Plus size travel clothes for women

I'm not familiar with Universal Standard. Have you tried their Tee Rex? I like that it is a cotton/modal blend. My workhorse tees from Land's End are that fabric combo but they've gone away from the modal tees (which dry quickly) to 100% cotton which do not dry overnight. My current travel tees are years old and I am afraid they do not have many more trips in them!

I usually wear the Gloria Vanderbilt Amanda jeans at home and for travel. I can order the plus sizes from Costco and they are way less than store prices. The last trip I did to Italy I took the 32 degree knit pull on pants from Costco. They are very inexpensive so are good for a couple of trips and then start to pill.

For the Fall trip I also splashed out and got the LLBean Vista camp capris as I knew it might be hot and they are lightweight. I liked the fit (runs small) and that they dried well but when I got back home and washed them in the machine I realized they had pilled in the crotch. I'm not spending $80 for pants where the fabric doesn't hold up. OK with spending $12.99 or whatever and it pills. NOT OK with $80!

Thanks for your links!

Underwear - Fruit of the Loom microfiber. Lightweight and dries quickly. Comfortable like cotton.

Bras - just take my normal ones, nothing "travel special" about them.

Shirts - Lands End Supima cotton polos. Lighter weight than the mesh polos. Not sure how long one would take to air-dry.

Socks - a synthetic blend from Target. They usually air dry overnight.

Pants - still looking for a quick-dry alternative to cotton blend pants and jeans. And I want pants. Not capris, not leggings, not ankle pants, not joggers. And deep pockets would be great. Why don't they make women's pants with deep pockets like men's???

Hat - expecting a "packable" sun hat from Duluth Trading this week.

Thanks for the links.

Shirts, pants, and underwear and bras: Ex Officio. Even better if the pants are in sale.

I do like the US Tee Rex shirt. It fits well. They have a promotion where you can get a free shirt (well, pay for shipping only) if you want to try it out (but for everything else, wait for the sales).

Unfortunately, none of the mentioned brands are really plus-sized, particularly in pants. I have moved to these brands to make it easier to find comfortable, stylish plus sizes.

I like Alder pants--they come in plus sizes. (Alderapparel.com) Alder is a small company so sadly few sales. I have not tried the skirt, dress, fleece or Ts. But the pants wear well and do not need to be laundered often. I have not sink washed them yet but believe that they would dry quickly. I also like Duluth's NoGA pants which also wear well and do not need to be laundered often. Have only noticed pilling on the NoGA pants that have been worn and washed for many years so those have been relegated to wearing only at home now. I do have a newer pair ready to go into rotation. I wear either Duluth undies which dry quickly or Merino Country wool undies which also dry quickly. Do not wear bras often as they hurt my scars from breast cancer so I usually skip those (sorry for the TMI) so I cannot really help with those.

I’ve not tried Alder. There is a brick and mortar Duluth Trading Post just across the state line from me but I’ve never stopped there. I keep saying I’m going to!

Mariam, all the brands I’ve listed come in plus sizes. I saw the offer for the free Tee Rex so maybe I’ll try them.

I also forgot Coolibar UPF clothing which has extended sizes into the Plus range. I got a hooded zip front jacket on sale recently from them although it’s too lightweight to wear right now. The initial wash and dry was fine. Seems generously sized. I will probably order some SS tees from them when their spring colors come out.

I like Columbia shirts, PFG. They have a slightly tailored look, wash easily, dry quickly, and have a hidden zipper side pocket.
https://www.columbia.com/c/shirts/?prefv1=Women%27s&prefn1=genderGroup&cgid=shirts&pos=9

The T-Rex is a good shirt. I have two black and 1 grey that I wear all the time.
Woolx makes true plus size Merino clothes (not just a 16 or 18-- I'm looking at you Smartwool). I'm a size 20-22 so get frustrated when clothing companies advertise their plus sized lines and then the sizes go up to a 16 or 18. I have a midweight merino long sleeve shirt and a lightweight merino t shirt from them. I also just bought a lightweight merino hoodie that is going to be perfect for layering on an upcoming trip to Portugal.
I am wearing Duluth Flexpedition bootcut pants in navy as I type this. Wore them on a trip to Ireland last spring where I got soaked on the top of Dun Aonghasa, but the wind was so strong that they were dry by the time we got back down from the fort. Just ordered a pair in black for my next trip.
My Ex Officio undies will last probably another trip or two, but might replace them with the other options listed above.

