Syntetic vs Smart Wool Frugal Travel Clothing for Around the World

Dan, I have owned synthetics from the high end companies as well as from Target and Walmart. I haven't noticed much difference, other than price. Whether it was treated with anti-bacterial protection or not didn't seem to make much difference, at least none I could tell. I use synthetic stuff except for socks. For those I've switched to the smart wool. They just seem more durable.

I don't back pack but we do travel light with convertible carry-on bags. I have tried many travel shirts and pants, both synthetic and natural. The shirts I use now are Eddie Bauer Wrinkle Restistant Relaxed Fit. They will dry overnight no matter where. The pants I use are Royal Robbins Global Traveler, teflon coated, dry overnight. I took a Cutter & Buck golf shirt on the last trip and it wouldn't dry in a day so I threw it into a construction site at night. Smart wool socks, just like above. Ex Officio boxers and t-shirts, they have the no-stink treatment and dry overnight. Silk long underwear set. I just bought a SmartWool long sleeve t-shirt for forty-five bucks and boy, is it nice, light, dries fast. I look at the purchase of travel clothes as an investment and I only wear them for travel. A cashmere sweater is also good. Eddie Bauer Weather Wise rain coat or jacket.

Dan, try SierraTradingPost.com for discount prices on Smartwool, Icebreakers, etc. They have closeouts at great prices, sometimes 60% off an dif you buy one thing they usually include a coupon for 20% off your next purchase over $75. Good synthetic is fine (Ex Officio, Patagonia, Eddie Bauer, Columbia, etc.) but the "no stink" finish will eventually wash or wear out. And then you have to be really careful about wearing it. I keep trying to convince my husband of this and switch him to wool. It is not fun to sit next to him on the airplane when he is wearing his synthetic Tshirt. For travel pants, nylon weave is good, or poly. REI has some men's Prana pants that look good. My hubbie loves his Ex Officio "Streamline" pants (nice fabric, no cargo pockets) but unfortunately they discontinued them. A few pieces of good things are way better than lots of cheap stuff. It is worth the investment, especially if you can find it on sale at Sierra Trading Post.

Actually sierra Trading Post is offering an extra 25% off everything right now, with the code on the website (SITEWOW412): http://www.sierratradingpost.com/iando-bio-merino~b~3225/ Not much Smartwook but check Io/Bio, Ibex, and Icebreaker. All nice wool, good men's styles (esp. IO/Bio).

In my experience, the only thing that really works is rinsing and drying completely everything you wear on a regular basis, and use some kind of soap when you do it (could even be shampoo). In Thailand, that might mean every day to get the stink out. Whatever you buy, test wash and dry it BEFORE YOU LEAVE. Nothing worse than finding out it takes two full days for your pants to dry while you're needing to wear them. You might be able to find some good technical layering pieces that will work as short sleeves in the warmer climates (e.g. Duofold). I've found good deals online at Campmor, Sierra Trading Post, and even REI. I've also found great deals at Goodwill, TJ Maxx, and Target. Look at travel clothes to learn what constitutes "easy care" fabric, and then you can search for easy care travel items elsewhere for lower prices. My personal wardrobe consists of a couple expensive items (travel pants by Royal Robbins) and the rest are from thrift stores and bargain outlets. You might also check on other forums like Lonely Planet Thorn Tree that caters to backpacking folks.

I have great success with Smartwool teeshirts from REI. They are pricey but dry very quickly and don't get stinky even with day after day of being sweat soaked.

I hear smart wool takes a long time to dry and some people have recommended exoffcio since it has the aegis stink treatment. Anyone have good luck with bamoboo products as they are said to have similar items. What polos would you suggest as they are dressier than a t-shirt. They have some wicking ones made for golfing. What button ups would you suggest with these properties that don't wrinkle. I am finding it hard to get this stuff used. Is there a off company of some of this stuff instead of exofficio does campour, or someone else make similar gear under their re- branded line (similar to rei)?

