When less is more

Find out why the best decision ioMerino Outsider Kim Havell made on her recent trip to the Teton Mountain Range was packing one well-loved ioMerino Teefor five days of hiking and camping.

By Outsider Kim Havell 

When the learning curve is steep, it’s a bonus to get something right the first time.

Our daughter, Charlie, is 11 months old. Her daddy is an Outfitter and Pack Trip Guide in the Jackson area of Wyoming. If we’re going to see daddy in the summer, then we have to do some mountain travel. So, earlier in July, we joined a 5-day trip up Teton Canyon in the heart of the Teton Mountain Range — Charlie’s first camping trip up in the alpine.

Though the horses carry much of the load, you must still be efficient in your packing. There is a limit to how much weight is appropriate for the animals to carry. In order to make the trip seamless, fun, and cozy for our child, I packed as little as possible for myself in order to make room for her creature comforts. One of the best decisions I made was bringing one main tee shirt for the 5 days of hiking and camping. That shirt was a well-used grey ioMerino wool tee. It was perfect.

We spent five days of great weather — the warm daytime sun and lovely cool nights — up high in the alpine. We explored the windy plateaus, played in the wildflowers on mountain passes, and climbed around on rocks next to alpine lakes. I wore my tee every day and I pat myself on the back for a decision well made.

In my travels, I often find that I over pack on a few items. On expeditions, I still find myself thinking I could have brought less. It took having a child, and putting her needs before mine, to finally nail down the efficiency in my packing. Thanks ioMerino for making my decision a good one.