Try Chico’s; sizing is a little difficult to get used to…. The Zenergy label and Travelers label offer some durable, different weighted coordinated outfits. I’ve found that I sometimes need to buy 2 sizes and return the one that doesn’t fit. The Neema style under Zenergy has very quick dry, light clothes, minimal wrinkling even when hand washed, perfect for carry on travelers. The entire outfits can be a little pricey, but not much higher than mentioned. They do go on sale so keep an eye on the website or app.

Thanks for starting this thread, Mariam!
It's always good to find out about other companies trying to meet the needs of plus-size travelers.

I am currently in the 16/18 range, but have worn larger sizes in the past. I am also on the tall side, which adds another issue. I see that Universal Standard doesn't note lengths, and appear to be on the short side, so probably not for me.

My favorite travel tee is from landsEnd:
https://www.landsend.com/products/womens-34-sleeve-supima-cotton-crewneck-tunic/id_335921?attributes=21576,44967
I know others avoid all cotton, but I don't travel in hot weather, or sink wash, so they work for me.

JJill, LL Bean, and Eddie Bauer usually work for me, too.

Thanks for starting this thread, Mariam! It's always good to find out
about other companies trying to meet the needs of plus-size travelers.

I am currently in the 16/18 range, but have worn larger sizes in the
past. I am also on the tall side, which adds another issue. I see that
Universal Standard doesn't note lengths, and appear to be on the short
side, so probably not for me.

My favorite travel tee is from landsEnd:
https://www.landsend.com/products/womens-34-sleeve-supima-cotton-crewneck-tunic/id_335921?attributes=21576,44967
I know others avoid all cotton, but I don't travel in hot weather, or
sink wash, so they work for me.

JJill, LL Bean, and Eddie Bauer usually work for me, too.

I usually order the Men's Lands End Polos in Tall. I like that the length covers my backside. Just wish they had more colors.

Woman Within offers cotton T-shirts in tunic length too. Several neck opening options and lots of colors. I'll have to check out Lands End's supima tunic t-shirts.

One issue with cotton is dark colors bleeding in the wash. If you are doing machine washing for more than 1 person, you can probably make a full load of lights and another of darks however often. But with just 1, the entire suitcase probably takes only a small load, so separating lights and darks for $X per load is something to consider. I have 2 pairs of jeans that bleed heavily in the wash even after 3-4 years. Even in the first wash I did with them with other darks, they bled into the others. Luckily the others didn't stay "bled into". I washed them again with a "color-catcher" sheet and they were fine. I'm going to have to test the real effectiveness of the "color-catcher" sheets with a white cotton something and the "bloody" jeans.

I am currently in the 16/18 range, but have worn larger sizes in the
past. I am also on the tall side, which adds another issue. I see that
Universal Standard doesn't note lengths, and appear to be on the short
side, so probably not for me.

Universal Standard pants seem to run long. And they have tall versions of their pants. If you check out the details, they give exact specs for each item of clothing. So you should be able to find out the inseam for the pants you are interested in. Also, they show you realistic models of what many of the clothes look like.

Woman Within offers cotton T-shirts in tunic length too.

I have purchased their clothes, and they work and come in a wide range of sizes, but the quality is so poor. I am always frustrated.

This brings up another question. Has anyone ever seen a skort with full leggings instead of shorts under the skirt?
During the summer, I really need coverage of leggings to keep the sun off my legs.

You can buy stretchy leggings or armsleeves that you can pull on or off anytime. I use the arm sleeves so as not to get too much sun when I exercise outside. I also brought them with me in Spain to pull on with my t-shirt when the weather got cool. You can find them on Amazon.

I have purchased their clothes, and they work and come in a wide range
of sizes, but the quality is so poor. I am always frustrated.

Yes, this seems to be an issue lately. Not so much in the past.

They used to offer their standard elastic waist pants in corduroy, but then they started making them for folks with VERY wide waists and VERY narrow legs >> An Apple on toothpicks. I couldn't sit in them because the legs were so tight and the waist was at least 10-inches too big. Haven't ordered them in several years.

