it sounds like when renting a place ask how many working plugs are in the space and also do the plugs stay attached? What I notice when there is only one good plug it is so worn out the plug fails to remain in the socket..
I was not disappointed by everyone standing up for Merino. Absolute best material, works wet or dry, pulls moisture from you, and anti microbial. Nothing can beat Merino and I love to see the comment section agreeing. I came just to see what kind of response this video got lol
@@theoracle10 Some merino does that, like the first smartwool base I owned was just not ready to actually bend like a body does for things like sitting down, and I was really bummed. I own some base shirts from costco now, wearing them daily all winter (cold workplace), and they've been VERY durable. So maybe a certain elastane content is important, but unfortunately makes it less sustainable.
So DISAGREE about merino wool! I have been hunting and hiking in the Rockies for 20 years. An old Army Ranger turned me on to it and it is one of the best things I have done to improve living out of a backpack. Merino wool is the one thing I would never leave out. I use it as a base layer and it keeps my body temperature perfect. It helps so much with maintaining the moisture. First two years I didn't have and was miserable! It is not a material for everything. I have outer clothing for wear and tear as brush , rocks and trees shread most materials. Also, buy quality clothing! Most of my merino wool is 15-20 years old and still my favorite! I have tried some of the latest material combinations (great marketing not so much on functionality) and always go back to merino wool. Good video! Just starting my world traveling now.
Hey there! Many of the comments on this video say such great things about using merino as a base layer as you mentioned. We haven't given this a try yet but think it would probably work great! The issues we have with merino always seem to be in places where there is a lot of friction or rubbing, so a base layer would probably last longer than some of the other pieces we have had trouble with. It is great to hear you have had so much success with it!
Thanks for the info. They still look like an expensive option for many people. We think merino is nice but honestly there are great alternatives at a fraction of the cost.
Our new sweaters in our Peru vlog are 100% alpaca. So far we love them. Great for hiking, lounging and even travel days. We're curious to know how it will stand up to the test of time so we'll see!
I spent a month in Cambodia and Vietnam with heat over 35 degrees every day. Every day we spent almost 6 hours touring. I was the only person with 90% Merino wool TShirt, socks and shorts. I was the only one who didn’t show sweat or feel wet. I wore my same pair of socks for over a week, and they still didn’t smell but I decided to wash them anyway. I swear 100% by by Merino wool clothes.
I like to know which brand too. I have merino socks and it lasts 3 days when traveling in warm whether ( hours of walking daily .. between 14k to 20k steps) , not a week and I am not a super sweater. Thanks
@@ukelilly they are marenoTech. But I have never walked the Camino. My husband also wore them for almost 2 weeks with no smell. We air them every night.
I was using washable merino shirts but with my hard water and detergent they became brittle, developing holes and runs. I started handwashing with wool wash and a tiny bit of vinegar. Then always air dry. Also, I add lanolin to the water every couple of washes so they stay soft. I know, it sounds like a lot but its been worth it fir me since wool needs washing so much less frequently than other fabrics AND the expensive clothes last years longer!
Merino wool transfers moisture away from the body, keeps you warm and is antibacterial so you can wear it for longer without getting smelly. There is one downside: pricey, but worth it.
@@angelacrosby8105You probably do not have merino wool then. There is a difference. My father always had smelly feet ( worked hard in factory & came home to work hard on his little farm) until he adopted the merino wool socks I gifted him. He never complained about cold or sweaty smelly feet after
I’m a merino wool fan. So warm and comfortable. Also silk long underwear and an alpaca mid-layer sweater. On our next trip I’m taking a few laundry detergent sheets - much lighter weight and less messy than a bag of powder.
I know you have hiking boots, but the alternative is trail runner shoes, which are essentially running shoes with big treads. Most are purposefully not waterproof, but instead designed to easily shed water & by extension, very breathable. If you talk with regular hikers, half wear trail runners from spring to fall. Plus trail runners can be easily packed in carry-on luggage, just like regular sneakers.
Hey there! Trail runners are a great idea. We gave lots of thought to trail runners instead of hiking boots/sneakers when we first left to travel a year ago and it was difficult to choose between the two! We opted for hiking boots mainly because Mico really needs the ankle support (he very commonly sprains his ankles unfortunately) and we tend to use the boots for a few months and then ship them home. We picked them up again when we went home for Christmas 2021 in anticipation of doing some hiking in South America, but will ship them back to Canada again most likely in June once we are done with our big hikes. It works for us, but we might be a little too attached to our hiking boots! Trail runners are a great suggestion for most travelers who need a combo shoe and are low on space! Perhaps one day they will be right for us as well
They're also soooo much lighter 🤦♀️ I still have to use a boot for the ankle support too! I have an old injury that weakens my ankle too much without it. Oh well, less shoes for me 🤷♀️.
I use Merino almost exclusively, with none of described problems, and I use it for far more difficult travel. It lasts forever, it keeps you dry and warm and STILL breaths, and it is by far the best product for the environment. I don't know what happened here, but it doesn't comport with my personal experience.
Sounds like you have been on lots of neat trips! We would love to hear about them, where have you been? Maybe we will add some new spots to our bucket list.
A (merino) Buff can be used as sleeping mask too. One item less to pack. As other commenters already wrote: Merino isn't meant to be washed often, and never with usual washing detergent. Most of the time hand warm water only is enough. Even in hot climates a merino base layer can be worn for days in a row without stinking. Just air out overnight.
Just saying, Decathlon's Forclaz, in their own website, specify that you can normal wash their merino-blend shirts with completely regular detergents. So, I assume that the "no regular detergents" rule is specifically for either 100% merino, or for incredibly high % blends. As far as I noticed, Decathlon's brands are about 65~80% merino, so that might why.
Been using merino for 20 years of travel...merino socks and underwear the best, never smells and dries quick..long sleeve merino tip on the plane for the long flights...essential...quick dry travel towel... .handy as added warmth on the plane..carry on everywhere...eagle creek...travel light....
We do both love our merino wool socks! We just came back from a 10 day hiking trek in Patagonia and the merino wool hiking socks were fantastic for the adventure!
Interesting video. I don't travel constantly but we have narrowed down what we take so that we fit whatever we need into one suitcase (we rather not carry most of our stuff cause we old lol). This allows us to take whatever we want and only have to pay for and move around 1 bag...plus since it's a regular suitcase it has wheels so it's easier to move around vs our backpacks. All our essentials stay in our packs though. We don't carry nearly as much clothes anymore and generally hand wash everything and we have gone to synthetic for almost everything. It's just lighter and more importantly dries quickly. I'm glad you covered that having a hook on your toiletry bag is a must! That sea to summit packable "sink" also looks awesome, I'm gonna have to go research that. Those compression cubes also look interesting since I use compression sacks currently. I will say to be sure when traveling internationally what the laws are. Over the counter medication in your nation maybe illegal where you're traveling to so it's essential to double check not just your prescription meds. A good example is that Nyquil from the US is illegal in Japan and could potentially get you in hot water. 21:25 Another example for Japan is that carrying around a knife with a blade longer than 6cm is ILLEGAL and can land you in JAIL. It's best to simply leave your knives / multi tool at home when visiting Japan unless you have really researched the current laws. The only real exemption to the above for tourist is if you buy a knife in Japan, the shop will seal your knife in a package and you'll be ok....however that only is good so long as you NEVER break that seal.
About Merino wool. It is a natural fiber not a brand. Smartwool, Icebreaker and such are brands making Merino wool products. Brand quality varies a lot. I totally agree that stuff is expensive, but it is important to understand what are you using it for. I wouldn't use expensive Merino wool garments for the general travel as cheaper alternative are available and synthetics are often more durable. But when I do mountain hiking, winter camping, ski trips in bellow freezing temperatures, Smartwool and Icebreaker layers I have(no affiliation whatsoever) protected me from possible frostbite and kept me warm and safe. As base and middle layers it works better than anything I tried. And in respect to durability I have socks, tops and bottoms I've used for years and still looks fine and works. Different toys for different games.
We completely agree that merino isn't for all forms of travel! In general we believe there are cheaper alternatives available that can get people by. We discuss this more during the video but really merino depends on your use case. We live by the mountains in Canada so we've definitely seen its value there but agreed it shouldn't be used as an everyday product for travel (at least certain types of clothes). Thanks for watching 😊 what's your preferred brand for merino wool?
Merino is a must if you travel light. For me a base layer for extreme cold is tech synthetic by Colombia which is very light weight. Socks for extreme cold weather are rated to TOG-3 as well as merino wool socks. I pack 3-sets and wear 1-set. With this I can travel infinite days. My cold- puffer- outerwear brand is MARMUT and wet weather is SEDON
I work as an outdoor educator and wear merino everyday. I had issues with merino too. But I started washing it with merino wool wash by nikwax and I have hardly any issues since. It helps with keeping the wool flexible as regular detergent strips the lanolin and that makes the wool brittle. There might be other brands of wool wash that work too. Also wool with a blend seems to last longer too.
Thank you so much for sharing the brand of washing powder you use for merino! We are eager to get our hands on some merino-specific detergent after seeing quite a few comments mentioning how helpful people have found it!
@@nicoleandmico it is actually liquid so it is harder to travel with but it still helps to use it when you can. Also avoid washing merino with Velcro, buckles, zippers...put things in a mesh bag if u have to wash them with wool.
I was gonna say, I have to wash my wool with a special wool wash to keep it good. But a lot of times when I travel I don't want to bring that and I do laundry at a laundromat or a hotel, so I don't have control over the soap they use.
Eucalan! Made in Canada, best ever. For travel, better to wash merino wool with shampoo. It is designed for hair. Wool is hair. When you get home, use the Eucalan. Eucalan is sold on Amazon too for us US based folks. Never wring wet Wool! It will develop holes. Always squash out the water, or wrap in a couple of towels. Merino wool is not expensive when you factor in how long it lasts. As far as pilling, any hair f8ber will pill when friction is applied. Who cares? Scrape off the pills. Repair as soon as you see a tear. Alpaca is fine too, so is any wool. If it makes you itch, wear silk base layer, then wool, then tech cloth.
My husband has exclusively been wearing the same 5 pairs of Exofficio briefs for 5-7 years... I actually have a few 7 year old pairs as well that still look new and are worn regularly, which is pretty incredible.
@@nicoleandmico they are! My husband and I have gotten about 10 years out of our ExFiccio underwear and we wear it in our daily lives, not just travel.
I just started slomadding, so this was super useful. A couple of questions that you could address if you'd like in a follow-up video: 1) with soap bars, how do you juggle them in a hostel bathroom? I guess I'd like a little video segment on how you get from your bunk to the shower and back. 2) I carry a crossbody bag when I'm out, but I'm intrigued by slings and backpacks. How do you feel confidently theft-proof when your valuables are on your back?, 3) You mentioned not carrying your passport wallet when you're out and about. Where do you store it during the day? 4) I love all of the clothing options you have. When you get to where you're staying, how do you deal with accessing your clothes? Do you get individual items out of cubes and them put them back in the pack? Again, a little video about how you access stuff in your pack on the road would be helpful. Thanks!
Hi Jenny! Thanks for the thoughtful comment. We apologize for our delayed response, we have been hiking for the past 10 days without any signal but are back now! Your suggestions for future videos sounds great, we will tuck them in our back pockets for use at a later time 🙂 To answer some of your questions, we bring our whole hygiene kit into washrooms with us when we stay at hostels. The hook that our hygiene kits have are SO great for this! And we just bring our little soap bar cases into showers with us and usually there is a place to put them down while we take the soap out and use the soap in the shower. If the case gets wet it is no biggie at all, they dry up in no time! Safety with backpacks is always tricky. We always have our big backpacks locked, but if we are going out for a day with our day bags, we do not lock them. This is one of the reasons we leave our most valuable things at out hotel/hostel and always lock our main backpack when we leave it at the hotel. It isn't a perfect solution, but carrying valuables around the world with you comes with some unavoidable risks! If we are out with our day bags and are feeling unsafe we will move our backpacks to our fronts so they are harder to slash or unzip. And yes, when we get to where we are staying we just take the items out that we need each day, and put them back into the correct packing cube at the end of the day. We each have our own small way of organizing our dirty laundry within our packing cubes as well which we have each just come to create since we began traveling full-time. Hopefully that answers your questions! Thanks again for watching our video and asking such awesome questions!
as a knitter i make my own merino wool socks, gloves and sweaters-and there are definitely different weights and values of merino wool. Also should know that merino should not be washed with most detergents or soaps bc of pH differences that strip the natural lanolin from the fiber-they cause it to break down more quickly Should only use something like woolite or soak (brand name) or special care fiber soap with no additives or bleaches in it. Even baby shampoo if that's all you have. Makes a big difference! enjoyed this video-first of yours i've seen and will check out others.
Knitting your own sounds amazing! What a fantastic skill. Great tip about the washing products, that definitely could be part of our problem. We do hand wash all of our items though which hopefully helps with some of the longevity
You guys are amazing!! ❤ thank you SO much for being incredibly detailed and providing links!! I spent 5yrs traveling the USA backpacking and hitchhiking around, It’s been a few years since I’ve lived out of a hiking pack, so having your reviews of products and tips on what to pack is helping me prep way better! I hope your travels continue to be wonderful and you continue to flourish! 💖🙏✨
Great summary, thanks for sharing! Concerning luggage loss on check-in travels - I lost my checked in bag on literally hundreds of flights only one single time, and it arrived one day later brought by a taxi driver (hired by the airline) just at my door step. One of my neighbors and also one of my relatives had same experience, each time one suitcase got lost on the way and arrived one day later with the next flight and delivered by any courier to their place resp. hotel. I know a lot of travellers and also plenty of business travellers and I know only one single case where the checked in luggage was really lost somehow and didn't arrive at all. So I guess the risk of loosing a checked in piece at all is extremely low but it makes sense to carry at least everything you need for one day with you if you check in any piece of luggage. That said, we travel mostly (even though not always) with check in luggage. The fees are usually included in the ticket rate, and the extra time for checking in something or waiting at the luggage belt for our luggage is always ridiculous compared to the whole travel time. Usually we travel with some reasonable time gap between flights or between flight and railway or so, means we do not loose any costly minutes of our life but it is just a question of where we pass the time, whether in front of the luggage belt or somewhere else waiting for our train or so. Yes one can easily travel minimalistic and with one piece of cabin baggage but I love to travel with my swiss army knife and some other stuff (mostly items I use for cooking and hiking) which is not allowed to bring into the cabin, and quite often I bring also some special food items with me (any things I love and I know in advance not to get them easily at my destination) so I check all that in and feel happy whiles enjoying the luxury of an extra piece of luggage. About merino wool, yes there are pieces which are sold to us but not really useful for travels since they are simply not sturdy enough, especially when you carry often a rucksack or tend to move during hikes through bushes or so. Merino is great but one should not forget that merino pieces are luxury items and you get any standard items like socks, T-Shirts or sweaters made from cotton or whatever artificial fibres really everywhere on that planet. Why spending so much money for a single merino T-Shirt (except since you love luxury) when you can get for the same price 5 T-Shirts in Europe and in India, Thailand or Vietnam you get for that money maybe even 30-40 T-Shirts ... That said, of course I would never travel without my original pashmina shawl ... not merino but even much better fabric and one of my personal luxury items 🤣
Love the points you make! We have been traveling with our check-in bags for a little over a month now and have to agree that so far they are the way to go for us as well. We particularly like the ability to bring small knives for cooking and a small pair of scissors around with us. Sometimes it would be nice to hop off a flight and head straight out of the airport to catch a cab or bus, but so far the check-in-life is working well for us too!!
