Surf Board Trad

Packing light is not my forte. While I like to think of myself as a minimalist of sorts I also like to be prepared for anything which requires options. My wife on the other hand is a living legend when it comes to packing. We were headed to Myrtle Beach with the fam for a few days and this trip I really tried to cut back.

In order for this to work for me I needed almost all of my clothes to be interchangeable. Now this is where trad typically excels. I mean khakis, OCBDs, shetlands, polos, etc. are ideal for this, but things like swimsuits and madras can add a degree of difficulty due to their colors and patterns. Polo shirts will almost always work with swim trunks and even though this is a look I do a lot I wanted something different for this trip. I wanted some classic 1960’s Americana beach party surf fun or as I titled this post, surf board trad.

My inspiration was this picture of Peter Kaplan. I’ve always loved this picture and while he is not on the beach (he does have a skateboard) it captures the west coast ivy vibes that I was after perfectly. It was decided. This was my look. Time to pack.

I threw on a surf playlist from Spotify and began. Now 99% of all my t-shirts are simple grey pocket-t’s, but I do have two striped t-shirts from Ralph Lauren because I have tried this look before. Because of this I already knew that the striped t-shirts worked well with my yellow Patagonia baggies which I occasionally use as swim trunks. The t-shirts will also work with khaki shorts and pants. The striped shirts and baggies also work with an OCBD in case it gets cool at the beach. I threw in a purple pair of baggies as well to mix it up. The shoes were New Balance 996’s for walking, Sperry Boat shoes for the beach, and flip flops for the pool. I brought two ball caps.

So how did I do? If you want to know the truth I overpacked. Not mentioned above was a J.Press Madras, a J.Press Broadcloth shirt, and a white sweatshirt. None of these items were worn. To be fair I did have some work stuff which I had to anticipate, but if I am being honest with myself I could have cut back. I give myself a C+.

Execution wise I think that I did pretty well. The t-shirts played their role to a tee. The yellow baggies were a great choice. I felt like I was in my Endless Summer bag. My purple baggies were a bit of a miss. They didn’t look quite as good as I thought they would in my head with the green and blue shirt and I didn’t have the chance to to try them with the blue and white shirt. I also brought my default swimsuit which I love and deserves a post of their own. I wore these trunks to the beach with my favorite navy polo that I also wore on the airplane. I give myself a B.

The trip was a success. The fam had fun. I had fun. This was a good packing exercise and I think that I learned a thing or two. Enjoy the bonus pics below!