This post is part of an ongoing series, “What I got Wrong” short reflections on the small mistakes, unexpected failures, and lessons which are all part of life on the road.
The Graveyard of the Not-So Traveling Pants
It just goes to show that no matter how much you research, and then research some more, you will still make packing mistakes.
Two days into the trip, we hit our first one.
As you may have noticed from the photos, or heard me mention already, the teen is tall. Very tall. Currently clocking in at 6’4”, we are all crossing our fingers that he has stopped growing (he would personally like at least one more inch).
His packing list included two pairs of long pants, plus his designated “travel” or “plane” outfit which, naturally, also involved long pants. Because travel pants should be warm and cozy and because he is a teenager, those warm and cozy pants were sweatpants. Thick, cotton, comfy, cozy sweatpants.
Do you know what happens when thick cotton sweatpants get wet?
They turn to lead. Not literally (obviouslyt) but the entire family can now attest to the sheer weight of wet cotton. If you’ve ever spent time with hikers, you’ll be familiar with the phrase “cotton kills.”
Cotton fibers are extremely hydrophilic, meaning they absorb and retain water far longer than other materials. (Yes, I’m bringing science into this.) On the trail, this means wet cotton keeps you wet, and cold. On the road, it means your 6’4” son’s sweatpants take a family of four to wring out and require the heat of approximately a billion suns to dry.
Clearly, these were not travel pants.
We decided Dan would take them home, and we would embark on a side quest to Singapore’s Orchard Road in search of lightweight, technical pants in teen-giant proportions. Luckily, Orchard Road is a shopping mecca, and the mission was a success.
Lesson learned. And hopefully our mistake saved you some packing time.
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