Need help on what to wear and pack for Bangkok around this time of the year

Any time of the year in Bangkok, you want to pack light tropical clothing. I prefer natural fibers, though there are some who swear by the moisture-wicking synthetics. You'll be in a city, and shorts and tank tops are not considered appropriate city attire. Save those for beach resorts. You want some protection from the sun any way. A sun hat will help. I pack short sleeved shirts, and light, loose long pants or cropped pants.

Remember you'll also be going in and out of highly air-conditioned environments - malls, hotels, taxis, even the skytrain is air-conditioned. If you are someone who chills easily, you'll want something to wrap around your shoulders.

Places like ex-officio and REI make nice tropical clothing.

Thanks Kathie for the tips. I was going to wear short and polo shirts and tennis shoes in Bangkok. But you said it is not appropriate attire , right? Would loose fit jeans ok? What about Hawaii shirts?

I planned on bringing a hat or cap for sure.

no shorts? I'm heading there on the 30th and was only gonna pack shorts and t-shirts, sandals and running shoes too! We have to wear pants in 40+ celcius?

Take a pair of shorts, but light long pants will be best. Thais never wear shorts. Face it, you're going to be very hot. Just drink lots of water, take a/c taxis and spend some time by the pool. I'm a fan of the ex Officio shirts. Do lots of laundry, there will be cheap places near your hotel.

April-May is the hottest time of the year.

Shorts are acceptable on tourists in tourist shopping and eating zones, but not in such places as the royal palace or temples.

I just have two words of advice: light cotton.

Tennis shoes will be too hot. Take some sports sandals like Tevas.

Jeans will also be hot. Light cotton chinos would work.

Thais do not consider shorts to be appropriate city attire. Some tourists do wear them, but you won't be allowed into wats, royal properties, the Oriental Hotel, or a number of nice bars and restaurants. Thais are soft-spoken and tolerant, and will simply see you as a clueless tourist if you wear shorts in Bangkok. You will be seen with more respect if you follow the cultural norms of your destination.

Take a small umbrella for shielding you from the sun and also the occasional shower!

Thanks for all the tips. I think I have a pretty good idea on what to and not to pack. Yes, umbrella and sun block too ...

Trackcoach,
Just wondering if you are now in the city. I have been wearing my shorts just about everyday, so hope you opted to pack a few pairs!

Are you up for a get together (GTG) maybe on Sunday afternoon about 3pm in a hotel lobby bar somewhere along the Sukhumvit skytrain line?

Enjoy your time in this amazing city and country.

Carol

Hi Carol,

Got in really late last night. There are a lot of people in shorts around here and I'm in them too. I don't see a problem with it at the moment. Sunday afternoon at 3pm works for us. You name the place and we'll do our best to find it. We are about to go find the Sukumvit skytrain and go for a ride. Any tips on how to get internet out here instead of going to cafes? We have a laptop, but everywhere we try to use it, we apparently need a Boingo account?

Can't help you with a Boingo account. Sorry. I have free wireless in my studio apartment. I guess that is one of the drawbacks of staying away from the city center. There are plenty of internet cafes up here in my neighborhood (soi 8). Internet cafes here are really cheap!

Riding the BTS is really easy! You'll find that out right away. There are two lines. Make sure you ride from end to end of both of them. The two lines meet at Siam station.

Sunday afternoon at 3:00... I need to find out which bar would be convenient for us. I'm going to guess we would do well to meet at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, which is connected to the Asok BTS station. You don't need to change trains to get there. Just get off at Asok, which is about 4 stops fron ON NUT. I'll try to be more specific about where to meet, so watch this thread for more details.

See you Sunday afternoon!

Carol

Don't wear underwear. This is my secret.

We are going to the Weekend Market shortly and I think it would be more convenient to meet there, is there anywhere to go there? If not, we'll stick with the Asok location. I hop back on here sometime before 3pm to see where to meet.

See you soon. It'll be great to meet someone that speaks English. FYI - I'll be in plaid shorts and a white collared t-shirt.