To respond to a earlier poster if these travel special clothing makes no difference should I simply get wicking stuff from target which doesn't have anti bacterial to save some money, can you spray it with something to avoid funk, sweat, bacteria? There has to be a solution between the hyped up / marketed travel gear and normal syntetics, my main concern is bacteria.

This any good? Something better out there...? http://www.purestcolloids.com/mesosilver-colloidal-silver-spray-cream-gel.php

Nearly every major chain that specializes in outdoor or active sportswear has a section for clearance items online and many have a separate link to their outlet. Before I did a year RTW where part of my time was spent outdoors hiking (both in hot and cold climates) I was able to score a lot of items with wicking, anti-bacterial, SPF and insect repellant properties by buying through the outlets or on clearance. I don't recommend trying to get that kind of stuff used at a thrift store. A lot of those features only last through a certain number of washings so if you could even find it used, it's unlikely to perform. The synthetic stuff does tend to hold the stank more. Luckily, I'm not a particularly sweaty person when I work out or hike so I mix the synthetics with natural fibers since the synthetic packs lighter and dries faster. Try REI's online outlet, Eastern Mountain Sports, Cabella's and even Lands End for some active wear with those features. For stuff to wear in more urban areas, websites like TravelSmith also have clearance items online.

Dan, I just returned from a month in Thailand/Cambodia and t-shirts are $2-3 at the market. I bought a few and love them. They are thin, cheap cotton, but they dry over night and they double as a souvenir. I do swear by smart wool but maybe invest in very few smart wool stuff as when you get to Thailand, you probably won't get much use/wear out of them. I normally swear by synthetic and wool products, but I found myself wearing my $2 t-shirts more often. ex-officio has the best underwear in my opinion. They are pricey, but they will last for a long time and still look good!

I second Kate's recommendation of ExOfficio under ware. I take 3 of their tee shirts and 3 underpants to Europe every summer when I go for a month. Ware them for 3 days and then wash them out in the sink and they dry overnight. They were expensive when I bought them but they do last a LONG time.

What button up shirt brands would you reccomemd that don't wrinkle, dry quick, have that antibacterial coating, dry quickly/wicking etc... ? I'm skinny and it's hard to find things that fit right.

I have a couple of long-sleeve synthetic shirts from Columbia. They don't hold wrinkles and are quick to dry after sink washing. They come in both men's and women's sizes. I bought mine at REI.

I've come full circle it seems regarding wool versus synthetic tops. The last couple of trips I have utilized a SmartWool mid-weight 1/4 zip sweater as well as a lightweight SmartWool t-shirt. By layering with a shirt and, if needed, a wind resistant shell, I am comfortable to freezing temperatures +- a few degrees. For me, SmartWool is light in weight, very comfortable and does not become "objectionable" as with synthetics that enter that category after one day of active use. I also have experience with shirts made with cacona and really like same as mine are easy care and act similarly to SmartWool per the odor issue and handle hot/humid weather well. Synthetic shirts from Eddie Bauer, Ef Officio, REI and the like are part of my kit. Pants? I have become attached to Supplex ones made by TravelSmith and are perfect for trekking, hiking, biking and look pretty decent for somewhat nicer restaurants. These are easy care, light and comfortable. All of the above can be had at good or better discounts through careful shopping.

Dan, for shirts I've had pretty good luck with Lands End. I look for blends of cotton and polyester and have found they wear well and dry quickly. They also aren't all that expensive. No anti-bacterial coating, though, but as noted in an earlier post, I'm not sure these treatments really do anything. My favorite, most versatile pants are an Ex Officio brand that was a cotton/synthetic blend, coated with Teflon. Ex Officio stopped making them (which I cannot understand), so I'm now using Ex Officio or Royal Robbins all-synthetic pants (Nylon or something similar). Not nearly as comfortable in comparison, but otherwise they work.