Let me start up front by stating unequivocally that everything I mention below is something I purchased - no sponsorship, quid pro quo, etc. There is no science involved - strictly personal experience that I thought might be useful to share for those heading to similar climates.
Lots of folks will tell you to stick with natural fabrics in the tropics - silks, cottons, etc. When I'm home and working in the yard, or having a late afternoon drink with friends at the club, cotton and silk are fine. I have a drawer or closet full of clothes and a washing machine. When I am carting things around in a weight restricted suitcase, "One and done" fabrics don't work for me... I will also share that several ladies took the Silk shirt and skirt route for their cruise shore excursions - they looked intensely uncomfortable and wet...
Back in 2005, Valerie and I spent 3 weeks in South Africa and Botswana "On Safari". Of course, to be properly outfitted, we googled "Safari" and then visited our local REI store. Fast forward 10 years and heading out to the tropics again for our river cruise on the Mekong River, we re-visited our previous research to update our tropical travel wardrobe.
Technical fabrics have come a long way in the past 10 years and so has our appreciation -- now that we live year-round in sunny and humid southwest Florida -- of the need for clothes that are comfortable in high heat (90 +) and high humidity (65%+) but are stylish enough for river cruising or a beer at your country club's poolside bar.
In addition to being comfortable and breathable, they need to be light and packable, and if you can wear them for several hot sweaty afternoons before washing (without offending those around you!), so much the better.
When we were on safari, we looked like we were on safari and while the clothes were practical, they weren't stylish and once home, were relegated to the working clothes closet space. Frankly, lots of folks in SW Florida like Columbia's PFG (Performance Fishing Guide) line -- but like our safari style clothing, the styling is kind of limited.
In contrast, the stuff we bought this time looks good enough to wear when we get home and the comfort and convenience during Cambodia's summer heat were perfect. Our hard weight limit was 44lbs per person and I carry most of the camera gear, all of the plugs, transformers, and recharging equipment for our road show. So I probably had, at most 30lbs for clothes and shoes for three weeks -- including a one week cruise.
From the bottom up, here's what I took and my opinion of how they performed... Staring at the bottom, I needed a pair of sports shoes I could get wet and dirty, play golf in, go to the gym with, deal with the expected summer monsoon deluges, walk comfortably through airports, and slip on and off for airport security checks. After some research, I ended up buying Sperry SON-R Sounder sneakers. I was really happy with how they performed. Non-slip soles - great for getting on and off the numerous boats we used to move around on the Mekong River - decent enough looking, with nubby soles usable in a pinch on the golf course, with full wrap around protection for my feet but completely breath-able.
For more formal occasions, I took along two pairs of Cole Hahn slip on loafers - one in black and the other in darker brown. I wore both several times. The other pair I took with me - my trusty Cole Hahn Air's in black - should have stayed home - great walking shoes around town in Europe but way too hot for tropical weather by far. Footwear was completed with a good pair of flip flops for short treks.
Socks are where I stay with natural fibers - I have washed my Smart Wool dress socks in hotel sinks many times and had them dry and ready to wear the next morning. For this trip, I stayed with Smart Wool anklets for the most part - paired perfectly with the Sperry's since the wool blend wicks and the Sperry's breath, keeping my feet cool and dry.
Pants were an interesting mix - Bluff Works travel pants for formal wear - look good and stay wrinkle free but have secret zip pockets to secure things - one in Navy, the other in Khaki. My more active pants were Columbia (Black) and Ex Officio (Khaki) convertibles -- with zip off legs they were perfect for hot, humid walks then - zip, zip and you are ready to go into a Buddhist temple with covered legs. I included one pair of black golf shorts to complete the pants side of things.
I also took along a pair of REI convertible pants and matching long sleeve safari shirt that I'd treated with Permethrin -- these were in my bag to deal with the anticipated mosquitos when elephant trekking or walking around Mekong River villages. Honestly, despite three weeks in Bangkok, Siem Reap, Uodong, Phnom Pehn, river villages in both Cambodia and Vietnam, and 5 days in Chiang Mai including elephant camps in the Thai countryside, I got fewer bites (one exactly) than I get here in SW Florida.
Shirts seemed to be biggest improvement over the past 10 years. Under Armour's new Hydro Armour line of button down, short sleeve and long sleeve shirts with vented pits, technical fabrics, and some color and style were perfect. No matter how sweaty things got, the shirts dried out and were ready to go -- without washing -- on each and every day of the trip. Their advertised, Anti-Odor treatment, really works. I took four of these shirts - 2 short and 2 long sleeved, along with three formal (?) Aloha shirts for cruise ship dinners and two golf shirts.
Ok - what about skivvies? Have been traveling with Ex Officio travel skivvies for 7 years now - three pairs is optimal for a three week trip; managed with two on this one since the weather was plenty warm enough to ensure tomorrow's pair was dry each morning.
When all said and done, my bag weighted 41lbs when we left; 46.5lbs on return -- goodies, souvenirs, and brochures from our stops. I wore most of my clothes at least once but could probably have gotten away with one less Aloha shirt and the Cole Hahn Air's.