@@nicoleandmico yes cooking is one of the keywords ... eating your self prepared food saves you from upset stomac and what not else, and such things can become very common in certain countries if you eat only restaurant food. It saves sometimes money and simply adds some extra joy to the travel if you cook yourself. I love to try new dishes and tastes but I also love to have at least once in a while the food I like most and this is usually what I cook myself ;-) I still remember the first rucksack travel with my wife, three months Nepal and India. Totally three pieces of luggage - one rucksack (check in), two haversacks, that's all we had with us. We both got totally sick from the food in Northern India. Finally we bought a kerosene stove and some pots etc. and started to cook ourselves in the hotel. I guess that saved our lives ... 😁
@@nicoleandmico absolutely! This trip was in 1983 and we travelled a lot since those good old days (and had done also before that trip some shorter travels together) but we can still remember so many details of this first longer trip as a couple. And who knows, maybe I would have never got the idea to cook on travels if that would not have become a necessity in those days 😁 Thing is, cooking on travels changes a lot. You have to carry or procure cooking utensils and food items, find shops and interact on local markets, know the rates, convince any local grandma to tell you her secret recipes and so on, all things you would miss if you have your food always in any restaurant or get you some Snickers. And on longer travels it is maybe even no problem to have one of your all time favourite meals even in a country where nobody else but you seems to know it ... you surely had already one or more of these moments when you lay on one of the most beautiful beaches of that planet, listen to the waves and the birds and cannot think about anything else but that xyz dish you miss so heavily since 3 months ... 🤣
Im in a much older age group than you, but lve learnt to take two of everything plus some scarves to make things look different and a raincoat. A teeny weeny chopping board and knife are useful for cheeses ,bread and fruit.
Fantastic! For a while we were carrying around a tiny cutting board as well, but we ended up leaving it behind at some point. We saw quite a few camping style cutting boards that we thought about purchasing but they all roll up for storage and we were worried they would flatten well when we went to use them. Do you use this style or do you use a real (but very small) cutting board?
@@nicoleandmico l use a wooden one. And l have a tupperware plate that can push out into a bowl and it has a well fitting lid which can be a plate too. I miss roughing it when l travel and it gives me great happiness to hear what you are doing. Jill. South Australia. 🌈🐨
I've found that if you treat your merino wool correctly (washing, etc) it lasts a long time. I've never had the thumb hole in my long sleeve t-shirt break down and the boxers Ive been using for years are merino with zero issues. Your and my results have been radically different but 'd say in my opinion anyway I totally disagree on merino wool.
It is great to hear the merino products work well for you! What washing powder do you use for your merino? We have always hand washed our merino products and hung them to dry, but from other comments on here we have learned to give special detergent a try and hope that helps with the durability issues we have been having. We would love to know what washing powder has worked for you!
@@nicoleandmico merino wool is magical stuff ... wash it in nikwax base wash or similar... Maybe even try it in one of those conservative countries you mentioned mentioned...
@@nicoleandmico Hi there, one is definitely NikWax but the one I like (other than its cost) is from Granger. They make a specific formulation for Merino wool as well they have formulations for other technical fabrics. The other thing that's really important for up keep is not using any deodorant that has aluminum in it (which is most) because it's awful for the fibres. You need to go with mineral crystal type deodorants. It takes some serious adjustment at first but once the bodies used to it all works as desired. There's probably other solutions to this as well. I think some have mentioned this but blends can also be away to get a harder wearing merino. Something with 20% or less of something other than wool is the sweet spot in my opinion anyway. You're already bit using machines to clean your items which is a pain in the butt but important to keep stuff in its best shape. I have however washed merino in a machine on delicate with merino specific detergent and placed in a mesh delicates bag and depending on the brand it hasn't destroyed it especially with a blend. I do always air dry though and unless there's a really good reason I'd always say have wash for safety. It's annoying something like clothing requires special handling but once you get into the habit it's not too bad - ok it's actually still annoying but to keep it all in the best shape I do it anyway. Cheers, Christopher. :)
So an important question about your wool garments is did you use detergent when washing them? The enzymes in most laundry detergents will eat away at the wool and destroy it. Wool should only be washed in water. If you must wash wool with detergent make sure it is Woolmark recommended.
I’m going to travel for 1 month all around Peru & was stressing so0o much if I had to spend so0o much more for merino wool set & so0o glad you shared your experiences! Your POV gives me a relief that merino wool isn’t a NEED & I can survive without it. Thank you for this informative video & showing the breakdowns of the material.
A month in Peru will be amazing! We are glad to hear you found the video helpful. If you are doing any hiking in Peru our suggestion would be to only invest in Merino hiking socks. The lifetime warranty on Icebreaker socks has made that investment worth it for us 😊
Since you travel so extensively, what do you do for phone service? I've seen Holafly and Airalo mentioned on other sites but I'm curious what service you use when hoping countries.
I have had good luck with many merino wool pieces of clothing, particularly the thicker items. The ultra thin shirts wear too fast for me. Unfortunately, I cannot wear synthetic fabric tops without itching like crazy. I have switched many of my tips to bamboo based or silk.
A while ago we tried out a merino wool and bamboo mix and that seemed to hold up better than 100% merino. A big lesson for us has been that merino is definitely best when combined with another fiber. Silk sounds amazing as well! Another viewer mentioned some of the incredible properties of silk in clothing and we are eager to try some out for ourselves!
Merino in the winter (it warms AND cools) stuff like Under armor cooling sports gear for summer. Pack stuff that you can live without if lost in a check in. I do 3, a 21 Liter GR1 on the back. a 20l (ish) duffel, and stuff that doesn't matter if lost in a Pelican air. Those travel bags yall are carrying around are ridiculously big. If my pelican gets lost I still have enough for about a week and two 20l bags are super easy to maneuver around. Ultimately you can go for weeks with 3 t shirts, 3 undies, 3 socks and a versatile DWR coat. I also travel with as much water proof gear as possible (especially shoes, but then you also need a light weight pack of Vans or something so that your feet can breathe). Very few toiletries, I shave my head and travel with a stick of deodarant, a tooth brush and some tooth paste, maybe a razor. Always have a tube of triple antibiotic ointment on you, some kind of water bottle, some jerky, ibuprofen and some packs of crystal light. Now try traveling light when you both A) Have to fly on the small commuter jets that allow barely more than a laptop AND B) Wear a full suit and tie 5 days a week and C) Have a bad back...... (been my life since 98). On the rare occassion's I do car travel, i use a giant rolling duffel and I can dress like a fashion model from Mens every day/night (those trips are rare).
My daughter is studying nursing and was advised by her chiropractor to buy Adidas Ultraboost shoes as they're the most comfortable and supportive for people on their feet for long hours. Enjoyed your video. Tyvm.
Oh wow that is very neat! We absolutely LOVE our ultraboosts and can't believe how well they've held up in this first year of wearing them. We hope they are a good fit for your daughter too!
@@nicoleandmico Thanks also for the packing your backpack! I like seeing how people pack their travel backpacks and what they take. I always end up taking too much and am trying to pack minimally, but intelligently so that I am prepared for what the weather will throw at me. :)
Yes it can be so hard to balance minimal travel but also prepared for any adventure. In the end we always make do with what we have and anything extra we can purchase, borrow or rent while on the road. We find that if we stay in one country for a long time then our clothing doesn't change. It's when we started moving quickly that we kept finding what we have inadequate clothing and needed replacement. When we went from the Himalayas to the tropics is a good example, fhe clothing needed for each place was so different 😆
Check in and carry on : for me it was wanting to carry tools - a multitool where the nail file, screw drive and scissors are not permitted. On internal flights some with a 5kg limit being able to split the electronics (and batteries) to carry on and have the clothes (jacket) in cargo helped. I did purchase a tracker. Upon boarding the plane it stopped working and at my last designation before returning home it finally started to work again. Don't know the problem or what triggered the working after a month walking around many cities across India. I wore long sleeve T shirts. Although in a hot climate I wanted to avoid sun burn and it is not always possible to walk around in the shade. I wore what might termed smart causal. More than acceptable in an office or customer facing work but comfortable that you can spend all day walking in them. My button down shirts were also plain white - the most I had in laundry was three of the four I carried. My daily carry back pack is a convertible - an office business suitable brief case. For urban exploring I did not need hiking trekking gear. Comfortable shoes and clothes that I could wear anywhere.
The need to carry on a multi-tool is always so tricky! We also really like to fly with a multi-tool when not doing carry-on. I (Mico) once forgot I had a multi-tool in my carry-on bag on a flight and somehow it made it through security in Sydney, Australia, but my connecting flight in Vancouver, Canada noticed it and took it away. Such a shame! A tracker is a great idea to have a bit of piece of mind with luggage (when its working of course). Thanks for sharing your experiences and watching our video!
Thanks for the links! I started carrying a laundry bar and will be purchasing the bag, bucket and clothes line! Safe travels and thanks for the awesome information!
21:40 - if you need to sharpen the knives at airbnb all you need is the bottom of a ceramic mug or plate. You just sharpen the knife by sliding it against the ceramic bottom rim. :) Just for when you go back to only having carry ons! :)
Very informative video - definitely going to buy that sink! And I want to weigh in on the merino clothing. I agree with “all merino everything isn’t the way to go” but I‘m a huge fan of merino baselayers. The further away the fabric is from your skin the less you need pure wool in my opinion. My favourite combination is two thin layers of pure merino (eg. longsleeve + t-shirt) and the Patagonia puff on top. Keeps me very warm without being too bulky and I don’t feel like I‘m melting. I also wear most of my merino t-shirts as part of my regular wardrobe and my baselayers as lounge wear at home. I love icebreaker (yay for end-of-season sales) and had most things for 3-5 years, so far everything holds up great :)
Hey there! Thanks for sharing your insight and experiences. It is great to hear merino has been a success for you in most ways. It definitely has some great uses 😊 Also glad to hear the sink will be helpful to you in the future - we love ours SO much! It's definitely an underrated travel item in our opinion :)
Hi Nicole and Mico - loved this video thanks for the tips! I am planning a 12 month trip for next year, and have a question about contact lenses. Do you carry the lenses you need for the entire trip with you from the start? Or have you found it fairly easy to get contacts while you travel? Thanks!
An additional caution about Chacos -they are not great for sand. The straps are all the way through under your foot and so those cracks can fill with sand - and in my experience it doesn’t come out which makes any further adjustment impossible and now mine after one or two months are not only tight/not adjustable but are rock hard from the salt. We live on Vancouver Island - I don’t recommend them for sandy beaches.
I wish their footbed came with a permanent strap system as they are super supportive (had plantar fasciitis). Maybe chacos footbed could marry the keens closed toe/straps?
Really we've been wearing chacos regularly for the last year and half and we had no problems. Even in Sri Lanka and we used it all the time at the beach (since Sri Lanka is just a giant island with loads of beaches). Maybe it's our type of Chacos that's a little bit better? 🤔
I'm not sure how 55 litre and 50 litre bags can be considered "carry on". When I was traveling with my M.E.I. Voyageur..45 litres..Cathay Pacific made me check the bag and not allowed to carry on. Same with Bangkok Airways and Dragon Air. I would imagine there would be no way most airlines would allow you to carry 50 litre or 55 litre bags on. I ended up going smaller and more minimalist with a 35 litre Minaal Carry On 2.0. Always allowed to carry it on. Now I've gone even smaller with the 21 litre Minaal Daily, plus a Osprey 6 litre cross body sling. Always allowed to carry on. My travel bags have always been convertible bags with hide away backpack straps...so I can carry it like a duffle with one shoulder sling if I wish, or by the handle, or unzip the backpack straps and carry it as a backpack. My travel bags have all opened up totally from the front, not the top. What we call "clam shell" opening.. so easy to pack or remove things. I "Ranger Roll" all my clothes and pack them into two zipper compression packing cubes. ... and take just a few clothes. My shirts are summer weight material Columbia button shirts... can roll the sleeves up if I want... quick drying. One size too large...for air circulation between clothing and body. Zip off cargo pants... again thin summer weight material, one size too large. Good pair of men's Teva Holliway "waterproof" sandals with tough hiking sole and arch support and heal strap. Two pair. No other footwear. Only one pair of socks... for on the plane. Where I go is always too hot for bundling feet up in socks and shoes or boots. Ventilated medium brimmed hat for protection from the sun. I wash my clothes in the sink or take them to a local laundry of which there are many in the tropical countries I go to. I only go to tropical countries in Asia.... so I take much much less. And I go for months at a time..All my vaccinations up-to-date including Covid, and all the tropical diseases there are vaccines for. Even had my three pre-exposure Rabies shots. And before travel.... a two dose series of "Dukoral" oral vaccine for two years protection from Cholera and three or four months protection from E.Coli ...the most common cause of Traveler's Diarrhea. (There are others, but usually it is E Coli). I've never had Traveler's Diarrhea in south and southeast Asia. But I did in Toronto, in my home country of Canada one time many many years ago, from eating macaroni salad at an outdoor market. I was sick out both ends.... horrible.... You can get that anywhere in the world. 70 years old... still traveling.... Still no "wheelie luggage". Secret? If staying for months someplace.... rent a clean but cheap apartment..... save a lot of money. I never pay more than $150 a month for an apartment in the tropics in south or southeast Asia. In Cambodia, I can rent a good enough apartment for even less than $100. One thing I do my best to avoid is packing things that I can buy at my destination.... often for much less cost than in my home country of Canada. I find that at my age now, taking much less stuff means I can carry a much smaller and lighter load. No waiting at carousels, just pick up and go. I take only what I absolutely can not do without. if I find I never use something.. or use it only once or twice.... it gets left behind. 21 litre convertible bag, and a 6 litre sling..... I can go indefinitely....
Hey there! It sounds like you have had some amazing adventures, are we are always excited to hear from a fellow Canadian on here. We are also huge lovers of South and Southeast Asia. We are eager to get back there later this year. Mico is from the Philippines and I (Nicole) haven't been yet, so we are hoping to spend quite a bit of time there with family while exploring the incredible islands. Thanks for sharing your experiences and advice with our TH-cam community, and happy travels!
Agreed with you guys about merino wool. Been traveling for over three decades, for pleasure and for international businesses. In practicality, I wash every two or three days in small loads, either at the hotel laundromat, hotel laundry service, or by hands. Cotten feels great against the skin, lasts disproportionately longer, and the difference in temperature regulation between the two materials isn’t significant for such a significant difference in prices.
Amazing all the stuff current travelers carry. In the 1970's when I was young I travelled with a small gym duffle bag with 2 extra pairs of underwear, 1 pairs of extra socks, 2 extra cotton T-shirts/shirts, a Jacket appropriate for the weather, a toothbrush, cash and traveler's checks. I wore the same pair of jeans all the time. They were all my regular clothes, not specialty clothes. My shoes were Converse gym shoes, and I also had a mechanical self-winding watch. That's all.
Great video. Really nicely edited. Thank you, great info also. Not really going to do long-term travel, but am checking out Vietnam in October to see if I want to retire there. Thank you again.
Great video guys! We're definitely team Carry-On all the way! Even with just bus travel we find it makes travelling easier if we're not hauling a whole lot of weight around on our backs everywhere we go. Interesting point about the durability factor of merino. We splashed out and bought our first pair of merino socks a few months ago and we've been wondering how durable they will be. Fingers crossed they last a bit longer!
Hey guys! It is awesome you have been able to keep up with carry-on bags even with TH-cam gear! We just found we had too much stuff, but maybe we will manage to bring less stuff as we continue our travels. We have found merino socks to be awesome! We each have a few different types, including hiking and regular-day socks and they have held up really well so far. We have both Smart Wool and Icebreaker and the great thing is both brands have a lifetime warranty, so even if the socks start falling apart we can replace them for free! Socks are definitely one area where we find merino shines.
@@nicoleandmico yeah the youtube gear does take up a fair bit of space! Thanksfully there's a lot of equipment out there that's pretty compact. We heard that there were socks out there that came with lifetime warranty - that is so awesome! We didn't get our act together enough to find those brands when we were in the US and we move around too quickly to get stuff mailed to us, but it's something we'd definitely like to invest in more once we get the opportunity.
@@nicoleandmico Neither of those brands offer a lifetime warranty. Darn Tough does, however. Smart wool is nice, but they don't last even a quarter of how long DT socks last. Merino is the superior travel clothing. Polyester will get you by in a pinch, but it's not good for travel - smelly and you have to wash it a lot more frequently than merino.
