8 ms·

I've spend months at a time, e.g. Sicilian island hopping, with less than this. For me the critical issue, which drives all clothing choices, is being able to i

I've spend months at a time, e.g. Sicilian island hopping, with less than this. For me the critical issue, which drives all clothing choices, is being able to independently do laundry. That is easier in frequent small batches; I can't imagine traveling with eight T-shirts! After washing clothes, layer them in a large wringable synthetic pack towel, roll, and twist. Then they can be hung without dripping, and will dry in a fraction of the time. Wring out the towel and repeat. Or, if one has just arrived at a hotel with towels for four, get busy before they clear three of them in the morning. One needs an ample supply of travel-scaled clothesline and clothespin equivalents. I last traveled with tiny Nite Ize Gear Ties, and a few larger ties with loops for securing the clothesline ends. Be thoughtful about attachment points; foreign construction quality can often be surprising. I can't praise highly enough merino wool T-shirts, even in the hottest weather. I found mine on closeout; they can be expensive. The Aranet4 CO2 meter is an interesting pandemic choice. I own one for monitoring my classroom assignments; they're very well made.

dubswithus 4y ago
I love merino wool shirts -- even dress shirts like those by Wool and Prince. But the dress shirts I only dry clean and the t-shirts I have some special things I do to keep them in good shape. I just wear athletic gear most of the time because I'm in a hot climate and sweat through everything immediately. It's just not worth it for me at this point. I really like having a fancy side-loading washing machine because I can run long cycles and use strong detergents that definitely ensure the shirt doesn't smell the next time I wear it. Ideally Persil but sometimes that isn't available. Top loaders have destroyed clothes many times.
- ghaff 4y ago
  >But the dress shirts I only dry clean Yeah, I bought one and it didn't really hold up very well. Having to dry clean sort of defeats the purpose of having a travel shirt. In general, I really like merino wool but it's expensive and fairly fragile even if I avoid putting it in a dryer.
  - dubswithus 4y ago
    I rarely have to dry clean the dress shirts under normal wear conditions. I'm guessing it depends on the GSM of the shirt. I don't know if I would agree dry leaning defeats the purpose. Most cities have a dry cleaner and dropping it a dry cleaner is going to be faster than washing, drying, and ironing it yourself. At least it is for me. Plus, you would need to find the right kind of detergent without enzymes or whatever while traveling. Are you saying it fell apart?
    - ghaff 4y ago
      It's still perfectly functional. There's just some pilling and lack of color homogeneity and certainly doesn't look new. I'll still wear it so long as I don't really need to be dressed up which I rarely am these days. (Like almost never.) You're right that it wouldn't need to be dry cleaned after each use under minimally sweaty conditions. That said, while I have occasionally had laundry done in the middle of an extended trip, by and large I don't want to be dealing with laundry and dry cleaning if I don't need to.
- I_complete_me 4y ago
  Merino wool garments? Oh dear - I tried them but against the skin they are, for me, a huge no-no due to irritation / rash. I am unbelievable allergic to merino wool. (The following is meant to be humorous, JIC). So I bought a herd of sheep that grow polyester wool and it has worked out brilliantly. I don't break out in a rash, I don't smell and my sweat gets wicked to a galaxy far, far away.
martin_a 4y ago
Do you have more information on the Merino wool? I've heard good things about it but I'm not sure how much of that is hype. Is it really that good?
- stinkytaco 4y ago
  Not OP, but I have a lot of experience with Merino wool. My opinion is that it's great, but expensive and not durable as outerwear. It snags easily and if you're wearing the thinner stuff, you will end up with runs and even tears after a while. If you can afford $60 t-shirts, that might be fine for you, but I haven't had a wool t-shirt that it didn't wear through the armpits on after a couple of years of regular wear. The thicker stuff holds up a bit better, but is obviously not as nice in hot climates. If you're wearing it as a base layer in a cooler climate, I love it.
  - martin_a 4y ago
    Thanks for your sharing your experience! "couple of years" doesn't sound that bad to me, to be honest, so the higher price could be fine. As mentioned in the other comment, I just started out with an endless scarf and am looking at other products, too. I had a Giesswein merino sneaker recently for a test fit and it was really nice on the bare foot and left a good overall impression. I'm looking into getting a pair of those for the office, any experience with these, too?
  - jseutter 4y ago
    I agree with your assessment. I have one merino wool shirt, but I save it for occasions when I need the light weight and good warmth. For regular wear I stick to mostly cotton. I can't afford multiple merino shirts. Other types of wool tend to feel scratchy. Merino feels different than cotton, but is not uncomfortable to wear like other wools.
  - lhl 4y ago
    I've used a wide variety (mostly 150 weight) Merino wool shirts for years, and in fact, they are basically the only T-shirts I wear these days. IMO, if you're doing a lot of travel, they are absolutely worth it - warm when cool, cool when hot, wicks away sweat and dries quickly when wet/washed all while resisting stink/BO. I'd have to agree on the cons though - I've paid $80+ for a shirt (depending on brand and country) and have experienced wear/holes sometimes in months (even with only handwashing).

