Author Topic: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...  (Read 10529 times)

ObviouslyNotAGolfer

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 518
I am going to Ireland for three weeks next month and want a few comfortable T-shirts (undershirts), v-neck that will work for sink wash and quick hang dry. This many T-shirts take up a TON of room (and weight) in luggage, and we are trying to travel light. AND, I hate, hate, hate having to do laundry on trips, but I think we will bite the bullet and do one on this one.

I am looking at Ex Officio. These do not get great ratings and are $40 each. I would gladly pay it if I knew they were comfortable and would be very durable. Another problem is I cannot find them in any of the stores around here and wanted to have a look (feel) in person before buying. REI--what a joke!!! No, I don't want to spend $5K on a bicycle that weighs one gram less than the otherwise identical $1K model, and I don't want to pay $80 for the Ex Officio alternative they were were selling!

Does anyone have experience with Ex Officio or similar brands? For the price, I am actually just tempted to buy a package or two or shirts in Ireland and mail them back with the tons of books and records we are likely to buy over there!

Any advice on this and travel clothing in general would be appreciated. Thanks!


JLee

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7512
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #1 on: July 29, 2017, 10:21:09 PM »
I have Ex Officio boxer briefs, but that's it. I like them well enough.

CindyBS

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 461
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #2 on: July 29, 2017, 10:21:51 PM »
My husband is really good at combining travel and cleaning out the closet.  All the socks full of holes are taken on the trip and then thrown out after being worn.  Ditto with underwear.  We once used a tattered pair of jean shorts as kindling on a camping trip.  Clothes that are still wearable but may be old or aren't being used at home get donated to charity.   He does bring some clothes home, but often less than half of what he brought.

If you are shipping things to Ireland, you may want to consider this strategy and rehoming some of your clothes in a thrift store over there to avoid paying to bring it back. 

Drole

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 218
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #3 on: July 30, 2017, 12:00:00 AM »
I love ex officio. I've paid full price (once), but now just watch the thrift shops. Kuhl is also fantastic. My husband ordered the ex-of undershirts and boxers off ebay from a Spanish source I think. They were much less $ and seemed fine.

If you are in the southeast, there is Academy sports. Their private label is quite affordable. Or buy at a decathlon when you get to europe.

terran

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3796
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #4 on: July 30, 2017, 12:05:58 AM »
I've got some quick dry boxers from Target (champion maybe? -- whatever Target treats as their store brand for athletic wear) that have worked out well.

mandy_2002

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 291
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #5 on: July 30, 2017, 02:37:06 AM »
I have a few pieces of exOfficio and I'm a fan. There is a store in the Seattle airport, but I've also seen it at specialty travel stores. Everything I've bought has been from the sale section, and I'm happy with all of it. There are a ton of shirts that are currently in sale for $20-$30. Check out the reasons for suggestions on sizing and style.

sparkytheop

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 992
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #6 on: July 30, 2017, 05:43:21 AM »
I have a few ex-officio items, but I have not paid full price for them.

Look up travel clothing on Sierratradingpost.com and see what you can find.  They often have name brand clothing for much less than retail.  It can take a while to find all you need, since some things are sold out in various sizes.

I've also bought clothing on Amazon.com, and that worked out well too.  REI online clearance can be a good place to look as well.

In addition to ex-officio, I have used champion and some other brands.  Look for "quick dry" in clothing descriptions.  I'm not one for wearing skirts, but Horny Toad had a travel skirt that was really comfortable and gave me a little bit of a dressier option when needed.

Good luck finding what you need, and enjoy your trip.  Ireland is a beautiful country!

My son and I took a five week trip to Europe a few years ago, carry-on luggage only, and I did sink laundry every few days, then hit a laundromat about every 10 days or so.  We met one family from our home state when we were at a laundromat in Munich.  You'll meet other tourists as well as locals. 

I also have brought socks with holes to throw away after one wear, etc, but for a longer trip that still would have taken too much space.

Papa bear

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1838
  • Location: Ohio
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #7 on: July 30, 2017, 07:09:00 AM »
If all you want are some undershirts, just buy some polyester or other synthetic blend of white v-neck shirt. They should dry out just fine after a sink wash.

Or you could buy a merino wool blend shirt, which wouldn't stink like the synthetics.

