The North Face lacks the gusset but strides neatly in two worlds. The nylon corduroy fabric is durable enough to survive a thorny bushwhack, but the
long, loose cut is urban-jungle snazzy. Patagonia's Guide Pant might be the best trousers for the job, if only for the sheer magic of the fabric. A woven nylon from the Swiss textile manufacturer Schoeller, it manages a perfect balance of wind- and water-resistance, airy comfort, and good looks. I, too, gasped at the
price—$185—but mine are now several years old and show no sign of wear. If you're serious about traveling light, take a pair of convertible pants and just zip off the lower legs for shorts. Nike's new nylon ACG Convertible Cargo Pant ($65) is the most stylish of this normally stale
genre, with a baggy-bloomers cut, drawstring cuffs, and huge, au courant cargo pockets. For women, Royal Robbins offers a nifty spin on this idea: the Zipperall ($84), a nylon bib overall. It's silky, nicely contoured, and it imparts a certain Daisy Mae look with the legs zipped off. Or Junior
Samples, depending on your point of view.
OUTERWEAR
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| Clay Ellis |
RLX Tech Bucket
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If you don't want to wrestle 25 bulky ounces of Gore-Tex into your duffel, try something like the new GoLite Newt Ultra-Lite Rain Jacket ($170). It's the most svelte waterproof-breathable jacket (by way of a membrane similar to Gore-Tex) I've tried; it weighs a paltry eight ounces and stuffs to the size of a softball.
Still, if your destination isn't the tip-top of Mount Kilimanjaro, a more breathable but less waterproof jacket will do fine. I like Cloudveil's Cirque Shell ($80). Its water-repellent finish is applied to the threads before the jacket is sewn together, so it shouldn't wash off or wear off. Either option assumes you'll layer
underneath, but a warmer way to go is Ex Officio's microfleece-insulated Getaway Jacket ($136), made of polyester that's highly water resistant by virtue of the tight weave of its microfibers. The Getaway is less compressible than a shell, but then, you could leave your fleece pullover back at
home.
As for covering your head, forget your favorite ball cap—your ears will fry in the sun, unless it's raining, in which case you'll be soaked. The side-vented RLX polyester Tech Bucket Hat ($35) keeps the sun off. It can survive serious stuffing and emerge looking perfectly composed. If
you're bound for the horse latitudes, L.L. Bean's Roll-Up Panama Hat ($36) sheds water and is as airy as a Bermuda veranda. Perfect for a jungle hike or a day at the dog track.
ET CETERA
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| Clay Ellis |
RhinoSkin Ti Slider Hardcase
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Confession: I'm in love with the new Canon Elph 2 ($250). The thing is smaller than shirt-pocket size (3.25 by .75 by 2.25 inches), weighs six ounces, and takes dandy snaps. It has a relatively sharp lens, which zooms from 23 to 46 millimeters, and a built-in flash. It's an Advanced Photo
System camera, and my only caveat is that APS film is not ideal for enlargements because the small negative can make for grainy blow-ups. The Elph of multitools is Sog's new CrossCut ($30), a scissors-based appliance that also incorporates a knife, tweezers, two screwdrivers, a bottle opener, a
nail file, a ruler, and a toothpick that you simply cannot lose—all in a 2.5-inch-long package that weighs 1.7 ounces.
If you're a Palm addict who regards your personal digital assistant as The Source of All Knowledge, you should accord it suitable protection. Namely, the Ti Slider Hardcase from RhinoSkin ($100), a titanium case lined with neoprene to absorb jolts. The lid folds open in such a way that you don't
have to remove your Palm to use it.
As for your toiletries, you'll want The North Face's Kit Bag ($28). If you've ever watched in horror as your toothbrush fell to the bathroom floor in a Goan guest house, then you'll appreciate the handle of this three-compartment bag: It buckles securely around a towel bar to keep your stuff off the grody surfaces of public
facilities.
I've used, and reviewed in these pages, just about every permutation of travel bag ever conceived. For most situations I prefer a wheeled duffel bag, the perfect marriage of durability and haulability, and none is better made than the 5,900-cubic-inch ATB Bag ($160) from Best American Duffel
(photographed on page 93). The 1,000-denier Cordura Plus fabric is incredibly strong, the straps and grips are made of two-inch-wide seat-belt webbing, and the horseshoe zipper is oversized. So bring the expedition gear, the scuba tanks—heck, bring along those anvil samples.
Assuming your hands are busy pulling your dreadnought of a case, the ideal place for your carry-on is on your back. Eagle Creek's Bhatah Sab ($150) is essentially a heavy-duty daypack that incorporates a smaller around-town bag. With its framesheet suspension, the 2,300-cubic-inch pack can handle over 30 pounds, not to
mention a 300-cubic-inch lumbar pack (it also has shoulder straps) that zips off the mother ship. Finally, in the augmented-mousetrap department, leave it to Swiss Army to elevate the lowly address tag. Behold, the Victorinox Luggage Tag ($30), with a rewritable, swivel-out card that's protected
inside a brushed stainless-steel case. It's bound to impress the lost-luggage personnel as they look to see where they need to reroute your bag.
WHERE TO FIND IT
BAD, 800-424-2247; CANON, 800-828-4040; CLOUDVEIL, 888-763-5969; EAGLE CREEK, 800-874-9925; EX OFFICIO, 800-644-7303; GOLITE, 888-546-5483; NIKE, 800-806-6453; PATAGONIA, 800-638-6464; RHINOSKIN, 307-734-8833; RLX, 800-875-8347; ROYAL ROBBINS, 800-344-7277; SOG, 888-764-2378; THE NORTH FACE, 800-447-2333; VICTORINOX, 888-658-0717; Zoic, 800-241-9327
Robert Earle Howells is editor of </>Outside's Buyer's Guide.
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