Clothing Material

cotton is not easy to clean in the sink, will not dry fast, and will not dry without wrinkles. But you don't have to take my word for it -- July is a long time away so you have time to experiment. Take some cotton clothes of the kind you're thinking of bringing and try to wash them in the sink and get them dry.

I do a lot of sink washing when we travel. I like bringing lightweight jersey tops and am always on the lookout for pants and shorts that are a cotton/spandex blend. They fit comfy and dry overnight. Jeans are no good, but if you're going in July, you won't need 'em. I also have some lightweight cotton no-show socks that dry overnight, too.

Start shopping the sales for rayon, bamboo rayon, washable silks, washable wools (best material for a lightweight sweater), microfibers and polyesters. They wash and wear best. Cottons tends to take a long time to dry plus lose their shape when handwashed/hang dried.

Not all polyesters are created equal, some are very comfortable and others are itchy and hot. If it isn't comfortable in the store, it's not going to be better when you are out walking in the heat. Synthetics tend to bring out the body odor, you can find many now with treatments to keep you smelling fresher.

Still stick with the basics, five tops and three bottoms that all can be mixed and matched to give you fifteen outfits. Give yourself a range from more casual to more dressy.

Two pairs of shoes, one sturdy shoe for walking cobblestones all day and a pair of sandals that are nice enough to dress up in but also don't look out of place in a casual setting.

A knee length skirt and a pair of capris are a good place to start. Add a third bottom that suits you.

Even in summer you should carry one lightweight sweater for evenings or unseasonable temperatures. Also have a very lightweight rainshell (with a hood) for the inevitable rain. My wife picked up a waterproof (don't get water resistant) rain jacket at Old Navy recently that was perfect (and cheap).

Bring a swimsuit too.

Good places to shop for sales - Nordstrom's Rack and Filene's Basement seem to have a lot to choose from at good prices. Macy's (and other department stores)always has something on sale. Since most Americans buy cotton, the good travel clothes tend to stay around long enough to go on sale. Sporting goods stores have golf attire that is made of tech fabrics and often on sale.

Brad gave you some good advice. The reason people recommend a cotton/poly blend is that, in a humid climate,the "wicking" action of some synthetics is lost. For instance, in SE Asia cotton would be more comfortable. Being from the Houston area I can tell you about hot and humid!

Just wondering...most people recommend to not bring jeans because they don't wash/hang dry well. What do European's do? Many don't have dryers. I know plenty of European's wear jeans. Like I said...just wondering...

Stay somewhere a couple of days in a row and look at the clothes lines. The pair of jeans that went up on Monday might come down on Wednesday.

Well, I don't know about what kind of clothes one needs for a dig, as we don't know where it is happening. Someplace hot and dry like Israel, or someplace wet and muddy like Germany? So, maybe a few hints?

We don't have a clothes dryer and our clothes just go on a drying rack in the kitchen. Everything is always dry the next day. Winter makes the jeans a bit longer, but not much. The trick is to spread each side out so they aren't next to each other and then the air can circulate. T-shirts will need about an inch of space when you fold them over. Those inflatable hangers sound like a good deal for this.

Once you tell us where you are going, maybe we can recommend some budget department stores, 2nd hand stores or flea markets where you can get some cheap clothing or to drop off your old clothes.

You need to be creating in finding inexpensive clothing. My best travel pants comes from Sams Club at $17. REI in the US has an excellent line of travel clothing at very reasonable prices especially if you are a member and can get the member's 20% coupon. Don't know if these outlets are available in Canada.

The specialized travel clothing from Ex-Offico and TravelSmith tend to be expensive and not worth the price. Check used clothing places like Goodwill to see if some rich folks gave away their expensive travel clothing. As you noted, all cotton should be avoided. Cotton blends up to about 30% do work well. Also,avoid 100% nylon, typical of Ex-Offico, as been to hot.

I know many on here are big fans of washing clothing out in a sink, and I realize as a student you are on a tight budget, but I've stayed at plenty of hostels and only 1 time did I book at a hostel that had a washer, but no dryer. The cost is pretty minimal (1 to 2 Euro for a wash and typically the same for dryer time which can buy you anywhere from 15-45 minutes).

With the exception of underwear, you really only need to wash clothing once a week, and if you only get 15 minutes of dryer time for your 1 Euro, that's often enough to get most of the water out of heavier items so they can dry overnight in your room.

I, for one, think my time is more valuable than the 2-4 Euro it costs to do a load of clothing in a hostel washer/dryer.

The other poster gave you some good advice about finding cheap fast-drying clothing at sporting goods stores (like REI, Dick's Sporting Goods or Modell's). Check the clearance racks and go online to their websites and check the clearance section there as well - I've gotten some great stuff on the websites for up to 75% off the original prices. You can get some great t-shirts, underwear and even capri or cargo pants made from quick-wicking fabrics. Whether you air dry or use a dryer, these synthetic/blend fabrics dry in half the time of a cotton and pack virtually wrinkle free. Off price stores like TJ Maxx, Marshalls or Ross can also be good places to find some light, fast-drying clothing if you are willing to pick through all those racks.