Trackcoach, I was also at the weekend market this morning. It was sticky hot. I doubt that you could select any fabric that would be 2 degrees cooler than another... JMO.

I will look for your plaid shorts. I replied on the "to Carol" thread about where to meet but I can also write it here.

Go to Asok skytrain station. Look for EXIT #5. Walk PAST the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, as I think it might be a problem finding a bar open at 3 in the afternoon. It was not open when I was there just a little while ago.

Anyway, take the NEXT ramp, going into a building called Times Square. It is the next building after the Sheraton. From the skytrain ramp, you will enter the building on the 2nd floor. Walk into the atrium lobby, and look down. You will see a restaurant/bar in that atrium. Come on down the escalators and DS (dear son) and I will probably be there. Or at least I will be there, probably in white shorts and a light color top. I will try to get there a little bit early, although getting a table is not a problem.

See you at 3:00 at Times Square!

Carol

KW- Its also significantly cooler being where people don't hate you. Now SCRAM.

As I work outside in intense heat on a regular basis, I can assure you that wearing long loose pants and shirts are cooler than having the sun beat down on your skin directly. Take a look at the clothing people wear in tropical countries? Do you see skimpy shorts and tank tops? Of course not. People who live in tropical countries wear loose light weight and light coloured cotton clothing (or some of the synthetics - which personally I can't stand the feel of). The fabric wicks moisture away from your body - providing a natural way of cooling off (think of plant biology and evapotranspiration). Not only does this type of clothing keep you cooler in the long run, it is far more respectful to the Thai culture. Unfortunately, many North Americans are so self-centered when they travel that they think the world revolves around their culture and society (the worst in the world I think, and alas, I am one of them). If you dress in tank tops, shorts, skimpy clothes, you not only stand the chance of insulting the people with your disregard for doing a little research before you left your pathetic North American city, you also stand the chance of getting a sun reaction in the intense tropical heat, abrasions from the jostling crowds, insect bites, etc. Long light weight cotton skirts and flowing tunic tops in light colours are the way to go for older women (more respectful), capri pants below the knees and 3/4 length tunic tops for younger women - men - shirts and pants. I have family and friends in Thailand - if you dress like you usually do - you are going to be thought of as a hooker if you are female, and an ignorant north american (or wherever) if you are male.

My goodness...... sounds like I'm lucky to be alive!! I am enroute home from BKK as I type. I just survived two weeks in Bangkok and I didn't get scratched, jostled, taken for a hooker, insect bites, sun poisoning, or any of that!! I wore knee-length (or just below) shorts just about everyday. Lots of Thais were wearing them too. I do not wear tank tops, personally, and I don't like the look of the really thin spaghetti strap type with bra strap showing... although I saw a lot of that (and yes, Thais were also wearing that look).

Bangkok is a huge city. There are always people there from everywhere around the globe. You see every manner of dress! You will not look like a Thai no matter how you dress. You will be a farang because you are (probably) not 5' tall and weigh in at about 90 pounds. You (probably) do not wear size 0.

Of course you should be respectful of another culture. If you are going to the temples/wats, dress appropriately or you will not be allowed inside. If you are going to some of the classier dining/cocktail places, dress codes are observed. You will not be allowed to enter if you look like a backpacker/hooker/slug.

Comfort in BKK heat and humidity at this time of the year is of primary concern.

Just my two-cents.

"Thais do not consider shorts to be appropriate city attire. Some tourists do wear them, but you won't be allowed into wats, royal properties, the Oriental Hotel, or a number of nice bars and restaurants."

This is simply not true. Knee length shorts are commonly warn throughout the city, and yes, if you wear shorts just below the knee, you can get into wats etc. Read Simpsonc's post above.

By the way, many Thai girls wear very skimpy clothes and I not talking about hookers either.

perhaps they're coyotes!

And as an older woman I find the suggestion that I should wear a long skirt instead of trousers totally bizarre! I've worn trousers all round SEA, and will continue to do so, and I certainly don't feel I'm violating local mores by doing so. (On the other hand, I wouldn't consider wearing a tank top.) Does this poster perhaps belong to some religion that has dress codes that he's trying to inflict on others?

