Backpacking in Style: How to Look Less Like a Hobo
Photo by: SamPac
Being mistaken for a homeless vagabond is a professional hazard when you’re a broke ass backpacker. Granted: you’re lugging everything that matters on your back, the crowded hostel only has one bathroom, and you’re too cheap for a haircut. But you don’t have to look like a hobo (or worse, an obnoxious American). Check out OTP’s tips on how to pack it in style and stretch the shit out of your meager wardrobe.
You’re effortlessly sexy, sure, but no one looks good in zip-off cargos. It doesn’t matter if they’re worn as shorts, capris, or pants—you’re going to look like a Disneyworld tourist if you’re using them for anything but extreme hiking. Instead, pack a pair of lightweight jeans—perfect for exploring the city and blending into the crowd (roll them up or chop off the bottom and you’ve got shorts). Chinos work if you’re too fancypants for regular pants, and go ahead and keep some quick-dry cargo shorts if you think you’ll end up on a beach. If you absolutely just can’t leave home without some zip-off atrocity, Eddie Bauer makes a good pair if you’re a dude and chicks dig the Prana version.
Photo by: Idhren
A T-shirt may be the most basic article of casual clothing, but it doesn’t have to be worn typically. Channel your inner sorority girl and get creative. In the summer months, cut the long off your long-sleeved Ts, and if you’re feeling particularly hot, turn it into a tank. If you’re going risqué, bare that pack-sexy midriff by cutting a few inches off the bottom. (This look is not for everyone.) The extra strips can be used for headbands, scarves, or a tourniquet if you need to amputate a limb. Extra long t-shirts are great for women ‘cause they triple as a belted t-shirt dress, a nightgown, and a swimsuit cover-up sans the belt.
OTP Tip: T-shirts are cool as t-shirts for guys. Please leave the sleeves on your t-shirts fellas; no matter how ripped your biceps are, cut-off tanks make you look like a Village Person.
Photo by: .Ariel
Since a long backpacking trip usually means different seasons and climates, layer-able clothes are your best bet for tackling weather changes. Giant down coats are impractical, so opt for a windbreaker with solid insulation instead. East Mountain Sports and Land’s End offer a cheaper alternative to super pricey North Face jackets. Layer a few cotton or knit Ts over some inexpensive REI-brand lightweight long underwear. Flannel shirts are great for wearing over t-shirts in cold weather, and for adding that sexy lumberjack edge. For girls, a non-chunky cardigan will keep you warm in cooler climates and make you feel like a girl, even if you haven’t shaved (or bathed) in a while.
OTP Tip: Websites like Campmor, REI, and Sierra Trading Post offer discount deals on travel clothes like these. You can also sell and buy clothes at thrift stores while traveling through more developed countries.
Having to shoulder your entire wardrobe long-term means limiting your outfits to just the basics. To keep it interesting, sass up with some simple accessories. Ray-ban Wayfarers (or the much cheaper knockoff Faywarers—found at any Buffalo Exchange or market in Southeast Asia) make any outfit instantly cool and are perfect for hiding your hangover. Other must-have accessories are hats (like fedoras or newsboy caps) for those bad-hair days. For the ladies, scarves are a snazzy addition which can also be used as headbands, shawls, bracelets, belts or sarongs.
People don’t usually pay much attention to shoes, but when you’ve got some hideous velcroed foamy sandals strapped to your feet (100 extra dorky points if you’re wearing socks), it’s all they’ll be staring at. If you’re serious about sandals, upgrade to the sturdier, comfier, and slightly better-looking Chacos instead. Crocs are great for backpacking too and come in a bunch of surprisingly stylish designs—and you CAN wear these with socks without looking like a tool. If you’re a foot-conscious lady with janky un-pedicured backpacker toes, invest in a pair of Mary Janes.
Photo by: Mallory Dawn
There’s a reason trendy Europeans and New Yorkers wear black all the time—it looks good on everyone. Not only will you look skinner, but you’ll have an easier time mixing and matching. Since you won’t be doing much laundry and will be eating on the go, it’s a bonus that dark clothes hide dirt and food stains. Throw in some colorful accessories to not look like a blood-sucking vampire. To avoid increased amounts of BO, choose stuff made of cotton, silk or linen instead of synthetics to let some fresh air circulate.