But it sounds like you are overthinking this.  I don't have brand name fancy travel clothes.  I take my "athletic" clothes or poly blend and wash/dry those with no problem. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Trifle

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5902
  • Age: 57
  • Location: Outside, NC, US
    • In The Garden
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #8 on: July 30, 2017, 07:25:04 AM »
Travelsmith carries quick-dry clothes, cheaper than Ex Officio.  No first hand experience though. 

Rural

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5051
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #9 on: July 30, 2017, 07:41:39 AM »
Travelsmith carries quick-dry clothes, cheaper than Ex Officio.  No first hand experience though.


I have one TravelSmith shirt from a thrift store that I absolutely love, but they are expensive on the website.

GreenSheep

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1072
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #10 on: July 30, 2017, 08:43:10 AM »
Bracing myself for a facepunch here, but I really do think this is a case of paying more up front for more years of use, thereby saving money in the long run.

I love Patagonia. Love. I have yet to kill an item of their clothing, and I've been wearing it hard for years. They have "web specials" on their site, where you can get things around 50% off, which puts the prices in the "not quite so outrageous" category. Underwear, for example, come down to about $10 each. They're made of quick-dry material, and I've washed them in sinks all over the world. Same for their shirts. (Underwear bonus for women: they're made so that their lines tend not to show under most pants/skirts.)

I do like the "take old crappy clothing and leave it there" method, too. And +1 for Sierra Trading Post!

wanderin1

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 61
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #11 on: July 30, 2017, 08:56:39 AM »
In general, if you hate the hassles of laundry while traveling, and can’t easily find value-priced, quick-dry items, then how about choosing accommodations at about day 7 and 14 that make doing laundry easy and cheap? (Like an Airbnb that has a washer and dryer in the unit, or accessible in the host’s home)

If it’s too late to book accommodation like that, then yes, go ahead and just pick up some shirts there. You can send them home with the other items you mention and have a nice everyday reminder of your trip.

As for Ex-Officio: I am a fan, but that’s because I take multi-year trips with only carry-on luggage. In my experience, their shirts especially are great: I have one longsleeve shirt of theirs that I wore a ton during a three year trip—it worked equally well as a baselayer for three weeks of horseback riding and as a top when attended the opera in Beijing. It still looks (and smells!) brand new. Would I buy their stuff if I only had a short term need? I’m not sure, but from their website, it looks like their give-and-go t shirts, part of what made them famous, are on sale for $18.00.


HildaCorners

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 44
  • Professional Polymath
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #12 on: July 30, 2017, 09:49:01 AM »
If you live near one of their few US stores, check out Uniqlo. [They do online ordering, but their sizing is a bit different.]

Uniqlo is a low-cost but surprisingly high quality Japanese clothing store, starting to enter the US market.

They sell a synthetic t-shirt that looks nice, dries fast, and costs about $10.00. I think that line also has underwear.

Trifle

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5902
  • Age: 57
  • Location: Outside, NC, US
    • In The Garden
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #13 on: July 30, 2017, 11:09:22 AM »
Bracing myself for a facepunch here, but I really do think this is a case of paying more up front for more years of use, thereby saving money in the long run.

I love Patagonia. Love. I have yet to kill an item of their clothing, and I've been wearing it hard for years. They have "web specials" on their site, where you can get things around 50% off, which puts the prices in the "not quite so outrageous" category. Underwear, for example, come down to about $10 each. They're made of quick-dry material, and I've washed them in sinks all over the world. Same for their shirts. (Underwear bonus for women: they're made so that their lines tend not to show under most pants/skirts.)

I do like the "take old crappy clothing and leave it there" method, too. And +1 for Sierra Trading Post!

+1 on Patagonia.  Their clothes are buy-it-for life.  Love them. 

Bee21

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 598
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #14 on: July 30, 2017, 06:14:38 PM »
Don't overpack and don't buy specific travel clothes, unless you are a frequent traveller. You will probably wear half of what you packed, this is my experience, and I usually pack only a mid size packing cell per person. We survived 2 weeks sightseeing in Europe with whatever we could fit in our daypacks (30l) as i couldn't face dragging those big wheeled luggages from place to place and on planes, busses, public transport, trains... . They are a nightmare in Europe. I washed the socks and undies every 3 days. Best.decision.ever, even though my husband initially abused me and called me insane. He now knows it better😁 i even caught him bragging about the size of our luggage. Yes, we bought things in the last day, the kids and him ended up with a whole new summer wardrobe as i took advantage of the sales and the shoe prices, but we were planning for it and brought an extra bag for the bounty, but we did not have to carry it from place to place. That would have wrecked our holiday for sure.

