We are traveling light on this trip, hoping to keep our bags at 35 pounds or less, so that means a only a few pieces of clothes in our wardrobe. This will require more laundry to be done on a regular basis…possibly daily! That means hand washing in hotel sinks or tubs or even in waterproof bags. It also means buying clothes in fabrics that dry quickly. No jeans on this trip!

So I did a test the other day. Bought some pricey soap from REI and went to work on some very sweaty clothes, thanks to my hiking the Ice Age trail.

$5.95 soap from REI and my skirt soaking in it.

I went to work hand washing the three items. I recalled images of women in India, slapping wet laundry onto rocks. Wanting to keep my kitchen dry, I simply squeezed the clothes with my hands. I also soaked my skirt for about 10 minutes as it was fairly dirty. I rinsed well and hung them to dry in the bathroom.

The drying test...how long will they take!

So I waited to see how long everything took to dry. The 100% nylon shirt took about 6 hours. The 86% nylon & 14% spandex blend pants took about 8-10 hours. The skirt, 58% cotton, 38% rayon & the rest spandex, took about 24 hours. Hmmm, I may need to get a new skirt.

I was inspired by the tips in this traveler’s video. The bags and clothesline are being shipped as I type this.

Oh, I also tested the best underwear ever made. The ExOfficio brand and they dried in about 4 hours.

Just another exciting task to look forward to on the road!