Travel Clothes

[xeney]

If you are looking at actual "travel clothing," i.e., the stuff that doesn't wrinkle and is quick-dry and that packs light and is sold specifically for traveling, I will tell you what brands to avoid if you don't want the waistband up around your armpits: Ex Oficio and Columbia. Those are two of the most popular brands of travel clothing, but I can't wear their pants or shorts because of the high-rise waistbands.

I tend to stick with Mountain Hardware. They make a lot of stuff that is suitable for travel, and their pants are generally a nice mid-rise, low enough to be comfortable if you don't like things around your waist, but not so low that people can see your underwear. (Especially since travel underwear NEVER comes in low-rise!) These are my favorite travel capris; I have two pairs and I wore them all summer even though I bought them just for travel. They dry in about twenty minutes, you can practically wipe stains off them (I cut myself and bled all over a pair, and got the blood stains out in a few seconds with a wet rag), they don't wrinkle, and they sit way down on my hips, the way I like. I keep looking at these ones, too.

If you have an REI near you, they usually have a selection of clothing that will work for travel, and it's a little sportier/younger than what you will find in department stores. I think travel clothing is usually marketed at retirees, since younger people tend to not have money for travel. But lots of hiking and backpacking stuff works for travel, too, so that's what I would look for.