Travel clothes - please explain?

Old Jul 27th, 2000, 12:20 AM
  #1  
Tina
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Travel clothes - please explain?

I've been looking for info on what types of clothes are good for travelling...people keep on mentioning Coolmax and microfiber, etc. The prob is, I live in Australia and haven't heard of these.

What are they made of, in simple terms (eg. nylon/polyester/cotton etc)? What do they feel/look like? Which types of materials don't wrinkle easily and dry quickly?

danke.
 
Old Jul 27th, 2000, 02:34 AM
  #2  
Dawn
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I wear a line from Danskin called Danskin packables. I would check with a store that sells Danskin about them (I believe they are made out of mostly rayon) it is a wonderful line with all you could need (in black or brown) you can also check out www.llbean.com. They have travel wear as well. Their travel dresses are great.
 
Old Jul 27th, 2000, 04:19 AM
  #3  
Ann
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Tencel is a good fabric for traveling as well. You might try www.travelsmith.com for travel clothes, shoes, hats, luggage & accessories. Another option might be the REI retail store, or www.rei.com for the Coolmax-type clothing that's wrinkle-resistant, washes and dries easily, etc. One other place I've purchases clothing for cross-country skiing, & biking that is discounted is www.sierratradingpost.com.
 
Old Jul 27th, 2000, 05:00 AM
  #4  
Kristin
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Tina -- I don't know what CoolMax is made of, but I believe that microfiber is 100% polyester and it feels something like silk. It is very good for not wrinkling and for washing out and hanging out wrinkle-free. There are several catalogs here in the U.S. that have travel clothes, but no doubt there are travel clothes available in Australia as well.
 
Old Jul 27th, 2000, 06:22 AM
  #5  
Bob Brown
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I try to buy clothes that resist wrinkles and do not absorb a lot of moisture. Microfiber is based on the weave of a very fine thread. It is said to be light, warm, cool, etc.
Usually it is a polyester yarn, but I have seen descriptions that said it was 80% polyester and 20% polyamide (what ever that is). I have also seen
ads for shirts that were "microfiber sanded cotton". My wife buys polyester garments for travel because they resist wrinkles.
I called the fellow who own the store where I buy my clothes and he said that microfiber had mainly to do with the size of the yarn used in the weave of the fabric -- it is very tiny as the name implies. The advantage is that the weave yields a very nice fabric that is warm and cool, so they say. It is comfortable to wear in my experience. I have two pairs of trousers that are made from microfiber material.
 
Old Jul 27th, 2000, 07:10 AM
  #6  
lisa
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Tina, if you go to a department store and look in the section where they sell athletic wear, you will see that many of the clothes are made of a type of fabric that goes by various names (Coolmax is one but it seems that each brand has its own patented name for virtually the same thing) that is designed to wick moisture away from the body. In other words, it insulates the body and keeps it warm while still allowing perspiration to evaporate, thereby also allowing the body to cool itself. This is a particularly nice feature (in my opinion) in socks and undergarments. Now they are making all sorts of clothing of similar fabrics, under various brand names -- you can find T-shirts, leggings, etc. made of this.

Microfiber is different -- as others have mentioned it is just a very small thread with a tight weave and can be made of various materials. I have a microfiber pewter-colored raincoat that I love -- it is lightweight and feels like silk to the touch, but is completely waterproof because the microfiber is coated with something to repel water. As others have mentioned, microfiber sheds wrinkles beautifully and has the added benefit of packing down to almost nothing. I'm a huge fan of it.

 
Old Jul 27th, 2000, 12:27 PM
  #7  
pam
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Second that mention for Tencel; it is a natural fiber from renewable forests, but doesn't wrinkle or shrink like rayon. It feels like washed silk and sheds wrinkles wonderfully. It is getting easier to find garments of Tencel (Nordstrom sells a lot), but I have bought yardage and had things made.

