Survival Clothes, & Carry On Luggage, Weekend Away Compact Clothes - Post 519

 Serious Survival Kits

The Japanese keep survival kit cases by the front door for quick to grab bags during earthquakes and tremors. 

Survival kits aren't just for major serious emergencies. Sometimes everything from sunscreen to sunhats can be made more compact for short or long stay travels 

Convenient Compact Clothes

When I travel by plane, I think - What about when your luggage goes missing? 

You might get your luggage 24 hours later. You might get financial compensation. But you might not be near any shops, or too busy on a sightseeing tour or conference, or trying to re-book a flight. Or the shops night be closed and you have no night dress.

Needing Swimsuits In A Hurry

I arrived in the USA, and you could not use the hotel pool which was closing in half an hour.  I had no handy swimsuit. Mine was in the luggage from the airport coach now being delivered floor by floor by the hotel porters. 

You might find that the clothes available in shops are the wrong size or the wrong season.

 My first emergency outfit was a swimsuit when I was a student. On a coach stop, we arrived by an inviting pool, unexpectedly. I had no swimsuit but I was wearing a black bra and more or less matching black panties. Either I or the girlfriend I was travelling with thought nobody was around and would notice, especially if I went to the water wrapped in a towel and quickly dunked in the water.

It is not healthy to wear outdoor clothes, or underwear, in a hotel pool. The solution is to shower first. 

After that first experience on my holiday of using undereear as a swimsuit, I made it a point to wear undewear, a bikini, that doubled as a swimsuit, or a swimsuit that dubled as underwear as it dried quickly after a swim in hot summer weather. 

This works well in a hot place where beach wear or skimpy clothes are acceptable. An overdress which doubles as a sundress and a beach dress is also useful.

Synthetic fabrics for swimsuits might be bulky or sticky in hot weather, not suitable for a long day in the sun when I prefer cool cotton underwear. However, sometimes synthetic fabrics which wash quickly and don't stain are a good option.

Beach Towels

What about compact towels. One or two synthetic fabric face flannels work well as mini towels to dry off on the beach or after swimming.

What about accessories?

Brimmed hats and hoods.

I also like a thin, brimmed cap. This can be attached to the back of the neck of a vest. Ski clothes and jackets often come with detachable or foldaway hoods. This saves you losing them. Looks tidier. 

Detachable items

You can buy detachabe hoods, detachable sleeves, and detachable coat linings. You may find them listed on websites as convertible clothes. 

Trousers are sold which shorten into long shorts (Americans would say Bermuda shorts. or long pants).

Varifocal Spectacles

I always order triple vision spectacles. They don't have lines like some old-fashioned bifocals but are graduated known currently, in 2025, as varifocals or progressive lenses. Like bifocals, varifocals enable you to see in the distance for driving or spotting bus numbers to hail buses; as well as close up for reading and at arms length for looking at a computer screen.

You don't want to stop to hunt for reading glasses, delaying to find them, when you need to rush out in an emergency, whether to escape from a dangerous building or catch a bus or taxi to take you to a safe place or an airport.