Are "travel" clothes really worth it?

I would agree if talking about all nylon which is typical of the some of the Ex Office, TravelSmith, etc. style of clothing. However, we have acquired a specialized travel wardrobe that works very well for us. Everything is some type of synthetic blend that washes well, dry well, and has looked good for years. Some of it very stylish. But it is a process of find things that work. We have worked our way through a number of items that did work as well as we liked so they didn't make the next trip. We avoid anything that is 100% cotton. Our pants are 20 to maybe 30% cotton blend. Our socks are 100% wool. And everything else is a synthetic but nothing that is 100% nylon. REI has a nice line of travel clothes that I don't think the average person would know that they are not cotton.

I agree that a cotton/polyester blend is best. I'm really saddened that Ex Officio stopped making the best travel pant I've found that was a blend. Now everything seems to be nylon. Travel Smith advertises a pair that is a blend, but I haven't tried them yet. I suggest looking for pants that aren't specifically made for travel. They won't have the nice zippered or hidden pockets, but they may dry well after a sink washing. I find it slightly ironic that I'm now excited when I find a shirt or pair of pants I'm looking at is a blend after so many years of turning my nose up at anything synthetic. True, synthetics have gotten better and more comfortable, but it still feels odd.

As a woman I say NO to most travel clothes sold as such,, meaning, a synthetic no wrinkle wash in the sink dress/top /pants from a travel store =100 dollars, same dress item type from Sears, or whatever store,, = 40 bucks. I can always find the same or similar and 1/4-1/2 price at "normal" stores. I did buy those undies once, 30 bucks for undies,, ugly,, and found they were absolutely no better then what is available for women in many normal stores at 1/4 price. For MEN it may be different as most mens undies in regular stores seem to involve alot of heavier cotton that would take longer to dry .
I only bought one pair and took them on the only RS tour I have ever taken, since you move every 2 days I figured it would be smart to have something that was fast drying,, but found my regular gear dried just as fast,, no advantage( if you are woman that normally wears big cotton granny panties then this would not apply to you)

Allan, you and I live in similar climates. I wear several Exofficio pieces 9 months of the year because it is higher tech. Just bought a shirt from Orvis that is lighterweight than anything else in my closet and good for these already 94 degree days. Likewise I have 2 pucker-cloth pants and jackets from Orvis and Exofficio that get worn 4 times a week in the summer and on vacations all over. Don't like the synthetic pants you mention ( which can also be purchased for lower prices from Sierra ) and only ever used one pair for Galapagos. My husband has some Jos. Banks" travelers pants" ( some synthetic, mostly cotton) which look normal but wear well, don't wrinkle, and wash in the sink. In our case, the 'travel clothes' are worth the price because they are in rotation in everyday life. You might think those therefore are not "travel clothes" but, that's how I found them and justified their initially high price.
I'd say my Eddie Bauer down coat is 'travel clothes' because I only use it for ski trips or winter Euro travels, but it certainly worth it for those few days of the year.

I want to be able to wear what i buy for Europe in the states too. But then again, I am not into washing my things in the sink, other than under pants and socks. I just stick with Sweaters and jeans (I travel Nov/Dec).

They are worth it to me. I am most interested in the functional aspects and am pretty happy with the wrinkle free and drying aspects of my travel clothes. To me it isn't a big deal if they are'nt the latest style. I do wear a few of my travel clothes (like my Scottevest jacket) but most are just for travel.

I've found many clothes that work really well for travel, normally my favorites aren't marketed as travel clothes. Some of my personal favorites: - underarmour underwear. These are the best. I've had pairs for years for daily wear, domestic travel, international travel, camping, hand washing, etc. and they still look and feel new. I'd highly recommend them. - underarmour crew socks. I haven't been using these as long but they seem to wear really well and are nice enough to wear as dress socks. I have about five pairs of identical black UA crew socks and pull three pairs out of the drawer when I pack. - Polyester/Nylon/Rayon/Silk/Wool shirts and sweaters. On my most recent trip the shirt I liked least was an REI brand shirt. The shirt I liked most was a long sleeve casual button-up shirt from Nordstrom's Rack (made of a poly/rayon blend) that I bought for less than half the retail price. I also brought another short-sleeve button-up from Macy's that was polyester and worked well. I prefer shirts that don't look like "travel" shirts. I wear these shirts at home too, they just work well for travel. - Pants. This year I brought two pairs of pants from Macy's. One was their store brand Tasso Elba(?) khaki colored slacks that are all polyester, the other was sage, also polyester, made by Talia. I bought both because they look like normal pants (I use them with blazers/sport coats at home for Monday and Friday business wear). They feel similar to cotton or wool pants, not like travel pants (that often feel like a plastic bag), but pack and wear/wash and wear very well. Both were bought on sale for way less than travel pants sell for. I used to love golf pants, but am now going with a slimmer cut and haven't found the perfect golf pant in that style yet.

