Post written by Ridge Ecomm Manager Jessica Kennedy
Photo above: Laguna De Los Tres
This winter I had the chance to join my partner’s family on a trip to Argentina. Our group of seven people have wildly different interests, so the itinerary had a little bit of everything. With both city time and mountain time—and different climates—packing was a fun challenge.
Before we started trip planning, I didn’t grasp the scale of Argentina. We only saw a small portion of it, and we still spent a lot of time in transit. Initially we were intrigued by the El Chalten and El Calafate area of Patagonia and then Iguazú Falls. A travel agent recommended Ushuaia, and Santiago, Chile sounded cool too.
Based on what we were hoping to do, we ended up narrowing it down to just Buenos Aires and the El Chalten area of Patagonia.
We all convened in Buenos Aires on Friday and Saturday to spend the weekend there. Early Monday morning we flew to El Calafate where we rented a car and all squeezed in for the 3 hour drive to El Chalten. We continued another half hour down the main dirt road out of town to a ranch where we spent three nights.
Thursday afternoon we started our travel back to El Calafate and on to Buenos Aires for another two nights in the city before flying out late Sunday night.
Horses grazing on the ranch outside of El Chalten.
Packing for two climates and different activities
Even though we were heading to the mountains in Patagonia in late January—their summer season—the weather there varies a lot. We knew we’d be lucky to get even one day of good weather in our three days there, but we truly lucked out. After arriving to strong wind and fast-moving clouds, our two days there were beautifully sunny and clear.
We couldn’t have known the weather would be so perfect before we left for the trip, so we brought more warm and waterproof gear than we needed. But if the weather had been bad, we would have needed it all to make the most of our limited time.
While we needed good warm layers for Patagonia, Buenos Aires was going to be hot, at times humid, and with a really high UV index. So we needed good sun protection and city clothes, in addition to the more technical activewear for Patagonia.
Left: El Ateneo Grand Splendid. Right: A tango show in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Left: My Solstice Sun Hoodie and light rain jacket were perfect for a windy and slightly chilly via ferrata morning. Right: The incredible dining room at the ranch.
Buenos Aires & Patagonia Gear and Packing List
I’m almost always carry-on-only, but checking a bag for this international trip gave me peace of mind that I’d have exactly what I needed.
Bags
- Medium sized duffel-style checked bag
- Gossamer Gear Loris 25 Daypack - Perfect for under the seat on the plane and for our long hike. I liked that it didn’t look overly technical. It packs down well when not full, but with the top closure it can fit a ton and still close.
- Eddie Bauer Stowaway 45L Duffel - I snagged one of these on ebay before the trip, and it worked perfectly when we had to consolidate bags for the Patagonia portion of the trip.
- A bunch of packing cubes (including these from Cotopaxi) - I’m new to packing cubes, but they make a world of difference staying organized.
Clothes
- 3 Ridge Merino Women’s Journey Relaxed Fit Tees - My favorite tee these days. For everyday wear, I size down to a small (I normally wear a large), so I brought two small black tees and one blue tee in my regular large size for hiking and travel. The airy fit of these in your intended size can’t be beat, and they never smell. I would have been fine with just one for daily wear and one for hiking/travel.
- Onsen Hoodie - My first time traveling with this hoodie. When I’m away from home I always wish I’d brought it. Perfect for the plane with the hood and drawstrings and big kangaroo pocket. If I hadn’t checked a bag, I’d have left this and just worn my Solstice Hoodie or Cloudripper Jacket on the plane.
- Simple black hiking pants - These were my MVP for travel days, horseback riding and hiking. I liked the loose fit and that they never looked dirty.
- Black Cloudripper Jacket - After wearing this for a couple months this winter, I knew it would be a great layer in the mountains, but I was delighted to find it was easy to dress up with jeans, boots or sandals and a nice tank top for dinners.
- Solstice Sun Hoodie - No notes, the Solstice just aces it every time. After wearing it for a 16-mile hike it looked and smelled just fine. I’m particularly into the dyed Solstice Hoodies (I have the pink tie-dye one too) since they’re even softer than the solid colors.
- 1 pair jean shorts
- 2 pairs bike shorts
- 2 sleep shirts
- 1 pair Aspect High Rise Bottoms - I take a lot of red eye flights and these are my new go-to for overnight flights. So cozy to sleep in (on a plane or not). If Patagonia weather had been bad, I’d have worn these under my hiking pants or jeans for extra warmth.