I like Merion for a base layer with and over shirt or light sweater. Merino is sheep wool and has a thermal range of 10-15 degrees F. Where synthetics fibers are temperature specific. For a lightweight sweater I like alpaca. For a drink on the go on a bus, biking, hiking, anywhere I go I carry my two cup stainless steel thermos with a screw on cup, with tea, coffee or broth cubes. In the past I carried an umbrella with a collapsible handle that fits in the corner of my shoulder bag in lieu of a rain jacket. I'm planning on putting it back on my check list.
Great tips! We actually just purchased a cheap umbrella and we're curious if it will be suitable enough to replace our heavy rain coats. I have my doubts but we're happy to experiment.
Definitely! We have got some great suggestions on here about what brands and fabric blends hold up well compared to the experiences we have had with many of the merino wool products we have tried. It would be awesome to find a durable product with merino in it because the anti-bacterial, anti-smell, and quick drying features are amazing!
Hi guys, great video! when it comes to merino wool it all depends on how the fabric pattern is woven, and the quality/grams of the merino wool as well. I have gone through clothing with new companies and found out the hard way like yourselves. I recommend Meriwool, Ice breaker, and Ridge Merino. Stay away from Merino tech and Merinnovation. Safe and happy travels!
I don't usually comment on YT videos but I found this video super informative! You guys radiate such a positive energy and I wrote down some useful things for my next travel! I randomly found this video on youtube, but I'll definitely watch other videos from your channel, as I'm sure they are as good as this one! Keep up the good work! :)
It is so kind of you to leave us a note to share your thoughts with us, we really appreciate it! It's so motivating to know you found the video helpful and enjoyed getting to know us a bit as you watched. We hope you enjoy some of our other videos as well!! 😀
I am an international cargo pilot and am always gone half the month anywhere in the world going across the equator changing from summer to winter and all types economies. I pack the same in almost all the things you choose, including layers; except I have 4 pairs of shoes. I have uniform dress chucka boots, running shoes, hiking boots and close toe sandles. One of my pair of boots is always packed in my bag. I live in my hiking boots, even in shorts when not in my uniform. I have a small dry bag for laundry that also doubles for washing laundry in a sink or bathtub when no laundry service is available or timely. All my socks are wool, not necessarily marino wool, including low ankle sport socks, varying from hiking to sport summer weight thickness. All my other clothes are all some type of quick dry cotton poly blend. My standard 22 inch rollaboard is the size of a large backpack and then my flight bag would be the size of a bag that can go under the seat of a plane.
I had been considering to get 1 of those passport wallets, having previously always kept documents+ID+cards separate when I travel, but recently lost my phone wallet which has my cards, ID, travel card etc [SO BLESSED that it was returned to me complete, down to the $10 note I keep for just in case] but all I could think after that was thank GOD it didn't happen overseas - that would've been a disaster. Also saw a veteran traveler recently recommending keeping 3x forms of ID+credit/debit cards in 3 different stashes so if you lose or have stolen 1 set you have backups. Totally on board with that now! (Also, technically, a steri-pen isn't a water filter. It kills a fair amount of bacteria but there are better options out there. I recommend ppl do a lot of research to find the best option for them)
Yes we always try to keep backups in other places than the passport wallet just in case 😉 and it also helps traveling as a couple as we know each of us has some of each other's important docs/copies/cards handy as well. Yes the steripen is a purifier and has worked excellent for us when doing multi day hikes in the mountains. What's your preferred water filtration option? Maybe we can try that too 😊
@@nicoleandmico I like the katadyn befree but I really think it depends on what kind of traveling you're doing eg. what part of the world you're going, how long you'll be traveling, whether you're camping, roadtripping, backpacking etc. Eg. if I was ONLY backpacking around Europe I'd probably just take the steripen too
We have seen some back country campers using the Katadyn Befree back home in Canada and love how compact it can be! It looks like a great option for a proper water filter
This was a great video. I felt like watching you pack AFTER travel was very enlightening. Lots of great thoughts and perspectives. Ideas like the spice bag or the collapsible sink for washing clothes or the UV light for water. Brilliant! Definitely rethinking some things.
Great vid, though I'm personally an even more minimalist traveller going with a 30l backpack. A note on merino wool items. I'd definitely never get merino wool undies. Socks are great and almost always a material mix with polyester or something in there, which make them more durable. I found a great French brand that makes all kinds of clothing items from a tencel and merino wool mix. Tencel does have many of the same benefits and the material mix makes the clothes more durable, but also wonderfully soft. It's also a lot less expensive than 100% merino. They're called Seagale. They ship worldwide, too :)
i have had mixed experience with it. I love smartwool socks but I used to get holes in the toes after only a few times wearing them. I started buying only the Smartwool Run Phd and have had better experiences with it. Still, I eventually get holes in the toes but the scocks are very comfortable and I will only buy wool socks now.
27:48 Regarding merino wool: the quality and durability _will_ vary depending on construction and use. This is why there are a lot of commenters here saying that merino is great, including myself, but I've found I have to understand where and when they shine, and where and when they don't. I have a merino wool shirt that has outlasted most of my cotton shirts but also another merino wool shirt that degraded within weeks. Both were from *Aldi,* so were not very expensive and I don't feel I have to be too careful using them. Both were constructed very differently, however, accounting for the difference in durability-one was thicker and a bit rougher, one was thinner and smoother. I also have a merino wool jacket from Aldi that's still going strong after almost 6 years, while I know people who have worn out theirs. I find, as a rule of thumb, is to use merino clothing as only base or mid-layer and never as the outer layer and never as underwear. I also gave up using merino glove liners and went back to polyester gloves for durability.
Hi, everyone, I’m a fiber-holic, and I’d like to throw my 2 cents in about merino wool: it’s a very fine (low micron count diameter) wool, and hence, it’s easy to wear through. It also tends to be short staple length, so it pills easily. Wool insulates well when it’s wet, which means that it holds about 38% of its weight in water before it feels wet, and it will keep the flesh it’s on warm while it’s wet. There are other wool varieties (merino is a sheep breed) that are stronger, but not as soft. There are other animal fibers that insulate better than merino wool too, and you’ll have tradeoffs with them, too. For example: cashmere (from the cashmere goat), yak down, possum wool (from New Zealand possums, a pest/invasive species there), Musk ox, and American bison, all have fiber that’s a lot warmer per weight than (merino) wool. These animal fibers have low tensile strength, which means they, like (merino) wool need to be blended with a stronger fiber to resist being worn by rubbing, etc. This summer, I’m going to islands around Scotland, including the Faroe Islands (highs in the 40s Fahrenheit in June! Cold for a Nebraskan in June!), and I’m packing a couple of cashmere sweaters and a couple of wool sweaters, and a pair of lightweight wool pants to be warm enough. ETA: Holy Moly, I forgot to add silk! Silk clothing is very warm and insulative, in my experience if you wear another item over it. In other words, it’s a great base layer for warmth! And it’s lightweight. My silk long underwear is going to Scotland, too. I hope this helps. 👍
@@blueskies00 Oh, thank you so much for your correcting of me! Of course I know nothing about cruelty to animals and being compassionate to them. And how much harm does your plant-derived fabric and petroleum-derived fabric do to living things? Like sea birds that suffocate in oil slicks because of your dependence on those fabrics? Hmm? Or the petroleum-based pesticides that are used on those cotton crops? To say nothing of all of the petroleum that’s used in manufacturing and transporting everything you buy and use. Hmm?? And to say nothing of all of the jet fuel that’s used in traveling by airplane. Hmm?? I smell a little self-righteous hypocrisy here, Debbie W. Take the log out of your own eye before you yell at me about the speck in mine.
You know what we just picked up some Alpaca sweaters and it's been awesome. We read online that it has all of the great benefits of merino but is even more durable. Have you had any experience with alpaca wool? I'm curious to see if you can get shirts or socks in them too but so far we've seen only sweaters.
@@nicoleandmico Hi! I have only knitted with an alpaca blend yarn once, and that’s my only experience with alpaca fiber. It’s warmer than wool, and more drapey than wool when made into a garment. I don’t know how it insulates when wet. I have alpaca (blend) sock yarn and sweater-weight yarn, but I don’t know if there are commercially made socks of alpaca fiber, or shirts. Sorry I couldn’t be more help. 🙏
The sweaters we got are 100% alpaca fiber and so far it's been very interesting. It definitely feels more "breezy" than merino but for me (Mico) that's fine because I'm always running a little warm compared to Nicole. It tends to resist being wet and so far dries fairly quickly like merino. Like you Im curious to see if it works just as well when wet. So far it's been great for a wide temperature range and works excellent for layering. We're certainly becoming fans! If they made them in shirts or socks I would definitely be interested. We're so glad we found another fiberholic to share our thoughts with 😊
@@nicoleandmico thanks for the report on the alpaca sweaters! Please post more info, like about their insulating while wet, as you notice it. I’m glad they’re serving you well! Are they lightweight (small or fine gauge yarn used, that is, many stitches per square inch) sweaters? P.S. Hubby and I didn’t get to Scotland in June. The cruise was canceled, because the ship was found to not be seaworthy! 🙁
I wear merino all winter and early spring and mid fall. I have very light, loose thin short sleeve shirts I wear in summer. I take my merino every time I go to Europe and California in the winter. I even wear merino panties and wash several in the sink as they dry overnight if you towel squeeze them before hanging. I pack panties for half the days I’m traveling plus one so I only have to wash once. I use hotel bodywash or shampoo to wash them.
Great Video! Thank you for sharing the advice on carry-on versus checked baggage. I'm about to start a 1 1/2 year trip starting in SE Asia, then Central and South America, then onto Europe. Did you weigh your carry-on while traveling or was that not an issue? What size bags did you use when using carry-on? I'll be subscribing to your TH-cam post! Happy Travels!
What an exciting trip Craig! We often did weigh our bags while doing carry on for the past year which can be tricky. Usually airlines max the weight for carry on at 10kgs, so what we did was carry some of our heaviest items in our day bags because these were considered our personal items and were never weighed. We don't bring a luggage scale with us so we just have to to our best to get the weight right and hope for the best at check in! Once we had been through a few flights we had a good idea of what needed to go where in order to meet the 10kg requirement (you get so familiar with your belongings when everything you own fits into a small bag). And we each had the 38L Kathmandu Litehaul for carry on. The bags themselves organize a little strangely, with really just two pockets, but we both came to love them. The only issue was support - the bag really doesnt have good structural support which is one of the reasons we moved to the Osprey Farpoint Trek (mens) and Osprey Fairview Trek 50 (womens), but of course, these are not carry-on. Hopefully that helps, but feel free to ask any other questions that come up and you plan for you trip! We are so excited for you!!
Have had the exact opposite experience with my Icebreaker pieces.. my oldest is 12 years and only has some holes in it because I snagged it on some super sharp branches while hiking.
Electric block for different countries- is it an adapter or a converter? As a cpap user am concerned before heading to Europe from USA… thanks for any advice
Some issues you'll face if you travel by air: 1) any sharp metallic objects are forbidden, leave the knife & sporks behind, 2) 60L backpacks don't fit many aircrafts, especially on discounted airlines, 3) like others have mentioned, no need to bring the whole closet when traveling. Enjoy your trips!
Thanks for the tips! Any sharp things must certainly be checked in and not carried on. Also 40-45L is the max you can bring as a carry on (depending on the airline) so we wouldn't advise trying with anything bigger. Hope this helps!
@@nicoleandmico you'd be lucky to find a 40lt pack that would fit as carry on with some of the budget airlines in Europe. Trains or coaches may be a better option for those not wanting to check a pack of that size.
Correct. From what I heard in the video, they said they were only bringing that because they had already planned to do check-in for the next trip (since adding extra camera gear & boots, not their "whole closet" ) so their sharp or large items shouldn't be a problem since they'll be doing check-in.
We always buy a knife when we arrive to our destination. We also cary a small cutting bord. I when 6 month with a 16 liters back-pac. We are Team Carry-On for the past 15 years. One benefit is that you can be rebook rapidly. For instance, one day I convince my parents to take carry-on for the first time of their live. At our transfert their was a snow storm. We were rebook in a minute due to the fact that we had no languages check-in
Merino Wool takes a few days to get used to it not feeling as soft. But it’s 100% natural. When people want to wear polyester against their skin I want to ask them if they understand they’re literally wearing oil underwear and clothing. Makes no sense to me.
Yes it definitely can take a few days to get used to it. Is Merino your usual go to fiber? Please let us know if there are others we should be checking out. Someone suggested silk? Maybe that would be an interesting alternative 🤔
Thanks for this as I was going to move more towards merino wool but for now I will just keep to socks. Interesting that you found merino wool wore when there was use and friction but yet the socks did well which are likely the spot with the greatest wear. I could not travel with just carry on luggage. Not because I take so much but I don't want my second bag under my feet the whole flight. Especially as my second bag carries my camera and binoculars. So I check my luggage, even if it is a carry on hard shell, and take a very small backpack, smaller than most purses, on the flight to hold my equipment. Then I put my bag in the upper bins giving me a better flight and avoiding accidentally kicking my valuable equipment. Of course this means ignoring the constant requests for every flight to put small bags under the seats. This would not be an issue except I've seen passengers with hard shells asking flight attendants about moving smaller bags so they can fit theirs in the upper bin. I've been asked twice to put my bag under the seat but I've said "no" both times. I've paid extra to ship my luggage. I've taken the advice of the airline and have not checked my electronics and valuables. I've taken their advice and have lighter luggage in the upper bins. If someday I'm ever forced to put my small bag under my feet then I'll bring my other hard shell carry on and just drop my backpack in that thus taking up three times as much space. Airlines can get around this by saying "Every passenger has the right to put one piece of luggage in the overhead bins." No more asking passengers who travel light to have an uncomfortable flight so that passengers who travel with everything in carry-on bags can have a comfortable flight.
Thanks Satsuki! Packing is always so personal so make sure you make it fun and find a method that works for you regardless of what we or anyone else online says. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful trip 😊
@@nicoleandmico interesting since icebreaker and Smartwool are the same company. Except jeans, 95% of my clothing are from Icebreaker outlet store (never pay full price, minimum 50% off for me) with no issues so far, then Smartwool, Meriwool, decathlon, banana republic, roots, Amazon brand and Wool Run. Decathlon by far is the worst of all I have owned so far as most of them are falling apart on their threats however I did destroy one pair of Meriwool base later in the beginning not knowing never hand rains the Marino material but to let it dry naturally or roll it with towel to dry it up first without rinsing it by hands. I thought I had moth that was eating through the entire base layer making holes everywhere and realized it was my own mistake rinsing the base layer by hand after washing it and cause the material to break down.
Hey, great info! A few additional thoughts on the carry on versus checked dilemma - the risk of losing your bags becomes a factor - particularly if it is your life in there and perhaps what fits in the overhead. Also, interested how much your bags weighed at the end of the day…
The thoughr of losing our bags is definitely scary! It would be so hard to start fresh white abroad, even with help from insurance coverage. Our carry on bags we about 10-12kg each depending on what we had packed into our day bags. Not too bad for 38L bags!
I have been traveling for work for 35 years. I have over 1 million miles and have done a combination of checked and carry-on. I have only had luggage lost three times in that period of time. And the airline goes out of thier way to get the bag back into your hands. I never worry about lost luggage. The lock idea is great! I have have stuff stolen from my bags more than lost bags but the simple TSA locks keeps people from opening them up. Not very secure but it does deter the petty thieves.
@@omegaman9330 - Hey, that's awesome! I work in the inudstry and I have to admit there are many more technologies now that reduce the chances of lost luggage these days. One thing I would note -- with that many miles, I suspect you have often had some priority tags on your bags. Airlines pay close attention to high mileage travellers (because you would be their bread and butter). In contrast, budget travellers at some places may not have the same luxury. Further, getting luggage to a mobile traveller is a pain sometimes -- particularly when off the beaten path!
@@pilotleader Yes good point. Your assumption is correct. So if you are in the industry this must be a metric you track. Can you share that with everyone? I would assume pretty low.
Great video. While I see your point on the wear and tear of merino wool, it's just something I will not compromise with. For the time it works, it is perfect! Happy trails!