Thanks for the input. I may check out
some of those brands.

I have been very pleased with some travel clothes that I have picked up. I don't reserve them for European trips, but use them all the time for US travel as well and even just for work in NYC. As someone pointed out, they don't wrinkle and I hate to iron! I bought cardigan sweater that was black with pockets and a tight weave from TravelSmith over ten years ago. It has been incredibly useful the last few weeks. I tore the meniscus in my knew and have been hobbling around NY and having those pockets and have been a life saver. I have also a pair of Tilly Silk black pants that are indispensable. I wish I had them in some other colors! Pam

I like the travel clothes from Tilley's. Our trips are usually 2-2 1/2 weeks and you can't always find a laundry. I don't want to pack 2 weeks of clothes. Tilley's are all wash-and-dry-overnight and they also have features like hidden security pockets. They're well-made and look good.

I thought the rules on this site prohibited snarky comments, and now pat is on record insulting "big cotton granny panties." Is that really necessary? Maybe some of us prefer all natural fabric in a non-thong like style. And maybe some of us like to honor the wisdom of our grannies. And is this a gender issue? I saw no such disparagement of men's tighty whities. Just sayin.

I have gone to Europe for 9 of the last 10 years, soon to be 10 of 11, and stay for a month. I have a travel "wardrobe" of almost exclusively ExOfficio items that range from 5 to 10 years old. I only pack 3 of each item and wash them out in the sink as needed. I purchased most of them on sale at an ExOfficio warehouse in Seattle but have also paid full price for a few thru their catalogue. I am extremely happy with their performance and durability.

Lighten up ! Snarky is in the eye of the beholder or the wearer. Nothing wrong with the comment since it was intended in a humorous way. And it was.

As was my comment meant in a humorous way. Don't get your traveling knickers in a twist!

...especially if they're "thongs"!

Speaking of underwear, it seems men could skip the expensive kinds if they wore boxers instead of briefs. Boxers are usually thin material that would dry very quickly. Plus guys - they're just better looking than tighty-whities! ;) I don't buy travel clothes but I won't be going on any trips that last longer than a week in the next two years, most likely, so it's easier for me to pack light without special clothing. If I was going on longer trips I'd consider a few items.

Two words: Go Commando! Think of the space you will save as well as less laundry every evening.

My underwear are boxerjocks. I haven't worn "briefs" since I was in fifth grade. After years of wearing boxers, I went to boxer briefs until I found the underarmour boxerjocks. I use the 9" inseam, they come in three different lengths, I've tried each and liked the 6" and 9" inseams but have settled on the longer. Jo, If I went commando, I'd wash my pants after each wear - too much work. LOL.

I don't know...thinking about RS Helpline members going commando doesn't seem all that appealing. :)

I've assembled a travel wardrobe that's only for travel. The pants are 65/35 poly/cotton blend and work well. The shirts are mainly Columbia brand and are a poly not nylon. I've used a blend in shirts but the travel shirts hold up to sink washing much better. The underwear is Exofficio and the socks are Smartwool. I like having a "travel wardrobe" that I only use for travel, it's easier to wear the same things over and over if you only use them for travel.

Maybe at the next Denver meeting, Lee will share that going commando is the secret to his 4 lb suitcase. Fair warning to Denver attendees. Don't look when he says, "Wanna see my secret?"

Karen, I've visited Lee's website and can attest he packs, yes, white briefs.

