frugal travel clothing advice?

Any thoughts on opinions of buying specialized 'travel' type clothing for tropical areas like Mexican Caribbean coast?

Should one buy specific travel clothing..... or are there frugal alternatives?

Somewhere in between. I buy some travel clothing at Land's End. They ahve good stuff and the prices are not as high as the travel companys.

Im going to Playa del Carmen in abt ten days. Will stay for five days

Never been there or that far south.... and not sure if I have the proper clothes for such a trip. Hence the post

Anyway......Im staying at a resort on the beach and will be in water a lot.... but not sure what 'type' of clothing to pack/buy for trips other than beach.

I mean......is a long sleeved, collared shirt a better bet for comfort than say a T shirt with no collar and short sleeves?

Should I go down to St Louis to the REI store there and spend some money on things like a Tilley hat... maybe an Ex Officio travel shirt or two? Or can i just buy same type of stuff at Walmart and save some bucks?

Im abt two hrs north of St louis so its not a bad drive down to the REI store there. Plus I will be flying out of st louis for Cancun anyway

is that 'travel' wear REALLy worth the premium dollars? Like the Tilley hats for $60? Or Ex Officio shirts and

IMHO yes and no. I like a nice shirt I can wear over everything, and all the pockets in the Ex Officios are nice. I like a crushable hat to carry along with a wide brim, and the best ones I've had have been travel hats, but I have never ever paid $60 for a hat.

I have a couple travel things, but mostly use just regular clothes.

FWIW I find long sleeves in a sunny environment very desirable.

wherever you go, there will be clothing for locals that fit the local conditions. Usually much cheaper. Except glaciers, Western Europe and Japan, if you want to save money, wait till you get there.

IMO, it's the same question you ask about any type of clothing: Do I go for cheap, or quality (i.e., long-lasting)?

If you like variety and 'dressing like a local', you can almost certainly find it cheaper at your location (especially Mexico).

However, if you're going to be there for any length of time, are going to be packing light (i.e., washing frequently), or will be putting the clothes through a workout (excessive sun, surf, sweat), you might want to consider more 'specialized' travel wear, even though it initially costs a bit more money.

[By the way, Ebay, as always, can help cut costs in this arena.]

There's not really a 'right' answer, it's just the way you like to dress and travel. Many people would rather buy ten $1 shirts and throw them away after a few uses than wash one $10 shirt!

Enjoy,

Todd www.wonderninja.com Buy and Sell YOUR Personalized Services!

Good point Todd

That's a heck of an idea!!

Has anyone out ther successfully bought clothes off Ebay?

Ive never used at ALL. Don't know much abt it. Advice?

Just take enough local currency to buy throw away clothes. I usually just have one bag, buy and bin, that's a good policy - unless of course you're going somewhere posh!