***stop reading here if you're squeamish or have a spamming bent***

OK, now for another, rather morbid slant: a maybe-paranoid concern of mine is what a fabric does in fire. Any synthetic fabric will melt and stick to your skin. Tencel burns away like cotton or silk or wool. While I realize that it's not necessarily flames that get you in an airplane fire (more likely the impact or toxic fumes), if I were to survive I'd just as soon not have to have melted plastic scrubbed out of my burns.
 
Old Jul 27th, 2000, 01:37 PM
  #8  
J T Kirk
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Please, Tina, do not feel that to travel one must wear microfiber, Coolmax, Tencel, etc. Yes, it resists wrinkles, and yes it packs somewhat more compactly than cotton (and definately wool). But there's nothing wrong with wearing cotton. And if you pack correctly, there shouldn't be that many wrinkles in cotton. And whatever wrinkles there are, I find "fall out" as you wear the clothes. I personally love the feel of cotton. The polyester products out there (Coolmax, microfiber) have some benifits, but they do not feel like cotton. So, it's a matter of taste.
 
Old Jul 27th, 2000, 04:45 PM
  #9  
Wash-And
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I agree that these new man-made microfibers and weaves are wonderful....Coolmax; Tencil, Danskin, PolarFleece. I believe these are all just Trade Names and copyrighted.
If going on vacation in 3 weeks I wouldn't go out and buy a whole new wardrobe; however, I would certainly look for them as I buy clothes normally. I just bought 3 Coolmax long sleeved T-Shirt style tops at an excellent price on a website, but it was because they only had 2 sizes and 2 colors remaining from last season's winter clothes. I bought 3 in black; the style can be casual or dressed up by adding a scarf or jewelry. Lucky me!

Here's the real reason I am posting. A little tip for traveling and doing a bit of washing in the sink/tub. Pack some balloons in your luggage. Inflate them and insert them inside your clothes, thus separating the front from the back on your blouses, for instance. This little trick will speed up the drying process because the garment is not clinging to itself.
 
Old Jul 27th, 2000, 06:15 PM
  #10  
MaureenGP
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Just a note to second the suggestion about using balloons to speed the drying of laundry. I used that hint on our recent trip to Spain, even though I thought it was a bit daft, and it really worked.
I also like cotton clothing, but not if I have to do laundry during travels, because it takes longer to dry and wrinkles. Cotton blends work much better than all-cotton.
 
Old Jul 27th, 2000, 06:23 PM
  #11  
laura
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Tina --

A chain of women's clothing stores called Chico's in the U.S. has a line of travel clothing made of 94% acetate and 6% Lycra. There are long pants, cropped pants, skirts, jacket, etc. I've been wearing the pants and skirt this summer (in anticipation of our trip to the UK starting Sunday)and the stuff is almost impossible to wrinkle You can throw them in the washer and dryer, too. Prior to buying those I ordered some Danskins packables. When I took them out of the package, they were so creased I sent them back immediately. Chico's has a website at www.chicos.com.
 
Old Jul 27th, 2000, 10:55 PM
  #12  
Tina
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Thanks everyone, for your advice.

JT- Of course, cotton is great, I wore mostly cotton on my last trip. I like the feel...but the drying time was a hassle. (plus my packing skills are bad!)

'Wash and'- I too am not into buying clothes specifically for travel, but am looking for normal clothes that would travel well (you know what I mean!).

Thanks for the balloon tip, I'll remember for next time.


PS. On the burn thing- if all synthetics melt, and wool/cotton etc burn, what are you meant to wear??!
 
Old Jul 27th, 2000, 10:57 PM
  #13  
Kerryanne
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Tina,
Im from Sydney and am also doing some research in preparation for our first trip O/seas next May. Travel clothes are basically our Polyester/Rayons. Someone told me Target has a range of 'travel clothes' but I havent checked them out yet. Millers carry a range of Polyester shirts that wont wrinkle and will dry quickly... Another though is to look at some of the uniform shirts. I looked them up in the Yellow Pages under Uniforms and a catalogue was sent out to me.. some very nice styles and you can buy one or a dozen, whatever you like. The prices are around the $75 mark each though... Also in Grace Bros and David Jones in the travel depts they have inflatable clothes hangers for about $6.00 a pr. Ive been told by others on another bulletin board that these are great for drying the clothes as they keep the fabric separated (like the balloons would do).. Hope this helps.... contact me via emial if you want any more info or if you can give me some tips...
 