 Carrying enough tshirts to last for 3 weeks is insane. Please reconsider. Pack the absolute minimum and if you run out or get bored with wearing the same outfit you can buy stuff in Ireland, no?

Maybe watch a few packing videos on youtube focusing on travelling w carry on luggage only, they are great, v inspirational.

ObviouslyNotAGolfer

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 518
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #15 on: July 31, 2017, 12:25:08 AM »
Thanks for your advice. I ordered one from ExOfficio, but also want to try one from Patagonia. I looked on their website and cannot find anything about quick dry, travel, or anything like that. Most of their T-shirts look to be worn as casual outerwear. For those of you that have them, can you tell me exactly what the style is called?

Thanks.

These Lapasa also look pretty good. I might get a couple of these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MG8GGEC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1P0DLEXRACAOS&psc=1

GreenSheep

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1072
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #16 on: July 31, 2017, 07:44:49 AM »
Thanks for your advice. I ordered one from ExOfficio, but also want to try one from Patagonia. I looked on their website and cannot find anything about quick dry, travel, or anything like that. Most of their T-shirts look to be worn as casual outerwear. For those of you that have them, can you tell me exactly what the style is called?

Capilene shirts and Capilene men's underwear. For women's underwear, Active Briefs, Active Hipster, or Barely Bikini, depending on your style/fit preference. (They all say they're quick-drying, but you have to click into the full description to get to that information.)

Mr. Green

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4494
  • Age: 40
  • Location: Wilmington, NC
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #17 on: July 31, 2017, 08:46:44 AM »
I have ExOfficio boxer briefs and they're my new standard now, though it's more about the type of fabric. Stay away from cotton and most any clothing that is sweat wicking is quick dry after washing. If you like wool, a lightweight wool material doesn't pick up body odor the way polyester does.

loyalreader

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 35
  • Location: East Coast
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #18 on: July 31, 2017, 09:09:30 AM »
I bought 3 pairs of ex officio boxer briefs and 3 v-necks for a long trip to Ireland last year. I don't remember paying that much but just checked Amazon and the shirts are close to that amount now.

Was on a 3-day rotation cycle washing in the sink and drying in the tub. Worked well. The are extremely comfortable and quick to dry if you roll them up in a towel before you hang them. Will be using the same for a Costa Rica trip this year. I've only read great reviews on this product.

lizzzi

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2150
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #19 on: July 31, 2017, 09:23:16 AM »
Since the OP also asked for travel advice "in general", I'll just echo whoever said not to buy special travel clothes. (Unless you're going to use them at home, too.) The easy-care, hard-wearing, ultra-comfortable, mix-and- match-with-everything items that you need for travel will also stand you in good stead for your everyday life at home...and for quick weekend trips that don't involve a plane ticket.  Having said that, after my last two trips to Ireland--one with a rental car and B&Bs, and the other in a Dublin hostel and using public transportation...I would say that either going to a laundromat (did that in Clifden, in the West) or leaving your clothes in the morning at a laundry that will have them ready for you later in the day (Dublin...near the hostel), were really easy solutions. And quick-dry underwear that can be washed in your room every night...squeezed in a towel...and be dry by morning is the way to go. I am female, and just buy regular nylon undies from store brands for travel.

Ireland is a modern country--if you get over there and desperately need something...just buy it. Don't drive yourself nuts.

Drifterrider

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1118
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #20 on: July 31, 2017, 11:30:03 AM »
I've got some quick dry boxers from Target (champion maybe? -- whatever Target treats as their store brand for athletic wear) that have worked out well.

These.  I take them on motorcycle trips.  Wash in the sink, roll in a towel, hang on the shower rod, dries overnight.  They make shirts, underwear and socks.

GreenSheep

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1072
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #21 on: July 31, 2017, 06:44:08 PM »
Here's one other tidbit I recently acquired... you know that stale "end of the day" deodorant smell? I always found it hard to get it out of hand-washed shirts, and I hated the way it smelled at the end of a day of more-than-usual sweating, between the end of the activity and the time I removed the shirt. I switched to homemade deodorant for other reasons, but I've found that there is none of that stale deodorant smell on me or on my shirts, and it works great as a deodorant in general, too. (I now notice that smell on other people all the time, too. Ew.)