You should have e mailed the company with photos of the damage as i did that on behalf of my son when he was travelling as his backpack broke and was useless, he took photos ,sent them to me, i called the company and followed up with e mails with photos attached, i got a refund and sent him the money so he could buy a new bag.
When I traveled to Europe for 14 days. I left some of my clothes and scarves, hats that I feel like I don’t need in our next destination in the hotels where we stayed .They are nice ones but did not feel bad because I got them from the thrift store. I shopped and need to maintain a carry on .
Such a timely find! We're set to start slow traveling for the next 15-18 months, with the added x-factor of bringing our three kids along. This video was a great resource, definitely gave us some ideas of some things we might not have considered packing yet!
Wow thanks for letting us know! We find it so encouraging to hear that this video was helpful to you and other fellow long-term and slow travellers. We actually had quite a bit more content than we could fit into this video. If you have some time, we would love to hear if you have any other questions about the packing list or anything else related to travel as we may do a follow up video. Thanks again for commenting 😊
Must disagree on Marino wool. Just came back from a safari, 97 F/36 C. Dusty, hot, etc. Marino was worn for days and was comfortable and did not pick up an odor. When we got a chance to wash in a sink, it dried overnight. Best underlayer I have ever used and I have used them all.
Were your merino wool blends or 100% wool? I've been disappointed in my 100% merino wool shirts and base layers, but I've found my wool/synthetic blends to be very durable. I make a point of not buying 100% merino wool unless it's something like a beanie or buff.
That is a great idea! We have also noticed that the higher wool content items wear away much faster than the blends. My (Nicole) sweater is 84% wool, 9% nylon, and 7% elastane, but is still not holding up well in the hands/wrists. We have definitely noticed less durability with 100% merino wool though so if we do ever buy more merino products in the future it will definitely be a blend. Good to hear you have had the same experience.
Glad to see your video is more even-keeled and thoughtful about merino wool (though your cover pic is deceptive). Watched a video right before yours that declared that merino wool is the ONLY way to go (of course they were being sponsored by a merino clothing company). I appreciate the more balanced and nuanced perspective- thank you!
We never check in stuff on the way out……learned this lesson when I spent 6 days on a cruise with no clothes! It took 6 days for my case to catch up with us. I learned then how few clothes you can make do with…..so now that’s all I take. On the way home I check in anything I accrued whilst away.
Linda , l too went a whole week without a change of clothes so now l always put a spare set in my hand luggage. We usually travel in our winter, going to warm places so clothes are light.
This was helpful. I live on the road full time and when I’m not trucking I’m traveling on vacation 4 or 5 times a year. Love my farpoint 40 for work and travel.
Agree about the non durable of the new products compared to the old stuff e.g 20 years ago. They are now making the fabric tooooo thin, as a New Zealand wool producer, am annoyed by now thin the new products are. My gloves are 10 plus years old still no holes, but are the original thicker ones.
Wow we had no idea how different the old products are. I can definitely see there being a change in a quality or manufacturing over time. We would love a pair of those older gloves, they sound so much more reliable and useful than what they have out on the shelves today. We are also very excited to hear from a wool producer such as yourself. Thanks for watching 😁
Definitely like the thicker merino products. I have Orvis signature crew neck merino sweaters that I got on sale that are light weight enough to layer but can stand up to my pack. I layer two sizes and they are my go to for winter camping and volunteer trail roving; one of the best clothing purchases I have ever made.
The thing about marino wool is that you cannot use fabric softener or dry it in a dryer if you want it to last the longest. I've had some items that have lasted for years of daily use and others that I mistakenly put in the dryer once and watched it shred. I've also washed a few items with my normal clothes and put liquid fabric softener in the load to make it smell nice. Those items disintegrated quickly. Also, my take is that elbows wear out quickly on the light weight versions if they are the outer layer. You have to be smart about how you use and care for marino. If you aren't, you are going to have a negative impression.
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences/perspectives/recommendations! I havent done any international travel yet... but am I huge fan of continental travel a week at a time and I always do it out of a backpack. Y'all gave me some good ideas on how I can modify my pack list and save some room/weight as well as deal with hostel shortcomings!
I recently found out that I'm completely clueless about when and IF airport weights your carry on. I've been on multiple short plane rides throughout Europe but it's never been my concern since I flew with checked laugagge and my mom took care of everything. I plan on using budget airlines even for a long haul trips and got no idea whether I need to worry about the weights.
Hey Ola! In our experience you will have to be mindful of weight when flying with low cost carriers like RyanAir and EasyJet. Even with long haul flights we have been checked a few times, but less often than the shorter flights. Our advice would be to carefully look at the weight policy for your ticket and then on flight days put all your heaviest things in your personal item. As an example, we put our laptops in our small daybags which are our 'personal item' on the flight). We have never had our personal items weighed, so we just load these small bags up as much as we can to try to reduce the weight in the carry-on bag which they are likely to weigh. Hopefully that helps you a bit!
So true about Merino whool! I thought I was the only one that felt it was overrated. Had a shirt that got holes in it fairly quick and you're right, for the cost it's not really worth it. Also great video!
You are definitely not alone! We are so sad that it hasn't lived up to our expectations, but at least we learned our lesson pretty early on. Thanks for watching and leaving a kind comment, we really appreciate the support!
With buying merino wool clothing you gotta think about it as an investment. And like all investments you should be doing a LOT of research about what is best. I've read a lot of good suggestions about good blends and what percentage of blends you can get away with and STILL get good performance. Also I'm thinking seriously about alpaca now. Supposed to be more durable than merino but I'm still researching this (cos, again, $$$$$)
Hey they we just use what you saw in the video! I (Mico) am usually good in a shirt and shorts (sometimes I use the tank top if we're in warmer climates) but Nicole sometimes would add some base layers if she wants to be warmer. We do laundry about once a week to keep things fresh 😊 I hope that answers your question!
You REALLY underfilled the cubes so you are not using them to their full purpose and they take up more room, use smaller cubes, all bags/pouches should be as flat as possible... downsize the cubes and use compression cubes and ziplock bags and squeeze the air out, fold the item of clothing then roll it and choose to put the item in side by side and stack them on top of one another or you could turn the items around using the width for items like trousers and jeans. Tiny ziplock bags are good for boxers/panties and other small items or any flat zip up pouch is good for that too ...you can stack the cubes on their end or side to use the height of the case or backpack .. always decant into flatter bottles and containers rather than round ones and put advil and over the counter pills into a tiny ziplock and put a label on the bag with the instructions as that takes up 1/4 of the room or less as the pill bottle! You didn't need to size up to the big backpack as if you change a few things it fits in easier to smaller bags ... My son was working so i packed for him to go to Portugal yesterday morning and he is FAR from minimalist and he took 8 pairs of shorts including two for bed and lounging, a pair of dress pants, two pairs of jeans , at least 25 tops and a shacket, a rain coat, socks, three pairs of trainers two of them box fresh chunky ones and one running pair ,a denim jacket, a 1/2 zip sweatshirt, plus toiletries and electronics and other bits.. he wore one pair of trainers from the three, he wore tracksuit pants and hoody and gilet going and carried the running trainers in his bag, he put the jean jacket in his small backpack and had one small carry on case for all the rest of the items and i had to be EXTREMELY careful packing as not to squash his very expensive trainers(shoes) so couldn't use that size 10 uk mens chunky shoes area for anything else so that is a 1/4 of the case already gone! the rest of the items fit into that little case including toiletries as he checked the case.
Thanks for the great tips! We find that when the cubes are too full they don't conform to the bag and leave a lot of empty crevices and voids so they can (when they're stuffed to the max) end up taking more space than you would expect. The ziploc for any medication is a risky idea when it comes to certain customs inspections in certain countries (e.g Egypt). We also had all this stuff in carry on bags but opted for larger bags as we felt it gave us a bit more room to grow, especially with our filming gear for TH-cam. It's not the most minimalist setup, but bear in mind we're on the road full time (12+ months) and this setup works for us for different climates and cultures. Thanks for sharing your tips!
@@nicoleandmico Not over stuffed but when you roll tightly and neatly into the cubes that are the same length or width as the item.. you don't ever have to struggle to close the zip.. they do fit easily as i fit a huge amount more in a rigid case using one medium and one small cube for all the tops and the small one for all the shorts and the jeans and dress pants i folded into 1/4 to go under his brand new shoes so not to crush them.. There is NEVER issues with a paracetamol and over the counter meds, it is just the same as putting them into a pill daily container lol! that is why you label them and take instructions, or you can get meds like that in a foil pop out blister pack which is perfect and much better than a large plastic jar... i don't think you need to size down again as it makes the bags more easy to pack but you could do which makes the bags less bulky when you use great packing methods, you got all the set up right which is why i didn't mention what you took just that i could see how you could make those bags just a bit less bulky! i toured the world as a dancer and i tour now as i am in music management and i am an expert packer due to the fact i have pain, health and mobility issues so can't manage to lug around too much so i can pack very well ... you won't have issues with any customs/security with meds as being in a bottle is only needed when it is prescription meds or when that drug is not allowed in that country ... please try the methods i suggested and put them in your bag like books in a bookcase not stacking them up flat on top of one another, you can post here when you do an experiment. do it to humour me lol xxx
I love Merino Wool but I kind of agree about durability. You also have to be more careful washing and drying it. I had an Endura mountain biking base-layer which was 100% Merino. It didn’t last and after a few washes became uncomfortable. However, when I came to replace it they had a new version which is a Merino/synthetic blend. It seems to have all the benefits of Merino but it is lasting so much better! I thought blends were a cheap alternative, but it seems to merge the benefits of both materials. So my advice is to look for blends instead of 100% Merino for things like t-shirts, underwear and base-layers. I’d still go 100% Merino for something like a heavy weight hoodie, buff or a winter hat.
The trouble with blends is the synthetics that are used attract the smell so unlike 100% they are not so resistant to odour. I got a Rapha top that was a blend thinking that I wouldn’t have to wash it as much as my other stuff. Ended up washing it after every use. It still get used but I don’t take it on bikepacking trips
@@IanJTaylor fair point. I generally wash my mountain bike gear after every ride (I only ride a few time a month) so I haven’t had the opportunity to see how it smells after a few uses.
@@TrailBikeMike this is kinda disgusting… I have been wearing a LS merino jumper as a base layer under my waterproof every time I’ve been for a run since November. Only washed it once. Been putting it on the radiator to dry and it doesn’t smell at all. I run 10k 5x a week and it’s saturated when I get in. The only reason I had to wash it that once was because it was in my bag for a couple of days and didn’t get aired out.
I love merino wool, but you can definitely surivive without it haha. This was a great video, and really good information! I always pack carry-on only but I don't really do a lot of long hikes on my trips. I might in the future though, especially hiking in Nepal is something that sounds really interesting! 😊
Thanks for watching the video! We are so glad you found it informative. We hope you make it to Nepal to hike the Himalayas someday soon - it is unreal!
I couldn't be without my merino wool base layers in colder weather. They keep me warm, but not too hot and sweaty and don't make me itch (other wools do if they come into contact with my skin). I've had them for a few years now and wear them every day for months at a time. I haven't had a problem with holes yet. I am careful with how I wash and dry them and always use a wool detergent. I'd rather wash everything in wool detergent, than wash wool in regular detergent.
We're glad you had a good experience! Our merino socks has been holding really well but the underwear and sweaters are just terrible. Do you have any merino outerwear like jackets or sweaters?
For cold months cami, long sleeve crewneck, and capri all merino (and wool socks) are my defense against cold. For warm and hot months I love rayon everything, easy wash and dry.
It sounds like you have found some merino wool products that work well for you - that is awesome! We have had some great suggestions here and hopefully will find some better merino products than we have had in the past
For our old backpacks the Kathmandu Litehaul 38 liter backpacks yes, but for our newer Osprey backpacks which are 50 and 55 liters, I don't think so. That said we have seen some people with a similar backpack and but not packed all the way and it still worked for them. Usually 40 or 45 liters is the limit of what airlines consider "okay" for carry on but this really depends on the airline and how stuffed it is.
Hey! We don't have plans to do a video about camera equipment for the time being, although we do include our camera equipment in a packing list under the heading "electronics" if you want to take a look! Feel free to ask any specific questions you have in the comments here though, we are happy to share!
Here's the full FREE packing list! nicoleandmico.com/our-packing-list/
Talk too fast!!!
it sounds like when renting a place ask how many working plugs are in the space and also do the plugs stay attached? What I notice when there is only one good plug it is so worn out the plug fails to remain in the socket..
I was not disappointed by everyone standing up for Merino. Absolute best material, works wet or dry, pulls moisture from you, and anti microbial. Nothing can beat Merino and I love to see the comment section agreeing. I came just to see what kind of response this video got lol
This might be ragebait video just to get views lol. I hate those type of videos and will block the channels.
Bought a merino shirt wore it on a workout and it tore very easily
@@theoracle10 Some merino does that, like the first smartwool base I owned was just not ready to actually bend like a body does for things like sitting down, and I was really bummed. I own some base shirts from costco now, wearing them daily all winter (cold workplace), and they've been VERY durable. So maybe a certain elastane content is important, but unfortunately makes it less sustainable.
@@theoracle10 It depends on what company you got your merino from because every company makes it different. I suggest getting "Unbound Merino"
Wool=cruelty.
So DISAGREE about merino wool! I have been hunting and hiking in the Rockies for 20 years. An old Army Ranger turned me on to it and it is one of the best things I have done to improve living out of a backpack. Merino wool is the one thing I would never leave out. I use it as a base layer and it keeps my body temperature perfect. It helps so much with maintaining the moisture. First two years I didn't have and was miserable! It is not a material for everything. I have outer clothing for wear and tear as brush , rocks and trees shread most materials. Also, buy quality clothing! Most of my merino wool is 15-20 years old and still my favorite! I have tried some of the latest material combinations (great marketing not so much on functionality) and always go back to merino wool. Good video! Just starting my world traveling now.
Hey there! Many of the comments on this video say such great things about using merino as a base layer as you mentioned. We haven't given this a try yet but think it would probably work great! The issues we have with merino always seem to be in places where there is a lot of friction or rubbing, so a base layer would probably last longer than some of the other pieces we have had trouble with. It is great to hear you have had so much success with it!
Thanks for the info. They still look like an expensive option for many people. We think merino is nice but honestly there are great alternatives at a fraction of the cost.
Yes it all depends on priorities! Also we have tried alpaca wool recently and it has been much better than merino (so far).
@@nicoleandmico I've wondered how Alpaca wool compares to Merino. Good to know!!
Our new sweaters in our Peru vlog are 100% alpaca. So far we love them. Great for hiking, lounging and even travel days. We're curious to know how it will stand up to the test of time so we'll see!
I spent a month in Cambodia and Vietnam with heat over 35 degrees every day. Every day we spent almost 6 hours touring. I was the only person with 90% Merino wool TShirt, socks and shorts. I was the only one who didn’t show sweat or feel wet. I wore my same pair of socks for over a week, and they still didn’t smell but I decided to wash them anyway. I swear 100% by by Merino wool clothes.
Which brand? Thanks
I like to know which brand too. I have merino socks and it lasts 3 days when traveling in warm whether ( hours of walking daily .. between 14k to 20k steps) , not a week and I am not a super sweater. Thanks
@@liyuling1984 they are MarenoTech
@@ukelilly they are marenoTech. But I have never walked the Camino. My husband also wore them for almost 2 weeks with no smell. We air them every night.
Merino 100% for me. Take it everywhere from base layers to thicker layers (260gm). Perfect thermal regulation wet or dry.
I was using washable merino shirts but with my hard water and detergent they became brittle, developing holes and runs. I started handwashing with wool wash and a tiny bit of vinegar. Then always air dry. Also, I add lanolin to the water every couple of washes so they stay soft. I know, it sounds like a lot but its been worth it fir me since wool needs washing so much less frequently than other fabrics AND the expensive clothes last years longer!
Merino wool transfers moisture away from the body, keeps you warm and is antibacterial so you can wear it for longer without getting smelly. There is one downside: pricey, but worth it.
