Looking for the best travel clothes? This Bluffworks review will help.
I’m going to talk about travel clothing today, but first let me introduce myself.
My name is Peter, and I’ve had an adventurous life so far: US Marine, screenwriter, world traveler (I’ve been to five of the seven continents!).
Last year I decided the next adventure would be to pursue my Master's degree abroad, so I’m an American from California studying in Belgium. From my university outside of Brussels, I often take trips that last anywhere from a day to a couple weeks.
Effective travel is all about minimalism. On one of my first international adventures, I took a backpack that was over sixty pounds, and I ended up throwing away most of what I brought before the trip was over. I learned a valuable lesson: the more you travel, the less you pack.
Now when I travel, even if it’s for two weeks, I bring very few items of clothing. For instance, the only pants I have is the pair on my body (if there’s interest, I can show you my full packing list in a later post). Everything I bring has to be comfortable (and breathable), flexible, stylish, wrinkle-free, stain-resistant, and work for a lot of different occasions.
I always try to have one outfit that I can take to nice events when they arise, so a stylish button-down shirt that resists wrinkles and feels good has to be in the arsenal along with a versatile pair of pants. I’ve been on a quest to find clothes that hit all of my requirements for years.
This is where Bluffworks comes in. I had never tried them before, but I decided to take some of their travel clothes for a test run during a car and train road trip in France. I’ll be talking about a pair of chinos, a shirt and a vest from Bluffworks.
Bluffwork Chinos
I want to start out by saying how cool it is that Bluffworks offers a 28-inch inseam on their chino pants. I’m sure you know the frustration of only finding 30-inch inseams and longer on your favorite clothing websites.
My ideal length is 27, so I went for the 28. I will get these hemmed to be exactly my size later, but I decided to review them straight out of the box to see if I could grab them and go.
I think you can see in the pictures that it works (but a 30-inch would be disastrous!). Kudos to Bluffworks for catering to the modest gent.
Simply put, I love these pants (if you’re not a chino person, try getting a pair; they are an amazing, low-maintenance style-enhancer).
These look and feel great, don’t wrinkle, and they have a lot of thoughtful details. For instance, there are several security pockets. I’m always on the lookout for pickpockets when I travel, so I wear my wallet either in the front or in an interior coat pocket.
These pants have zippers inside most of the pockets, so I found myself relaxing a little more in crowds. They keep you from being a victim, and they don’t add any bulk or telegraph their security features like other travel clothing options.
The first time I wore these was on a clear winter day with freezing temperatures. They felt great! The next time was the trip to the picturesque French village of Bergues (which is the background of the pictures) on a perfect early Spring day.
When my friend’s affectionate dog slobbered on my leg, I was worried there would be a mark, but a damp paper towel made the stain vanish. These are seriously one of the most versatile trousers I have tried. I highly recommend them.
Notes: I generally wear a 30-inch waist. The Bluffworks 30 felt just a tad snug, but that may be because I had a recent trip where I ate my way across Italy. If you’re right on the line between sizes, I’d recommend going up one.
Bluffworks Meridian Travel Shirt
I tried one of their button up shirts, and I have to say, they nailed the fit. I have had maybe one other shirt in my life that fit the torso and shoulders this well off the rack.
The material is really comfortable. After a couple days of wear, it softens, and you forget you’re wearing something that looks professional.
I wore the same outfit from the first picture to a thesis meeting with faculty and other Masters students. I was the best dressed in the room. You can wear these clothes anywhere.
Notes: Anytime I don’t buy made to measure shirts, I have to shorten the sleeves. I expected that to hold true here, and it did. To make these wearable right out of the box, I did a quick 3/4 roll, which is a great mid-forearm look in Spring. I’ll shorten the sleeve length a little in the future.
Bluffworks Horizon Quilted Vest
I used to think I wasn’t a vest guy. I was wrong.
The Bluffworks travel vest is this awesome mid-layer that I find myself grabbing instinctively from the closet now. It looks great, insulates really well, and makes you feel like Han Solo.
On top of that, its million pockets turn it into sort of an extra carry-on.
Notes: It feels like the vest was designed as an over-layer to be slipped over a flannel or a blazer. For this purpose, I felt the sizing was spot on, but if you want to pair it with something thin like a henley, maybe go one size down.
My Recommendation
In summary, I can tell that whoever is designing for Bluffworks is an experienced traveler. There are so many little touches and details.
I loved how none of the clothing looks travel-y either. They are all just stylish pieces that happen to work amazingly for hitting the road.
This was my first experience with Bluffworks clothing, and I was more than happy. I’ll be turning to them for travel needs in the future.
Hey Peter and Brock, thanks Peter for the tip on Bluffworks. Their shirts are a little expensive for the average guy especially as a casual wear shirt but maybe they go on sale occasionally. As for the vester gilet. I was like you and didn’t think I was a vest guy either. I couldn’t understand their purpose because if it’s cool enough to wear a jacket I want something on my arms. However after I purchased one from the Michael Kors collection I discovered it does have its place in my wardrobe, primarily as a layer under a sports coat or over or under a light weight jacket such as a non-lined denim jacket. The snaps seem to make it more a jacket and probably add more bulk. I do appreciate the many pockets which is why I like the Michael Kors gilet.