I use baking soda, arrowroot powder, coconut oil, and a bit of whatever essential oil. The essential oil is, of course, optional, and the amount of the baking soda vs. arrowroot powder you use will vary depending on how sensitive your skin is to baking soda (it made mine break out in red bumps until I started adding some arrowroot powder). Just make a paste that's thick enough to get from the jar to your skin without dripping. Or thicker if you're traveling, so it won't leak if it gets warm (coconut oil melting temp is 76 degrees or so).

ObviouslyNotAGolfer

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 518
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #22 on: August 01, 2017, 02:44:15 PM »
Just ordered a Patagonia Capilene T-shirt to go with the ExOfficio also on order. We'll see which one I like best. Hopefully at this price point, they will last a lifetime (a few trips a year and maybe twice a month rotation outside of travel).

sturmgewehr762

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 4
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #23 on: August 11, 2017, 05:20:09 PM »
I know this is a bit old and you've already made your choices.   I travel a LOT by motorcycle in all sorts of conditions and the more I travel the less I spend on "travel clothing".  I used to be big into Ex-Officio, Merino Wool, etc.. and at some point I realized it's just not worth it (ESPECIALLY MERINO).

The only thing I have left that I use regularly are Ex-officio boxer briefs, they last forever and dry very quickly, those are absolutely worth it.  They are my daily wear items and are great for all travel with one exception.  Unless you are on a motorcycle, then that waffle weave they use is excruciating after days / weeks on a motorcycle seat. 

Every Merino t-shirt I ever bought developed small holes in the midsection in a year or less.  When I poll my climbing and traveling friends, they also admit this dirty little secret about Merino.  They are far too expensive to wear out in less than a year.  At one time, I tended to think that it was the rock climbing that caused the wear however, I have two merino t-shirts that I intentionally never used for climbing and they developed the exact same holes.

These days, I buy whatever cotton t-shirts I can get on sale in colors that travel well (darker) and call it good.  When they get too trashed they become shop clothing and I buy more.  For some trips, I do use the budget synthetics but truthfully, most of the time, I just don't bother. 

BTW, being willing to quickly hand wash a t-shirt and some underwear in a hotel sink is magic for keeping your luggage weight and volume low.  When my wife and I travel to Asia, our "luggage" is normally whatever amount we think will fit inside the seat of a scooter.

Case

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 835
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #24 on: August 14, 2017, 08:59:28 AM »
I am going to Ireland for three weeks next month and want a few comfortable T-shirts (undershirts), v-neck that will work for sink wash and quick hang dry. This many T-shirts take up a TON of room (and weight) in luggage, and we are trying to travel light. AND, I hate, hate, hate having to do laundry on trips, but I think we will bite the bullet and do one on this one.

I am looking at Ex Officio. These do not get great ratings and are $40 each. I would gladly pay it if I knew they were comfortable and would be very durable. Another problem is I cannot find them in any of the stores around here and wanted to have a look (feel) in person before buying. REI--what a joke!!! No, I don't want to spend $5K on a bicycle that weighs one gram less than the otherwise identical $1K model, and I don't want to pay $80 for the Ex Officio alternative they were were selling!

Does anyone have experience with Ex Officio or similar brands? For the price, I am actually just tempted to buy a package or two or shirts in Ireland and mail them back with the tons of books and records we are likely to buy over there!

Any advice on this and travel clothing in general would be appreciated. Thanks!
I have an Ex Officio shirt... I do use it for travel sometimes.  It is pretty thin and so would make a better undershirt than regular shirt.  I do not think it is work the price tag.

I have found that the dry-fit shirts I accumulate from running races have worked pretty well.  All you need is something that dries fast.

iris lily

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5672
Re: Travel clothing, wash and quick dry, Ex Officio alternatives...
« Reply #25 on: August 14, 2017, 10:13:08 AM »
I have been warching ebay for silk pants for the past six months, i preparation for my .european teip. Silk is light, and dries quickly when hand washed.
Also, have been saving old underwaer and socks for the "throwaway in vacation" gig.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!