dubswithus 4y ago

I love merino wool shirts -- even dress shirts like those by Wool and Prince. But the dress shirts I only dry clean and the t-shirts I have some special things I do to keep them in good shape. I just wear athletic gear most of the time because I'm in a hot climate and sweat through everything immediately. It's just not worth it for me at this point. I really like having a fancy side-loading washing machine because I can run long cycles and use strong detergents that definitely ensure the shirt doesn't smell the next time I wear it. Ideally Persil but sometimes that isn't available. Top loaders have destroyed clothes many times.

ghaff 4y ago
>But the dress shirts I only dry clean Yeah, I bought one and it didn't really hold up very well. Having to dry clean sort of defeats the purpose of having a travel shirt. In general, I really like merino wool but it's expensive and fairly fragile even if I avoid putting it in a dryer.
- dubswithus 4y ago
  I rarely have to dry clean the dress shirts under normal wear conditions. I'm guessing it depends on the GSM of the shirt. I don't know if I would agree dry leaning defeats the purpose. Most cities have a dry cleaner and dropping it a dry cleaner is going to be faster than washing, drying, and ironing it yourself. At least it is for me. Plus, you would need to find the right kind of detergent without enzymes or whatever while traveling. Are you saying it fell apart?
  - ghaff 4y ago
    It's still perfectly functional. There's just some pilling and lack of color homogeneity and certainly doesn't look new. I'll still wear it so long as I don't really need to be dressed up which I rarely am these days. (Like almost never.) You're right that it wouldn't need to be dry cleaned after each use under minimally sweaty conditions. That said, while I have occasionally had laundry done in the middle of an extended trip, by and large I don't want to be dealing with laundry and dry cleaning if I don't need to.
I_complete_me 4y ago
Merino wool garments? Oh dear - I tried them but against the skin they are, for me, a huge no-no due to irritation / rash. I am unbelievable allergic to merino wool. (The following is meant to be humorous, JIC). So I bought a herd of sheep that grow polyester wool and it has worked out brilliantly. I don't break out in a rash, I don't smell and my sweat gets wicked to a galaxy far, far away.

martin_a 4y ago

Do you have more information on the Merino wool? I've heard good things about it but I'm not sure how much of that is hype. Is it really that good?

stinkytaco 4y ago
Not OP, but I have a lot of experience with Merino wool. My opinion is that it's great, but expensive and not durable as outerwear. It snags easily and if you're wearing the thinner stuff, you will end up with runs and even tears after a while. If you can afford $60 t-shirts, that might be fine for you, but I haven't had a wool t-shirt that it didn't wear through the armpits on after a couple of years of regular wear. The thicker stuff holds up a bit better, but is obviously not as nice in hot climates. If you're wearing it as a base layer in a cooler climate, I love it.
- martin_a 4y ago
  Thanks for your sharing your experience! "couple of years" doesn't sound that bad to me, to be honest, so the higher price could be fine. As mentioned in the other comment, I just started out with an endless scarf and am looking at other products, too. I had a Giesswein merino sneaker recently for a test fit and it was really nice on the bare foot and left a good overall impression. I'm looking into getting a pair of those for the office, any experience with these, too?
- jseutter 4y ago
  I agree with your assessment. I have one merino wool shirt, but I save it for occasions when I need the light weight and good warmth. For regular wear I stick to mostly cotton. I can't afford multiple merino shirts. Other types of wool tend to feel scratchy. Merino feels different than cotton, but is not uncomfortable to wear like other wools.
- lhl 4y ago
  I've used a wide variety (mostly 150 weight) Merino wool shirts for years, and in fact, they are basically the only T-shirts I wear these days. IMO, if you're doing a lot of travel, they are absolutely worth it - warm when cool, cool when hot, wicks away sweat and dries quickly when wet/washed all while resisting stink/BO. I'd have to agree on the cons though - I've paid $80+ for a shirt (depending on brand and country) and have experienced wear/holes sometimes in months (even with only handwashing).