I don't like most poly or poly blends, even the cool wicking fabrics because I find them sticky and warm in hot and humid weather. I like linen, and prefer thin rayon to other polys. I was wondering what experiences you have had wearing and packing linen for travel in Europe. I'll be in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic in late June and early August.
Advice and suggestions welcomed. Thanks
There is the whole 'lagenlook' style that is embraced in Europe and started in Germany. Here is a Pinterest link:
https://www.pinterest.ca/hair2red/love-the-lagenlook-style/?lp=true
If you like pressed 'crisp' linen, not everywhere has irons. If you can embrace this wrinkled look, I would hand wash and then hang to dry while dripping rather than wringing it out. The rayon may need an iron more than the linen.
Linen and rayon will wrinkle far more than other blends. We like the synthetic blends with a max of 30% cotton nearly wrinkle free and easy to hand wash. It will be hot and humid no matter what you wear.
I suggest that you bring what you are most comfortable wearing. I, personally, love natural fabrics. I love linen and will, in summer, have at least one linen blouse and/or large over shirt. I have at least one cotton tee with me and always 1 or 2 cotton, tailored blouses. I do also use/bring Lands end modal tees, which only have some cotton in them, but they don't bother me so they add to my changes as well. Other than my jeans, which have a small percentage of spandex intermingled with the cotton, I wear natural fibers when on the airplane...as I'm a neurotic risk manager. ;) They do dry stiffer than man-made fabrics when washed/dried by hand/line, but I find they loosen up over the course of the day. Linen is fine wrinkled, although if I can I will touch them up, but that's just me. My cotton blouses, Jones of NY, seem to dry fine without needing ironing.
So bring what you are comfortable in as it will make you more comfortable when you are out and about all day, even in the heat.
Great ideas, all. Linen wrinkles, and that is fine with me. I knew a fashion designer once, who said that you want your linen to wrinkle so that people know that it's "real linen" and not a blend or faux fabric. Faux fabric used to have a bad name, but that was a long time ago. :)
Someone suggested gauze shirts and slacks, but I don't know anything about care and how they travel. Any experiences?
I wear linen all of the time. When I travel, I starch it fairly well before I leave. I may even find a travel size bottle of starch to bring with us &/or buy a bottle over in Europe. My husband has an ironing thing so as soon as we get to the hotel, he asks for an iron with or with out linen in the suitcase. In Greece, they ironed our garments for us, .50 euro a garment, they wound up burning my husband's shirt because the heat had been up high for my linen pants. If I do that again, I will be leaving clear instructions.
I also pack the linen in the eagle creek travel envelopes, this keeps my linen pressed while we are traveling. https://shop.eaglecreek.com/packit-specter-garment-folder-medium/d/1142C1920?CategoryId=211
Dark linen shows the wrinkles less than the light colors.
I travel with linen in the summer, especially if it is a hot humid place.
First, I bundle wrap. For me, that is the method that prevents wrinkles the best.
I prefer linen knits, like the linen tee shirts from the Gap. I’ve also bought some nice elbow sleeve ones from Loft.
You can also do blends. Anything that is 90% linen or higher will still stay cool.
BTW, I’m seeing a lot of Viscose crepe dresses and tops lately. They are comfy too. While they are not wrinkle proof like polyester, they are highly wrinkle resistant. That’s especially true if you fold and pack them correctly. The wrinkles also go away if you wet them down. They dry quickly. They are also featherweight. My long sleeve knee length dress is 7.8 oz.
Hello. I wear and travel with linen. I remove severe wrinkles with a squirt bottle of water - at home and while travelling.
I also am open to polyester: I bought one of my favorite summer travel tops at the Gap in the Philly airport. I wished I had bought several (ultimately did) because that was all I wanted to wear. It certainly was not warm to wear. It did not wrinkle and dried easily. Plus, the Gap has such sales, the price was right! The Gap keeps making this blouse in different prints each year. I took my first Gap trip online today - only one color I do not like, but I am sure more will come!
On my last trip to Italy, I just couldn't manage the heat and humidity in my cotton blend Ts and capris. I ended up buying several linen pieces and loved them. But here at home where it's dry and cool, linen is just crinkly and stiff, not much fun. So when I found some linen knit tees last summer, I bought one in every colour and style I could. I love them! So comfortable and so breathable. No cling and no wrinkles. I'm constantly on the lookout for knit linen pieces now. That could be a good option for you too.
I solve the problem by not traveling to places with hot, humid weather ☺
When I have had no choice (like Thailand and Vietnam most recently), I've found that very loose clothing is best, and mid-calf length and below-elbow length that keep the sun off are very good. A hat with a wide brim is essential. Light colors. And frequent iced drinks.
Hi! Just wear on what's the best for you and you will feel comfortable, but for me when I'm traveling I tend to wear linen because it's