Lots of folks will tell you to stick with natural fabrics in the tropics - silks, cottons, etc. When I'm home and working in the yard, or having a late afternoon drink with friends at the club, cotton and silk are fine. I have a drawer or closet full of clothes and a washing machine. When I am carting things around in a weight restricted suitcase, "One and done" fabrics don't work for me... I will also share that several ladies took the Silk shirt and skirt route for their cruise shore excursions - they looked intensely uncomfortable and wet...
Back in 2005, Valerie and I spent 3 weeks in South Africa and Botswana "On Safari". Of course, to be properly outfitted, we googled "Safari" and then visited our local REI store. Fast forward 10 years and heading out to the tropics again for our river cruise on the Mekong River, we re-visited our previous research to update our tropical travel wardrobe.
Technical fabrics have come a long way in the past 10 years and so has our appreciation -- now that we live year-round in sunny and humid southwest Florida -- of the need for clothes that are comfortable in high heat (90 +) and high humidity (65%+) but are stylish enough for river cruising or a beer at your country club's poolside bar.
In addition to being comfortable and breathable, they need to be light and packable, and if you can wear them for several hot sweaty afternoons before washing (without offending those around you!), so much the better.
When we were on safari, we looked like we were on safari and while the clothes were practical, they weren't stylish and once home, were relegated to the working clothes closet space. Frankly, lots of folks in SW Florida like Columbia's PFG (Performance Fishing Guide) line -- but like our safari style clothing, the styling is kind of limited.
In contrast, the stuff we bought this time looks good enough to wear when we get home and the comfort and convenience during Cambodia's summer heat were perfect. Our hard weight limit was 44lbs per person and I carry most of the camera gear, all of the plugs, transformers, and recharging equipment for our road show. So I probably had, at most 30lbs for clothes and shoes for three weeks -- including a one week cruise.
From the bottom up, here's what I took and my opinion of how they performed... Staring at the bottom, I needed a pair of sports shoes I could get wet and dirty, play golf in, go to the gym with, deal with the expected summer monsoon deluges, walk comfortably through airports, and slip on and off for airport security checks. After some research, I ended up buying Sperry SON-R Sounder sneakers. I was really happy with how they performed. Non-slip soles - great for getting on and off the numerous boats we used to move around on the Mekong River - decent enough looking, with nubby soles usable in a pinch on the golf course, with full wrap around protection for my feet but completely breath-able.
For more formal occasions, I took along two pairs of Cole Hahn slip on loafers - one in black and the other in darker brown. I wore both several times. The other pair I took with me - my trusty Cole Hahn Air's in black - should have stayed home - great walking shoes around town in Europe but way too hot for tropical weather by far. Footwear was completed with a good pair of flip flops for short treks.
Socks are where I stay with natural fibers - I have washed my Smart Wool dress socks in hotel sinks many times and had them dry and ready to wear the next morning. For this trip, I stayed with Smart Wool anklets for the most part - paired perfectly with the Sperry's since the wool blend wicks and the Sperry's breath, keeping my feet cool and dry.
Pants were an interesting mix - Bluff Works travel pants for formal wear - look good and stay wrinkle free but have secret zip pockets to secure things - one in Navy, the other in Khaki. My more active pants were Columbia (Black) and Ex Officio (Khaki) convertibles -- with zip off legs they were perfect for hot, humid walks then - zip, zip and you are ready to go into a Buddhist temple with covered legs. I included one pair of black golf shorts to complete the pants side of things.
I also took along a pair of REI convertible pants and matching long sleeve safari shirt that I'd treated with Permethrin -- these were in my bag to deal with the anticipated mosquitos when elephant trekking or walking around Mekong River villages. Honestly, despite three weeks in Bangkok, Siem Reap, Uodong, Phnom Pehn, river villages in both Cambodia and Vietnam, and 5 days in Chiang Mai including elephant camps in the Thai countryside, I got fewer bites (one exactly) than I get here in SW Florida.
Shirts seemed to be biggest improvement over the past 10 years. Under Armour's new Hydro Armour line of button down, short sleeve and long sleeve shirts with vented pits, technical fabrics, and some color and style were perfect. No matter how sweaty things got, the shirts dried out and were ready to go -- without washing -- on each and every day of the trip. Their advertised, Anti-Odor treatment, really works. I took four of these shirts - 2 short and 2 long sleeved, along with three formal (?) Aloha shirts for cruise ship dinners and two golf shirts.
Ok - what about skivvies? Have been traveling with Ex Officio travel skivvies for 7 years now - three pairs is optimal for a three week trip; managed with two on this one since the weather was plenty warm enough to ensure tomorrow's pair was dry each morning.
When all said and done, my bag weighted 41lbs when we left; 46.5lbs on return -- goodies, souvenirs, and brochures from our stops. I wore most of my clothes at least once but could probably have gotten away with one less Aloha shirt and the Cole Hahn Air's.
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