What to Pack

[LynnHoenke]

What do you have in your closet? We are about to set out as live-a-boards. We've read about instruments, navigation, ports, and provisioning food but as our exit date comes close, I am overwhelmed deciding how much clothing (and which) to bring aboard. We plan to be cruising around the world and exploring the ports and countries we visit. I know we need to consider layering and enough so that we have dry back-up, but do we bring 7 tee shirts, 14, 21? Or do I figure that while we're at sea we'll wear the same bathing suits today that we wore yesterday, and just pack for foul weather and ports?

[Stu Jackson]

You can go (almost) around the world in low latitudes or in high latitudes. Where are ya goin'?

For BVI vacations they always say: Pack what you think you will need, then cut it in half! True, too true.

[Stu Jackson]

Pack light This is very straight forward and very important. The less you bring the less you have to lose. The less you leave behind the less you will miss. The less clutter the more space. The more stuff you have that can break, you more you will have to fix. We as humans require a fraction of goods we own to remain perfectly healthy and happy. Think simple. Pack light. (Katie was great at this, until it came to toiletries)

This is from:

Originally Posted by Gadagirl
OK here you go......I'll show you two
https://katieandjessieonaboat.com/

[Tellie]

Agreed, less is more. What I found is I bought the clothes I liked along the way that fit my mood and environment. Then as I traveled further, if I liked what I bought but it didn't fit the newer environs I sent it home and just bought a few new things. You really don't need a wardrobe to leave. Get what you like along the way.

Halden Marine Services – Marine Watermakers, Solar Panels, Wind Generators

[Brob2]

I would suggest making sure you have 'sun shirts' and such, even if sun has not been a problem before. Warm layers, sunclothing, and quick dry stuff in general are what you need. Some quick drying clothing can smell a bit- I find the merino wool stuff never does. Light breathable clothing and bed bags/sheets such as silk and capilene also make nights more restful.

[Stu Jackson]

Sunscreen

Sunscreen

Sunscreen

Sunscreen

Sunscreen

Sunscreen

Sunscreen

Sunscreen

[JPA Cate]

Mark Twain said, "bring more money and less clothes."

It's really true. You'll find you will buy T-shirts as souvenirs. Don't dispose of your warm gear, because the more tropicalized you become, the warmer the temps in which they will keep you comfy.

If you only go barefoot, your feet will spread, so all the shoes, only bring deck shoes and waterproof sandals, and maybe hiking boots.

You need two pairs of jeans or similar, one to wash and one to wear, and some kind of gauze pants and long sleeved gauze tops, where there are no-nos or if you need sun protection. Gauze isn,t much, but it does help. Also, be aware, mosquitoes are drawn to dark colors, and you can see and kill them on light colors. You can buy pyrethrins solution in which to soak clothing that will keep the bugs away. With ZIKA becoming more prevalent, as well as other mosquito borne diseases, Pyrethrins is a good arrow to have in your prevention quiver.

Imo, if you're a girl, or a boy cross dresser, you will want two tops and two skirts that can be mix and matched.

PM me if you want more.

Ann

[El Pinguino]

As stated above.. depends on where you are planning to sail.

Tropical? a big hat plus another big hat for when you lose the first one.
Long sleeved shirts. Lots of jocks.

You pong quicker in the tropics than in cooler lats and probably don't want to be doing too much washing while at sea. That said... 'nobody stinks on a submarine'

Cool lats? Headgear that covers your ears.
Merino under layers.... they are pong free compared with polyprop kit.
Plenty of changes of above merino kit so that you always have a dry set and don't die of hypothermia when it all gets wet.

Speaking of which... cotton kills....
Jeans? Not for me ... they take forever to dry when wet... I wear polyprop 'tractor pants' as outer legs.

Shore kit? I carry two sets of decent shirt and trousers.

Better too much ( within reason) than not enough.. its not like stowage should be an issue on a 54' boat.

[yahtzee]

I've read that in some countries, they frown upon women walking in their villages/communities with arms and legs exposed. I'm not necessarily referring to the muslin countries but I did stumble on the dress code of a southern Caribbean country a few months ago. I think I read this on noonsite.com.

So it may be wise to plan one or two outfits for complete coverage (neck to toe).

[Hudson Force]

I cruise with every single item I own on board a boat with far less than half of your volume. All my clothing, weather gear">foul weather gear and shoes occupy about five cubic feet,.... - no, 6 cubic feet,- counting my wet suit!

