TAW

Does anyone buy the lightweight, quick drying men's briefs/jockeys? Are they worth the price? We need to pack very light and do laundry frequently for upcoming trip in May, 09. The cotton ones take up lots of space and are heavy.
Also, any tips on type of shirts are best, overall for men? DH wants to take all t-shirts. I argue saying should be collared golf type shirts. Looks better and still comfy. Any tips there? Thanks for your replies.

weindell

The lightweight underwear you mention is much easier to launder and much faster to dry than cotton underwear is, but if your husband doesn't like the way they feel when he wears them, he's not going to be very happy.

And as for the T-shirt/golf shirt question, what's your destination? If you're going to the Redneck Riviera (Florida panhandle beaches), T-shirts are perfect. If you're going to Paris, maybe not so much. But in my experience, my DH wears whatever he damwell wants, no matter what I say.

suze

But would he be comfortable wearing them? Most people who normally wear cotton is because they don't care for the feel of synthetic fabrics.

I always pack cotton undies by making packets of them in sandwich sized ziplock bags. Squeeze the air out. This keeps them neat in the suitcase and helps so they don't take up as much room.

Fodorite018

My DH swears by the quick dry boxer briefs from REI. He wears them for backpacking and loves them. He says they are most definitely worth the price, and another poster on fodors her DH says the same thing. So just get whichever style your DH is used to, as they are all made in the quick dry fabrics.

yk

Regarding shirts, where is your destination? Will you be dining at casual or upscale places?

My husband packs a combo of crew neck T-shirts and polo T-shirts (ie collared). He also packes 1 or 2 buttoned-down shirts if we're going out for a nice dinner. During the day when we're sightseeing, a regular T-shirt is just fine.

Dutch

My wife bought me some lightweight undies, and they were nice for tavel, laundry, etc. But I didn't like wearing them. They were too slippery and sloshy. I can't imagine that the cotton kind would add that much weight or bulk, unless they were the Pa Kettle type of long-johns.

No on the t-shirts.

LSky

My husband brings cotton boxer/brief underwear. They're ribbed, pack small and dry out easily.
He also has a couple of TravelSmith long sleeve shirts (had them for years) They have deep pockets with zippers. They also dry out easily and those deep pockets are great on airplanes- they hold our tickets and I manage to stuff my passport when we get on the plane.
He also has a micro fiber tee that dries quickly and one that is a silk blend that is great for travel. And looks really nice on him.

Since you have until May, see which of his favorite shirts dry fastest when you hang them.

TAW

Thanks for the input...we're going to Rome, Umbria (farm stay), Florence, Munich, Bavaria area - not sure where yet. NO upscale restaurants, just the middle of the road types. He WILL NOT even consider a coat or tie. What can I say, he's retired and says he wants to be comfortable, blah, blah, blah...I call it stubborn.
Main thing is we MUST pack light because we will be doing some train travel plus he has the CPAP machine to take along as well.
On a side note...are there laundromats in Europe as we have here? I will have to do laundry during the trip. Thanks again!

suze

Yes you can find laundry-mats in Europe. Some locations you'll find self-serve coin-ops, others are where you drop off and they do it for you.

Yes I think some t-shirts are fine for your husband to bring for a casual vacation that includes the countryside in May.

JBHapgood

One of the major pleasures of travel are the opportunities it provides for trying new things. But there are some important exceptions to that, two of which are underwear and shoes. The comfort of familiar underwear is essential so you can truly enjoy the new things you do discover!

So I think the best approach is to bring a week's worth (or five days if you're really that short of space) of whatever undies you and DH normally wear, and wash them and the rest of your clothes at a local laundromat. They have them all over Europe, and they're very much like the ones in the U.S. Spending an hour or so doing laundry really isn't a bad way to take an occasional siesta (or use it "productively" for trip planning).

But this discussion brings back some memories of traveling in Europe 30-odd years ago as a teenager with my parents. My mother either was unaware of European laundromats or was uninterested in trying them, so she schlepped detergent and a clothesline with suction cups and did laundry in the hotel bathtub.

