Gear recommendations – 3 season urban minimalist traveler

Duofolds mid weight Dri-Release baselayers are actually pretty good. Even though they only have like 11% wool, they control odor suprisingly well, at least compared to the average untreated 100% synthetic. I'm not sure how it can do that, but it does. They have a great warmth to weight ratio because the Polyester fibers they use are hollow and so trap more heat (they call these hollow poly fibers "Varitherm"). They dry pretty darn fast. These run from about 30 to 40 dollars i've observed.

I recently bought a Champion shirt baselayer which, interestingly uses 12% Wool to Polyester… very reminiscent of the Dri-Release blend. It may be it's the same thing since Duofold and Champion are part of the same company. Difference being is that the Champion stuff is significantly cheaper at 20 dollars, and the shirts aren't quite as well fitted and don't have thumb holes like the. I can't speak for the stink control yet, as i've not used them out in the field except for running. They do dry fast and wick very well.

A trick, i've found is to scour the thrift stores, and i often find thinnish Merino wool shirts in great shape (usually what happens i think, is someone buys a Merino wool shirt, doesn't follow the very specific washing directions and shrinks it below their size and so they donate it, as i've seen a lot of these smaller than listed sized Merino wool shirts and sweaters). These are probably not as "tough" and durable as some of the very expensive big name Outdoor brands, but what i do to get around that a bit is to buy it much larger than my normal size (i wear a medium and so i usually get an X large that is still around that size), and I deliberately, but gently felt it. Felting wool makes it warmer and stronger as the fibers interlock with one another–kind of like hot scaly fiber sex. It also shrinks regular, non treated wool quite a bit, turning that X large shirt into a medium (depending on how much you felt it). Voila, very warm, fairly durable, and very cheap Merino wool outdoor clothing ; )

Good luck with your endeavors.

for base layers you're not going to get more durable than Capilene (1 or 2) I've got some that are going on a decade +!, they also work very well :) Style- they come in different colors and the 2 is offered in a zip neck, not sure how stylish they are. They are also quick drying which should be advantageous even in a city.

for a mid layer I recently picked up a new Capilene 4 hoody, it's very light, breathes well and the hood is very functional- made from a lighter grid fleece, similar to R1, but lighter Style…. I like the looks of mine :)

shell- I'd probably go w/ a waterproof softshell, check out OR's Mithrilite- it's fully taped, has a nice hood and has great side zips for venting- that go from your waist up to your arm pits- the zips go both ways, draw cord hem and velcro wrist closures Style…..looks good to me anyways

I wouldn't give up the Nano Puff, I'd want a lightweight puffy if I was traveling (sans maybe tropical regions), it's light, doesn't take up much room and like you said makes a nice pillow in a pinch

check out Darn Tough socks, I switched to them a couple of years ago, they are sturdier than Smartwool socks IMO (I've owned both) and they come in a wide array of styles/colors

good luck!