Travel Clothing.

I mainly wear: Columbia and Exofficio. Check REI, Campmor and other travel clothes stores. I prefer the Nylon/Polyester blends.....fast drying. Look for fast drying and winkle resistant clothes. They also have them with all kinds of pockets.

Well, Ian, you should do what I do.

Describe exactly what you need, expressiing a desire to have easy to clean shirts, with secure pockets and zippered ones as well, then have your wife buy one for you.

For the live of me, I have no idea how she locates these shirts, but they are the best.

I call them twill shirts.

Hello, I'm the wife (of John) and I originally found the shirts through Eddie Bauers. Then through the King Size catalogue and lastly through the JC Penny big and tall catalogue. The problem is they get harder and harder to find and what one store sells one month, they won't even offer the next month or ever again. So good luck!

You just have to be alert for the clothing. My favorite travel pants is an Outerrim label from Sam's Club. Lands End had some very nice shirts. REI has a travel clothes under the Adventure label. You have lots of choices. Just look around.

Since you live in WA which has a lot of REI stores, you should go to one to take a look around. They have their own brand of clothes, plus many of the ones mentioned so far. I was at a local one this week and picked up some items on sale; they are bringing in the Fall merchandise and the older colors/styles are on sale.

What you need depends on what type of traveler you are. The prototypical RS traveler stays in smaller hotels, has a carry-on bag only, etc. So with limited facilities and clothes the emphasis becomes things that can be easily washed and dry quickly; think synthetics here. On the other hand some people prefer to travel with several bags of items "just in case", stay at upscale hotels and/or don't mind spending money to have clothes cleaned. An entirely different wardrobe for those folks.

If you are looking for something that doesn't scream TRAVEL - my husband found a pair of Dockers with a hidden pocket just behind the regular front pocket. They were purchased at Macy's.

I bought a lot of shirts when I found them on sale. The long- sleeved ones are Columbia and the short-sleeved ones are North Face. My pants are black, 65/35 poly/cotton from Cabela's. Underwear is Exofficio and socks are Smart wool. Oh! and shoes are Rockport World Tour. I hope this helps. REI has some good sales and that's a good place to start. I keep all my travel clothes separate from my regular clothes and only wear them when traveling. That way I don't mind wearing the same clothes for several weeks. (Washing them between wearings, of course)

I've bought travel clothing at TravelSmith and REI. I favor the sun-protecting shirts, and have a vest and pants with hidden pockets. My REI raincoat has a chest pocket that zips and is handy for holding a passport and ticket in airports. I also use a moneybelt under my clothes.

My friends and I have travel vests from Travel Smith. They are lightweight and have many pockets. They are $50 and a favorite item in Travel Smith. My friend wears even when he is not traveling because they are so great. I have a Columbia rain jacket. I prefer to buy the men's because of the extra angled zipped pocket at chest level. It is so handy. Women's jackets do not have this pocket. I also find the men's jackets are longer and cover the bum which is great in wet weather or sitting on wet benches.

Here you go:

http://www.polyvore.com/mens_travel_pack_list/set?id=1440268

It's basically what I pack. On the side it shows where each item can be purchased (or could when I put it together).

I travel shoulder season so this is designed for warm to cool temperatures. I'd change a little if I was expecting summer (hot) or winter (very cold) weather.

Docker's makes good travel pants. I have three pairs by them (but I dont' pack that many). Two are made of polyester but look and feel like cotton khaki's (they come with a hidden pocket on one side). Another is made of coconut husks. It's also very comfortable and permanent press so it travels well.

Izod golf pants are made of microfiber and work great too.

So far my favorite shirts are long sleeve button ups from North Face. They make some very comfortable shirts in hi-tec fabrics that travel well and look good for casual to business casual. I layer them with t-shirts in hi-tec fabrics.

Washable silk is a good travel fabric but usually needs ironing to look dressy.

Tilley wear is by far our favourite travel wear. It washes and dries overnight, has secret pockets everywhere including in the hat and has fabulous guarantees...eg a three year warrantee on the socks, a lifetime warrantee on the hat etc. Its not cheap but I have used mine for years.

Like JB I like ExOfficio and Columbia pants and shirts--lightweight and non-cotton (so washes easily and dries quickly). The online discounter, Sierra Trading Post, often carries both brands heavily discounted. However, availability of sizes/colors/styles varies, as is to be expected with such an outlet. As others have said, REI has its own version, so I also have their pants. I usually pack a "dressy" pair of pants--polyester/linen/rayon blend that doesn't show wrinkles and washes easily. Sometimes I wear a vest with security pockets (Columbia or Eddie Bauer brands); you can stuff items in vest pockets and go through airline security with them since vests count as clothing and not carry-on (a practice often used by pro photographers for some of their gear). For socks I wear Smartwool--unlike cotton socks, wool does not hold moisture which contributes to blisters on feet. My belt is nylon with a plastic "buckle" so I do not need to take it off for airport security.

Travel Smith and Magellan have good selections and reasonable prices. Enjoy!
Duane

Ian,

I'm also a big fan of Tilley clothing and use it extensively when travelling. Many of their products are designed to be washed in a hotel room sink and be mostly dry and ready to wear (without ironing) by the next morning.

I've found their sizing to be a bit inconsistent, so it would be better to visit a store if possible. Tilley has an outlet in Vancouver (if you're planning any visits there in the near future).

Happy travels!

Workout clothing works well too, lots of them have "wicking" material to keep you dry when walking around all day and sweating.

I think there is a place for travel clothing. I know someone who swears by the uv protection, bug repellent clothing by Ex Officio because he travels to the South Pacific islands for business.

But for Europe, I think there is zero need to spend money on this stuff. Would you wear it on a trip to New York or San Francisco? Probably not, and similarly, there is no need to wear it in Paris or London.

You and I must have a different opinion of what travel clothes are. They look just like the clothes I wear at home or recently to Chicago. The only difference them and my more "standard clothes" is the hidden/secure pockets. Ex-Officio does make some safari looking clothes which I agree look odd but REI stuff, the Docker pants, the pants from Sam's Club etc. all look like regular stuff.

Wow! Well thank you everyone for the advice (I've been up day and night poring over pages and pages of travel clothing, you guys are AWESOME!). This is just the stuff I'm looking for!

I'm with Frank. Some of the clothes that I bought for my European travel have been fantastic for business travel. Black skirts, black pants, nice-looking tops all work well in both environments. I don't where the hiking pants to the office, but I love the way my business suitcase is light as well as my tourist suitcase. I used Tilley and Travelsmith and sometimes REI as well as local stores. Pam

Hi Ian:

There are many companies that offer a vast array of clothing designed specifically for smart travelers.

However, I strongly recommend Scottvest for guys. Their vests are truly amazing and good looking.The pants offer hidden pockets also. I have purchased them for gifts so have seen the clothing in action. It's great and does not look dorky. Unfortunately, a large selection for women is non-existance. Perhaps you may want to take a peek...surely can't hurt.

Take care,
Jan

For travel clothes, I don't care as much about hidden pockets as I do about care and weight. I want clothes that are light-weight, can be packed and not need ironing before wearing and can be washed and dried quickly and inexpensively (in a sink or at a laundromat).

Another concern is performance. Will I be comfortable in the clothes or feel like I'm wearing a plastic bag? Will they keep me warm if they get wet? Is the rain-coat water-proof rather than water-resistant? Are my shoes comfortable, durable and able to dress up when needed?

Finally, will I be dressed appropriately? Generally that means wearing clothes that look like what I would normally wear rather that looking like I'm on safari.