There are three kinds of packers.
The Overpackers
Subscribing to the old motto, “always be prepared,” overpackers pack to be ready for everything. I mean, memes have been written about these people.
The Underpackers
Underpackers tend to also be a member of Team Carry-On. They plan on wearing the same shirt at least twice and I don’t even want to know how many times they wear the same pair of jeans.
Either way…
People have all kinds of different reasons for how much underwear they pack – if they plan to do laundry during the trip, whether or not they’ll be wearing a bathing suit for most of the day, how often per day they plan to shower, if there’s a lot of rain in the forecast, and, for some, if menstruation or incontinence will come into play during the trip.
The same goes for socks. Matching day/night clothes, level of sweat, how much you’ll walk around without shoes, and, of course, laundry plans all go into how many pairs of socks you pack.
Sometimes it can be as simple as, “What if my plane’s delayed and I’m stuck there overnight?”
So although there may be a “method to our madness” of how many pairs we pack, many of us tend to be guilty of the same “crime” – we know how much we think we’ll need, and then still pack entirely too much underwear and socks. Going to be gone for 3 days? 5 pairs of underpants. A weeklong vacay? 10 pairs of socks. I’ll fully admit that, after planning every day’s clothing, I grab a couple more pairs of underpants and socks and squash them into the corner of my suitcase, ‘just in case.’
So why do we do this?
There appears to be one or two actual psychological reasons for bringing more underwear and socks than we’ll need on a trip:
Security
Underwear “protects” a vulnerable part of our body. Similarly, socks “protect” our main modes of transportation – ones that can be ticklish, or get blistered if we’re not careful.
On top of that, most of us have worn underwear for our entire lives – first as diapers, then as underwear. Same goes for socks. With that, there’s a sense of security in wearing them. More underwear and socks = more security. This provides more routine and comfort, on a subconscious level, of course.
Comfort
And speaking of comfort, many people are very particular about what they wear. Some will only wear 100% cotton socks. Some people hate anklets. If you have extra pairs of YOUR socks, you won’t have to be forced to buy new ones while you’re out of town.
The same goes for underwear – they’re a very personal choice and unless you have the means to go out and find the ones you’re the most comfortable in, you “may as well bring extra of your own.”
Besides, who wants to interrupt their travels to buy underwear or socks?
It’s all good!
Regardless if you tend to pack many more pairs of socks or underwear than you’ll most likely need, it’s all good. They’re small and don’t add much weight or take up much space. If you wind up needing them, great! And if you don’t, it’s kind of nice to have something in your suitcase that you can throw back in your drawer when you get home, and not have to wash. 😉
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary, or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
