Packing? Specialized travel gear abounds

Certain memories of my European camping trip 25 years ago are still vivid. The mystery of Stonehenge. The majesty of the Alps. The glorious Alhambra Gardens in Granada. The friends I made along the way.

And the dumb way I packed for the trip.I carried a day bag so big and cumbersome my shoulder ached. A heavy travel iron (essential, the travel books said) - which was a waste of space and energy. I packed my favorite embroidered white T-shirt and ruined it in dirty camp sites. I wore crepe-soled shoes that were practical but ugly, and my de rigueur wide-legged, bellbottom pants that dragged in the mud when it rained. I'll never forget the rainy day in Paris as I strolled through the Champs-Elysees: The pants were rolled up - such a sorrowful sight that a Parisian couple burst out laughing when they saw me.

Never again, I vowed while preparing for a European trip this summer. This time I was going to take my inspiration from Julia Roberts in "Everyone Says I Love You." The rest of the audience may have been enjoying her repartee with Woody Allen, but me? I was fixated on the outfit she was wearing to view the Tintoretto paintings in a Venice museum: that crisp yellow linen dress, those elegant sandals. If only I could look like that.

Never mind that I'd be traveling in a motor home and living out of a single carry-on bag, to say nothing of a few other significant differences between myself and Roberts. All I needed was to find the right travel wardrobe and the gear.

I was not prepared for how much travel stuff is out there now. What a difference 25 years makes: The travel industry has exploded with options for clothing, packing, and accessories.

In 1972, packing for a 3-month trip didn't involve many choices: There was not much variety in the equipment, except for suitcases and walking shoes. My own gear consisted of whatever clothes I could stuff into a canvas duffel bag; a sleeping bag; a leather, heavy, and very hot money belt; and, of course, the essential travel iron.