My 50 pound backpack was already bursting at the seams and I hadn’t even left yet. I was leaving on my 9 month Round the World trip the next day and had scoured the internet for long-term travel packing lists and toiled over articles discussing rolling versus folding within either packing cubes or compression bags. I wanted to take as much clothing as possible, not exactly knowing my fate for the next few months, what occasions I would encounter, weather conditions, what to wear out of cultural respect, etc. I wanted to be prepared for it all. So, I did what most females do, I overpacked.
To be exact, I brought 30 items of clothing with me – not including swimsuits and undergarments. I didn’t realize it in time before I left, but it was way too much. The big, heavy backpack hindered my travels. I had to check it in instead of carry it on to every flight which meant I ran the risk of the airline losing my bag. I had to spend more time washing everything (by hand, it took an hour or more!). I had to spend more time packing and rolling to hopefully Tetris my things back into the bag. I had to leave my backpack behind during big expeditions like a 4 day trek to Machu Picchu and camping in the desert in Jaisalmer, India, trading in my backpack for a small daypack and leaving all my other stuff in the care of strangers for days. Not to mention, just having to traverse cities, villages, buses, subway stations, airports, crowds, sweaty climates, etc. with this 60 liter extension of myself (which meant a lot of turning around too quickly and subsequently smacking the person next to me with my newly acquainted fifth limb).
I realized pretty early on into the trip that packing this much was a mistake, and I vowed to never pack that way ever again. But like I said, I wanted to be prepared (and full disclosure, I didn’t want all my pictures to look like I was wearing the same thing everyday). There are tons of products on the market that help you overpack, but I wanted functionality for travel and a variety of matching outfits without having to inconveniently carry 50 extra pounds everywhere.
After returning home to Las Vegas, USA from my trip to 22 countries on 5 continents, I started working on my lifelong dream of starting a clothing line and incorporating my packing challenges into the design process. I know I'm not the only one that traveled through this literally heavy dilemma - wanting to travel lighter without having to sacrifice fashion or function. I needed to help myself and my fellow travel-loving women with a solution to this problem.
Out of this new-found necessity, Splice Clothing was born. Clothing that is lightweight, compact, and functional for traveling, with a little bit of style too. The various pieces can be worn and styled a variety of ways. There are reversible and convertible styles as well as sturdy pockets, and wrinkle resistant, moisture wicking, and quick-drying fabrics - making it possible to travel lighter and easier.
My mission is to inspire women to ditch the excess baggage and pursue more adventure. And I think Splice Clothing allows them to do just that!
We're planning to launch the first collection, Desert(ed) Dreams, in retail stores in Spring 2020! If you are a retailer who is interested in purchasing Splice Clothing wholesale for your store, please reach out to ashly@spliceclothing.com!
Thanks so much for reading! Don't forget to sign up for our newsletter to get updates on the launch of Splice Clothing! We CAN NOT WAIT to dress adventure-seeking women in the most lightweight, compact, and functional clothing for a life of stylish adventure. #spliceeverywear
Adventure on!
Ashly
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