Definitely can be pricey but has lots of great technical quality. A little overhyped in our opinion!
Linen works well in hot climates. Linen and wool are actually very common in hot climates.
I stinking hate wool! I feel like my feet feel wet the whole time I’m wearing them
@@angelacrosby8105You probably do not have merino wool then. There is a difference. My father always had smelly feet ( worked hard in factory & came home to work hard on his little farm) until he adopted the merino wool socks I gifted him. He never complained about cold or sweaty smelly feet after
@@Rebecca-r7hwhich brand since they are not all the same. thx
I’m a merino wool fan. So warm and comfortable. Also silk long underwear and an alpaca mid-layer sweater. On our next trip I’m taking a few laundry detergent sheets - much lighter weight and less messy than a bag of powder.
I’ve never heard of laundry sheets. Could you share the brand name please ?
I know you have hiking boots, but the alternative is trail runner shoes, which are essentially running shoes with big treads. Most are purposefully not waterproof, but instead designed to easily shed water & by extension, very breathable. If you talk with regular hikers, half wear trail runners from spring to fall. Plus trail runners can be easily packed in carry-on luggage, just like regular sneakers.
Hey there! Trail runners are a great idea. We gave lots of thought to trail runners instead of hiking boots/sneakers when we first left to travel a year ago and it was difficult to choose between the two! We opted for hiking boots mainly because Mico really needs the ankle support (he very commonly sprains his ankles unfortunately) and we tend to use the boots for a few months and then ship them home. We picked them up again when we went home for Christmas 2021 in anticipation of doing some hiking in South America, but will ship them back to Canada again most likely in June once we are done with our big hikes. It works for us, but we might be a little too attached to our hiking boots! Trail runners are a great suggestion for most travelers who need a combo shoe and are low on space! Perhaps one day they will be right for us as well
They're also soooo much lighter 🤦♀️
I still have to use a boot for the ankle support too! I have an old injury that weakens my ankle too much without it. Oh well, less shoes for me 🤷♀️.
I use Merino almost exclusively, with none of described problems, and I use it for far more difficult travel. It lasts forever, it keeps you dry and warm and STILL breaths, and it is by far the best product for the environment. I don't know what happened here, but it doesn't comport with my personal experience.
Sounds like you have been on lots of neat trips! We would love to hear about them, where have you been? Maybe we will add some new spots to our bucket list.
Hejhej, can you recommned a couple of brands?
@@leoniealastair9219 yes pleas
Smartwool and Ibex seems to be something many people are recommending 🤔
Smartwool and Ibex. We have smortwool socks and those are awesome!
A (merino) Buff can be used as sleeping mask too. One item less to pack. As other commenters already wrote: Merino isn't meant to be washed often, and never with usual washing detergent. Most of the time hand warm water only is enough. Even in hot climates a merino base layer can be worn for days in a row without stinking. Just air out overnight.
Using a buff as an eye mask is a great idea! Mico often just ends up throwing his sweater over his face on busses and calls that an eye mask too 🙃
Love my merino buffs! Used all three of them on a trip to Iceland in April a few years ago. (neck, face, and cap for head under my heavier wool hat!)
They really are so versatile!
Just saying, Decathlon's Forclaz, in their own website, specify that you can normal wash their merino-blend shirts with completely regular detergents. So, I assume that the "no regular detergents" rule is specifically for either 100% merino, or for incredibly high % blends.
As far as I noticed, Decathlon's brands are about 65~80% merino, so that might why.
Been using merino for 20 years of travel...merino socks and underwear the best, never smells and dries quick..long sleeve merino tip on the plane for the long flights...essential...quick dry travel towel... .handy as added warmth on the plane..carry on everywhere...eagle creek...travel light....
We do both love our merino wool socks! We just came back from a 10 day hiking trek in Patagonia and the merino wool hiking socks were fantastic for the adventure!
Interesting video. I don't travel constantly but we have narrowed down what we take so that we fit whatever we need into one suitcase (we rather not carry most of our stuff cause we old lol). This allows us to take whatever we want and only have to pay for and move around 1 bag...plus since it's a regular suitcase it has wheels so it's easier to move around vs our backpacks. All our essentials stay in our packs though. We don't carry nearly as much clothes anymore and generally hand wash everything and we have gone to synthetic for almost everything. It's just lighter and more importantly dries quickly.
I'm glad you covered that having a hook on your toiletry bag is a must! That sea to summit packable "sink" also looks awesome, I'm gonna have to go research that. Those compression cubes also look interesting since I use compression sacks currently.
I will say to be sure when traveling internationally what the laws are. Over the counter medication in your nation maybe illegal where you're traveling to so it's essential to double check not just your prescription meds. A good example is that Nyquil from the US is illegal in Japan and could potentially get you in hot water.
21:25 Another example for Japan is that carrying around a knife with a blade longer than 6cm is ILLEGAL and can land you in JAIL. It's best to simply leave your knives / multi tool at home when visiting Japan unless you have really researched the current laws. The only real exemption to the above for tourist is if you buy a knife in Japan, the shop will seal your knife in a package and you'll be ok....however that only is good so long as you NEVER break that seal.
About Merino wool. It is a natural fiber not a brand. Smartwool, Icebreaker and such are brands making Merino wool products. Brand quality varies a lot. I totally agree that stuff is expensive, but it is important to understand what are you using it for. I wouldn't use expensive Merino wool garments for the general travel as cheaper alternative are available and synthetics are often more durable. But when I do mountain hiking, winter camping, ski trips in bellow freezing temperatures, Smartwool and Icebreaker layers I have(no affiliation whatsoever) protected me from possible frostbite and kept me warm and safe. As base and middle layers it works better than anything I tried. And in respect to durability I have socks, tops and bottoms I've used for years and still looks fine and works. Different toys for different games.
We completely agree that merino isn't for all forms of travel! In general we believe there are cheaper alternatives available that can get people by. We discuss this more during the video but really merino depends on your use case. We live by the mountains in Canada so we've definitely seen its value there but agreed it shouldn't be used as an everyday product for travel (at least certain types of clothes). Thanks for watching 😊 what's your preferred brand for merino wool?
@@nicoleandmico Smartwool and Icebreaker
Us too but I think nowadays we're leaning towards smartwool because their blends seem to last longer. Thanks!
Merino is a must if you travel light. For me a base layer for extreme cold is tech synthetic by Colombia which is very light weight. Socks for extreme cold weather are rated to TOG-3 as well as merino wool socks. I pack 3-sets and wear 1-set. With this I can travel infinite days. My cold- puffer- outerwear brand is MARMUT and wet weather is SEDON
Great tips! Thanks for sharing!
I work as an outdoor educator and wear merino everyday. I had issues with merino too. But I started washing it with merino wool wash by nikwax and I have hardly any issues since. It helps with keeping the wool flexible as regular detergent strips the lanolin and that makes the wool brittle. There might be other brands of wool wash that work too. Also wool with a blend seems to last longer too.
Thank you so much for sharing the brand of washing powder you use for merino! We are eager to get our hands on some merino-specific detergent after seeing quite a few comments mentioning how helpful people have found it!
@@nicoleandmico it is actually liquid so it is harder to travel with but it still helps to use it when you can. Also avoid washing merino with Velcro, buckles, zippers...put things in a mesh bag if u have to wash them with wool.
The mesh bag sounds like a good idea. Thanks for all the tips. We'll have to get our hands on this stuff!
I was gonna say, I have to wash my wool with a special wool wash to keep it good. But a lot of times when I travel I don't want to bring that and I do laundry at a laundromat or a hotel, so I don't have control over the soap they use.
Eucalan! Made in Canada, best ever. For travel, better to wash merino wool with shampoo. It is designed for hair. Wool is hair. When you get home, use the Eucalan. Eucalan is sold on Amazon too for us US based folks. Never wring wet Wool! It will develop holes. Always squash out the water, or wrap in a couple of towels. Merino wool is not expensive when you factor in how long it lasts. As far as pilling, any hair f8ber will pill when friction is applied. Who cares? Scrape off the pills. Repair as soon as you see a tear. Alpaca is fine too, so is any wool. If it makes you itch, wear silk base layer, then wool, then tech cloth.
Icebreaker has Coolwool which is merino mixed with Tencell, and I’ve found it very comfortable and durable.
Thanks for the input! It's great to hear you have found a durable option from Icebreaker
My husband has exclusively been wearing the same 5 pairs of Exofficio briefs for 5-7 years... I actually have a few 7 year old pairs as well that still look new and are worn regularly, which is pretty incredible.
Wow that is amazing!! Now THAT sounds like a worthwhile investment 😀
@@nicoleandmico they are! My husband and I have gotten about 10 years out of our ExFiccio underwear and we wear it in our daily lives, not just travel.
Completely agree. Exofficios are awesome. After many years, the weak points are the elastic bands while the rest still looks great.
My exclusive brand, too, but no longer buy them since the waistband changed. New style rolls badly.
I just started slomadding, so this was super useful. A couple of questions that you could address if you'd like in a follow-up video: 1) with soap bars, how do you juggle them in a hostel bathroom? I guess I'd like a little video segment on how you get from your bunk to the shower and back. 2) I carry a crossbody bag when I'm out, but I'm intrigued by slings and backpacks. How do you feel confidently theft-proof when your valuables are on your back?, 3) You mentioned not carrying your passport wallet when you're out and about. Where do you store it during the day? 4) I love all of the clothing options you have. When you get to where you're staying, how do you deal with accessing your clothes? Do you get individual items out of cubes and them put them back in the pack? Again, a little video about how you access stuff in your pack on the road would be helpful. Thanks!
Hi Jenny! Thanks for the thoughtful comment. We apologize for our delayed response, we have been hiking for the past 10 days without any signal but are back now! Your suggestions for future videos sounds great, we will tuck them in our back pockets for use at a later time 🙂 To answer some of your questions, we bring our whole hygiene kit into washrooms with us when we stay at hostels. The hook that our hygiene kits have are SO great for this! And we just bring our little soap bar cases into showers with us and usually there is a place to put them down while we take the soap out and use the soap in the shower. If the case gets wet it is no biggie at all, they dry up in no time!
Safety with backpacks is always tricky. We always have our big backpacks locked, but if we are going out for a day with our day bags, we do not lock them. This is one of the reasons we leave our most valuable things at out hotel/hostel and always lock our main backpack when we leave it at the hotel. It isn't a perfect solution, but carrying valuables around the world with you comes with some unavoidable risks! If we are out with our day bags and are feeling unsafe we will move our backpacks to our fronts so they are harder to slash or unzip.
And yes, when we get to where we are staying we just take the items out that we need each day, and put them back into the correct packing cube at the end of the day. We each have our own small way of organizing our dirty laundry within our packing cubes as well which we have each just come to create since we began traveling full-time.
Hopefully that answers your questions! Thanks again for watching our video and asking such awesome questions!
@@nicoleandmico Thanks for such a thoughtful and quick response!
Enjoy your slomadding!
as a knitter i make my own merino wool socks, gloves and sweaters-and there are definitely different weights and values of merino wool. Also should know that merino should not be washed with most detergents or soaps bc of pH differences that strip the natural lanolin from the fiber-they cause it to break down more quickly Should only use something like woolite or soak (brand name) or special care fiber soap with no additives or bleaches in it. Even baby shampoo if that's all you have. Makes a big difference! enjoyed this video-first of yours i've seen and will check out others.
Knitting your own sounds amazing! What a fantastic skill. Great tip about the washing products, that definitely could be part of our problem. We do hand wash all of our items though which hopefully helps with some of the longevity
Really important point. Wool must be washed with a dedicated wool wash. It doesn’t cope with normal washing detergent
You can just use shampoo.
Good to know! Thanks for the tip!!
I've been known to use regular shampoo to wash my knits in a pinch, but Soak/Eucalan/other wool washes are nicer to use.
You guys are amazing!! ❤ thank you SO much for being incredibly detailed and providing links!! I spent 5yrs traveling the USA backpacking and hitchhiking around, It’s been a few years since I’ve lived out of a hiking pack, so having your reviews of products and tips on what to pack is helping me prep way better! I hope your travels continue to be wonderful and you continue to flourish! 💖🙏✨
Great summary, thanks for sharing!
Concerning luggage loss on check-in travels - I lost my checked in bag on literally hundreds of flights only one single time, and it arrived one day later brought by a taxi driver (hired by the airline) just at my door step. One of my neighbors and also one of my relatives had same experience, each time one suitcase got lost on the way and arrived one day later with the next flight and delivered by any courier to their place resp. hotel. I know a lot of travellers and also plenty of business travellers and I know only one single case where the checked in luggage was really lost somehow and didn't arrive at all. So I guess the risk of loosing a checked in piece at all is extremely low but it makes sense to carry at least everything you need for one day with you if you check in any piece of luggage.
That said, we travel mostly (even though not always) with check in luggage. The fees are usually included in the ticket rate, and the extra time for checking in something or waiting at the luggage belt for our luggage is always ridiculous compared to the whole travel time. Usually we travel with some reasonable time gap between flights or between flight and railway or so, means we do not loose any costly minutes of our life but it is just a question of where we pass the time, whether in front of the luggage belt or somewhere else waiting for our train or so. Yes one can easily travel minimalistic and with one piece of cabin baggage but I love to travel with my swiss army knife and some other stuff (mostly items I use for cooking and hiking) which is not allowed to bring into the cabin, and quite often I bring also some special food items with me (any things I love and I know in advance not to get them easily at my destination) so I check all that in and feel happy whiles enjoying the luxury of an extra piece of luggage.
About merino wool, yes there are pieces which are sold to us but not really useful for travels since they are simply not sturdy enough, especially when you carry often a rucksack or tend to move during hikes through bushes or so. Merino is great but one should not forget that merino pieces are luxury items and you get any standard items like socks, T-Shirts or sweaters made from cotton or whatever artificial fibres really everywhere on that planet. Why spending so much money for a single merino T-Shirt (except since you love luxury) when you can get for the same price 5 T-Shirts in Europe and in India, Thailand or Vietnam you get for that money maybe even 30-40 T-Shirts ... That said, of course I would never travel without my original pashmina shawl ... not merino but even much better fabric and one of my personal luxury items 🤣
Love the points you make! We have been traveling with our check-in bags for a little over a month now and have to agree that so far they are the way to go for us as well. We particularly like the ability to bring small knives for cooking and a small pair of scissors around with us. Sometimes it would be nice to hop off a flight and head straight out of the airport to catch a cab or bus, but so far the check-in-life is working well for us too!!
@@nicoleandmico yes cooking is one of the keywords ... eating your self prepared food saves you from upset stomac and what not else, and such things can become very common in certain countries if you eat only restaurant food. It saves sometimes money and simply adds some extra joy to the travel if you cook yourself. I love to try new dishes and tastes but I also love to have at least once in a while the food I like most and this is usually what I cook myself ;-)
I still remember the first rucksack travel with my wife, three months Nepal and India. Totally three pieces of luggage - one rucksack (check in), two haversacks, that's all we had with us. We both got totally sick from the food in Northern India. Finally we bought a kerosene stove and some pots etc. and started to cook ourselves in the hotel. I guess that saved our lives ... 😁
@@bangalorebobbel What awesome memories you must have of that trip (minus the food poisoning). Those backpacker memories are one of a kind!
@@nicoleandmico
absolutely! This trip was in 1983 and we travelled a lot since those good old days (and had done also before that trip some shorter travels together) but we can still remember so many details of this first longer trip as a couple.
And who knows, maybe I would have never got the idea to cook on travels if that would not have become a necessity in those days 😁
Thing is, cooking on travels changes a lot. You have to carry or procure cooking utensils and food items, find shops and interact on local markets, know the rates, convince any local grandma to tell you her secret recipes and so on, all things you would miss if you have your food always in any restaurant or get you some Snickers.
And on longer travels it is maybe even no problem to have one of your all time favourite meals even in a country where nobody else but you seems to know it ... you surely had already one or more of these moments when you lay on one of the most beautiful beaches of that planet, listen to the waves and the birds and cannot think about anything else but that xyz dish you miss so heavily since 3 months ... 🤣
Im in a much older age group than you, but lve learnt to take two of everything plus some scarves to make things look different and a raincoat. A teeny weeny chopping board and knife are useful for cheeses ,bread and fruit.