Target and K-mart and Walmart carry T shirts that I like to take. Cotton/Polyester/Lycra blend. They hold up fine. I also take cotton blend "dockers" type pants. I don't do skirts, capris or shorts. I recommend taking 3 to 5 pairs of pants and maybe 1 skirt or sundress if you want. Maybe one pair of city shorts or a skort. 5 Tshirts/tanks and one or two "big" button up long-sleeve shirts to layer. It can serve as a jacket or go over a T to dress it up a bit or be worn alone. All tops and bottoms should match (I use black, red, cobalt blue and purple as my colors). I've never needed a sweater in summer - even in the alps- but I tend to tolerate being cool very well. Take comfortable bras- 3 to 5. Cotton panties- not nylon - will be healthier, at least 5 pair. I like the cotton blend ankle socks- I take 10 pair cause I'd rather not wash them as they don't air dry as soft. If you will have access to a dryer- take fewer.

Hey everyone, thank you so much for replying, and quickly too!

I'm doing an archaeological dig in south central Italy, but I've already figured out what I'm going to be taking for that trip, after talking to students that have been on it before. Also, because I'm traveling after, and I will have inevitably written a lot of stuff (it's a course with my school so I have to do papers and reports almost every day) and accumulated junk, I have budgeted to mail it home. Expensive, but I really don't want to carry around a pound of paper :P

I can also pack a little more 'extravagantly' because of the laundry facilities offered and that I won't be moving around much for the month.

I don't know what I was thinking when I put my location, just ye olde internet paranoia, but I'm based in Toronto and have access to the GTA. I also go to school in Kingston, if there are any shops there.

I'm going to be traveling mostly Western Europe, my sketchy itinerary is

Dig-Rome-Florence-Marseille-Interlaken-Paris-Brussels-Fussen Germany-Venice-Vienna-Prague

Very sketchy outline as I haven't decided definitely, but that's the general ish route.

Thank you all for your lovely replies!

Andrea wrote "most people recommend to not bring jeans because they don't wash/hang dry well. What do European's do? Many don't have dryers. I know plenty of European's wear jeans."

They have multiple pairs of jeans in their closets since they don't have to haul them over the Atlantic Ocean to their house or apartment. They wash some as needed and put them on a clothesline to dry, wearing other clothes in the meantime.

As someone who uses a close-line at home, I can report that it's not hard to dry jeans outdoors....with just a small breeze and dry air they will dry completely in about six hours. But drying them inside, in a room hotel room, it will take much longer.

My worst example of packing cotton wasn't jeans. It was a pair of cotton cargo pants made by Columbia. I loved them at home so packed them. I bought a very cheap pair of polyester cargo pants at Walmart to bring as a second pair.

Within the first couple washings, my Columbia pants no longer fit my waist and they drooped badly in the crotch. I found myself wearing only the cheap Walmart cargo pants for almost the entire trip.

What do Europeans do? Good question, I never asked but I'd guess Europeans buy sizes that don't need to be overdried/shrunk to fit.

Great advice so far!

Let me add: find linen clothing/pants. Not a joke but they are great. I have one pair of linen capri and one pair of linen long pants.

Both linen items dry faster, are cooler (temperature-wise), lighter weight than my 100% cotton capri.

When I travel in the summer, these are the only pants that I will bring with me.

Try to find linen cloth as well.

These items are worth the investment for a traveler.

Try them on and you will see the difference!

The only store mentioned in this post that is in western Canada is Walmart. Any ideas from Canadians as to where they buy travel clothes?

Sheree from Calgary. Go to Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC) for travel clothes, they have many styles, and variety of fabric. Similar to REI in the US.

Brad mentioned rayon, and I'll second that. It's what most Hawaiian shirts are made of. Light, soft, cool, easy to wash and dry. You can certainly find non-tropical shirts and pants.

I suggest you look at second hand clothing shops. Very big in US now, so I assume in Canada as well.

Hi Faith,
Don't know if you have a local Good Will store or second hand store around. I too am looking for cheap clothing and I have had some good luck finding things there. Every couple weeeks I go. Found some REI convertable pants last week for 4.00 dollars.

My husband and I plan on then donating the clothes to a second hand store when in Europe.(not sure I'll leave the REI pants) It will make room in our carryon's to bring home some souviners.

Hope this helps.

Wendy

For Sheree, Faith, and other Canadians---Try Mountain Equipment Co-op "MEC"), a sister store to REI that we have in the US.

http://www.mec.ca/Main/home.jsp

Many of the good manufacturers of outdoor clothing (for hiking, running, skiing, etc.) also make a line of travel-friendly clothing--same wrinkle-free, fast-drying fabrics, but with nice styling, suitable for casual wear.

I find most of my best travel clothing at REI, and you can find the same at MEC.

If you prefer not to shop on-line, use the store locator on the website to find a store near you---they have stores all over Canada, including in Calgary and Toronto.

I disagree with Frank's comments about nylon; I find nylon to be great for pants. I have two pairs of supplex nylon REI adventures pants that are my two favorite pants in my wardrobe. They look just like dress pants, and I get away wearing them with a blazer and a tie all the time. They dry in a flash, they don't wrinkle, they are soft (don't feel like nylon, more like lightweight linen) and very cool. I wear mine here in hot, humid Houston in the summer all the time.