I need help in deciding what sort of clothing to take to S E Asia in April.
 

We''ll be traveling in both cities (Bangkok and Hanoi) and the country side. And every time I talk to someone who's been to S E Asia they say " Have I told you how hot it is". I'm from South Carolina so I'm not unfamiliar with heat and humidity; but, I'm told this goes beyond that. Some of the areas we're going to are mountainous so I expect they'll be cooler. What fabrics would work the best in the heat? I've had sales people suggest thin merino wool over cotton.

The sales people have obviously never been to SE Asia. And you are traveling at the absolutely hottest time of the year.

I like natural fabrics, though some people swear by the "breathable synthetics." I did find cotton/linen/some synthetic blend dressy pants from Ex Officio that I love. People in the US tend to think that if it is hot that want as little as possible on. But they forget that the sun is very hot and very direct in SE Asia, You'll actually be cooler being covered lightly all the time. You want to protect your skin from the sun. The mountainous places you visit will be marginally cooler. You may need a light sweater or a wrap in the evening. More likely, you'll need a light sweater or a wrap in overly air-conditioned restaurants and shopping centers.

Remember you need your shoulders to be covered going into active wats. Tank tops and shorts are considered resort wear, not anything to be worn in cities.

I agree with you that natural fabrics are the coolest. I'm trying to combine that with some wrinkle resistance. I've bought some Ex Officio products in the past; I'll check for their dressy pants. Thanks,

my wife wears almost all cotton or linen items in thailand...april is the hottest month of the year... she wears capris or crop slacks almost all the time, except she might wear longer slacks at the GP and some wats....she carries a very lite weight shawl to cover her shoulders but almost always has on a short sleeve loose fitting blouse...

she wear tiva sandle that is no longer worn.....sort of dressy..

we also take one long sleeve cotton man's shirt to protect us both from the sun on boats etc...

loose fitting cotton clothing is best...

for VN this fall she will take the same types of things and also a light sweater, but never expects to use it....

a/c is so powerful in thailand that you often want something to put around your shoulders, especially at nite in restaurants...

It’s really the combination of heat and humidity that will affect you. A very useful website is the BBC weather website, it will show you temps, rainfall -- and most importantly relative humidity. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/c...ml?tt=TT002890 for Bangkok and http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/c...ml?tt=TT002920 for Hanoi, and http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/c...?show=b_guides generally if you want to search for other cities. Temps in higher elevations will be a bit cooler, but in April not appreciably so and humidity won’t be a whole lot less either. You may notice cooler temps in the evening more so than during the day in my experience.

I would go with cotton or linen clothing (if you can take the wrinkling of the latter) in the form of skirts, capris, trousers or dresses. Shorts are OK on the street, will be an issue for women in temples in Thailand. (I personally don’t wear shorts unless hiking, I leave the street shorts to the 20 year olds…) Short sleeve tops or ¾ sleeves and a shawl or light sweater for evening and freezing planes, cars, restaurants, etc. I agree with the above advice about keeping shoulders and knees covered in temples (even for men in some temples in Thailand covering knees will be required, like the Grand Palace in Bangkok). I always appreciate a good broad-brimmed hat. A small folding umbrella is invaluable for rain and for protection against the sun. Shoes that you can take on and off easily, as you will be taking shoes off to enter temples. (Sneakers and socks may not work so well.) Lands End, Orvis, LL Bean are great places for good cotton travel wear. I like Talbots for capris and trousers as well. Lands End especially has sleeveless, short sleeve and ¾ sleeve Ts in many colours which layer very nicely and are great for travel. Orvis has a number of items which are treated with mosquito repellent (probably not really necessary for where you are going).

While theoretically thin merino wool or a single-ply cashmere may work in warm weather, as it is breathable, it may not be in a style that works for the climate; i.e. it may be turtlenecks, twin sets, long sleeves and long trousers. I personally would find it a bit itchy when sweating in the humidity, plus it either has to be dry cleaned, which is expensive, or hand washed (not sure I would trust a hotel laundry with cashmere.) Not sure it is the best choice for traveling in a tropical climate unless you are working in an air-conditioned office. (I am wearing my thick cashmere sweater today as I type this in Hong Kong where the temp is about 70 F and the humidity is about 80%, but I am in a freezing air-con office).

I am here in Bangkok now and I brought lightweight linens as suggested. So now I will disagree with those suggestions. I packed a short sleeve synthetic jersey and poly pants to wear on the the plane. I am wearing those as often as I can. With the humidity you can wear an outfit only half a day before it is damp and sweaty smelling. The jersey and poly stuff can be washed out in hotel sink and worn again quicker. It is actually very cool feeling. I do not wear this synthetic stuff at home, but here wish I had brought more of it.
Have been here 11 days between Phuket and Bangkok and today is the first day of rain. For April you can count on rain, take a very light weight hooded Parka.

bemore,

April in Thailand is the hottest month of the year and is usually one of the month with very little rainfall.

As said above natural fibers are the coolest, but I find a woven blouse is cooler than a Tee shirt. I have even convinced my husband, who now agrees. Just be comfortable, or the heat will get you.

I'm also headed to BKK in April. I will take light weight cotton shirts with a sleeve, to cover upper arm and shoulder and protect from the intense sun. I usually wear capris (or long shorts that hit at the knee) in cotton; or maybe a denim skirt.

April is hot and humid. This will be my third time to BKK during the month of April. It's tolerable... just be prepared for hot hot hot! Prepare to take it slowly. I find that I try to do a lot less during the daytime in April than I do at other times of the year when in BKK.

Carol

Just based on my experience in Thailand, you will need very light clothes, linens and light cottons would be your best bet I think. And a light rain jacket is a good idea too. Since shorts are not allowed in some temples, a pair of linen/light cotton pants too. Comfortable walking sandals, hat and sunglasses.

Thanks so much. I've got my work cut out for me shopping because the light weight clothes are just appearing in stores now. Also, there are synthetics and then there are synthetics. Some companies describe them as performance wear if they wick, provide sun protection, etc. I'll be on the hunt.

First I packed cotton...now I'm putting in wicking synthetics...all I know is...we're going to sweat no matter what we wear! (Plus, gotta put a sweater in for all that a/c on sterorids!)

If you have a JJill near you I find their linnen is just right. Comfy, light weight, very washable (even for laundrys),packable, and not outragously priced. If it goes missing , or ruined you are not out a fortune. They also have light weight cotton blouses. Neat and loose fitting.