That necessarily required a quick-dry wardrobe for all of us. For me that meant nylon briefs. No, not today's "fashion" scanties, but a nylon version of the standard tighty-whities I normally wore. I found them quite uncomfortable, but put up with it for several trips because they dried so quickly. Finally I decided enough was enough. I asked my mother to get me some polyester-blend boxers, which reliably dried overnight. I've worn boxers ever since. (Maybe that's the exception that proves the rule?)

toedtoes

I would suggest similar to YK on the shirts issue. Include a couple comfortable button down shirts. He can wear the t-shirts most of the time, use the button down as a lightweight overshirt in the evenings if necessary, and have a couple shirts acceptable if you decide to go someplace nicer for dinner.

For undies, Suze's suggestion of ziplocks is great. You can 1/2 the size of the undies by putting them in ziplocks. Take a couple extra ziplocks, and you can use them to hold the dirties until you can get to a laundromat, etc.

annw

I bought the hubby underwear (briefs) and t-shirts at Travelsmith. They were comfortable (he is fussy) and quick drying. They were a light grey color as I recall; I believe you can also get a very nice lightweight button down shirt (short sleeve or long) that is light, washable, dries fast, and looks great. Lighter and cooler than polo shirts. IMO T shirts for outer wear are really out of line in most areas of Europe from what I have seen. Really the lightweight button down collar shirts from Travelsmith are quire comfortable!

Also remember to bring an extension cord (with correct plug) for the CPAP because often the electric outlet isn't near the correct side of the bed.

dfr4848

Personally I don't like the all-nylon/polyester briefs. Just not comfortable. But Hanes makes a brief that's 50% cotton/50% polyester that is really good. Comfortable, lightweight and dries overnight. Have only been able to find them in black and gray.

As for the Ts, pretty much agree with yk. I also take a couple of mock or half turtle necks I ordered from J Crew. They're short-sleeved. Looks much nicer than regular T but are very comfortable and light weight.

LMGSONIC

We've not been to Italy, but on our trip to Bavaria, my husband and I both wore plain t-shirts or henleys, jeans and comfy shoes, and never felt like we were dressed too casual. We ate at casual, lower cost restaurants - but had we planned to go somewhere a little fancier, a nice button down shirt and khakis would have worked nicely.

frogoutofwater

For Europe, there isn't much difference in "formality factor" between plain tshirts and golf shirts: both are likey to be perceived as equally casual. (In the Middle East, tshirts probably would be considered underwear, while golf shirts would be considered a step up.) As others have suggested, go ahead and pack tshirts, ideally plain tshirts without significant logos or screen printed sayings. In May where you are going, he's probably going to need a couple of long-sleeved shirts (tshirts or shirts with buttons, too). Maybe he'd be willing to pack a mock turtleneck in black or blue - that would look fairly dressy/stylish for dinner. Wrinkle-resistant oxford cloth shirts would also be a good choice, since you might find in some hotels (especially in Italy) that they won't let you have an ironing board in your room.

bdjtbenson

I bought underarmour boxer briefs for traveling. I like them so much, I'm phasing out my cotton boxer briefs. They are more comfortable and don't lose their shape by the end of the day.

The standard inseam is I think 3". I prefer the longer inseam. They make three different lengths (I think 3", 6" and 9&quot, I prefer the middle length - it's a good combination of not riding up and not showing beneath your shorts. The price is the same for any of them.

I don't like most of the other brands of non-cotton briefs. After ruling out anything with no fly or anything that requires a button on the fly, there aren't too many alternatives left.

When I pack shirts it's either two t-shirts and three long-sleeve button up shirts or three t's and two button ups. I also get non-cotton shirts. Calvin Klein makes a sleeping t-shirt called steel microfiber that is incredibly lightweight but comes in decent colors. North Face and Columbia have some nice button ups made of modal, tencil or some poly blend that wear well and wash easily. You can also find some non-cotton golf shirts if that's what you prefer.