Trying to pack light

Don't pay too much at a travelers' website. Just go to Target. They even have microfiber.

Kristi,

You might check the Tilley website to see what percentage of poly/cotton they use in their clothing. That should provide some indication of what to look for.

BTW, I'm also heading for Ireland this Fall!

Cheers!

Whatever clothing you purchase for your trip, hand wash them and hang up to dry one evening. If they are dry the next morning and look suitable then take those items since they passed the test.

There were some items I could not take on my last trip due to the fact they were still damp the next morning.

Good Luck.

JB -- of course that assumes that the relative humidity is always the same as the test day. Our experience is that around 20% cotton still drys pretty quickly. I have a couple of pairs of pants that are less than 30 and dry pretty well if the ventilation is good.

Kristi: Rather than looking only at travel websites, try looking at department stores like Herbergers or JCPenneys. I have bought most of travel clothes from places like these. They carry microfibers and synthetics which are fantastic because they dry quickly and have minimal wrinkling. With a large chain store you may have more luck finding the right size too (if they don't have a size, they can check their nationwide inventory and have it sent from another store) good luck

try EXOFFICIO.com web site directly - their clothes are all oversized to be light-and-quick drying (a med still looks like an XL! so im sure you will find something there - mens/womens etc,

You can even try a sports store like sports authority or sports chalet. They carry quick drying athletic gear, and even warmer camping style gear.

Check out KMart. I love their larger size (1,2 and 3 X and 18-24Womens) cotton-polyester blend pull on pants. I usually wear 1 pair of black pants, and pack 2 more-sometimes one of them is khaki colored. Also check out Catherine's- stores and website- they specialize in sizes 16 and up.

Kristi, we experienced an added bonus when our ensuite bath had a towel warmer. It dried everything quickly, even in the very damp bathroom. I've never shopped for places to stay based on this, but it was a life saver. Also, some of our 100% cotton wasn't as slow to dry as I expected; depends on how heavy the material. I also wear larger sizes and found Walmart had somethings worth taking in Poly and Rayon (my favorite). I also got tops with patterns so that dirt didn't show as quickly. The only draw-back is I was very tired of those clothes after 24 days! Have a great time.

I also tried to be pre-emptive: If I was staying somewhere more than one night, I'd do the handwash the first night, so that it would have 2 nights to dry before I needed it. That gives you a little flexibility if you have something that needs more than overnight to dry.

Kristi,

Your visit won't really be that long. For a 2 weeks' trip, see if you can add another day's worth of clothes, and make a mix/match outfit where you can double up on your items.

Remember you can find a laudrette in Ireland.

I recently found both v-neck and crew neck t-shirts at Target (also available online) in plus size in many colors. They are cotton with lycra. I have tried a wash in sink overnight dry test at home successfully. I do live in a fairly dry climate.

You live in an area that has weather similar to that in Ireland. Go through your present wardrobe and see if anything might be suitable for your travels. Underclothing needs to be dried overnight, but outer clothing can be worn more than once then washed. I was in England in the late fall a few years ago and used the space heater carefully to help dry out clothing. If you take something like a camp towel (very absorptive) to blot all excess moisture from hand-washed clothes, they will dry much more quickly. I, too, take only a three-days supply of clothing and just plan on doing a little hand washing every day or two.