2 jeans only…too light?

Wray,
I think you'll be fine. No sense in lugging things you would not wear anyway.
Safe travels.

We have gone to Europe every summer for 12 of the last 13 years and have never taken jeans even when we traveled thru the Scandinavian countries. We each take our RS 21/22" roller bags with a small carry on to hold the things we do not want to loose to underpaid airport workers. We each take 3 sets of everything, shirts/blouses, pants, underwear, all of which is sink washable and able to completely dry overnight. Our trick is to layer our clothes, even adding a rain coat, to deal with the days weather. Jeans that we have do not lend themselves well to sink washing and they do not dry overnight. Happy travels.

Those will be perfectly appropriate as long as you're not worried about hot weather. Check the weather forecast closer to departure.

I take two pairs of black pants when I travel, and that's it. No skirts, capris, etc. I don't go anywhere that requires getting dressed up, so it works fine for me. I'm reluctant to take jeans because they take long to dry and are relatively heavy. It sounds like you have a light pair, so you can wear the heavier pair and pack the light pair. Sounds perfect to me. June in Sweden is fabulous -- have fun!

Thanks all. That's just what I will do then, pack just one pair. I'll watch the weather as well, but I'm going to Northern Sweden as well so much of the time it will be quite cool. And, if something comes up, I'll go buy another pair of slacks. I appreciate the feedback. Wray

I'd still consider packing one other pair of pants or capris. Maybe a light weight cotton blend pair. The idea behind 3 is - one pair to wear , one pair in the wash/drying, and one spare in case of accidents (tears, stains, etc.)- so you are not caught with only one pair if something dreadful happens.

Oh goodness, we could never get by that way but if you aren't going to any nice restaurants with dress codes, or theater, symphony, ballet, etc you should be fine, If you need something more, you can just buy it there. If traveling light and dressing casually is your plan, you should be fine although you might want a light jacket.

I think wear one, pack one will work really well for your traveling plans. And yes, you can buy something there if it seems to not be working for you.

If you are going to sink wash I would do a trial at home to see how long it takes each pair to dry. There have been a couple of times where I thought something was going to dry quickly and it did not perform as I thought.

@ toni: I'm sleeping in yoga pants so if all else fails I can wear them shopping!
@terri lynn: I usually keep the ballet to NYC and the symphony to here in Boston, although I'll do the opera in Vienna when I get there. In other words, I keep my high class travels at home including the 5 star hotels like you love. I don't think of summer as theatre/symphony time, etc. Oddly enough EmmieLou Harris is in Stockholm while I'm there so if I have to I'll shop first!
@Pam: thanks, you are practical like me, I think.
Thanks all for your help. I find it so interesting to read about our different packing systems. Wray

After a recent trip to Vegas, Hawaii and San Francisco, I'm going to downsize my rolling suitcase and my wardrobe in the future.
My wife and I both get any jeans or pants laundered with heavy starch before we leave. Unless the pants get soiled, they still look crisp after a week.

You're thinking the right way to travel. Remember, those people will never see you again anyway.

I am a big fan of NYDJ for travel because of that give in the waistband and the fact they tend to look well-kept. When we travel light we plan to either do a laundromat or hotel laundry service when needed. We save the hand washing for shirts and undergarments. I agree with Pam about trial washing before I go; I've had some nasty surprises and some agreeable ones as well. I just tried hand washing the Nantucket shirt from Talbots the other day and was thrilled. A food stain came right out and it dried overnight with no wrinkles. They're not cheap, but not much more than what I pay for other travel-type shirts. And, it can go for either day or evening activities.

I am a big fan of NYDJ for travel because of that give in the waistband and the fact they tend to look well-kept. When we travel light we plan to either do a laundromat or hotel laundry service when needed. We save the hand washing for shirts and undergarments. I agree with Pam about trial washing before I go; I've had some nasty surprises and some agreeable ones as well. I just tried hand washing the Nantucket shirt from Talbots the other day and was thrilled. A food stain came right out and it dried overnight with no wrinkles. They're not cheap, but not much more than what I pay for other travel-type shirts. And, it can go for either day or evening activities.

I'm pretty sure Emmylou would be good with you wearing NYDJ's to her concert. Now THAT sounds like fun!

About black jeans - or really, anything black. I have had several experiences of black fading quite badly during sink washing. I think that in some areas in Europe they must use a lot of chlorine in their water or something. The water in the sink was very black and the tee shirt - not as black as it was. That was several years ago and it may be different now but just heads up.

Also, I never go without a pair of jeans and have always worn them at least a few times - no matter the season. We always run into cool/cold weather somewhere. Paris in July, 2011 - had to buy a sweatshirt for a 16 year-old girl who wears shorts almost year round! As for washing, denim doesn't easily show the dirt.-:)
Barb

I have packed light for 15 years and I still pack four pants and wear one and mix and match tops. Now depending on the weather they can be jeans, skinny jeans, leggings, capri's. I just never take shorts to Europe.

I think your plan is great. You can wear jeans many times between washings if necessary. I always travel with jeans, as that's what I feel most comfortable in. I've never been brave enough to travel with only 2 pair, but I commend your resolve to pack lighter. As you said, you can wear your yoga pants and/or buy another pair of pants there if you have to.

No worries. The Scandinavian countries, including Sweden, are very casual. And NYDJ are not as casual as other jeans, especially in black. With the spandex they dry quickly when washed. Just press them out in a towel, then hang. I cannot get by with only two pair of pants, but if I needed to, they would probably be NYDJ. If you want to dress up, it is the top and scarf that count most. Black bootleg jeans with a nice top should take you most anywhere.