Photo by: Nick Sherman
Dressing like the locals is great if you can rock it like they do, but sporting a flamboyant poncho in Peruvian sun or a cone-shaped straw hat at a Vietnamese bar gives you that loser look. There’s a distinction between souvenirs and local styles. You probably don’t want the extra weight anyway. Be a practical fashionista; go for subtler items that won’t be obsolete back home—like non-white linen pants from Greece or a basic leather jacket from Argentina.
With your giant backpack and traveler’s threads, you’re already going to look conspicuous. By dressing like a hobo or typical tourist, you’ll only confirm the theory that most American backpackers are either hipster wannabes or orientalist consumers with a bad sense of style. Follow these fashion guidelines and avoid being mistaken for a smelly expat gutter punk (you’ll get more money busking when you look good anyway).
A sassy, spunky, and spontaneous globetrottress taking the world, one passport stamp at a time.
Tweet This
Share on Facebook
Digg This
Save to delicious
Stumble it
RSS Feed
“Zip-off cargo pants are fucking ugly.” Amen! Jeans may not be as quick-drying as some fabrics, but the sacrifice is worth it. Just bring 1-2 pairs and wear the hell out of them. I wrote an entire post on this topic: http://blog.tortugabackpacks.com/jeans-are-the-best-travel-pants/
Regarding shoes, I don’t think there’s a perfect solution, at least for guys. Sandals and Crocs are ugly. Tennis shoes are good for walking all day but not nice enough to wear out at night in many cities. Boots can be versatile but are too hot and bulky in some conditions. The search continues…
If you subscribe to the idea that your pack should weigh less, and that your stuff should be multi-purpose, there is no reason to hate on zip-off pants. They’re just better for travelers than anything else.
Love your post on jeans, Fred! That line about ugly pants + ugly shorts = 2 pieces of extra fabric to carry is so money (as is pretty much the rest of the post). The only real drawback to jeans is that they are unforgiving on fat days, but I’ll gladly take a muffin top over looking tool-ish in zip-offs any given day. And if you find an ideal shoe solution, holla at us!
Ahimsa, as mentioned, jeans are incredibly versatile, much more so than zip-offs IMO. Of course, fashion is highly subjective and I am mildly insecure, so if you can rock zip-offs, I tip my fedora to you.
I guess it depends on what you do. I do a lot of trekking/hiking, etc. It’s certainly not impossible to do so in jeans, but zipoffs are a lot better for it. But if I was more into clubbing or fashion, I’d probably prefer jeans too.
Fred- h0w about a pair of all black All Stars..? Lightweight, can be casual but won’t look stupid on a night out and they dry quickly should they get wet. An extra insole might be handy for extra walking comfort though.
And yes, although the zip-off pants are handy, nobody looks good in them. For girls, I like those thin pants with a band/ribbon at the bottom: you can wear them open, with the band pulled and, if you pull the band when over your knee, you’ve got yourself some 3/4 pants. Three looks with one pair of pants.
I like the black chucks idea
Oh no I am in fear that I am a hobo!
I better start using your tips
I have really skinny lil feet and tried to put an insole in some All stars to wear while waiting tables and it made the heel of the shoe too short- my foot couldn’t get all the way in. So maybe hightops would work but those shoes are a tight fit:)
Hello, I know this might not be a good idea, but I’m an older traveler and would love someone’s itinerary that I can tweek for my trip next year. I’m going for approximately 30 days, the last week of September 2012. Thanks for any help you can give me. I’m planning on getting a eurorailpass (spelling not correct, I know). I want to go to as MANY countries as possible, so I need someone who was a madman/madwoman there
Love it! Agree with wearing a lot of dark stuff… Black keeps me going especially in winter !
Did a 10 day to Stockholm via Iceland this summer and last summer in August with a carry on 30 liter Macpac. wore only Merrell tough glove leather shoes- worked everywhere & all clubs. Jeans suck..always too rstrictive, stretched at the knees, or hot & heavy, take forever to dry. i washed my 3 outfits (rei long poly/nylon pants and casual collared or black l/s merino tops,socks-merino liners at rei,and u/w every third day in the shower. friends always astonished. didn’t wear same combo until day eight. Montbell eight ounce Thermawrap jacket was crucial when walking about the clubs at night in Reykjavic Iceland. Smartphhone’s wifi and kindle books very useful. Don’t forget to use up all coins and pay balance with c/c prior to leaving each country.
I am IN LOVE with the black boots in the photo by Mallory Dawn. Where are they from?