We can sometimes be PNW-centric with our apparel…it’s hard not to be with our amazing running weather in Seattle! But I have been enlightened: Sally and I are hot (literally) off of an amazing trip to Japan, and I wanted to share which flystyle pieces saved my hide! One of my kids is studying in Japan (in Kanazawa) this summer, so I knew I had to take advantage of the opportunity to go visit him. The weather was predictably hot and humid…and I quickly figured out which pieces I was going to wear day in, day out. Though I packed very light, turns out I could’ve packed even lighter if I could commit to washing out my gear every night in the sink.
Here are my top picks:
1. Story Capris. This ultra-lightweight (summer roga) fabric never clung to me, dried so quickly, and was appropriate for touristing, visiting shrines, hiking, and even as a warmup pant for a workout. I wore them every day. No joke.
2. Flyout tops. This material is magic…actually better than exposed skin for cooling. Although I brought tees, muscle tanks, and tanks, I ended up preferring the tees to give my shoulders some coverage from the beating sun. And a quick rinse in the sink, these would dry overnight no problem.
3. Long Flyout Shorts. I hadn’t run in these a ton before the trip, but they are incredibly lightweight + airy, fit my phone in the zip back pocket, and have a bit of length for travel modesty (I am a Long Roga gal). They also washed in the sink quite well, and dried overnight!
4. Spring Wazzie Wool Tank and Funnel Neck Tank. Light weight wool performs incredibly well in the humidity, dries quickly, and dresses up nicely (with the story capris haha). And if you dry it flat then roll it, no wrinkles.
5. Shade Long Sleeve and/or Tank. This fabric is so cooling and kept the sun off my neck really well. The long sleeve was perfect as a layer for air-conditioning, and also dried incredibly quickly.
Other than those items, really all I needed was my running shoes, bras, undies, socks, runner trucker hat, and Allbirds. Next time I’ll only need to bring half of a duffel bag!