I would have to say no. My husband and I spent a ton of money on REI and Eddie Bauer travel clothes. My husband ended up stinking up the shirts anyways because they said they would dry in 3-4 hours and we washed them the night before leaving and bad idea. We had to throw them out. I never wore the REI travel dresses I brought. I think those clothes are made for travel to the SW desert where you go hiking or something. I say, just bring normal clothes, cotton ones, skirts, regular khakis, 1 pr jeans depending on where you are going. If you'd like, maybe leggings. Wearing "regular" clothes are just easier, plus you wont stick out like crazy, too.

Allen, those are some very good points you make. I personally like to wear linen as much as possible. Its light to carry so you will have a lighter pack. It looks nice in case you want to go out for a nice dinner, and it dries pretty quick too. I recommend dress socks too. they also dry quicker and wont absorb so much sweat. I hope this helps. happy adventures!

I just pack what I wear at home and have never bought "travel" clothes due to the expense. The only item I have purchased that fit the bill is a pair of Smartwool soxs which I love. It seems to me that for our last few trips, all the bathrooms had the heated towel racks which dries just about anything overnight and is wonderful. I have washed out cotton PJ's and cotton T sheets and everything is dry the next morning.

I pack Tilley travel underwear & socks and have switched from heavy cotton golf shirts & shorts to a poly/cotton blend - thinner, lighter, less wrinkles & quicker drying. I wear a pair of ECCO shoes or runners (depending on trip) and only pack thongs/sandals. I do wear jeans because I like wearing them and pack a light weight pair of khaki pants (or black for GB). Boxer shorts have been mentioned but I find that the elastic waist bands take too long to dry. My travel gear is rarely worn when we're at home and saved in a drawer for the 2 or 3 trips we take a year (not all across the Atlantic!). IMHO most of the synthetic materials used nowadays are quite comfortable for me - I did not like them in the past.

Allen, I also use Tilley travel clothing extensively on my trips, and IMHO that is "worth it". The clothes are durable and easy to look after, especially when not able to do laundry on a regular basis. I sometimes travel for two months, so having good quality, robust and easy-care travel clothing is important to me. Cheers!

In general I would wear normal clothes, although I do have some clothes which I generally only wear while travelling, due to a different climate from where I live. I keep travelling in mind when buying certain things but would not buy special travel clothes. Partly expense of having infrequently worn clothes but I prefer to wear normal clothes. Some travel clothes - zip off pants for example, simply don't do it for me.

I suppose I would have to say travel clothes are not worth the special cost since I do not have any clothes that are specifically set aside for travel. I pack the number of undies I need for a trip (yes, I have packed 14 pair+ in the past) and they always come back home with me. I always have two pairs of shoes on my travels (I cannot wear the same pair every day for that long), so the underwear get placed in a baggie inside the pair that is packed. No extra space taken (although it does add a little bit of weight). I have found though that cotton underwear does dry overnight if an emergency should arise. I do like the Smartwool socks and do pack those for a trip, but I regularly wear them at home, so do not consider them travel socks. Other than that, I wear my regular clothes whilst on travel. It works for me. I wear light colored cotton long and short sleeved t-shirts almost every day of a trip (like the kind you would get at the Gap) and they work for me. You can usually spot clean these and if blow dried for a couple of minutes, they will dry overnight. I don't hang my clothes in the bathroom and find that they dry faster in the sleeping area of a hotel room. Ultimately, your own experiences will speak to what you want to wear on a trip.

I do not buy travel clothes as such. Some of the all synthetic clothing I find to be very hot in the summer. Prefer natural fabrics; linen and cotton, or blends including a high content of these fabrics. Really like knit outfits from L.L. Bean, Orvis and Norm Thompson. NT has spandex knit pants that look dressy and are comfy and easy to sink wash. I like my knit outfits to look smart, not sloppy. Black tee, black slacks, pretty scarf; I'm set. Also especially comfortable and good looking are pants and "blue jeans" made from Tencel fabric. It's a cotton blend, and feels silky next to the skin, is very lightweight. Orvis and Norm Thompson both have men and women's "jeans" made from this fabric. I put jeans in quotations because the Tencel pants do not have the heavy seams of regular jeans that cut into you in the seat when you wear them on a long plane flight. The fit is more like lightweight khaki pants. Very little to no wrinkling.

Paul, that reminds me of my first trip to Europe as a newlywed.
We were at a beach in France for about half an hour when my wife finally remarked "Oh, my goodness! There are topless women here!" I answered: "Really? I...I ...never...noticed."