Clothing Optional (Nice-to-Have Extras)

Everything in My Packing List is stuff I'd pack for any trip. This post is the other list: the clothing that isn't essential, but that earns its space for certain trips. None of it is required. Some of it, depending on where you're going, you'll be glad you have.

The rule for all of it is the same: if you're not sure you'll use it, leave it. Anything on this list can be bought on the road, usually for less than it costs at home.

Thermal underwear

Worth it when: you're heading somewhere "cool" but not "cold," or your trip crosses seasons. A thin set of long johns and a thermal top adds a surprising amount of warmth under regular clothes, and the whole set packs down smaller than a pair of socks. I carry a set for cooler climates, and it's the one thing on this list I pack most often.

Leave it when: you're chasing summer. If your whole itinerary is beaches, it's dead weight, and you can buy a set anywhere the weather turns. More on layering in Cold Weather Travel.

Buff or neck gaiter

Worth it when: almost always, honestly, because it weighs nothing. A buff works as a neck warmer, a headband, a sun cover for your neck, a dust mask on a motorbike, and a sleep mask on a bus. Lots of travelers call it a must-have.

Leave it when: you already carry a sleep mask and you're not going anywhere cold, dusty or sunny enough to need it. It's small enough that "leave it" rarely wins, though.

Packable hat

Worth it when: you burn easily and you'll be outside a lot (hiking, boats, beaches at midday). A packable brimmed hat that survives being crushed at the bottom of a bag is worth having on those trips.

Leave it when: it's a "just in case" hat. Hats get lost, and they're sold on every beach and at every market on earth. I say more about this in 16 Things You Should NEVER Pack, but the short version is that hats, sandals and sunglasses are the easiest things in the world to buy when you arrive.

Sarong or travel towel

Worth it when: you'll be on beaches a lot, or staying in places that don't provide towels (some hostels charge for them, some don't have them at all). A sarong is the more versatile of the two: beach towel, picnic blanket, privacy curtain on a bunk, a cover-up walking back from the water, and a scarf on a cold plane. A small travel towel is the more practical one, and it's what I carry. Just don't get microfiber; it's terrible for actually drying yourself.

Leave it when: you're mostly in hotels and hostels that provide towels, which is most of them. A full-size towel is one of the bulkiest things you can pack, so if you bring one, keep it small.

Swim trunks that double as shorts

Worth it when: you're going anywhere with water, which is most places. The trick is to buy trunks that don't look like trunks: a solid color, zippered pockets, and no mesh liner if you find it uncomfortable to walk around in. Done right, they're your gym shorts, your beach shorts and your around-town shorts, and that's three things in one. I pack two pairs and wear them constantly.

Leave it when: your convertible hiking shorts already dry fast enough to swim in, which many do. Then you don't need a separate pair at all.

One "nice" shirt

Worth it when: you take work calls on camera, or you know you'll be going to a nicer dinner, a wedding, or anything with a dress code. One collared shirt or a plain, well-fitting button-down in a dark color, in a quick-dry or wrinkle-resistant fabric, covers all of those. It's also the one item on this list that's genuinely hard to buy well on the road on short notice.

Leave it when: you don't take video calls and you're happy looking like a hiker at dinner. Which, for the record, is fine. No one cares.

A second pair of shoes or sandals

Worth it when: the second pair is a pair of thin barefoot sandals. They weigh almost nothing, they clip to the outside of your bag, and they're what you want for beach days, hostel showers and lounging around. I pack a pair of Xero sandals alongside my one pair of trail runners, and that's my entire shoe collection.

Leave it when: the second pair is anything else. A second pair of real shoes is the single biggest, heaviest optional item you can add, and it's the first thing I'd cut. If you're wrestling with this one, read Oh My God, Shoes! before you decide.

Compression socks

Worth it when: you've got a long-haul flight coming up (or several), especially if you tend to get swollen ankles or you'll be sitting still for twelve hours at a stretch. They help with circulation on long flights, they're cheap, and a single pair takes up no more space than regular socks.

Leave it when: you're hopping short flights and buses. One pair is plenty if you bring them at all; nobody needs compression socks for a walk to the market.

What about everything else?

Gloves, scarves, ear muffs, a lightweight hoodie, a long-sleeve sun shirt, rain gear.. all of these follow the same logic: pack them if you know you'll need them, and buy them if you find out you do. Everywhere people live, they sell clothes for the weather they live in, and a cheap jacket or a pair of gloves picked up at a local market can go in the hostel freebie box when you don't need it anymore.

That's the whole point of "optional." The essentials are the things you'd struggle to replace on the road (good shoes, good pants, your one nice shirt). Everything else is a decision you can make later, with better information, in the place you're actually standing.

Final thoughts

If I had to rank this list by how often it earns its space: thermal underwear and a buff first, then swim trunks that double as shorts, then a nice shirt if you work on camera, then the sandals. The hat, the towel and the compression socks are trip-specific. Nothing here is required, and if you're on the fence about any of it, leave it at home. You can always buy it there.