January Getaway

Now is an excellent time of year to take a long weekend trip with your significant other.  You’ve got plenty of vacation time, and a half-day on a Friday is completely worth a fun and relaxing weekend with your best girl.  Think about it: now is a great time to take advantage of lower-than-normal hotel fare, and plenty of available reservations at great restaurants.  We’re in the post-Christmas lull.  Here’s how you do it: find somewhere four or so hours away, take half a day on Friday, and hit the road.

Remember, it doesn’t have to be a particularly fancy trip.  There are plenty of great towns around that deserve 48 hours of you and your better half’s attention.  So do a little research, reserve a nice hotel room, find a good spot for breakfast, and the spot for local fare.  Think of it as a Bourdain-esque, or ‘Alternate Route‘-like adventure…she’ll love it.  And most importantly, pack smart.

For a weekend trip, bring items that can be mixed and matched, and easily refreshed.  A sweater over a button up, the button up by itself, a vest over a long sleeve t-shirt, etc.  Make sure all your goods are good together, and it’ll never look like you wore the same thing twice.  Here’s how to do it:

From top left:

1. Beretta Soft Shell Fleece Vest:  A good vest is a must for any trip.  It provides just enough warmth inside on cold days, and an extra layer under your coat when banging around outside.  Don’t sleep on Beretta’s line…they have super-nice stuff.
2. Ledbury Lamont Plaid Shirt:  More of a ‘brushed cotton’ rather than a flannel shirt, so it’s dressy for weekends like this.  You can give it a pit-stop ironing before your dinner reservations.  Dressed up at the steak place or dressed down eating fried seafood and beer out of a pitcher, it’s the way to go.
3. Ball and Buck Lightweight Merino V-Neck Sweater:  A good v-neck sweater over a sharp shirt like #2 will get you into 95% of places you’d like to eat.
4. Eddie Bauer Bainbridge Field Jacket:  A good field coat with tons of pockets is a must on this trip.  She’ll work hard filling them up with local mementoes from your adventure.  This Eddie Bauer is an excellent choice, and the price is just right.
5. Edgevale Cast Iron Pants:  Canvas pants wear like jeans, but can be ironed for a more dressed up look.  Edgevale has an excellent option with their Cast Iron pants…they work in the field and at the dining table.  More on these later…
6. Drifter Pocket Knife:  There’s always room for a pocket knife
7. Aviate Hat:  A traveling hat…either bring one from your neck of the woods, or pick one up on your trip.  They’ve got it covered, but it’s up to you and yours to make the memories.
8. Colonel Littleton #1 Belt:  One of the coolest waist huggers out there.  Enough flare to get a nod, but professional enough to wear in the boardroom.
9. Truman Boot Co. Marine Horse Hump Pull Up Boots:  Tough enough for traveling, and nice enough for dinner.  The Dianite soles will keep you comfortable while exploring a new city.
10. Over Under ‘In the Blind’ Long-Sleeve T-shirt:  Always pack an extra t-shirt.  These are perfect for the drive home on Sunday under the #1 vest, or for her to steal.
11. Orvis Bootlegger Leather/Canvas Small Duffle:  You get to a point in life where you need good luggage.  Use trips like these to take advantage of filling out those needs.  A small duffle is a great bag for those weekend trips when you only need one pair of shoes, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a better one than this one from Orvis.
12. Martin Dingman Rudyard Farrier Wine Caddy:  You’ve got that great bottle you’ve been saving, and that bottle of Basil…give them a ride in style in this handsome wine caddy.  It’s the details that count…and she’ll forgive you for forgetting the wine glasses at the ultra-exclusive hotel room pre-party.

What did I miss?