Packing for a British bank holiday weekend requires skills few people are born with and most of us have to learn through years of trial and error. Of reading the weather forecast, frantically stuffing a rain jacket into your already over-packed case on Thursday night only to realise when you arrive at your destination that the high for Saturday is 19 degrees and rain is no longer in the forecast. Packing for a bank holiday is part meteorologist, part Marie Kondo, and part gamblers’ devotion to luck-of-the-draw knowing that every time you pack a bikini for a British bank holiday you will be mocked by the weather gods.
Related: The greatest British pub buildingsShow all 10 None of this stops me, of course, chucking a pair of swimming shorts in my bag ‘just in case’. The joys of apparently limitless British summertime_days_Outdoors mean weekends away require judicious packing lest you end up like one of those Instagram couples carrying entire wardrobes across fog-drenched hills just to make it to their perfect picnic. But who wants to appear perfectly put together on holiday anyway?
Holidays are for relaxing – or sleeping off the several lunches you had to eat indoors due to sudden downpours – not stressing about what you’re going to wear tomorrow. There is plenty of advice out there telling you how many interchangeable basics you should cram into your luggage to ensure you never have to wear the same outfit twice.
All well and good until you find yourself overdressed at the campsite BBQ in what is basically tracksuit trousers and an undershirt or wrestling with a hilariously expensive muslin sack masquerading as a jacket in the pouring rain.
British bank holiday weekends require their own special formula, a capsule wardrobe that can take you from pointless hangover card-making through rainforest-esque Sunday lunch to bemused admiration from friends when you casually pull the perfect outfit from yourweekender bag. Below is my foolproof formula for everything you need to see you through three unpredictable days (and nights) anywhere in the country. This isn’t about building the kind of impossibly curated capsule wardrobe dreamed up by Pinterest-dependent menswear brands.
It’s about ticking all the Right sections of the wildly inconsistent British weather/bank holiday experience checkboxes while packing efficiently enough that you can do it all in a single weekender. It’s also about not getting caught out by anything the isles of Britain can throw at you come rain or shine. Like with all good capsule wardrobes, let’s start at the base.
You need two bottoms – one smart, one casual. Smart trousers can be dressed up or down depending on who you’re spending the weekend with – chinos are always a solid shout, go navy, olive, or beige depending on your existing palette. Look for something with a hint of stretch so you’ll be comfortable after way too much drink had over the course of the weekend.
Asket make some great ones in a timeless cut that suit most builds, or go for something with more texture for Interest via Universal Works or Folk. Jeans are pretty much a no-brainer for your casual option, but again, consider the time of year. Summer calls for something lighter weight – go with jeans or even a chino in a more casual cut.
Spring and autumn? Stick to something mid-weight in a darker wash that can handle anything. Now we’re ready for tops – you need four.
These will comprise everything frombase layer to outer layers depending on how unpredictable your weekend’s weather decides to be. Start with an Oxford shirt in white or light blue – they can be dressed up or down depending on whoever you’re sipping bitter with on the picnic rug and are suitable for almost all situations you’ll encounter over a bank holiday weekend. I love Gitman Vintage for the perfect amount of collar roll, but if you don’t want to drop nearly three hundred pounds on an overshirt go for Uniqlo’s surprisingly decent Oxford shirts.
Add some interest with a casual button-up – chambray, gingham, cheque, or plain cotton with some texture are all good options. Portuguese Flannel make some great shirts with just enough weirdness to stand out from the crowd without being distracting. Finally, two t-shirts – white and one other colour or pattern that matches with both your bottom options.
The white tee is your default – it goes under either of your shirts if it gets chilly or on its own if, heck foronce, the sun decides to make an appearance. The second tee gives you some extra optionality without taking up too much space in your bag. This is one area where you really do get what you pay for – a badly-made tee will start pulling at the seams after day one and look like a sweaty rag by day three.
Sunspel make the best t-shirts in Britain and will easily last you a decade, but for something that doesn’t require you selling a kidney Community Clothing do some of the best for a fraction of the price. Now knitwear. You need one good jumper that goes with everything else you’ve packed.
A plain merino crew neck in navy, grey, or olive is safest bet, but if plain-sailing isn’t for you pick something with some texture in the weave or fabric itself. John Smedley make the best knitwear Britain has to offer but Finisterre do some excellent merino jumpers for a couple of quid less. Summer bank holidays can probably get away with no jumper, but I’ve never once had a British bank holiday in August where I haven’t wished I’d packed one.
The trouble with jumpers and knitwear is that most of the time what you think is mild weather for wearing one actually just means you’re uncomfortably sweaty half the time. You need something to slinging over your jumper should the temperature drop without being so bulky that you hate carrying it around all weekend – this is where a lot of people slip up and opt for either a hefty winter jacket for a weekend where you’ll barely use it, or a thin rainproof that won’t keep you warm when the heavens open. You want a mid-layer that can double as outerwear on milder days, but you can wear under a rain jacket should the need arise.
