julies

We're off in 2 weeks to Peru, and we'll be spending 6 days in the far reaches of the jungle. I know it will be hot and hunid and that long sleeves and long pants are recommended. Will I die if I rely on travel type clothing such as Ex Officio and North Facre and Columbia manufacture? This stuff is quick drying I know and is usually nylon. But, I am wondering if I will regret the fact that it is synthetic not natural. I'm asking because I remember sweating a lot in Saigon in some travel capris of a poly/rayon blend that had served me well on other trips to less hot and humid places. I am trying to minimize the clothing I take since we'll also be spending time in the mountainous areas where I know these travel pants and shirts will work fine. If you've been to the rainforest, can you tell me your experience? Fashion is the least of my concerns; I want to be comfortable. Thanks.

Meanderer

The ex officio shirts I have are only partially synthtetic -- they worked fine on my last Amazon trip and are the only shirts I'm taking on my next Amazon trip (June-August). Tilly pants and ExOfficio shirts, lightweight ExOfficio underwear. I also like the zipped passport sized pocket on the ExOfficio shirts. And the shirts look OK when I'm in town (hoping I can go to some type of musical event in the Manaus opera house).

But I'm not combining Amazon and mountains on the same trip -- just resigned to being sweaty for two months. If you are going to the jungle first you can buy some neat Peruvian woolens when you get to the highlands.

KST

RBCal

I found long sleeve shirts and pants to be much too hot for the Amazon. I had ex-officio clothing with me but switched to t-shirts and shorts. Make sure you bring good bug repellent. Also, beware of the ants I found them to be more fierce than the mosquitoes.

Gavin

In tropical lowlands I find cotton to be best. I doubt you will die of heat in synthetic fabric but it will be less comfortable. Any lodge that I have been to will do laundry; just make sure you give them enough time. There is a special kind of stink from dirty clothes from tropical lowlands...it's worth paying someone else to deal with it.

hopefulist

Really high end wicking microfiber clothing is incredible and I personally find most cotton uncomfortable in hot, muggy places like Belize in summer because it gets wet and stays wet for a long time, then tends to dries stiff. I shop online discount stores sales for the specific brands and styles I want and they hold up great for years so end up a great value. I also choose to pack really light and they take little space, handwash easily, and tend to wrinkle less than cotton. Just my 2 cents' worth.

janeq

agree with above poster--- when in the jungle in Ecuador, I found the microfiber/ moisture wicking shirts the most comfortable and quickest drying (even the long sleeve was comfortable)--- we got ours from Campmor website-- sometimes they have good sales. We also bought a couple of pairs of the pants with the zip off legs-- they were light weight/not moisture retaining.

Gavin--- oh yes, there is nothing like that tropical jungle stink-- when we returned to Quito and opened our case of dirty clothes--phew!!!

JBX

My experience in warm climates is that nylon or coolmax or microfiber -- any of the 'wicking' fabrics are preferable over cotton. If you don't already have a pair, the pants that zip off above the knee turning into shorts can be quite handy. When it comes to socks, I've also worn a light weight wool. The brand "Smart Wool" has a good light weight style .... think they call it "ultra light".

http://www.rei.com

greenlimabeans

I spent 3 months in the Tambopato Reserve a long time ago and I'd completely agree with hopefulist and JBX. It's really humid and cotton gets wet and sticks to you. Despite the heat, you will need to wear long pants and shirts to keep the bugs off - near the river sand flies can literally cover you with unbearably itchy bites in no time, and in many parts of the Amazon another small biting fly can transmit Leishmaniasis - which is difficult and unpleasant to treat. I hope that doesn't sound off-putting - it was one of the most fun and amazing experiences of my life, and definitely worth going.

Good info at http://macawproject.org/health-and-safety-in-the-jungle

Marilyn

I was a skeptic about the synthetics as well, but I wore my zip off synthetic pants every single day in the Cambodian jungle, rinsed them every night in the hotel sink, and they were clean and dry in the morning. I'm a convert now. The fact is you are going to sweat, a lot, and a quick drying fabric will be more comfortable than cotton. Also, forget about Tshirts. As a friend of mine told me, you want clothing that will touch your body as little as possible.