That brings up a thought,- wet suit, snorkeling/diving gear, reef shoes, etc. These may be important.

Maybe an approach would be to consider your designated space for your personal gear on this 58' boat. Unless you're expecting a large crew, you would easily have twice the space I use.

My wife keeps all her clothing, foul weather gear, wet suit, shoes, etc, in a volume of about 10 cubic feet. 'everything she owns.

[fisherman.ben]

my list
clothes
3pairs of jeans (two that i try to keep clean, one to work in),
2pairs dress pants
4pairs boardshorts (like bathing suits)
4pairs polypro (warm even when wet) long jons (tops and bottoms)
5 white t shirts
3 dress shirts (2 long 1 short sleeve)
2 hooded sweat shirts
2 fleece jackets
1 sport coat
4pairs undies
4pairs socks
1 set foul weather gear
2pairs of flip flops
1pair of top siders (work for "dress" shoes)
1pair tennis shoes
1pair boots
dive gear
2 sets regulators
2 bcd's
4 pairs of flippers (2 open end 2 full foot)
4 wet suits (2 full 2 3/4 full, {short leg)
4pairs of masks and snorkels
2 weight belts
4 spearguns (2 75cm 2 100cm)
4 80 cu.ft. tanks
1 compressor
1 regulator on 60ft of hose
fishing gear
2 stand up 50wt penn international 2's with full rollers and 100lb test
2 6ft spinning rods with 40lb test
2 spreader bars
1 bird
all sorts of lures and hooks
100 ft (more like 80 by now) 150lb mono (leader material)
1 6ft harpoon
1 6ft gaff (not the boat hook, this is sharp)
surfboards
1 8ft6in longboard
1 7ft fun board
2 6ft short boards
what she brings
lots of clothes (i don't dare count, but she seems to wear most of them, if only for a few hours)
her smile
guitar
2 cameras
3pairs of shoes
2 pairs of flip flops
2 pairs of boots
1set foul weather gear
small bag of cosmetics
other stuff on the boat
toolbox, s.a.e and metric
filters (oil,air and fuel for engine, gen and compressor)
hoses (engine and compressor)
1000w generator
2 5gal gas cans
4 5gal diesel cans
water filters
2 laptops
1 28in t.v/dvd
dvd's and books
1 12ga shotgun
1 mosin nagant
1 1911 a1 45
1 box buck shot, 1 box 7.62x54 1 box .45 acp
wow, now that i look at the list it seems like alot of stuff, and i'm sure i'm missing some stuff too. (like pots and pans,spare rope,docklines ect.) maybe i over pack, but so far the only things that haven't been used are the guns, and i hope i never have to use them.

[zeehag]

ALWAYS have something politely nice to check into new countries.
one simply does NOT wear bathing suits, flip flops, ratty jeans and other sailing clothing into the port captains office.
i keep my check in clothes in a sealed plastic bag. the rest of my clothing reflects my what i do. i used to hold many scrubsuits on boat, a si used to work. n ow i havent that obligation, so, more room for other items more readily usable
it all depends where you are and where you cruise.

[redhead]

We haven't travelled the world yet but we've been living aboard for more than a year. I agree 100% with Zeehag - people make a lot of assumptions about full time boaters, so isolate one outfit for each of you - so you can A) talk to Customs and Immigration and look like people they want in their country, B) go to someone's house for dinner or out to a nice restaurant with no last minute angst.

Personally, I have found my most versatile item to be a man's long sleeve white shirt. I can throw it over a dress to use as a casual "coat", as it ages and gets dingy I throw it on as sun protection or beach coverup and it ends its life as a rag. Down side is it does require an iron. Same with my husband - Customs likes us (so far only Canada) and restaurants give us a better table. Why did I not know this before????

Boil it down: Take half the clothes and twice the money you think you'll need.

Good luck and have fun!

[zeehag]

oh by the way--cotton does not kill. it is a breathable cool fabric most recommended for tropical wear. the white skinned folks i see here in tropics failing the worst are those wearing petroleum based fabric clothing. they may be recommended fo rwicking liquid away from your body, but they donot allow for breathing. skin needs air.
cotton allows that.

[Stu Jackson]

I like Ben's list. More underwater gear than above the water stuff. Truly a man with the right set of priorities.