Fantastic! For a while we were carrying around a tiny cutting board as well, but we ended up leaving it behind at some point. We saw quite a few camping style cutting boards that we thought about purchasing but they all roll up for storage and we were worried they would flatten well when we went to use them. Do you use this style or do you use a real (but very small) cutting board?
@@nicoleandmico l use a wooden one. And l have a tupperware plate that can push out into a bowl and it has a well fitting lid which can be a plate too. I miss roughing it when l travel and it gives me great happiness to hear what you are doing. Jill. South Australia. 🌈🐨
I've found that if you treat your merino wool correctly (washing, etc) it lasts a long time. I've never had the thumb hole in my long sleeve t-shirt break down and the boxers Ive been using for years are merino with zero issues. Your and my results have been radically different but 'd say in my opinion anyway I totally disagree on merino wool.
It is great to hear the merino products work well for you! What washing powder do you use for your merino? We have always hand washed our merino products and hung them to dry, but from other comments on here we have learned to give special detergent a try and hope that helps with the durability issues we have been having. We would love to know what washing powder has worked for you!
@@nicoleandmico merino wool is magical stuff ... wash it in nikwax base wash or similar...
Maybe even try it in one of those conservative countries you mentioned mentioned...
We have had a few people mention Nikwax, we will definitely look into it
@@nicoleandmico Hi there, one is definitely NikWax but the one I like (other than its cost) is from Granger. They make a specific formulation for Merino wool as well they have formulations for other technical fabrics. The other thing that's really important for up keep is not using any deodorant that has aluminum in it (which is most) because it's awful for the fibres. You need to go with mineral crystal type deodorants. It takes some serious adjustment at first but once the bodies used to it all works as desired. There's probably other solutions to this as well. I think some have mentioned this but blends can also be away to get a harder wearing merino. Something with 20% or less of something other than wool is the sweet spot in my opinion anyway. You're already bit using machines to clean your items which is a pain in the butt but important to keep stuff in its best shape. I have however washed merino in a machine on delicate with merino specific detergent and placed in a mesh delicates bag and depending on the brand it hasn't destroyed it especially with a blend. I do always air dry though and unless there's a really good reason I'd always say have wash for safety. It's annoying something like clothing requires special handling but once you get into the habit it's not too bad - ok it's actually still annoying but to keep it all in the best shape I do it anyway. Cheers, Christopher. :)
So an important question about your wool garments is did you use detergent when washing them? The enzymes in most laundry detergents will eat away at the wool and destroy it. Wool should only be washed in water. If you must wash wool with detergent make sure it is Woolmark recommended.
I’m going to travel for 1 month all around Peru & was stressing so0o much if I had to spend so0o much more for merino wool set & so0o glad you shared your experiences! Your POV gives me a relief that merino wool isn’t a NEED & I can survive without it. Thank you for this informative video & showing the breakdowns of the material.
A month in Peru will be amazing! We are glad to hear you found the video helpful. If you are doing any hiking in Peru our suggestion would be to only invest in Merino hiking socks. The lifetime warranty on Icebreaker socks has made that investment worth it for us 😊
Great video
y'all should talk about what brands of merino wool you bought. I've heard what you're saying about some brands, but other brands hold up very well.
I love how detailed this is. So informative! Thank you!
So glad you found it helpful!
Since you travel so extensively, what do you do for phone service? I've seen Holafly and Airalo mentioned on other sites but I'm curious what service you use when hoping countries.
I have had good luck with many merino wool pieces of clothing, particularly the thicker items. The ultra thin shirts wear too fast for me. Unfortunately, I cannot wear synthetic fabric tops without itching like crazy. I have switched many of my tips to bamboo based or silk.
A while ago we tried out a merino wool and bamboo mix and that seemed to hold up better than 100% merino. A big lesson for us has been that merino is definitely best when combined with another fiber. Silk sounds amazing as well! Another viewer mentioned some of the incredible properties of silk in clothing and we are eager to try some out for ourselves!
Merino in the winter (it warms AND cools) stuff like Under armor cooling sports gear for summer. Pack stuff that you can live without if lost in a check in. I do 3, a 21 Liter GR1 on the back. a 20l (ish) duffel, and stuff that doesn't matter if lost in a Pelican air. Those travel bags yall are carrying around are ridiculously big. If my pelican gets lost I still have enough for about a week and two 20l bags are super easy to maneuver around. Ultimately you can go for weeks with 3 t shirts, 3 undies, 3 socks and a versatile DWR coat. I also travel with as much water proof gear as possible (especially shoes, but then you also need a light weight pack of Vans or something so that your feet can breathe). Very few toiletries, I shave my head and travel with a stick of deodarant, a tooth brush and some tooth paste, maybe a razor. Always have a tube of triple antibiotic ointment on you, some kind of water bottle, some jerky, ibuprofen and some packs of crystal light. Now try traveling light when you both A) Have to fly on the small commuter jets that allow barely more than a laptop AND B) Wear a full suit and tie 5 days a week and C) Have a bad back...... (been my life since 98). On the rare occassion's I do car travel, i use a giant rolling duffel and I can dress like a fashion model from Mens every day/night (those trips are rare).
Sounds like its time to shave our heads 😅
This is such a great video, totally the most clear and comprehensive one I’ve seen! Thanks a lot , you’ve got a new subscriber :)
Thank you so much for the compliment and for subscribing Brittany! We are so glad to hear you found the video helpful. Happy packing!!
Totally agree. You have a new subscriber from Montréal 👍
Hello and thank you fellow Canadian! We are so glad to have you along and to hear you found the video helpful as well ☺️
I have been using a scarf for years for all those things while traveling. It is such a versatile piece of clothing. Definitely a must-pack item.
100% agree! Love the scarf 🥰
My daughter is studying nursing and was advised by her chiropractor to buy Adidas Ultraboost shoes as they're the most comfortable and supportive for people on their feet for long hours. Enjoyed your video. Tyvm.
Oh wow that is very neat! We absolutely LOVE our ultraboosts and can't believe how well they've held up in this first year of wearing them. We hope they are a good fit for your daughter too!
Merino can be almost as thin as silk and washes and dries really fast as well. It’s a featherweight base layer that lasts for years.
Thank you for that insightful review regarding Merino Wool and when and when not to use them :)
Thanks so much for watching!
@@nicoleandmico Thanks also for the packing your backpack! I like seeing how people pack their travel backpacks and what they take. I always end up taking too much and am trying to pack minimally, but intelligently so that I am prepared for what the weather will throw at me. :)
Yes it can be so hard to balance minimal travel but also prepared for any adventure. In the end we always make do with what we have and anything extra we can purchase, borrow or rent while on the road. We find that if we stay in one country for a long time then our clothing doesn't change. It's when we started moving quickly that we kept finding what we have inadequate clothing and needed replacement. When we went from the Himalayas to the tropics is a good example, fhe clothing needed for each place was so different 😆
Check in and carry on : for me it was wanting to carry tools - a multitool where the nail file, screw drive and scissors are not permitted. On internal flights some with a 5kg limit being able to split the electronics (and batteries) to carry on and have the clothes (jacket) in cargo helped. I did purchase a tracker. Upon boarding the plane it stopped working and at my last designation before returning home it finally started to work again. Don't know the problem or what triggered the working after a month walking around many cities across India.
I wore long sleeve T shirts. Although in a hot climate I wanted to avoid sun burn and it is not always possible to walk around in the shade. I wore what might termed smart causal. More than acceptable in an office or customer facing work but comfortable that you can spend all day walking in them. My button down shirts were also plain white - the most I had in laundry was three of the four I carried. My daily carry back pack is a convertible - an office business suitable brief case. For urban exploring I did not need hiking trekking gear. Comfortable shoes and clothes that I could wear anywhere.
The need to carry on a multi-tool is always so tricky! We also really like to fly with a multi-tool when not doing carry-on. I (Mico) once forgot I had a multi-tool in my carry-on bag on a flight and somehow it made it through security in Sydney, Australia, but my connecting flight in Vancouver, Canada noticed it and took it away. Such a shame! A tracker is a great idea to have a bit of piece of mind with luggage (when its working of course). Thanks for sharing your experiences and watching our video!
Thanks for the links! I started carrying a laundry bar and will be purchasing the bag, bucket and clothes line! Safe travels and thanks for the awesome information!
Hey, thanks! We're so glad you found it helpful!!
21:40 - if you need to sharpen the knives at airbnb all you need is the bottom of a ceramic mug or plate. You just sharpen the knife by sliding it against the ceramic bottom rim. :)
Just for when you go back to only having carry ons! :)
Very informative video - definitely going to buy that sink! And I want to weigh in on the merino clothing. I agree with “all merino everything isn’t the way to go” but I‘m a huge fan of merino baselayers. The further away the fabric is from your skin the less you need pure wool in my opinion. My favourite combination is two thin layers of pure merino (eg. longsleeve + t-shirt) and the Patagonia puff on top. Keeps me very warm without being too bulky and I don’t feel like I‘m melting. I also wear most of my merino t-shirts as part of my regular wardrobe and my baselayers as lounge wear at home. I love icebreaker (yay for end-of-season sales) and had most things for 3-5 years, so far everything holds up great :)
Hey there! Thanks for sharing your insight and experiences. It is great to hear merino has been a success for you in most ways. It definitely has some great uses 😊 Also glad to hear the sink will be helpful to you in the future - we love ours SO much! It's definitely an underrated travel item in our opinion :)
I also have the Farpoint Trek 55 (and compression cubes) and have no idea how you fit all of that into that bag.
Hopefully that’s a testament to our packing skills 😄
Thanks for sharing all your gear in detail. Super helpful!
Glad it was helpful!
I had never watched any of your videos and I just found this one...I'm hooked with your spark and good vibes! Definitely a new subscriber 😀
Awesome! Thank you! We're so glad to have you 😊
Hi Nicole and Mico - loved this video thanks for the tips! I am planning a 12 month trip for next year, and have a question about contact lenses. Do you carry the lenses you need for the entire trip with you from the start? Or have you found it fairly easy to get contacts while you travel? Thanks!
An additional caution about Chacos -they are not great for sand. The straps are all the way through under your foot and so those cracks can fill with sand - and in my experience it doesn’t come out which makes any further adjustment impossible and now mine after one or two months are not only tight/not adjustable but are rock hard from the salt. We live on Vancouver Island - I don’t recommend them for sandy beaches.
I wish their footbed came with a permanent strap system as they are super supportive (had plantar fasciitis). Maybe chacos footbed could marry the keens closed toe/straps?
Really we've been wearing chacos regularly for the last year and half and we had no problems. Even in Sri Lanka and we used it all the time at the beach (since Sri Lanka is just a giant island with loads of beaches). Maybe it's our type of Chacos that's a little bit better? 🤔
We can call them Cheens 😋
I'm not sure how 55 litre and 50 litre bags can be considered "carry on". When I was traveling with my M.E.I. Voyageur..45 litres..Cathay Pacific made me check the bag and not allowed to carry on. Same with Bangkok Airways and Dragon Air. I would imagine there would be no way most airlines would allow you to carry 50 litre or 55 litre bags on.
I ended up going smaller and more minimalist with a 35 litre Minaal Carry On 2.0. Always allowed to carry it on.
Now I've gone even smaller with the 21 litre Minaal Daily, plus a Osprey 6 litre cross body sling. Always allowed to carry on. My travel bags have always been convertible bags with hide away backpack straps...so I can carry it like a duffle with one shoulder sling if I wish, or by the handle, or unzip the backpack straps and carry it as a backpack.
My travel bags have all opened up totally from the front, not the top. What we call "clam shell" opening.. so easy to pack or remove things. I "Ranger Roll" all my clothes and pack them into two zipper compression packing cubes. ... and take just a few clothes. My shirts are summer weight material Columbia button shirts... can roll the sleeves up if I want... quick drying. One size too large...for air circulation between clothing and body. Zip off cargo pants... again thin summer weight material, one size too large. Good pair of men's Teva Holliway "waterproof" sandals with tough hiking sole and arch support and heal strap. Two pair. No other footwear. Only one pair of socks... for on the plane. Where I go is always too hot for bundling feet up in socks and shoes or boots. Ventilated medium brimmed hat for protection from the sun.
I wash my clothes in the sink or take them to a local laundry of which there are many in the tropical countries I go to.
I only go to tropical countries in Asia.... so I take much much less. And I go for months at a time..All my vaccinations up-to-date including Covid, and all the tropical diseases there are vaccines for. Even had my three pre-exposure Rabies shots. And before travel.... a two dose series of "Dukoral" oral vaccine for two years protection from Cholera and three or four months protection from E.Coli ...the most common cause of Traveler's Diarrhea. (There are others, but usually it is E Coli).
I've never had Traveler's Diarrhea in south and southeast Asia. But I did in Toronto, in my home country of Canada one time many many years ago, from eating macaroni salad at an outdoor market. I was sick out both ends.... horrible....
You can get that anywhere in the world.
70 years old... still traveling.... Still no "wheelie luggage". Secret? If staying for months someplace.... rent a clean but cheap apartment..... save a lot of money. I never pay more than $150 a month for an apartment in the tropics in south or southeast Asia. In Cambodia, I can rent a good enough apartment for even less than $100.
One thing I do my best to avoid is packing things that I can buy at my destination.... often for much less cost than in my home country of Canada. I find that at my age now, taking much less stuff means I can carry a much smaller and lighter load. No waiting at carousels, just pick up and go. I take only what I absolutely can not do without. if I find I never use something.. or use it only once or twice.... it gets left behind.
21 litre convertible bag, and a 6 litre sling..... I can go indefinitely....
Hey there! It sounds like you have had some amazing adventures, are we are always excited to hear from a fellow Canadian on here. We are also huge lovers of South and Southeast Asia. We are eager to get back there later this year. Mico is from the Philippines and I (Nicole) haven't been yet, so we are hoping to spend quite a bit of time there with family while exploring the incredible islands. Thanks for sharing your experiences and advice with our TH-cam community, and happy travels!
Agreed with you guys about merino wool. Been traveling for over three decades, for pleasure and for international businesses. In practicality, I wash every two or three days in small loads, either at the hotel laundromat, hotel laundry service, or by hands. Cotten feels great against the skin, lasts disproportionately longer, and the difference in temperature regulation between the two materials isn’t significant for such a significant difference in prices.
Amazing all the stuff current travelers carry. In the 1970's when I was young I travelled with a small gym duffle bag with 2 extra pairs of underwear, 1 pairs of extra socks, 2 extra cotton T-shirts/shirts, a Jacket appropriate for the weather, a toothbrush, cash and traveler's checks. I wore the same pair of jeans all the time. They were all my regular clothes, not specialty clothes. My shoes were Converse gym shoes, and I also had a mechanical self-winding watch. That's all.
Great video. Really nicely edited. Thank you, great info also. Not really going to do long-term travel, but am checking out Vietnam in October to see if I want to retire there. Thank you again.
Great video guys! We're definitely team Carry-On all the way! Even with just bus travel we find it makes travelling easier if we're not hauling a whole lot of weight around on our backs everywhere we go. Interesting point about the durability factor of merino. We splashed out and bought our first pair of merino socks a few months ago and we've been wondering how durable they will be. Fingers crossed they last a bit longer!
Hey guys! It is awesome you have been able to keep up with carry-on bags even with TH-cam gear! We just found we had too much stuff, but maybe we will manage to bring less stuff as we continue our travels. We have found merino socks to be awesome! We each have a few different types, including hiking and regular-day socks and they have held up really well so far. We have both Smart Wool and Icebreaker and the great thing is both brands have a lifetime warranty, so even if the socks start falling apart we can replace them for free! Socks are definitely one area where we find merino shines.
@@nicoleandmico yeah the youtube gear does take up a fair bit of space! Thanksfully there's a lot of equipment out there that's pretty compact. We heard that there were socks out there that came with lifetime warranty - that is so awesome! We didn't get our act together enough to find those brands when we were in the US and we move around too quickly to get stuff mailed to us, but it's something we'd definitely like to invest in more once we get the opportunity.
