Create a Teen Boy Travel Capsule Wardrobe For Less

Hey, let’s face it, as they get bigger the clothes get more expensive!  I don’t even want to talk about the shoes!  My focus for our teen boy travel capsule wardrobe was shoes and coats.  Wandering around London and Paris in the rain is no fun with soggy feet and chattering teeth.

My jeans and tee shirt wearing boys needed a more stylish teen boy capsule travel wardrobe.  How do you keep it in the budget–a good closet clean out of what we already have and a trip to the thrift store.  Raincoats are just not practical in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, so I went to the outlet malls to find coats.  We found great coats for all three of us from Columbia for under $100 total cost.

Plus, we are going to travel lite–partly for expense but also less hassle.  Be sure to check weight and size regulations for international travel, they tend to be less than in the USA.   All of us sharing one suitcase that can’t exceed 20 kg or about 42 lbs.  That is just enough to carry my 13-year-old’s size 12 shoes!

Figuring Out Foot Wear for Fall Travel

The boys are still growing!  My son shifted through 4 sizes in one year!  My main advice for shoes for travel is waiting–wait until about a month before to get the right size for your teen boy.  Personally, good shoes make all the difference.  This is where I choose to spend the most.

With my boy in man sizes, the cost matches the size. $80-$120 for shoes is common.  For travel to Europe, we have decided on the favored waterproof chukka boots and a pair of fashion sneakers, (maybe add flip-flops for Greece, if they fit).

Leather Waterproof Shoes

My boy only wears athletic shoes at home.  These Under Armor Curry 4’s were for back to school this year.

While they are perfect for the States, they will be an overstatement in Paris and London.  They are not something for London’s West End theatres.

For Teen Boy Travel Capsule Wardrobe Shoes, we settled on something like this.  It took a little convincing; but in the end, I think these will get a lot of wear.

Because I ordered a size to big, my husband now has a pair of these shoes for work.  He says they are not quite tennis shoes, but you could not get any closer with a dress shoe.

Fashion Sneakers

Humph!  If you are not going to work out in Europe, then you don’t wear “Work Out” shoes or clothes. Fashion sneakers are a new concept for us in Colorado.  My boys wear shoes that do something! Hike, bike, play football or run, we don’t just buy them for looks.  In fact, as my boy enters his teens, even the cleats that worked for both baseball and football last year are now two different types.

Just like skinny jeans, he is not a big fan of these for his teen boy capsule travel wardrobe.  These are not waterproof like the boots but will resist water and look great on the beach.  Plus they are easy to slide on and off in the planes, trains and autos. Now I wish his feet were not so “stinky”.

Teen Boy Travel Capsule Wardrobe

This is where I went cheap.  We purchased plain, solid and interchangeable basics for him in less than 10 pieces.  With space at a premium, everything must work together.  Combining gray and black, we selected some from the thrift store and one item from amazon.com.  These stretchy, skinny pants will work as dress pants and are easy to wash pants. Plus, they look awesome (see pics below).

I made dozens of combinations of clothes from 5 tees, 1 long sleeve shirt, 1 black hoodie, 1 pair dress pants, 1 pair of jeans, and 1 pair athletic pants–10 pieces of clothing, cost $50

The type of pants to get presented the biggest argument with the Teen Boy Travel Wardrobe.

Skinny Jeans!  Hey, we just don’t do jeans!   My boys wear athletic pants or shorts all day every day.  They hate tight things around their bellies and a belt is just a hassle.  We compromised with straight leg jeans in gray that can be worn for more dressy occasions.

For the plane and travel, I did purchase the boys black athletic pants that were calmer.  Again, I did wait on clothing until the last month, just in case there were growth spurts!

 

Coats, Scarves, Rain Gear

Columbia Outlet near our house found us awesome rain gear for the trip.  My son’s coat will actually double as his skiing shell this winter–double use for a great price.

My youngest, pictured here, picked out a traditional rain jacket.  While not as useful in Colorado, layering it on fall days will make it warm enough to use in the mountains.

Both coats are lite and packable. Now for the under layers, apparently hoodies with logos just don’t live in Europe–plain zip up hoodies yes, but logos no.  I have a black zip up for the 13-year-old and slightly over sized Northface jersey jacket for the 11-year-old.

In Europe scarves are cool, here not so much.  As handy as they are to change a look or keep your neck warm, they will turn into one more thing to keep up with on the trip.  My dastardly plan, if the boys really, really want a scarf, we will buy one for a souvenir.

Climate Versital Teen Boy Travel Capsule Wardrobe

 

Traveling from autumn locations to summer locations on your trip (no problem with teen boys)?  Jeans and tees serve them year round.  Throw in a few long selves, a sweater, shorts and a swimsuit and you are completely set.  I love the simplicity of boys!