I'm taking more for my 10 days, but we like to dress up. I'm going to comment on YOUR traveling and what you are aiming to do. I think you should reconsider and take one lightweight dark grey skirt. That gives you 3 bottoms and you might wish you had a skirt for dinner some evening instead of looking the same for almost 2.5 weeks. You could do a dark grey.

I noticed the black-fading thing last year when I had to do some sink-washing, even the Woolite-black didn't help.

if you are staying in one place for several days, drying clothes should be no problem, but on an overnight stay, a pair of jeans may take longer to dry than you think.

For a 2 week trip I bring 2 pair of jeans, last year it was 3 and I found that I didn't need the 3rd pair. I'm bringing a lightweight jersey dress for the opera in Prague next month, but otherwise jeans suit me just fine. I wash them every 4 days or so and find that works well for me--you can always use the hair dryer to hurry up the process if need be.

I would be fine with just 2 pairs of jeans and like Crista said, you can really speed things up with a hair dryer or an iron. My jeans dry in a day here at home so I imagine that is how long they would take in a hotel too. (I don't have a dryer in my apt. just a drying rack that sits in a spare room)

Jeans are what I wear year round, no matter how hot or cold it gets. Capris are something I would never wear, as I just don't like the look of them. Long, light skirts would be great for summer or if you want to dress up more for an evening out or dinner.

Thanks everyone! I seem to take something from each post. I'm going to try hard to just pack one pair of slacks(black NYDJ). Until I'm out the door, I won't know for sure because that is when I'll stop thinking about packing. LOL. I never wear skirts/dresses (not since all the businesses switched to business casual around here). I don't wear capris and my DH says long skirts make me look dowdy (had to drag that out of him). So, if anything went in, it would be another pair of slacks…black or chinos, but I think not. I have dressier tops: 4 long sleeve (2 blouses, 2 silky/dressier tee shirts and 1 tank, 2 scarves, 1 reversible quilted vest, 1 sweater and 1 light but adaptable jacket. The outerwear all fits on top of each other in case it is in the 40's in Northern Sweden. My basic colors, other than black slacks, are navy and tan. Tops are black, navy, white, burgundy. The two blouses can be overblouses also. I believe I can make at least three different outfits using each top. The shortest stay that I have is 2 nights with 3 full days (night train out) and that hotel has a laundry service in case… Now it is all the non-clothing items I bring that are taking up room: door wedge, electronic cords/chargers, s p o r k, a few emergency meds as I'm traveling solo, etc. Thanks for your help. Wray (Almost half the fun is the planning…I like to get my money's worth!)

That sounds like a good combo of clothes/colors plus plenty of layers.

As far as the spork, which I always pack, I've added a plastic knife for spreading stuff as the knife-y part of the spork does not do it for me. I also saw somewhere a suggestion to pack the plastic lid to something like a big can of Folgers coffee. It makes a nice light plate. I also now have a bandana I can use as a napkin or placemat if I'm at a picnic table (or airline/train table) that is not clean. And yes, sad to say, the spork (aqua) and the bandana (aqua tie dye) coordinate. I've got it all in a gallon ziplock that goes in to one of the compartments of my purse. I also have a couple of extra ziplocks in there as well.

Pam, I'm happy to hear that I'm not the only person that color coordinates more than clothing. We can be friends. :-)

I wear jeans all the time at home and bring them on trips unless the weather is too hot. I brought two pairs on my 2-week trip to London and Paris in Sept. 2012 and was very comfortable. I'll bring 2 pairs again on my 2-week trip this October to Northern Europe. As others said, wear on your trip what you wear at home. I never wear dresses outside of work so of course I'd never bring them on a trip.

I also travel with just two pairs of well worn jeans. The only time it was a bit of an issue was in Scotland when I did a day trip out to Hadrian's wall on a nasty, wet, and windy day. Not only were my jeans soaked, but they were muddy, too. Sink washing wasn't going to do it. But, the other pair of jeans lasted until I found a laundry so I wouldn't worry about only having two pairs. One trick I have learned is to take socks and underwear you won't miss if you don't bring them home, and as you get down to the last few days of your trip just toss them in the garbage to make room to bring those souvenirs home.

One tip I've read of here is to take some balloons with you. When you wash your jeans, wring them out well in a towel then hang them up. Blow up a couple of balloons and place in the lower legs. This seems to help them dry faster. I'd take some clothes pins too. Pick up a small pack at the Dollar Tree. You can use them the clip drapes shut, hang your jeans up to dry, etc.

when we did Italy/Slovenia last summer......one of my friends wore the same pair of blue jeans for 10 days solid. ewwwwwwwwww. but she was just fine with them. there was apparently something else in her bag, but it never surfaced.

I like the balloon idea, adding them to my shopping list. I wear jeans that have some spandex to them for shape and are a fairly light denim so they dry pretty fast. I might add that unless you've been out in the mud or haven't made the point to roll your pants legs up when using public toilets that in the interest of feeling fresh without total immersion you can just wash the upper part of your jeans.

I think 2 jeans is perfect. If you ended up packing a 3rd pair of of lightweight pants, they'd probably just sit in the suitcase! You said that you wear jeans at home all the time, so why switch it up for vacation? I think those jeans are really cute - I may have to buy a pair now myself!