12 day trip in Feb 08--how many JEANS to pack?

Well you are right , jeans are impossible to launder in your hotel sink, and who wants to waste time at a laundrmat, or the expense of having them done for you. So, if you insist on only wearing jeans , I would bring 3 pairs plus the one you wear. I can easily get 3 days out of pair of jeans.Jeans are heavy and bulky so packing alot of them is a pain. I would still stick a pair of yoga pants in my bag( black ones with no logo on them) or maybe some dress slacks.

IMHO the right number is 0. Buy travel pants; you can get them in a variety of colors and looks. They are lighter and dry overnite.

Before you say "no way" at least go look at the travel clothes at a store like REI (they conveniently have a location in Arcadia, Calif)

I agree with the previous posters.

The correct answer is 0.

Mayra, take/wear what you are comfortable wearing. But I would limit jeans to wear 1/pack 1. I spent 4 weeks in France with 2 jeans, 1 dressier pair of pants, 1 skirt, and several tops. Wore clogs on plane, took 1 pair of sandles and 1 pair of walking shoes. This collection got me through heat, cold, dry and wet weather, casual and nicer restaurants. I would suggest taking a small bottle of laundry detergent, I'm talking pill bottle size, to do spot cleaning. You'll be fine!

Mayra-I assume you are a woman and therefore might be able to fit more clothes in your bag than Ron (man). I'd wear one, bring one and bring one pair lighter, probably black pants. That would be the total for bottoms. I don't usually recommend more than one pair of jeans but with winter weather I'd be more concerned about pants getting wet. And try to plan for laundry just to do your shirts, underwear, socks. We always pack enough for 7-8 days and launder once in 2 weeks.

Mayra, when I was in Munich in Feb. 2005 I was surprised at how many locals were wearing jeans. But make sure they're nice if you bring them.

I don't bring jeans usually. I bring 2 pairs of khakis and my wife brings two pairs of black dress pants that aren't super fancy. Function is more important than form, so make sure they're easy to launder and don't need ironing. You're only gone for 12 days, so you can get by with wearing each pair for 3-4 days and washing them in the middle if necessary. I usually spend one morning (like 8-9 AM) at a laundromat if I'm there for more than 6-7 days. Going in the morning means you're not missing much because not much is open anyway.

I brought three pairs because jeans are what I always wear. If you are in a hotel for at least two nights, you can wash jeans in the sink and hang them to dry by the heater. I am in Germany right now and it took my jeans two days to dry doing this. I bring along small packets of tide that I bought at Target to use to wash my clothes. It works great. Have fun on your trip.

Thank you for your replies! You have ALL convinced me to pack only 2 pairs of jeans (one that I will wear on plane) and a pair of Very light black plants.

I'll confess--before this post I was planning on packing SIX pairs of jeans!

Thank you all for your help!

Happy travels everyone!

Mayra ;)

The good thing about jeans is they're comfortable, can be worn a few times between washes and are relatively warm in cold weather.

The bad thing is they're heavy, take forever to dry at a laundrymat (for the price of drying jeans in Europe, you can probably buy new ones on sale at Old Navy), stretch between washings and don't shrink back without overdrying.

At home I wear jeans and cotton all the time. On the road, based on experience, I wear clothes that are wrinkle free and quick drying, in other words no cotton.

Cotton has no insulating quality when it gets wet (mountain guides often say "cotton kills"). Cotton stretches when you wear it and only regains its shape after a machine wash and dry.

I know you are set on some jeans. Whatever you do, don't compound it by insisting on cotton shirts, socks and sweaters. Look for clothes you like in fabrics that are washable silk, washable wool, rayon/polyester or some combination.

You might want to consider some loose and/or stretchy pants for your flight. Jeans (and their thick seams) can become uncomfortable in a hurry when you're on a plane. Also, it may be chilly where you're headed. Some silk long underwear is light and can keep you warm. :-) Have a great trip!