RipSkirts in Belize

RipSkirts in Belize

After two years and one giant horrifying pandemic, my husband and I planned a vacation out of our home state of Georgia to the Central American country of Belize. We would spend eight glorious days and nights on an island off Belize City and promised ourselves to keep everything as simple and low-key as possible. Sadly, that included what I would pack in my teeny-tiny carry-on suitcase.

My problem with packing for a beach or warm-weather vacation is that I hate shorts and love sundresses, and truly, I’m not a big fan of coverups. But, since our only activities would be near or in the water most of the trip, I needed easy wardrobe alternatives to shorts and something that wouldn’t look like a soggy mess when I got out of the water in a wet bathing suit.

The island where we stayed, Ambergris Caye, is only about a 10-minute kayak paddle away from the reef, the second-largest in the world after the Great Barrier Reef, so, I knew I would need versatile, but cute, pieces. Items that could take me from the pool, kayak trip, snorkeling, or a sunset cruise with a jump in the water, to our resort bar or a nice beachside restaurant. That’s where RipSkirts came in very handy.

The skirts come in four lengths and a plethora of patterns and colors. I went with the shortest of the four, and a medium length for a little more cover.

 

The RipSkirt company was founded 7 years ago by Alecia Elsasser, who like me, discovered that she needed to solve a problem.

Elsasser is a lover of water sports, but she’s also a practical woman, and getting in and out of the water — while trying to also look cute, but covering the bits of your body you may not want to show to the world — can be a challenge. It didn’t take long for the Elsasser’s Maui-made skirts to earn an almost cult-like following from friends, and the brand has evolved and exploded since then.

I packed my flip-flops, a couple of sundresses, a hat, and my sunscreen.

I chose RipSkirt colors that matched my one-piece orange suit and my red bikini.

Let me tell you, it was a breeze flying with a small carry-on suitcase. We took a big plane, and then a six-seater to the island, and I was so happy not to have to be dragging a huge monster bag.

When we settled into our casita, I immediately changed into my suit and threw on my longer RipSkirt for our Taco Tuesday happy hour.

I felt comfortable and well-dressed, while we sipped our Rum punches by the pool.

When it was time for a dip, I ripped. And unlike my friend, who had to go back to her room to change for dinner, I put on my skirt, sat in the sun, and within a few minutes, my RipSkirt was dry and we headed out to try a Belizean restaurant.

Our trip to Belize was to celebrate my birthday, and without saying how old I am (I will say I enjoy 80s music), although I’m pretty fit, I’m not as petite as I once was, and to have a skirt to throw on over my swimsuit or to wear with a tank top or tee shirt that allows me to be active, without looking like I’m wearing a tent, or having that unsightly wet backside, isn’t easy to find.

The thing about wearing a coverup or in my case, one of the floral and beautiful RipSkirts is that in addition to its incredible ability to dry super-fast, it also gives me the confidence I need to feel like I look my best.

My favorite RipSkirt moment was on our sunset cruise. We traveled with another couple, and the boat had enough seats for another eight people, none of whom we knew. When our captain dropped anchor, positioning us for a perfect view of the sunset, we all had the opportunity to dive into the crystal blue Caribbean. Unlike most of the women in my group who refused to jump in, lest they be forced to sit in wet suits and drippy coverups, I ripped off my skirt and dove right in.

My skirt also proved extremely functional on the day we decided to bike to a beach not too far from our resort.

I was cool, covered, and my RipSkirt was great to throw on after sunning and eating all day.

A few years ago, I challenged myself to only shop in my closet. I felt I’d gone overboard, buying new things for wardrobe every season, and it was time to see if I was overdoing it. So, for one year, I refrained from buying myself any clothes—no socks, no pants, no new cute tops for summer, no new panties. The result was that by the time the year was up, I needed a couple of things that had worn out, but what I really learned was to buy better, not more often; not only to shop for quality, but also for function, and that really has stuck. This brings me to RipSkirts. Not only are they high-quality,  meaning they’ll last forever, but most importantly they’re functional. And that, my friends, is worth it to me.

Check out this story and recipes from Belize: Learning a New Culinary Language in Belize.