Hi there...one week to go. I do have a couple of questions. I am taking very minimum in terms of clothes. Is buy clothing in Thailand very cheap and readily available? What about stuff like sun tan lotion and maybe contact solutions..can I buy it there?

Thanks,
David

It depends on your size and what type of clothes you're looking for. Dress shorts...not really available. Polo shirts and jeans...yes. Shoes...yes.

Personally though, I'd bring my own clothes unless there is a compelling luggage reason not to.

Shade

For men's clothing sizes up to 34 inch waist line are plentiful as well as neck size up to 16 inches. Bigger sizes are hard to find here. Price - it depend on the label.

Sun tan lotion, soft contact lenses and solution are plentiful in Thailand.

If you don't want to pack too many clothes, many on this forum recommend getting what you take laundered. It is fairly cheap and you can almost always get same day service.

When we were in BKK, our hotel did our laundry and returned it to us in a wicker box with fresh flowers on top! When we go back, we are planning on taking about 5 days of clothes and getting them washed a few times.

Of course, shopping and buying new clothes is always fun...Shade is right about the sizes, though. Unless you are getting clothes tailor made, sizes can be a problem unles you are small (and short). If you are, clothes are very cheap. Just don't trust the size on the tags. They are not the same as western sizes and can vary from one store to the next.

i would not go planning to rely on finding clothing that i could wear no matter what size i am unless i am very short and very trim....both man and woman...

bring what you need and have it laundered....

One thing to add: while you can easily find sun tan lotion, it and other over the counter 'drugs' are often outrageiously expensive in Thailand. I haven't specifically checked lotion, but it is expensive here, and vitamins are about double the price they are in the US.

michael....we find many things at reasonable prices in places like boots....for instance one cream we buy is 1/3 the price of boots in UK and is not avaialable in the usa at all....

Are the clothes authentic or are they knockoffs??

both---for authentic they tend to be more expensive than at home...knock offs are at best just ok...imo...and very cheap...like $3 for a polo shirt

I was speaking specifically about suntan lotion, which I've found to be quite expensive everywhere, especially in Boots. The cheapest place for drugs I've found is the no-name pharmacy in the Carrefour on Ratchadapisek.

I just got back from one of my rare trips to the US, where I stocked up on vitamins at less than half the price they're sold for in Bangkok.