I'm going to Thailand next week. Looking for advice on clothing.
I'm very excited to be taking a trip to Thailand with my wife for our honeymoon.
I'm going to do some clothes shopping this week and keen to take advice from those who live in or have travelled to SEA or specifically Thailand before.
I'm going for a minimal approach, so I'll be taking as few clothes as possible and having them laundered whilst I'm there.
For underwear, I'm settled on stocking up on Uniqlo's airism boxers as they're already the most comfortable I've ever owned and I'm certain they'll hold up well to the tropics.
In that vein, I'm not sure if I should also go for the airism t-shirts, or if there's an obviously better choice. I hear lots of mixed opinions on cotton vs merino vs synthetics. I sweat too much for cotton, and have never got on that well with merino (outside of jumpers/sweaters). Given I'll only be there for a couple of weaks, I'm feeling that synthetics are the way to go. But I'm happy to be convinced otherwise.
For footwear I'm going to wear my Altra Escalantes. I'm currently training for a marathon and will have to do at least a few runs while I'm out there, so these will serve as my running shoes and for anywhere I might appreciate plain black shoes (or something more supportive than sandals). Otherwise, I'll be living in my Birkenstock arizonas.
I'll be packing two linen shirts, one linen trousers and then a couple of very lightweight shorts. Again, I'm avoiding cotton with the shorts. I have some ABC WovenAir pull-on shorts from Lululemon that I think will be very comfortable, but I'd be keen for recommendation for another pair or two. I've been told the pacebreakers from Lululemon are great, but not sure if an order from there will arrive on time.
I'm based in the UK, so any recommendations would ideally before for shops we have here, or international brands like Decathlon, Uniqlo, H&M etc.
I understand this is all very personal, but I like hearing different preferences.
There’s also Uniqlo, H&M and decathlon in Bangkok.
I’m spending a lot of time in Thailand, could give more detailed advice especially for koh phangan.
As for clothes, there’s a very slim chance you need long pants except for visiting temples. Not sure how it is in the north or why your route is but you’ll be sweating a ton. I would recommend a few shorts, so you always have something while washing the others. There’s laundry services all around, you either pay per load and hang dry yourself or you just hand your clothes in and get them back the next day (or that evening)
I mostly wear Hawaiian shirts because any t shirt I wear becomes drenched within minutes outside
I would not wear synthetic clothes because from my experience they make me sweat too much.
Wearing shoes and having a pair of sandals/flip flops is the best way to go for sure
You could go the classic route and buy a super lightweight elephant pants only for your temple visits. Saves you some space. People like to make fun of them, but tbh there really aren’t many people walking around with them anymore. Mostly Thais, because these pants are so airy and comfy lol
I haven’t worn anything longer than a t shirt since I’ve been here. The only exception would maybe be a sweater if you ride a scooter. I haven’t worn anything longer than a t shirt except for when riding a scooter with a super thin Uniqlo sweater
And somehow, I didn't stop to consider I could actually buy some clothes out there. Honestly though, I'd rather avoid going shopping whilst we're there. I don't like shopping at the best of times, let alone whilst on holiday! But this is very handy to know.
This is the only reason I'm packing my linen trousers.
Great to know. I've been told it's very difficult to dry clothes for the next day, thanks to the humidity, so planning to do the overnight service where available.
I will sweat horrendously either way. If I wear cotton, the clothes will just remain sweat soaked, where the synthetics will dry out at least. I would vastly prefer to wear organic materials, but I think it will be a disaster.
I really appreciate the advice.
I'm not going to talk too much about the different brands you could find in Thailand but as Ali pointed out Uniqlo, H&M and decathlon can be easily found. As far as i know Uniqlo and H&M are present in the main malls of Bangkok (and most likely outside too... i guess).
Anyway... talking about how to dress. Dress lightly because you will sweat a lot, expecially because we're going to the hottest period of the year.
A t-shirt and short pants are more than ok for everywhere you go. A pair of confortable sneakers because you will walk a lot and the state of the streets is ok but not everywhere...
If you're planning to visit some temples remember to use a t-shirt and not a tank top because you should cover your shoulders inside. For your wife, that day, could be better to wear a skirt that arrives to her knees. Usually if you dress less than that you could be not allow to get inside the temple or they will provide you something to cover you up... but the problem is that most of those things (skirts, scarves, etc...) are made with synthetic materials and you'll sweat more than ever.
If you're in Bangkok there is a nice difference between the hot and humid air outside everything... and the inside of everything where the air is cold and dry.
Take a light scarf with you, in particular if you're planning to use the BTS (a.k.a. skytrain). It's kind of useful if don't want to catch a cold... in thailand... during your honeymoon :)
Take a small backpack with you with some water.
...have fun :) !