What to wear

I don't usually spend much time worrying about what to wear or what to take on a trip, and I certainly don't spend much time shopping for clothes, but I have broken character on both of these counts for our upcoming Kenya trip.

I had originally planned to just take a few pair of old khakis and a few of my older button down shirts for the trip. I was going to pack plenty of socks and underwear and t-shirts and fill up my one allotted suitcase. (We are each allowed to check three bags on the airplane, but we are only supposed to use one of them for our personal belongings. The other two bags are reserved for goods and equipment for Sam's Place and our missionaries in Kenya.) However, when Scott, a friend of mine who is also going to Kenya this summer, told me about his recent trip to REI, I scrapped my original plan and started to shop.

Scott's amazing revelation was that he is only going to be taking two pair of underwear on the trip. This concerned me a bit at first since we are going to be rooming together most of the time. However, these are not your grandpa's underwear. Ex Officio makes some light-weight, quick-drying boxer-briefs especially for travelers (called Give-n-go). The plan is that you wear the two pair on alternate days and wash the dirty pair in a sink each night, and they dry quickly enough that they are ready to go back in the backpack when you wake up in the morning.

I was sold; and not only did I go for the quick-drying underwear, I went for the whole concept of packing light. So, my wife and I spent several hours one night at Sierra Trading Post online, looking at light-weight travel clothes. I am fair-skinned and sunburn very easily, so I really need to wear long-sleeved shirts in Kenya (since it is both high altitude and right on the equator). I was worried, though, about getting hot in long sleeves. Never fear, the Ex Officio Trip'r long-sleeved shirt is here, featuring light-weight, quick-drying fabric, 30 SPF sun protection, ventilated back and underarms, zippered security pocket, and it's wrinkle-free to boot. I purchased three such shirts plus two pair of light-weight, quick-drying Cloudveil Caribe pants, and four pair of quick-drying socks. That, along with my three pair (they were on sale) of Give-n-go boxer-briefs makes up my entire wardrobe for the trip, and it all fits nicely in a one-gallon Ziploc bag.

But that's not all, no, that's not all. Ex Officio also has a new product called Insect Shield. It's an odor-free clothing treatment that is certified by the EPA and CDC to protect you from insects so that there is no need to use a potentially-harmful bug spray, and it lasts up to 70 washings. The only Insect Shield clothing I purchased was a big floppy sun hat, but they also have a program where you can mail your clothes to New Jersey to be treated with Insect Shield, and then they mail them back to you. Hurrah! So, after my Ex Officio wardrobe arrived in the mail, we immediately tried it on, washed it, and shipped it off to New Jersey. (And, hopefully, I will get it back before we leave. If not, you will be sure to hear about it here.)

So, once I was sure that all my personal belongs could easily fit in my backpack (that I'm taking as a carry-on), that left plenty of new possibilities for my empty suitcase. We support some amazing missionaries living in Nairobi, the Conways, who work with some of the street children there. I asked them if they could help me fill my empty suitcase by giving me a wish list of goodies from the States, and they were happy to oblige. I gather from their wish list that Mexican food is in short supply over there, so instead of bulky khakis and t-shirts my suitcase is now filled with enchilada sauce, diced green chilies, Velveeta cheese, and Pace picante sauce (good selections all).

So, my plan is to carry everything in my backpack, wash my quick-drying clothes nightly, and pack them up again in the morning. We'll see how that pans out. So far, I have been getting more excited about my recent packing than I have about the trip itself. I'm not sure what to think about that. Maybe that's good preparation for Africa, finding joy in the present and not worrying too much about the future.

Lord, forgive me for my self-centered materialism and continually remind me, particularly on this trip, that everything I own belongs to you and is to be used as a tool in your service. Amen.