Trip Too Bountiful

Dave Edington’s idea of a good time: clinging to a steep mountainside wondering if he’ll freeze to death or have the strength to make the 12-mile trek back down.

“It puts things into perspective. You have to live by your wits. The key is to get out of your comfort zone,” says Edington, 41, a retired investment manager who lives in Laguna Beach. “There’s always a moment when you tell yourself, ‘I could have been on a beach in Hawaii.’ Then you make your summit.”

This summer many will seek adventure in far-off locales. More people are taking extreme vacations to exotic destinations such as Tibet, Kenya and India. Unfortunately, many novice thrill-seekers will head out for the hinterlands unprepared. As Edington or anyone who has pushed the envelope can attest, what travelers pack for an exotic destination isn’t only a matter of style but also of survival.

“World travel gets bigger every day. A lot of baby boomers have expendable incomes, and they’re traveling around the world. They’re tired of sitting in front of a computer,” says Troy Trimmer, outings instructor with Adventure 16 in Costa Mesa. “They’re finding their identity more in what they do outside of work, and they like the idea of being a world traveler.”

Improvements in gear and clothing have made remote areas more accessible to many, says Tom Marshall of Adventure 16 in Los Angeles.

“Clothing has changed a lot in the last 10 years,” he says. “The fabrics you wear, even your socks, are different. Everything has some type of polypropylene that works like a good napkin sucking moisture off the surface of your skin for a cooling effect.

“It’s opening places up to people like me who would have never done things like mountain climbing. You can have experiences that are life-altering.”

Edington recently climbed to the top of El Pico de Orizaba near Mexico City and went fishing in Alaska; he plans to climb Mt. Rainier this month. To him, packing is a science.

“It’s actually fun to figure out how to pack lightweight and bring what you need to survive. I’ve seen a guy bring a

big, heavy leather jacket [to France]. They weigh a lot, and it looked a little silly,” he says.

“A successful packing job is if you just barely make it with one last clean T-shirt for the flight home.”

Edington’s first rule of packing: Carry essentials such as contact lenses, medicine kit with “killer over-the-counter pharmaceuticals” and other can’t-live-without items with you when you fly.

“Just assume you’ll lose your luggage,” he says. “Then if you do, it’s not a disaster.”

He carefully considers every item that goes into his bag. His lean travel wardrobe usually includes:

* quick-drying shorts he can wear for everything--swimming, hiking, walking--in black to hide dirt;

* a black zip-up mock turtleneck made of lightweight, breathable material that he can wear hiking or out to dinner (“you can cram it into a coffee cup”);

* lightweight loafers;

* a fleece sweater;

* a jacket that folds into its own pocket;

* and a climbing jacket.

He finds a lot of his travel wear at the North Face and Adventure 16 in Costa Mesa.

Packing wisely does not mean sacrificing style. Edington likes to bring a classic lightweight wool blazer wool from Ermenegildo Zegna that can be rolled up into a suit bag and emerge without a wrinkle.

John Peterman, owner of the J. Peterman catalog company and inspiration for the character (Elaine’s boss) on the “Seinfeld” TV series, takes a derring-do, romantic approach to travel. A Lexington, Ky., resident, Peterman spends six months out of the year touring the world.

On a recent monthlong sojourn to Myanmar, Malaysia, India and Thailand, he packed his clothes in an old steamer trunk instead of the lightweight duffel he sometimes carries.

“It’s a great way to travel because virtually everywhere you go you can get porters to carry your trunk, and it’s easier to live out of a trunk than a suitcase,” Peterman says.

He packs an elegant but functional wardrobe that includes shirts and jackets with big pockets, along with a journal.

“Most people miss the romance of travel, even if they’re gone one or two months. Everything is hustle and bustle. I’ve talked to people who travel more than I who haven’t seen a thing. They’re in and out of places. They know the name of a hotel and two restaurants and that’s it. They’ve never been out on a boat in the South China Sea or. . . climbed a mountain overlooking Hong Kong Bay.”

Whenever possible, Peterman travels on overnight trains, riverboats, ferries and other slower-moving vessels, he says. He immerses himself in local culture by trying not to look like a tourist. That means carrying a very small camera and binoculars he can conceal in his pocket. He almost never wears jeans overseas--they identify him as an American.

“The less conspicuous you are, the easier it is to move through places,” he says.

His catalog and the new J. Peterman store in Fashion Island Newport Beach carry clothing and gear designed to invoke the romance of turn-of-the-century travel. There are reproductions of antique and Edwardian fashions, and replicas of costumes from the movie “Titanic” are due this fall. Most are made of natural fabrics such as cotton or linen.

Among the men’s offerings, J. Peterman carries a khaki cotton twill travel jacket ($168), tan and hunter green loose-weave plaid collarless shirt with wooden buttons ($38) and canvas seabird hat with a wide brim ($55).

Women’s clothing is loose and comfortable, including a batik sarong ($48); a linen suit jacket with piped edges and a double-button front ($245) and a practical collection of cotton knit separates that pack without wrinkling. The store also stocks journals, atlases and elegant leather backpacks and totes.

For other utilitarian gear, Adventure 16 has culled a list of travel essentials that calls for a first-aid kit, luggage locks, long-lasting sunscreen, tiny flashlight and insect repellent.

“Mosquitoes carry most of the diseases, and this year they’re really bad because of El Nino,” says Paul Houston, manager of Adventure 16 in Costa Mesa.

Houston recommends pants with legs that zip off into shorts; shorts that tighten around the legs to keep out insects; mosquito nets that drape over the head; passport holders; money belts to discourage pickpockets; photographers’ vests with numerous pockets and compartments for film and other supplies; backpacks; duffel bags; and clothing with SPF-rated fabrics that protect against the sun.

Catalogs are another source for adventurers. Bitter Root Backpack Traveler in Dana Point offers gear designed for people backpacking in Europe ([800] 688-9577). TravelSmith, a catalog based in Novato, Calif., carries clothing and supplies for vacationers to all climes ([800] 950-1600).

Gear and clothing for climbing, hiking and other pursuits can also be found at REI Recreational Equipment Inc. In addition to a retail store in Santa Ana, there’s an REI catalog ([800] 426-4840).