Yes, thank goodness for compact gear! Hopefully you can get your hands on some lifetime warranty socks one day 😊
@@nicoleandmico Neither of those brands offer a lifetime warranty. Darn Tough does, however. Smart wool is nice, but they don't last even a quarter of how long DT socks last.
Merino is the superior travel clothing. Polyester will get you by in a pinch, but it's not good for travel - smelly and you have to wash it a lot more frequently than merino.
I like Merion for a base layer with and over shirt or light sweater. Merino is sheep wool and has a thermal range of 10-15 degrees F. Where synthetics fibers are temperature specific. For a lightweight sweater I like alpaca. For a drink on the go on a bus, biking, hiking, anywhere I go I carry my two cup stainless steel thermos with a screw on cup, with tea, coffee or broth cubes. In the past I carried an umbrella with a collapsible handle that fits in the corner of my shoulder bag in lieu of a rain jacket. I'm planning on putting it back on my check list.
Great tips! We actually just purchased a cheap umbrella and we're curious if it will be suitable enough to replace our heavy rain coats. I have my doubts but we're happy to experiment.
I love merino wool, linen, cotton, and silk to take with me traveling. Helps me not smell so bad in between showers. :)
Definitely! We have got some great suggestions on here about what brands and fabric blends hold up well compared to the experiences we have had with many of the merino wool products we have tried. It would be awesome to find a durable product with merino in it because the anti-bacterial, anti-smell, and quick drying features are amazing!
Hi guys, great video! when it comes to merino wool it all depends on how the fabric pattern is woven, and the quality/grams of the merino wool as well. I have gone through clothing with new companies and found out the hard way like yourselves. I recommend Meriwool, Ice breaker, and Ridge Merino. Stay away from Merino tech and Merinnovation. Safe and happy travels!
I don't usually comment on YT videos but I found this video super informative!
You guys radiate such a positive energy and I wrote down some useful things for my next travel! I randomly found this video on youtube, but I'll definitely watch other videos from your channel, as I'm sure they are as good as this one! Keep up the good work! :)
It is so kind of you to leave us a note to share your thoughts with us, we really appreciate it! It's so motivating to know you found the video helpful and enjoyed getting to know us a bit as you watched. We hope you enjoy some of our other videos as well!! 😀
I am an international cargo pilot and am always gone half the month anywhere in the world going across the equator changing from summer to winter and all types economies. I pack the same in almost all the things you choose, including layers; except I have 4 pairs of shoes. I have uniform dress chucka boots, running shoes, hiking boots and close toe sandles. One of my pair of boots is always packed in my bag. I live in my hiking boots, even in shorts when not in my uniform. I have a small dry bag for laundry that also doubles for washing laundry in a sink or bathtub when no laundry service is available or timely.
All my socks are wool, not necessarily marino wool, including low ankle sport socks, varying from hiking to sport summer weight thickness. All my other clothes are all some type of quick dry cotton poly blend. My standard 22 inch rollaboard is the size of a large backpack and then my flight bag would be the size of a bag that can go under the seat of a plane.
I had been considering to get 1 of those passport wallets, having previously always kept documents+ID+cards separate when I travel, but recently lost my phone wallet which has my cards, ID, travel card etc [SO BLESSED that it was returned to me complete, down to the $10 note I keep for just in case] but all I could think after that was thank GOD it didn't happen overseas - that would've been a disaster.
Also saw a veteran traveler recently recommending keeping 3x forms of ID+credit/debit cards in 3 different stashes so if you lose or have stolen 1 set you have backups. Totally on board with that now!
(Also, technically, a steri-pen isn't a water filter. It kills a fair amount of bacteria but there are better options out there. I recommend ppl do a lot of research to find the best option for them)
Yes we always try to keep backups in other places than the passport wallet just in case 😉 and it also helps traveling as a couple as we know each of us has some of each other's important docs/copies/cards handy as well.
Yes the steripen is a purifier and has worked excellent for us when doing multi day hikes in the mountains. What's your preferred water filtration option? Maybe we can try that too 😊
@@nicoleandmico I like the katadyn befree but I really think it depends on what kind of traveling you're doing eg. what part of the world you're going, how long you'll be traveling, whether you're camping, roadtripping, backpacking etc.
Eg. if I was ONLY backpacking around Europe I'd probably just take the steripen too
We have seen some back country campers using the Katadyn Befree back home in Canada and love how compact it can be! It looks like a great option for a proper water filter
This was a great video. I felt like watching you pack AFTER travel was very enlightening. Lots of great thoughts and perspectives. Ideas like the spice bag or the collapsible sink for washing clothes or the UV light for water. Brilliant! Definitely rethinking some things.
Great vid, though I'm personally an even more minimalist traveller going with a 30l backpack. A note on merino wool items. I'd definitely never get merino wool undies. Socks are great and almost always a material mix with polyester or something in there, which make them more durable. I found a great French brand that makes all kinds of clothing items from a tencel and merino wool mix. Tencel does have many of the same benefits and the material mix makes the clothes more durable, but also wonderfully soft. It's also a lot less expensive than 100% merino. They're called Seagale. They ship worldwide, too :)
Awesome! We just checked out Seagale and they seem like a great new option for us. Thank you so much for sharing and enjoy your future travels :)
I'll definitely look into that
I tried merino wooo socks and I sweat like crazy in them. Didn’t like them at all! Don’t really understand the hype around merino tbh
@@blueskies00 Hey, they're not on Amazon. You'll have to go directly to their homepage.
Good to know as well. Thanks again
i have had mixed experience with it. I love smartwool socks but I used to get holes in the toes after only a few times wearing them. I started buying only the Smartwool Run Phd and have had better experiences with it. Still, I eventually get holes in the toes but the scocks are very comfortable and I will only buy wool socks now.
Nicely done! Great tips! Couldn’t travel without- sea to summit laundry line and my humangear trio eating utensils
The laundry line is excellent! We could not agree more 👍🙌
27:48 Regarding merino wool: the quality and durability _will_ vary depending on construction and use. This is why there are a lot of commenters here saying that merino is great, including myself, but I've found I have to understand where and when they shine, and where and when they don't.
I have a merino wool shirt that has outlasted most of my cotton shirts but also another merino wool shirt that degraded within weeks. Both were from *Aldi,* so were not very expensive and I don't feel I have to be too careful using them. Both were constructed very differently, however, accounting for the difference in durability-one was thicker and a bit rougher, one was thinner and smoother.
I also have a merino wool jacket from Aldi that's still going strong after almost 6 years, while I know people who have worn out theirs. I find, as a rule of thumb, is to use merino clothing as only base or mid-layer and never as the outer layer and never as underwear. I also gave up using merino glove liners and went back to polyester gloves for durability.
Hi, everyone, I’m a fiber-holic, and I’d like to throw my 2 cents in about merino wool: it’s a very fine (low micron count diameter) wool, and hence, it’s easy to wear through. It also tends to be short staple length, so it pills easily. Wool insulates well when it’s wet, which means that it holds about 38% of its weight in water before it feels wet, and it will keep the flesh it’s on warm while it’s wet. There are other wool varieties (merino is a sheep breed) that are stronger, but not as soft. There are other animal fibers that insulate better than merino wool too, and you’ll have tradeoffs with them, too. For example: cashmere (from the cashmere goat), yak down, possum wool (from New Zealand possums, a pest/invasive species there), Musk ox, and American bison, all have fiber that’s a lot warmer per weight than (merino) wool. These animal fibers have low tensile strength, which means they, like (merino) wool need to be blended with a stronger fiber to resist being worn by rubbing, etc. This summer, I’m going to islands around Scotland, including the Faroe Islands (highs in the 40s Fahrenheit in June! Cold for a Nebraskan in June!), and I’m packing a couple of cashmere sweaters and a couple of wool sweaters, and a pair of lightweight wool pants to be warm enough. ETA: Holy Moly, I forgot to add silk! Silk clothing is very warm and insulative, in my experience if you wear another item over it. In other words, it’s a great base layer for warmth! And it’s lightweight. My silk long underwear is going to Scotland, too. I hope this helps. 👍
@@blueskies00 Oh, thank you so much for your correcting of me! Of course I know nothing about cruelty to animals and being compassionate to them.
And how much harm does your plant-derived fabric and petroleum-derived fabric do to living things? Like sea birds that suffocate in oil slicks because of your dependence on those fabrics? Hmm? Or the petroleum-based pesticides that are used on those cotton crops? To say nothing of all of the petroleum that’s used in manufacturing and transporting everything you buy and use. Hmm?? And to say nothing of all of the jet fuel that’s used in traveling by airplane. Hmm?? I smell a little self-righteous hypocrisy here, Debbie W. Take the log out of your own eye before you yell at me about the speck in mine.
You know what we just picked up some Alpaca sweaters and it's been awesome. We read online that it has all of the great benefits of merino but is even more durable. Have you had any experience with alpaca wool? I'm curious to see if you can get shirts or socks in them too but so far we've seen only sweaters.
@@nicoleandmico Hi! I have only knitted with an alpaca blend yarn once, and that’s my only experience with alpaca fiber. It’s warmer than wool, and more drapey than wool when made into a garment. I don’t know how it insulates when wet. I have alpaca (blend) sock yarn and sweater-weight yarn, but I don’t know if there are commercially made socks of alpaca fiber, or shirts. Sorry I couldn’t be more help. 🙏
The sweaters we got are 100% alpaca fiber and so far it's been very interesting. It definitely feels more "breezy" than merino but for me (Mico) that's fine because I'm always running a little warm compared to Nicole. It tends to resist being wet and so far dries fairly quickly like merino. Like you Im curious to see if it works just as well when wet. So far it's been great for a wide temperature range and works excellent for layering. We're certainly becoming fans! If they made them in shirts or socks I would definitely be interested. We're so glad we found another fiberholic to share our thoughts with 😊
@@nicoleandmico thanks for the report on the alpaca sweaters! Please post more info, like about their insulating while wet, as you notice it. I’m glad they’re serving you well! Are they lightweight (small or fine gauge yarn used, that is, many stitches per square inch) sweaters? P.S. Hubby and I didn’t get to Scotland in June. The cruise was canceled, because the ship was found to not be seaworthy! 🙁
I wear merino all winter and early spring and mid fall. I have very light, loose thin short sleeve shirts I wear in summer. I take my merino every time I go to Europe and California in the winter. I even wear merino panties and wash several in the sink as they dry overnight if you towel squeeze them before hanging. I pack panties for half the days I’m traveling plus one so I only have to wash once. I use hotel bodywash or shampoo to wash them.
Great Video! Thank you for sharing the advice on carry-on versus checked baggage. I'm about to start a 1 1/2 year trip starting in SE Asia, then Central and South America, then onto Europe. Did you weigh your carry-on while traveling or was that not an issue? What size bags did you use when using carry-on? I'll be subscribing to your TH-cam post! Happy Travels!
What an exciting trip Craig! We often did weigh our bags while doing carry on for the past year which can be tricky. Usually airlines max the weight for carry on at 10kgs, so what we did was carry some of our heaviest items in our day bags because these were considered our personal items and were never weighed. We don't bring a luggage scale with us so we just have to to our best to get the weight right and hope for the best at check in! Once we had been through a few flights we had a good idea of what needed to go where in order to meet the 10kg requirement (you get so familiar with your belongings when everything you own fits into a small bag). And we each had the 38L Kathmandu Litehaul for carry on. The bags themselves organize a little strangely, with really just two pockets, but we both came to love them. The only issue was support - the bag really doesnt have good structural support which is one of the reasons we moved to the Osprey Farpoint Trek (mens) and Osprey Fairview Trek 50 (womens), but of course, these are not carry-on. Hopefully that helps, but feel free to ask any other questions that come up and you plan for you trip! We are so excited for you!!
Have had the exact opposite experience with my Icebreaker pieces.. my oldest is 12 years and only has some holes in it because I snagged it on some super sharp branches while hiking.
This is so positive and fun. I enjoy watching you two together! Hope you'll both have fun and safety!
Thank you 😊
Electric block for different countries- is it an adapter or a converter? As a cpap user am concerned before heading to Europe from USA… thanks for any advice
Some issues you'll face if you travel by air: 1) any sharp metallic objects are forbidden, leave the knife & sporks behind, 2) 60L backpacks don't fit many aircrafts, especially on discounted airlines, 3) like others have mentioned, no need to bring the whole closet when traveling. Enjoy your trips!
Thanks for the tips! Any sharp things must certainly be checked in and not carried on. Also 40-45L is the max you can bring as a carry on (depending on the airline) so we wouldn't advise trying with anything bigger. Hope this helps!
@@nicoleandmico you'd be lucky to find a 40lt pack that would fit as carry on with some of the budget airlines in Europe. Trains or coaches may be a better option for those not wanting to check a pack of that size.
Yes 40L can really push it with some airlines. We have never had any trouble when we used our 38L packs though so maybe we were just lucky!
Correct. From what I heard in the video, they said they were only bringing that because they had already planned to do check-in for the next trip (since adding extra camera gear & boots, not their "whole closet" ) so their sharp or large items shouldn't be a problem since they'll be doing check-in.
We always buy a knife when we arrive to our destination. We also cary a small cutting bord. I when 6 month with a 16 liters back-pac. We are Team Carry-On for the past 15 years. One benefit is that you can be rebook rapidly. For instance, one day I convince my parents to take carry-on for the first time of their live. At our transfert their was a snow storm. We were rebook in a minute due to the fact that we had no languages check-in
Wow 16L is awesome! Buying a knife and cutting board when you arrive is also a great idea. Sounds like carry-on only has worked really well for you!
Merino Wool takes a few days to get used to it not feeling as soft. But it’s 100% natural. When people want to wear polyester against their skin I want to ask them if they understand they’re literally wearing oil underwear and clothing. Makes no sense to me.
Yes it definitely can take a few days to get used to it. Is Merino your usual go to fiber? Please let us know if there are others we should be checking out. Someone suggested silk? Maybe that would be an interesting alternative 🤔
Yup. Polyester is plastic that will never decompose. It also smells bad.
Thanks for this as I was going to move more towards merino wool but for now I will just keep to socks. Interesting that you found merino wool wore when there was use and friction but yet the socks did well which are likely the spot with the greatest wear. I could not travel with just carry on luggage. Not because I take so much but I don't want my second bag under my feet the whole flight. Especially as my second bag carries my camera and binoculars. So I check my luggage, even if it is a carry on hard shell, and take a very small backpack, smaller than most purses, on the flight to hold my equipment. Then I put my bag in the upper bins giving me a better flight and avoiding accidentally kicking my valuable equipment. Of course this means ignoring the constant requests for every flight to put small bags under the seats. This would not be an issue except I've seen passengers with hard shells asking flight attendants about moving smaller bags so they can fit theirs in the upper bin. I've been asked twice to put my bag under the seat but I've said "no" both times. I've paid extra to ship my luggage. I've taken the advice of the airline and have not checked my electronics and valuables. I've taken their advice and have lighter luggage in the upper bins. If someday I'm ever forced to put my small bag under my feet then I'll bring my other hard shell carry on and just drop my backpack in that thus taking up three times as much space. Airlines can get around this by saying "Every passenger has the right to put one piece of luggage in the overhead bins." No more asking passengers who travel light to have an uncomfortable flight so that passengers who travel with everything in carry-on bags can have a comfortable flight.
I just finished this video. Thanks for all the info. Loved the ending. You guys are an adorable couple. Safe travels!
Thanks so much! Safe travels to you as well 🤗
Hi Nicole and Mico! Thank you so much for the tips. I am taking notes so I won't make a mistake of over packing on my next trip. Happy travels!
Thanks Satsuki! Packing is always so personal so make sure you make it fun and find a method that works for you regardless of what we or anyone else online says. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful trip 😊
Would you please share the brand-name of the individual Merino products you have purchased and broken quickly?
Yes it's always been Icebreaker! Smartwool and other brands have been much better.