An unstructured blazer in a casual fabric will fill this role nicely. Cotton or lightweight wool are perfect – smart enough to wear to dinner should fancy trousers restaurants be your thing for Sunday lunch, but not too formal to wear over your shirt when you’re catching up with mates for a pub lunch. If a blazer feels too stiff for your weekend plans grab a well-constructed overshirt or chore jacket instead – jacket shaped clothes that err on the casual side of smart.
Private White V.C. make some of the best I’ve tried that will literally last you decades if you look after them, but again both Universal Works and Folk offer similar styles for less than half the price. Go over this with a barely-bulky waterproof jacket. Rain-jackets don’t have to bearena-worthy to be effective – Norwegian brand Rains do some wonderfully minimalist designs that won’t make you look like you’re about to summit Ben Nevis, or pick something from technical outdoor gear company Patagonia.
Their Torrentshell jacket is actually waterproof, and unlike most ‘’ waterproofs” won’t soak through when it does decide to rain. Footwear is where things get tricky – you realistically can only pack two pairs of shoes for a three-day weekend; they need to be capable of handling most situations. First up, make sure you have something fully waterproof.
Not water-resistant, full fucking waterproof. It will rain at some point and you’ll be damned if you’re going to spend a windy climb across a soggy field complaining about how your leather trainers are ruined for life. Clarks’ own Desert Boots are infinitely respectable and more than versatile enough to handle most occasions.
Want something with more character? Tricker’smake some wonderful country boots that can laugh in the face of Mother Nature herself (If you can laugh after your boots have cost you £375, that is). Your other shoe needn’t be waterproof, but it should be comfortable enough to hike to the pub in, yet smart enough to actually go to dinner.
White or tonal, minimalist trainers are your friend here – Veja’s Campo are some of the best around and Adidas Stan Smiths will never let you down. If you can’t face the idea of wearing trainers on your holiday, opt for a pair of loafers or desert boots instead. Finally, accessories – you don’t need loads, but throwing a lightweight scarf/ bandana in your bag can come in handy for keeping warm when the temperature dips at night or providing some relief from the sun should it decide to grace us with its presence.
Same goes for a cap or hat – keeps rain/sun off your face and looks infinitely better than hiding under cafe tables when you can’t be fucked drying your hair before you leave. Don’t forget the basics – minimum of three pairs of socks, non negotiable of three pairs of underwear, and swimming shorts that can double as casual shorts if need be. You only get one summer in Britain and as rare as swimming opportunities are here they do crop up from time to time.
You never know when you’ll suddenly decide to take a dunking. This list should see you covered for most occasions, but the key to getting it right is making sure your clothes all go with each other. Every single top should be able to be worn with both of your bottoms.
Every item of outer wear should be able to be worn on its own or layered over something else. You blazer/overshirt should work as both a mid-layer and a jacket depending on what the weather is doing. Packing shouldn’t just be about packing light, it should be about increasing the amount of outfit options you have without filling your car’s entire boot with luggage.
I spent years experimenting with my bank holiday packing technique. Bookings made then instantly regretted because you packed smart shoes but no jeans to wear with them. Weekend breaks where you’ve brought every long-sleeved top except a jumper.
I once spent a whole bank holiday inThe Lake District wearing only short-sleeved shirts because I thought I was too clever packing seven of them. Why did I not pack a jumper? !
The idea is everything goes with everything else and can handle most of what you throw at it.
So whether thats hanging out in cute cottages baking scones on Friday night – shirt, jeans, blazer, boots. Strolling around antique shops on Saturday in a downpour – casual shirt, jeans, jumper, jacket, boots. Lunchtime beers in the sun on Sunday – t-shirt, chinos, trainers.
That last windy slog back to your car when everyone invariably decides it’s too early for the pub? Throw your jumper back on and order another round. Honing down your bank holiday packing into a fine art can take years, but once you’ve got asystem you never have to faff around at the car on a Saturday morning deciding what to wear.
You just grab whatever’s on top of the pile and head out the door knowing everything is sorted. Last bank holiday we headed to the Peak District. It poured rain on Saturday but unexpectedly gave us some glorious sunshine on Sunday.
We got invited out for drinks in a smart restaurant on Saturday night and went for a ‘little’ hike that took us woefully underprepared through a bog and up a mountain-side. My capsule wardrobe handled it all with ease, whilst my girlfriend begrudgingly wore the same three things she’d packed enough for a fortnights hiking in the Maldives. “How do you always manage to pack so perfectly?” she complained as I nonchalantly whipped out my rain jacket from my impeccably organised travel accessories holder and she dashed inside a cafe to hide from the surprise rain shower. “Practise.” I replied, failing to mention the many bank holidays of inadequate packing that led me to create my foolproof formula. “And because I know that no matter how carefully I pack the British weather will always try to ruin my weekend.”