- 1 pair leggings - I could have ditched these and just brought the Aspect bottoms.
- 1 pair jeans
- Nice tank top
- 2 nice shirts/blouses
- Cardigan - I wish I’d left this at home and brought a lightweight linen button down shirt instead. For chilly nights, I wore my Cloudripper Jacket over a nice top instead of this cardigan.
- 3 pairs ankle socks for Buenos Aires
- 3 pairs Minaret Hiking Socks - I brought one for travel and two to switch between in Patagonia, but I would have been fine with just a pair or two. I did sink-wash these and my boy shorts in the middle of the trip since they dry so quickly. These are the only socks I’ll travel in and hike in since I got them.
- A bunch of Ridge Merino Boy Shorts - If you’ve traveled, hiked or slept in these, you know they’re hard to beat, and they’re so easy to wash in a sink so you can pack less. Perfect for chilly nights in Patagonia and hot days in Buenos Aires.
- 2 Send-It Sports Bras - The only bra I’ll wear for long travel days and perfect for me for lower impact activities like hiking and walking.
- Simple daily bra
I brought my partner’s family a pair of Inversion base layers and an Aspect shirt that they loved for hiking and hanging at the ranch. They also wore them on flights and out to dinner in Patagonia. My partner spent most of the trip wearing his Solstice Pro Sun Hoodie, Journey Tees and Convict Canyon Hoodie.
Our Patagonia MVPs left to right - Solstice Pro, Inversion Shirt and Solstice Sun Hoodie.
Extra gear for Patagonia
- Beanie
- Ridge Neck Tube - Didn’t end up needing this because our weather was so good! But nice to have in case.
- A pair of thin Ridge gloves - Same as above.
- Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket
- Frogg Toggs Rain Jacket - Only wore this on our first windy day, thankfully no rain!
Accessories
- Sunglasses
- Baseball cap
- Power adapter for Argentina plugs
- Phone and charger
- Travel power bank
- Swimsuit
- Sunscreen
- Bug spray
- Kindle
- AirPods
- Eye mask and travel fan for sleeping
- Foxelli rechargeable headlamp - My go-to headlamp for years now.
- Stanley metal water bottle
- Collapsible water bottle
- Rocky Talkie radios - We brought these just for fun but they were awesome on the hike and around the ranch where we had no cell service.
- All my normal toiletries
Shoes
- Topo trail runners
- A cheap pair of white tennis shoes for around Buenos Aires
- Thin/packable black sandals for dinners out
- Blundstone Originals - Ended up being the perfect ranch shoe, but could have left them at home if I wanted to pack lighter.
Left: A windy horseback ride calls for a Cloudripper Hoodie. Right: My partner, Blaine, walking to breakfast in a Convict Canyon Hoodie.
Got lucky enough to catch the wranglers moving the sheep for the night. Long summer days were a dream to experience in the midst of winter.
A few other things
The Solstice Sun Hoodie was perfect for everything except the hottest days in Buenos Aires when I wished I’d had a thinner sun shirt to throw on.
For the hike, we were able to borrow hiking poles from the ranch where we stayed. I loved having poles but probably wouldn’t have packed my own. I did wish I had a water bladder instead of just bottles, but probably not worth packing. We didn’t drink the water on the hike, although we heard later that it was some of the best tasting water! I didn’t want to risk getting sick while traveling. We’ll have to go back and try it someday.
I wish I’d brought some Skratch Labs Energy Chews from home for the hike, but my hiking partner brought a bag of Nerds Gummy Clusters from home and they were truly delightful.
Left: Incredible glacier views on the Laguna De Los Tres hike. Right: My partner's sister Lilly riding Cookie in an Inversion shirt.
As often happens in travel, I wish we’d had more time to explore the mountains. Patagonia was otherworldly, even for us living in California’s Eastern Sierra where we’re gobsmacked daily. It’s well worth the trouble to get there.
Left: Beers, empanadas, fries and hiding from the sun after a full day hike. Right: Our favorite square in the Palermo neighborhood in Buenos Aires.
Left: Our whole group waiting for Fitz Roy to peek out of the clouds. Right: My partner's mom at breakfast wearing an Aspect shirt.
Left: Tree-lined Buenos Aires streets - a delight to dip into summer in the middle of my winter. Right: My favorite overnight flight outfit - Onsen Hoodie, Aspect Base Layer Bottoms and Minaret Socks.
The stunning Laguna De Los Tres in El Chalten, Patagonia.
