fleece lined wool shirt work best.

lol hanuman... lol Bob...
Hey, Pook, how are things in BKK these days? I hope things are calm and back to normal.

Hi Carol,

Things are good and the city has recovered very well. Hotels seem to be suffering the most from the riot plus low season.

Hanuman, did you score another watch?

I am sorry but I don't understand Marija.

orlily, Whatever the fiber, I think loose and long works best in the tropics -- long sleeved shirts over cotton t-shirts, long loose pants with drawstrings or elastic waists.

Performance fabrics like Coolmax are great for exercising and working out but they tend to come in tight fitting sports clothes -- tank tops or shorts -- which aren't appropriate for most travel.

I like light weight linen a lot. It's washable, dries fast. Personally, I think the wrinkles are part of the appeal. Same for cotton gauze or voile.

Carol, sorry, I have no idea if they come in long. But they do meet your criteria of no ironing!

Hanuman wrote (and forgot):

<i>I was able to lured the dogster to my house by inviting him to a secret ancient Siamese tea ceremony performed by virgins. After the foolish man came we put rufies in his tea(Lipton!) and before he realised it we switch his gold Rolex to a fake Patpong version. I made over 10 grand that night just on the watch alone!</i>

Two thumbs way up for Ex-Officio. I've worn their clothes regularly since the mid 90s. I have storage containers of their clothes and never leave home to S.E. Asia without them...shirts and skirts. They used to even send me clothes to test out back in the days when they first started up. They have held up for a very long time as I still have many of the original pieces.

There are also the travel clothes at www.travelsmith.com and www.magellans.com. I wear both the new fabrics and 100% cotton. I always wear a thin, 100% cotton undershirt-style T-shirt under my shirts as I like cotton against my skin. And I can get more wears, between laundering, out of the shirts if I have a thin T-shirt underneath. It also adds warmth when I'm in freezing air conditioning which is common in that part of the world. Happy Travels!

OK I remember now. I did not get a chance to meet the dogster this time but I will catch him on his return trip through Bangkok. Thanks for reminding me as I will definitely try to get another watch!

Wrinkles are certainly part of the appeal of linen and the texture.
It certainly has great cooling properties and of course should be worn loose.

Jim Thompson do a range of really nice linen shirts.
There is a "wrinkle free" - linen composite fabric but personally I wouldn't touch it - the wrinkles are how you know it's linen!

lets face it it was the favored fabric in the tropics for Western travelers and expats in the 19th century and not without good reason.

First time in my life I have heard that wrinkles are a part of the appeal! I have never seen a wrinkled garment that looked good.

Wrinkles as part of the appeal.... not!!! But, Kathie, I'll look at your suggestion. Maybe they'll have extra longs.

Who is to judge what style is good or bad since all styles are personal and connected to the person who’s wearing them?

Some are happy wearing what they are told. But, for many, it's not so much what is worn, but how it's worn.

I suggested synthetics simply for the ease of care. Not everyone travels with their housekeeper.

Curt, I could not agree more. Wear whatever appeals to oneself, personally. I like polyester/cotton blends for wear at home, but when I'm in the heat of Bangkok I don't want the poly!

(go to the Europe forum and you'll find people who 'need to be told' what to wear in Paris or Rome or London) I do not need or want to be told what to wear when I'm travelling. I've been to Asia and Europe enough times to know what I will wear! But linen with wrinkles is not my style.... (smile)

Thanks everyone for your responses. Some of them made me laugh and others made me think. What a great bunch of opinionated people are on this forum!! Did I tell you I love opinionated people? Anyhow, for those who like cotton I just got some thin, 100% cotton pants from a very worthwhile organization. They are called "punjammies" and made in India with beautiful Indian prints. This group advocates for Indian women enslaved in prostitution and you can get them online, the pants not Indian women (terrible sentence!). Just Google "punjammies". Might be called jammies but I am planning on wearing them as pants - you'll love them. Thanks again to all who have made this basic question come alive!

When I was in Bangkok and LP, I would have loved to buy some clothes but always felt too sweaty to be trying anything on. (And yes, I always started the day with a shower.) How do others cope?

Many of us shower 2, 3 or more times a day. Not only keeps one clean, it beats the heck out of shorts for cooling one down. Even then, sweat is prevalent.

We always wash everything we buy, before wearing it. Besides the sizing in many materials, there is also the "sweat factor" from the others who may have been trying it on. Just they way it is....

The real stickler can be the "changing rooms". Unless you are shopping bigger department stores, the changing facilities may consist of a small sheet to wrap around yourself while changing. BE BOLD!

Not totally relevant to this thread, but for those wondering what to wear on a trip to the tropics,I've compiled a bit about the advantages of linen here........

http://www.fodors.com/community/trav...with-linen.cfm

“In hot weather people wearing linen clothes have been found to show a skin temperature of 3°- 4°C below that of those similarly dressed in silk or cotton”