Specifically: how many clothing items?

[Bwanderin]

I have a similar list to MrNoodly's for full-timing in all kinds of weather - except mine includes ladies items - esp. 2 or 3 super comfy dresses, with bike/hike shorts underneath.

What I've found consistently over the last two years is while I have at least two weeks of clothing to wear, I only have enough to store one week of dirty clothes before they start taking over my van!  Of course, this is a much bigger issue in winter as clothes are bulkier, but it's something I really didn't think about until it came up for me on the road.

Plus, I haven't been successful in wearing each of my items more than twice - and often they get worn only once esp. due to fluctuating weather, campfires, spills and general boondocking conditions. And, I kinda just like clean clothes.

I agree with having everything in the same general colors for being able to throw in washer together, but I miss some of my white and light color stuff - too thrifty to dedicate a load, so they turned blue and grungy looking. They are sadly gone.  Also gone are most items that could shrink as many laundromat's dryers literally torch things - even on medium or sometimes low.

FYI - I like to have a dedicated "shower" dress and shower flip flops. Much easier to wear that back and forth to a shower than trying to take and get dressed in clean clothes (while avoiding dragging or dropping said clean clothes - esp. panties OMG - on wet floor!).

My dirty clothes basket has my quarters, soap, dryer sheets and "delicates" bag in the bottom (items in the delicates mesh bag go in washer with a regular load so to avoid an extra load - I accept they may wear out faster but so far, so good), so all is together when I head to laundromat.  Often I am able to hang items to dry in my van, esp. in drier climates to save dryer time, money and wear & tear.

 

[Malamute]

Regarding space, plastic boxes are pretty handy and keep stuff clean and organized, they also eat a lot of space. If dealing with a fixed space like under a bed or in a cargo box, theres wasted space with most boxes vs what would fit volume wise with things packed directly in the space or in soft bags or duffels. I went to medium duffel/gym bags for clothes on trips and such, one for cold weather gear, and different colors for main or backup/reserve clothes.

 In traveling cross country a lot, Ive been using a rear hitch cargo carrier. ive had them drag on ditches and even curbs in town or rain tracks in pavement. I got a folding carrier hitch adapter that allows it to be folded when not in use and modified the shank of the cargo rack at a right angle, then the "folded up" position is the normal use position, but it raised the carrier about a foot, I never drag on anything, dont have to bend over to get in my cargo box, and it allows use of a trailer ball with the carrier in place, which I use a fair amount. The rooftop cargo boxes werent going to work for me with a bum shoulder, back and hip, the rear carrier is very useful with no climbing up reaching up to access. its also handy to put groceries in and leftovers after eating out so they arent within reach of the dog. The trip benefit is I can keep the main part of the 4runner from getting cluttered up and still take lots of [font=Arial,]j̶u̶n̶k̶ important things[/font] when I travel.

 

[pure_mahem]

I really like the duffle bag idea for clothes, especially the ones that are in regular rotation day to day. Thank You!

 

[LoveCareThinkDo]

I have far too many clothes. I pared down like you wouldn't believe and I still have more than I use right now. However, I still hold onto all my winter gear and rain gear, just in case. My primary consideration is that I don't want to have to go do laundry more often than about every couple of months. So, I make sure I have enough clothes to hold me over at least that long. 

Now, out in the desert, I don't go through nearly as many clothes as one might expect. I rarely wear underwear because it is more comfortable with the breeze blowing through everything. I wear flip-flops most of the time (good quality ones that cost me about $16 at Walmart), so I don't make many dirty socks. And I can wear the same T-shirt for about a week. My pants are light-weight REI hiking pants that don't really get dirty very fast, so one pair will last a month or so. Yes, even without underwear. I keep myself clean, so my clothes stay clean as well. 

Here's the thing: Clothes are expensive. And they are guaranteed to eventually wear out. So, if you give away half of your underwear, that's $50 - $75 that you are going to have to spend again later. If you can, just find some out-of-the-way cranny to shove extra clothes (protected in plastic bags) and forget about them, to save them for later. They don't weigh that much and they can just act as extra insulation. 

The only clothes I gave away were my dress clothes and some clothes that I really never wore anyway, and I gave them to my grandson to grow into. So, the investment wasn't lost. I live in a minivan. I still have empty space with nothing to put in it. So, getting rid of almost all of my clothes was not a priority. Don't fall victim to what I call "status minimalism" and get rid of stuff just so you can say you did. Remember, bragging about how much stuff you got rid of is still bragging about how much stuff you used to have.