wrinkle-resistant, fast-drying fabrics?

Ex Officio makes (or at least made) some nice pants that were a cotton-poly or cotton-nylon blend that dried very fast and were wrinkle-resistant. I think the pants I have even had a Teflon coating to resist stains. They didn't look -- to me at least -- like "traveling pants" either. I bought mine from Sierra Trading Post. I'm not sure the particular style I bought (which were men's, too) are still being sold, but Sierra Trading Post is a good place to start.

If you sign up for their email newsletter, you'll get an email offering a discount on shipping or the purchase price every week or so.

Definitely echo Sierratradingpost.com - I have gotten a few good deals from there. Also, don't laugh, I've had good luck finding travel-friendly clothes at a whole array of stores like Target and Walmart (especially in their workout clothes section, for pants in particular), H&M, Zara, Coldwater Creek, Ann Taylor, Old Navy, Kohls (especially for underwear), LLBean, and more. I have taken clothes from all these stores on multiple trips to Europe that have included lots of sink-washing and it all turned out well. I'm not lucky enough to be able to afford to travel more than once every year or year and a half so for me it's important that my "travel" clothes are clothes I can get use out of at work and home as well. As for fabrics, I've had the best luck (for shirts anyway) with items that have less than 50% cotton that are mostly rayon, nylon, modal, or polyester. For pants, you want to stay away from anything 100% cotton except maybe linen which is nice and lightweight. My experience in general has been that the less cotton, the faster it dries.

Hi Judy,

I bought a couple of pairs of pants from Lucy for my last trip. http://www.lucy.com/Walk%20About%20Pant/224073,default,pd.html?cgid=Pants_In_Lengths&dwvar_224073_color=CINDER

Also, try REI. They had tons of travel clothes on sale right before my last trip.

Boston Proper (catalog and online) has a nice, fashionalble line of travel clothes. Also Chicos has a nice selectionin their travel line but are a little pricey.

campmor.com is another website with travel clothes. I like all nylon for quick dry but some cotton for wrinkle resistance. Good luck!

Ditto to looking for things at your regular retail chain stores (Target, etc.). I have also found great bargains at thrift stores like Goodwill. Since you're in Redmond, your thrift stores may have a higher proportion of "outdoorsy" clothes that fit the bill. My current travel ensemble is made up of a few travel specific items (Royal Robbins brand pants) and a whole host of others (Columbia, White Stag, Target). Every top matches at least one or two bottoms. Everything has been test-washed in the sink and dried overnight. I've also worn all of it to work or out for the day to make sure it's comfortable. Do not skip these last two steps, nothing is worse than being uncomfortable on the road and learning your "quick dry" pants take 3 days to dry.

It's not really about the label "travel" but what the clothes are made of - typically synthetic fiber, non-cotton blends are going to wash and dry overnight and not get too wrinkly. And IMHO, skip the high priced travel underwear - you can find equivalently quick dry pairs at Kohls or JC Penney for a third of the price or less.

I never travel without a Foxcroft shirt and my Lauren chambray shirt. Foxcroft can be purchased at Nordstrom or online. The chambray shirt (my favorite and I have 3) can can be purchased online and perhaps Macy's and/or Nordstrom. No ironing.

My favorite travel shirts are the Lucy Fly Away shirts and Icebreaker Superfine 150 Tech T-lite (wool, but fantastic in any weather). All are easy to wash in a hotel sink and they dry very quickly. Stay away from cotton (even blends) and test everything out at home if you're going to be hand washing. Some items are surprising in how quickly they dry (or don't!).

Judey,

You might have a look at This Website. I use their clothing line extensively while travelling and it's worked very well for me.

The sizing is sometimes a bit "off", so it's better if you can find a local supplier where you can try the items on. If you happen to be in the Vancouver area, they do have a store there, and the staff are exceptionally knowledgeable and helpful.

Happy travels!

What do you do for a clothesline to hang up the clothes you wash in the sink?

Sam's Club! Microfiber underwear, 3pk for $10.00! Fast drying, and oh-so-comfy!

I am also a big Ex Officio fan. I've found their clothes dry the fastest for us and any wrinkles hang out. Since you are in the area, I suggest checking out the Ex Officio stores and looking for sales. The Seattle store has a large clearance area as well. In addition, I like the Savvy Traveler store up in Edmonds. They carry a large selection of travel clothes, and if you are going up to Edmonds for one of Rick's free classes, they are just 2 blocks away.

Judey, go to REI which has many stores in WA. They have a bunch of clothing that you're looking for.

Sheree, there are clothes lines for sale in the travel store of this website. You can also use inflatable hangers.