Old Jul 28th, 2000, 05:00 AM
  #14  
Kathy
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Tina,

I, too, prefer to buy regular clothes that travel well. I think you just need to be on the look-out at all stores all the time and buy something when you see it. Before I buy any trousers or skirts I give the fabric a good twist to see how well it resists wrinkling. I have found good clothes for traveling among Liz Claiborne, Norton McNaughton,
Casual Corner among others. Just keep an eye open when you are shopping.
 
Old Jul 28th, 2000, 06:08 AM
  #15  
Bets
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Kerryanne! Kerryanne!

Is there REALLY a Grace Bros?!!
 
Old Jul 28th, 2000, 07:28 AM
  #16  
Tina
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Kathy- I do that too...and've left a trail of screwed up clothes in my wake Thanks for the advice, I'll keep a lookout.

Grace Brothers, Grace Brothers, Grace Brothers- where else!
 
Old Aug 5th, 2000, 11:42 AM
  #17  
upup
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good thread to recycle
 
Old Aug 5th, 2000, 03:47 PM
  #18  
rob k
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-
Have several inflatable hangers that I always travel with, but love the balloon suggestion.

Found clothes made from these easy to 'wash & wear'fabrics in the Lands End catalog (www.landsend.com). Another catalog that has some good travel clothes is Norm Thompson (www.NormThompson.com). However I've found the best prices/value with Lands' End.
 
Old Aug 5th, 2000, 06:39 PM
  #19  
jan
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I have been looking into buying the "lightweight,quick drying wrinkle proof" travel clothing for a trip to Italy in Sept as we want to pack light with a backpack(we are staying a month) I have a store nearby that sells clothing just like Travelsmith. The owner talked with me and told me the secret is that it is 100% nylon,does not absorb liquid,but wicks it away from your body and that is why it dries so quickly and is basically tainproof. She also told me to look in the local department stores and the clothes would be at much cheaper than she can sell hers at. I thought that was great info especially since she knew she was
probably losing business by telling people that. Anyway, I bought a pair of shorts at Sports Authority after checking the label for "100% nylon" and they cost me $19.99. They are cool, comfortable and dry quickly and very few if no wrinkles and so feel like washed silk. I am still looking for more clothes like this not only for travel but because I live in Florida.If anyone has any other online sites or stores please add to the list. This is great info to share.
 
Old Aug 5th, 2000, 08:00 PM
  #20  
Wash&
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Posted earlier and returned to glean what tidbits might have been added.
Here's a suggestion for you, Tina..living in Australia and reading about these trademarked fabrics (CoolMax, Tencel, etc.).
We have a good portal/search engine in the USA called Yahoo. I have made it my home page. They also operate out of Australia (among some other countries). So, go to:

http://www.yahoo.com/au/

then try search on the fabric names (individually) you've read about here; it just may turn up either local stores or websites that will ship to you -- don't know how costly that would be.

TIP for USA folks: When traveling outside the USA, use a bar soap called FELS NAPTHA, found in many grocery stores in the laundry detergent area. No worries about liquid or powdered detergents making a mess. A bar costs about $1.50; remember it is SOAP, lathers easily and is a good fabric cleaner. I just keep a bar in its own plastic soap container in my travel box. Reminds me of my other travel tip. Quite a while ago I bought a large plastic storage container with a tight fitting lid and that's where I keep my laundry soap bar, passports, lightweight flashlight, moneybelts, travel scarfs, 'travel' jewelry, universal sink stopper, door wedge, extra shower cap, medical and eyeglass repair kit, left-over foreign currency, etc. - keeping travel essentials all together makes it quick and easy for me to pack and go. When you're short of closet space, this is great because the plastic container can be stored in garage, attic, basement, etc.
P.S. Keeping a new sheet of a fragrant fabric softener in your pieces of luggage is a good idea, too.

 

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