@@nicoleandmico interesting since icebreaker and Smartwool are the same company. Except jeans, 95% of my clothing are from Icebreaker outlet store (never pay full price, minimum 50% off for me) with no issues so far, then Smartwool, Meriwool, decathlon, banana republic, roots, Amazon brand and Wool Run. Decathlon by far is the worst of all I have owned so far as most of them are falling apart on their threats however I did destroy one pair of Meriwool base later in the beginning not knowing never hand rains the Marino material but to let it dry naturally or roll it with towel to dry it up first without rinsing it by hands. I thought I had moth that was eating through the entire base layer making holes everywhere and realized it was my own mistake rinsing the base layer by hand after washing it and cause the material to break down.
Hey, great info! A few additional thoughts on the carry on versus checked dilemma - the risk of losing your bags becomes a factor - particularly if it is your life in there and perhaps what fits in the overhead. Also, interested how much your bags weighed at the end of the day…
The thoughr of losing our bags is definitely scary! It would be so hard to start fresh white abroad, even with help from insurance coverage. Our carry on bags we about 10-12kg each depending on what we had packed into our day bags. Not too bad for 38L bags!
I have been traveling for work for 35 years. I have over 1 million miles and have done a combination of checked and carry-on. I have only had luggage lost three times in that period of time. And the airline goes out of thier way to get the bag back into your hands. I never worry about lost luggage. The lock idea is great! I have have stuff stolen from my bags more than lost bags but the simple TSA locks keeps people from opening them up. Not very secure but it does deter the petty thieves.
@@omegaman9330 - Hey, that's awesome! I work in the inudstry and I have to admit there are many more technologies now that reduce the chances of lost luggage these days. One thing I would note -- with that many miles, I suspect you have often had some priority tags on your bags. Airlines pay close attention to high mileage travellers (because you would be their bread and butter). In contrast, budget travellers at some places may not have the same luxury. Further, getting luggage to a mobile traveller is a pain sometimes -- particularly when off the beaten path!
@@pilotleader Yes good point. Your assumption is correct. So if you are in the industry this must be a metric you track. Can you share that with everyone? I would assume pretty low.
Great video. While I see your point on the wear and tear of merino wool, it's just something I will not compromise with. For the time it works, it is perfect! Happy trails!
Totally understandable. For some people it really is the best technical fiber out there. It's great to hear it works well for you 😊
You should have e mailed the company with photos of the damage as i did that on behalf of my son when he was travelling as his backpack broke and was useless, he took photos ,sent them to me, i called the company and followed up with e mails with photos attached, i got a refund and sent him the money so he could buy a new bag.
That is a great idea!
When I traveled to Europe for 14 days. I left some of my clothes and scarves, hats that I feel like I don’t need in our next destination in the hotels where we stayed .They are nice ones but did not feel bad because I got them from the thrift store. I shopped and need to maintain a carry on .
That is a great idea! I'm sure someone from the cleaning staff was able to find a good home for the items if they were in good shape!
Such a timely find! We're set to start slow traveling for the next 15-18 months, with the added x-factor of bringing our three kids along. This video was a great resource, definitely gave us some ideas of some things we might not have considered packing yet!
Wow thanks for letting us know! We find it so encouraging to hear that this video was helpful to you and other fellow long-term and slow travellers. We actually had quite a bit more content than we could fit into this video. If you have some time, we would love to hear if you have any other questions about the packing list or anything else related to travel as we may do a follow up video. Thanks again for commenting 😊
Must disagree on Marino wool. Just came back from a safari, 97 F/36 C. Dusty, hot, etc. Marino was worn for days and was comfortable and did not pick up an odor. When we got a chance to wash in a sink, it dried overnight. Best underlayer I have ever used and I have used them all.
Were your merino wool blends or 100% wool? I've been disappointed in my 100% merino wool shirts and base layers, but I've found my wool/synthetic blends to be very durable. I make a point of not buying 100% merino wool unless it's something like a beanie or buff.
That is a great idea! We have also noticed that the higher wool content items wear away much faster than the blends. My (Nicole) sweater is 84% wool, 9% nylon, and 7% elastane, but is still not holding up well in the hands/wrists. We have definitely noticed less durability with 100% merino wool though so if we do ever buy more merino products in the future it will definitely be a blend. Good to hear you have had the same experience.
Glad to see your video is more even-keeled and thoughtful about merino wool (though your cover pic is deceptive). Watched a video right before yours that declared that merino wool is the ONLY way to go (of course they were being sponsored by a merino clothing company). I appreciate the more balanced and nuanced perspective- thank you!
We never check in stuff on the way out……learned this lesson when I spent 6 days on a cruise with no clothes! It took 6 days for my case to catch up with us.
I learned then how few clothes you can make do with…..so now that’s all I take.
On the way home I check in anything I accrued whilst away.
Oh no! What a bummer it must have been to have your case go missing, but also so great that it helped you pack more minimally!
Linda , l too went a whole week without a change of clothes so now l always put a spare set in my hand luggage. We usually travel in our winter, going to warm places so clothes are light.
This was helpful. I live on the road full time and when I’m not trucking I’m traveling on vacation 4 or 5 times a year. Love my farpoint 40 for work and travel.
Awesome! We have heard so many great things about the farpoint 40, it sounds like an awesome bag. Osprey sure knows how to make a stellar bag
Agree about the non durable of the new products compared to the old stuff e.g 20 years ago. They are now making the fabric tooooo thin, as a New Zealand wool producer, am annoyed by now thin the new products are. My gloves are 10 plus years old still no holes, but are the original thicker ones.
Wow we had no idea how different the old products are. I can definitely see there being a change in a quality or manufacturing over time. We would love a pair of those older gloves, they sound so much more reliable and useful than what they have out on the shelves today. We are also very excited to hear from a wool producer such as yourself. Thanks for watching 😁
Yeah definitely important to shop with care
Agreed. We've tried Icebreaker and Smartwool but somebody told us about Tencell. Maybe it's the next thing we'll try.
Definitely like the thicker merino products. I have Orvis signature crew neck merino sweaters that I got on sale that are light weight enough to layer but can stand up to my pack. I layer two sizes and they are my go to for winter camping and volunteer trail roving; one of the best clothing purchases I have ever made.
@@susie9893 l
The thing about marino wool is that you cannot use fabric softener or dry it in a dryer if you want it to last the longest. I've had some items that have lasted for years of daily use and others that I mistakenly put in the dryer once and watched it shred. I've also washed a few items with my normal clothes and put liquid fabric softener in the load to make it smell nice. Those items disintegrated quickly. Also, my take is that elbows wear out quickly on the light weight versions if they are the outer layer. You have to be smart about how you use and care for marino. If you aren't, you are going to have a negative impression.
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences/perspectives/recommendations!
I havent done any international travel yet... but am I huge fan of continental travel a week at a time and I always do it out of a backpack. Y'all gave me some good ideas on how I can modify my pack list and save some room/weight as well as deal with hostel shortcomings!
Awesome, we are so glad to have been able to give you some good ideas for your trips! Thanks for taking the time to watch our video 😀
I recently found out that I'm completely clueless about when and IF airport weights your carry on. I've been on multiple short plane rides throughout Europe but it's never been my concern since I flew with checked laugagge and my mom took care of everything.
I plan on using budget airlines even for a long haul trips and got no idea whether I need to worry about the weights.
Hey Ola! In our experience you will have to be mindful of weight when flying with low cost carriers like RyanAir and EasyJet. Even with long haul flights we have been checked a few times, but less often than the shorter flights. Our advice would be to carefully look at the weight policy for your ticket and then on flight days put all your heaviest things in your personal item. As an example, we put our laptops in our small daybags which are our 'personal item' on the flight). We have never had our personal items weighed, so we just load these small bags up as much as we can to try to reduce the weight in the carry-on bag which they are likely to weigh. Hopefully that helps you a bit!
@@nicoleandmico thanks! I'll try to stuff my personal item to the max 😄
Good luck!!
So true about Merino whool! I thought I was the only one that felt it was overrated. Had a shirt that got holes in it fairly quick and you're right, for the cost it's not really worth it. Also great video!
You are definitely not alone! We are so sad that it hasn't lived up to our expectations, but at least we learned our lesson pretty early on. Thanks for watching and leaving a kind comment, we really appreciate the support!
With buying merino wool clothing you gotta think about it as an investment. And like all investments you should be doing a LOT of research about what is best. I've read a lot of good suggestions about good blends and what percentage of blends you can get away with and STILL get good performance.
Also I'm thinking seriously about alpaca now. Supposed to be more durable than merino but I'm still researching this (cos, again, $$$$$)
@@susie9893 aplaca is the truth
Interesting! Do you have any recommened brands for Alpaca based fibers?
We'll have to check this out!
Great video but quick question! What do you sleep in considering you only bring few pieces of sleepwear?
Hey they we just use what you saw in the video! I (Mico) am usually good in a shirt and shorts (sometimes I use the tank top if we're in warmer climates) but Nicole sometimes would add some base layers if she wants to be warmer. We do laundry about once a week to keep things fresh 😊 I hope that answers your question!
You REALLY underfilled the cubes so you are not using them to their full purpose and they take up more room, use smaller cubes, all bags/pouches should be as flat as possible... downsize the cubes and use compression cubes and ziplock bags and squeeze the air out, fold the item of clothing then roll it and choose to put the item in side by side and stack them on top of one another or you could turn the items around using the width for items like trousers and jeans. Tiny ziplock bags are good for boxers/panties and other small items or any flat zip up pouch is good for that too ...you can stack the cubes on their end or side to use the height of the case or backpack .. always decant into flatter bottles and containers rather than round ones and put advil and over the counter pills into a tiny ziplock and put a label on the bag with the instructions as that takes up 1/4 of the room or less as the pill bottle! You didn't need to size up to the big backpack as if you change a few things it fits in easier to smaller bags ... My son was working so i packed for him to go to Portugal yesterday morning and he is FAR from minimalist and he took 8 pairs of shorts including two for bed and lounging, a pair of dress pants, two pairs of jeans , at least 25 tops and a shacket, a rain coat, socks, three pairs of trainers two of them box fresh chunky ones and one running pair ,a denim jacket, a 1/2 zip sweatshirt, plus toiletries and electronics and other bits.. he wore one pair of trainers from the three, he wore tracksuit pants and hoody and gilet going and carried the running trainers in his bag, he put the jean jacket in his small backpack and had one small carry on case for all the rest of the items and i had to be EXTREMELY careful packing as not to squash his very expensive trainers(shoes) so couldn't use that size 10 uk mens chunky shoes area for anything else so that is a 1/4 of the case already gone! the rest of the items fit into that little case including toiletries as he checked the case.
Thanks for the great tips! We find that when the cubes are too full they don't conform to the bag and leave a lot of empty crevices and voids so they can (when they're stuffed to the max) end up taking more space than you would expect. The ziploc for any medication is a risky idea when it comes to certain customs inspections in certain countries (e.g Egypt). We also had all this stuff in carry on bags but opted for larger bags as we felt it gave us a bit more room to grow, especially with our filming gear for TH-cam. It's not the most minimalist setup, but bear in mind we're on the road full time (12+ months) and this setup works for us for different climates and cultures. Thanks for sharing your tips!
@@nicoleandmico Not over stuffed but when you roll tightly and neatly into the cubes that are the same length or width as the item.. you don't ever have to struggle to close the zip.. they do fit easily as i fit a huge amount more in a rigid case using one medium and one small cube for all the tops and the small one for all the shorts and the jeans and dress pants i folded into 1/4 to go under his brand new shoes so not to crush them.. There is NEVER issues with a paracetamol and over the counter meds, it is just the same as putting them into a pill daily container lol! that is why you label them and take instructions, or you can get meds like that in a foil pop out blister pack which is perfect and much better than a large plastic jar... i don't think you need to size down again as it makes the bags more easy to pack but you could do which makes the bags less bulky when you use great packing methods, you got all the set up right which is why i didn't mention what you took just that i could see how you could make those bags just a bit less bulky! i toured the world as a dancer and i tour now as i am in music management and i am an expert packer due to the fact i have pain, health and mobility issues so can't manage to lug around too much so i can pack very well ... you won't have issues with any customs/security with meds as being in a bottle is only needed when it is prescription meds or when that drug is not allowed in that country ... please try the methods i suggested and put them in your bag like books in a bookcase not stacking them up flat on top of one another, you can post here when you do an experiment. do it to humour me lol xxx
Great tips again! Thanks for your comment 😊
@@nicoleandmico Thank you for your great content and you both have got VERY likeable characters x
I love Merino Wool but I kind of agree about durability. You also have to be more careful washing and drying it. I had an Endura mountain biking base-layer which was 100% Merino. It didn’t last and after a few washes became uncomfortable. However, when I came to replace it they had a new version which is a Merino/synthetic blend. It seems to have all the benefits of Merino but it is lasting so much better! I thought blends were a cheap alternative, but it seems to merge the benefits of both materials. So my advice is to look for blends instead of 100% Merino for things like t-shirts, underwear and base-layers. I’d still go 100% Merino for something like a heavy weight hoodie, buff or a winter hat.
The trouble with blends is the synthetics that are used attract the smell so unlike 100% they are not so resistant to odour. I got a Rapha top that was a blend thinking that I wouldn’t have to wash it as much as my other stuff. Ended up washing it after every use. It still get used but I don’t take it on bikepacking trips
@@IanJTaylor fair point. I generally wash my mountain bike gear after every ride (I only ride a few time a month) so I haven’t had the opportunity to see how it smells after a few uses.
@@TrailBikeMike this is kinda disgusting… I have been wearing a LS merino jumper as a base layer under my waterproof every time I’ve been for a run since November. Only washed it once. Been putting it on the radiator to dry and it doesn’t smell at all. I run 10k 5x a week and it’s saturated when I get in. The only reason I had to wash it that once was because it was in my bag for a couple of days and didn’t get aired out.
I love merino wool, but you can definitely surivive without it haha. This was a great video, and really good information! I always pack carry-on only but I don't really do a lot of long hikes on my trips. I might in the future though, especially hiking in Nepal is something that sounds really interesting! 😊
Thanks for watching the video! We are so glad you found it informative. We hope you make it to Nepal to hike the Himalayas someday soon - it is unreal!
I couldn't be without my merino wool base layers in colder weather. They keep me warm, but not too hot and sweaty and don't make me itch (other wools do if they come into contact with my skin). I've had them for a few years now and wear them every day for months at a time. I haven't had a problem with holes yet. I am careful with how I wash and dry them and always use a wool detergent. I'd rather wash everything in wool detergent, than wash wool in regular detergent.
We're glad you had a good experience! Our merino socks has been holding really well but the underwear and sweaters are just terrible. Do you have any merino outerwear like jackets or sweaters?
We know it's hard to pick, but what is ONE thing you could not travel without?!
My passport 🤭
Haha perfect answer!
Definitely a must have!
Gore-Tex jacket
Merino wool
For cold months cami, long sleeve crewneck, and capri all merino (and wool socks) are my defense against cold. For warm and hot months I love rayon everything, easy wash and dry.
It sounds like you have found some merino wool products that work well for you - that is awesome! We have had some great suggestions here and hopefully will find some better merino products than we have had in the past
You two are amzing!!!! I am so impressed and learned piles! Thank you!!
Awe thanks for your kind words! We're glad you found some things useful 😊 happy travels!
Just wonder, would you able to board with this backpack as carry on?
For our old backpacks the Kathmandu Litehaul 38 liter backpacks yes, but for our newer Osprey backpacks which are 50 and 55 liters, I don't think so. That said we have seen some people with a similar backpack and but not packed all the way and it still worked for them. Usually 40 or 45 liters is the limit of what airlines consider "okay" for carry on but this really depends on the airline and how stuffed it is.
@@nicoleandmico thank you 🙏
Great video! Funny out takes
Glad you enjoyed!
Like to see your video / cameras equipments, do you have any plans to do one video about that?
Hey! We don't have plans to do a video about camera equipment for the time being, although we do include our camera equipment in a packing list under the heading "electronics" if you want to take a look! Feel free to ask any specific questions you have in the comments here though, we are happy to share!