Vientianeboy, what part of my post do you maintain is simply not true?

I have visited Bangkok 20 + times. In the last few years, I do occasionally see a few Thais wearing shorts in Bangkok, but it is by no means the norm. Carol is reporting that she is seeing more Thais wearing shorts. This may be a seasonal issue as I am typically in Bangkok in October-November-December-January. I could count the number of Thais I saw on the street or in the skytrain wearing shorts on both hands in the 8 days I was in Bangkok in November. One does see westerners in all sorts of clothing... which is not necessarily a good thing.

While no one would ever mistake me for being Thai, I prefer to follow the norms of the places I visit. And I stand by my statement that "you won't be allowed into wats, royal properties, the Oriental Hotel, or a number of nice bars and restaurants" while wearing shorts. Take a look at the signs at the Grand Palace/Emerald Buddha entrance - even capris are indicated that they are not allowed (though a few people have reported being allowed in wearing capris, others have been turned away).

Kathie, you may have visited about 20+ times. However I live here permanently. Amongst the younger set shorts and tank tops are common. The statement you made "Thais do not consider shorts to be appropriate city attire," is just not correct. In fact the Bkk Post had an article a few weeks ago railing against the inappropriate clothing of university students - not that uni students wear shorts, but they wear very short skirts and tight tops. If you re read my original post you will find that I said if you wear knee length, or just below knee length, shorts you will have no problems.
Should you go to work or go to a government office on business, (even visa renewal for westerners), the situation is, of course, different. Business attire is required or the government officials will think you are disrespectful of the office.

I'm talking about university dress code, what are you talking about?

Mango7, thank you for your insight into the Thai fashion trend. You are quite correct that Thailand have only recently been exposed to North American culture and fashion and in no time we will look and behave like Americans. In the near future(you predicted 5 years right?) we will all be wearing clothes from the Gap, Old Navy(probably made in China or Thailand as it has been for over 25 years) and no one will "wai" each other anymore. Shorts will be the norm and gone will be the street food and only fast food franchises will be left. Come to think of it you will no longer need to travel to Thailand!

Hanuman, I cringe to think of what Thailand will morph into in the very near future. It makes me very sad to see such a wonderful culture begin to dissolve away with its youth. It is slowly and tragically becoming America. This was especially evident on this most recent trip. This is the way of the world I'm afraid. I'm sure the food will always be good, if nothing else!! :]

Hi Ken... didn't you say you are going back to BKK right after Brad gets home in a couple of weeks? Be sure to say hi to Maeng when you go.

BTW, did you see that DEGAS stopped by to see Maeng about a month ago? She told me that someone from the internet came in and asked about me. She showed him the pictures on the wall of DH and me. I was trying to figure out who it might be! I would never have guess it was Degas, as I know he has been staying close to home, fighting illness. Good to know that he is able to travel again. He says he did Maeng's and Via vai (soi 8 pizza place).

This thread on what to wear has turned rather bizarre, IMO. My concern is comfort. I do wear tennies and the small ankle high socks because my feet burn on the bottom if I wear flip flops. No one is laughing at me (that I know of).

Carol

Getting back to the original topic, I always pack a few linen shirts and lightweight cotton polo tops and t-shirts and a few shorts. 1 pair of slides and a pair of canvas shoes.
I tend to buy alot over there and I am of medium/large build and have no trouble finding clothing to fit.
Places like the Grand Palace will always give you a sarong type wrap to cover your legs so if you dont want to wear long pants you certainly dont have to. I will generally get some pants made in my first few days, so if we end up at a high end restaraunt (unlikely with kids) I can always use them but I have never ended up needing too. I have never been knocked back anywhere in Thailand in nice shorts and a polo top, but then I dont stay at the Oriental.
Anyway, you have probably already returned from Bangkok by now so this will be of no use to you at all,just like most of this thread.