The Smallest Closet I Ever Owned

Back when I first began this blog, I related the tale of how my year in Sweden as an exchange student started me off on my journey to a stylish and very small closet. But this year in Sweden was only the beginning. I learned a lot that year abroad, but I certainly did not return to the US as a maven of wardrobe wisdom. Far from it!

There was yet another formative experience that would contribute to my simplified closet...

When I was around ten or so, I stumbled across a book in the library on the Appalachian Trail. I was enthralled by the tale of traversing the eastern seaboard in one long adventure. Curiosity aroused, I began to read anything and everything I could on this experience called "thru-hiking". How magical, I thought, to spend six months in the wilderness with only a pack on your back and the trail underfoot. High mountain summits, pristine mountain streams, wildlife galore. I was hooked. I wanted to hike those 2000 plus miles from Georgia to Maine, too!

It took sixteen years, but I finally did start that thru-hike.

And on that journey I had the smallest closet I've ever owned: a 5200 cu, 5.5 lb Dana Designs Terraplane backpack. A few years earlier I had been flummoxed by two suitcases. Now I had but one: for not just clothes, but everything I would need to survive for days at a time.

I learned quite a bit about wardrobe planning from that experience!

Next time I'll share just how I designed my completely pared-down backpacking wardrobe. It might not have been stylish...but it sure was functional!

See you then...same blog time...same blog channel....

(For more information on wardrobe planning, or to sign up for my free e-xine, please visit my wardrobe planning website.)