I always try on every item and check all the seams, pockets, etc. Just because the blue one fits doesn't mean the red one will. And the seams may be fine in the purple, but not the pink. Not just WW, but every brand.

They also don't bother matching the stripes/plaid in seams. This is a personal pet-peeve. Even high-end brands don't bother matching the pattern at the seams! Just tacky.

@funpig…I use sun sleeves all summer. I like the ones from Outdoor Research which will stay up. Coolibar also has them as well as shorter sun gloves which I wear when driving. There is a company called Farmers Defense that has wonderful prints for sunsleeves but I have not ordered any so not sure of the fit or quality. But, wow, are they cute!

Mariam, Thanks for posting about Universal Standard Clothing. I’ll have to check out their website.

Has anyone ever seen a skort with full leggings instead of shorts under the skirt?

In Australia, you can buy these from modest clothing stores aimed at the Islamic market.

I just put a skirt on over my leggings. Makes washing easier as I just wash the leggings after every wear while the skirt gets worn multiple times before washing.

While style, fashion and taste are subjective, I've noticed that there's more options available now for larger-sized women.

One brand that stands-out is The North Face, they've got quite a bit in both outerwear and sportswear, which much can be translated into travel usage.

One issue with cotton is dark colors bleeding in the wash. If you are doing machine washing for more than 1 person, you can probably make a full load of lights and another of darks however often. But with just 1, the entire suitcase probably takes only a small load, so separating lights and darks for $X per load is something to consider. I have 2 pairs of jeans that bleed heavily in the wash even after 3-4 years. Even in the first wash I did with them with other darks, they bled into the others. Luckily the others didn't stay "bled into". I washed them again with a "color-catcher" sheet and they were fine. I'm going to have to test the real effectiveness of the "color-catcher" sheets with a white cotton something and the "bloody" jeans.

All of my clothes are black or dark colors, so I fixed that problem! :)

Hi Mariam!

I just wanted to thank you for this post! I used to buy travel clothing from Travelsmith, but they no longer carry plus sizes. Grrrr.

Any chance you know of anybody that sells petite plus swim suits? I’m rather short waisted but busty. In standard plus size swim suits, if I buy to fit my top, my bottom is quite baggy. LandsEnd used to carry them, but when I chatted with customer service, they tried to tell me they’d never carried them. Grrrr, again.

Heading to Portugal in a few months and needing to buy some things. Thanks for your recommendations!

Hi Beth!

I buy my swimsuits from swimsuitsforall.com. They are part of the women within group. They fit, but be warned, they are low quality. I buy them because they are one of the few that carry the "racer-back" style in my size. Overall I find they fit well. They just don't last much beyond a season.

I hope that helps!

I almost forgot another favorite site:
https://www.ullapopken.com/en
Nice quality and they ship amazingly fast. I get stuff shipped from Germany faster than any US company.

Any chance you know of anybody that sells petite plus swim suits? I’m rather short waisted but busty.

I am short waisted and bottom heavy so if it fits in the bottom it's way too big in the top. I buy separates - crop top and swim bottoms - in different sizes. I know lots of people who do this.

Pants - still looking for a quick-dry alternative to cotton blend pants and jeans. And I want pants. Not capris, not leggings, not ankle pants, not joggers. And deep pockets would be great. Why don't they make women's pants with deep pockets like men's???

Dry on the Fly pants from Duluth Trading are quick drying, just like the name claims😀. I have some that are long, full length pants that can also roll to capri length if desired. Good pockets too. In fact all of the pants I’ve ever gotten from Duluth have nice deep pockets, including their jeans. I think it’s one of their selling points. They do have plus sizes, as previously mentioned.

Plus size here! I love Universal Standard, but like you said, they can be pricey. I am a minimalist, so I wear basic's in neutral colors, which can be hard to find in plus size. My go to store is Old Navy, I can always find basic layering pieces and usually order online. I like to try out new brands my purchasing at the thrift store first to see if I like the fit, recently discovered Banana Republic jeans this way, they fit great! Amazon has also been great to find good quality clothing, especially skirts. I see more brands expanding to plus size, usually just online which works with a good return policy.

Wearever or Pure Jill by J Jill. The Wearever pants are especially good for packing and travel. Limited colors (black, navy).
Come in plus sizes.
Pat