Clothing

[pjclinch]

Most of the gear mentioned is good quality but expensive. This may be what you want, but.

I cycle in the tropics a lot and wear a normal long sleeved gents shirt. 2 quid from the charity shop.

Lots of people cycle in "normal" clothes, you don't have to be in the tropics.

But keep your eyes on ebay and you can have one of Rohan's or Craghoppers' etc. versions for around a fiver if you're patient. Lighter, quicker drying, more sun protection, possibly insect repellent coatings and so on. The idea of "travel clothing" as a market is stuff that will cover lots of different bases in lots of places, so you don't need a big case of stuff from which to select your perfect garment for 12-15 Celsius, 60-80% humidity, occasional showers. You'll rarely have the Perfect Thing, but you'll usually have a serviceable one.

Pete.

[meic]

In warm or tropical climates you dont need specialist adventure clothing.
Clothes that stay wet can be a bonus rather than a curse above 20 deg C.
A sarong is fine in Bali but not crossing the Pyrenees.

It is cold, wet and freezing climates that need a better choice of what you wear.
It is the fact of living a transient life style without somewhere good to wash or dry your kit easily that makes your requirements different to somebody who lives there.

Apart from that I do agree with you about buying and wearing local kit as time goes by.
However you cant set off naked and without any spare clothes for the next week in the bike.
Life will be a lot more comfortable and easy if you set off with the most suitable clothing and my experience shows that the longevity of the Rohan stuff that I have mentioned makes them better value because they can last four or five times longer than normal clothes from the shops.

[simonhill]

Another of my budget tips are shell type tracksuit bottoms. They are light and dry quickly. With the mesh lining they are pretty warm. Slip them over your shorts if it gets chilly. Even in the wet they are OK. Rode in rain to slush to snow in Tassie once.

Can be worn off bike as normal sports style trousers, unlike tights, etc.

All for a few quid in the charity shop, or new in a budget sportswear shop.

[Vorpal]

TK Maxx can be a good place to pick up bargains. They often have specialised outdoor clothes at substantiatlly reduced prices, but it does take some sifting through stuff to find it.

Also, the sales or end of season attempts to get rid of stuff at sporting goods places, especially the warehouse type ones can find some good bargains. So, look to buy summer clothes, now and you're likely to get some good deals.

[simonhill]

The great advantage of going for a long time is that you can often avoid the worst of the weather by staying put for a few days. I rarely cycle in the rain because I don't like to. Decent weather forecasts and a flexible time scale make life a lot more pleasant.

Obviously you can't always avoid the worst and need to be prepared, but it's often not essential to head off into the teeth of a gale, when it will be nice as sunny tomorrow. Even if you are wearing your best Ronan clothes.

[meic]

Well functioning clothing can be near to essential in bad weather they are also normally quite good to wear in good weather too.
Sometimes (often) the weather isnt as expected or the day contains one brief downpour which hits you away from shelter, it is nice to be dry again twenty minutes later and not to have wet clothes to attend to.
I can sit a whole morning in a campsite drinking tea but a whole day or two is too much. If it is a wild campsite, I have to get out early anyway.
Apart from the money I cant see the drawback and as I have already said, I think they work out cheaper (from the Souk) in the long run anyway.

I have been using Rohans for over twenty years now as everyday clothes except for lounging in the house or clothes destroying work, so I have forgotten about the image. My first trousers I unpicked the badges so as not to be seen in Rohans. I can imagine that your average pickpocket in tourist areas across the world recognises them too, (if your white skin wasnt give away enough ).

Wearing costly purpose made travel/outdoor clothing may not be the best policy when traveling for reasons of cost, drawing attention etc but they are still in my opinion the best clothes to have on and carry when cycle touring.
Across SE Asia you could easily replace them with silk but probably not a good buy here.

[ossie]

So do we have an answer for the waterproof breathable touring jacket ?

[PH]

So do we have an answer for the waterproof breathable touring jacket ?

Showers Pass Elite 2.1
That's my answer anyway, very happy with mine.

[simonhill]

The man who made my tent, Robert Saunders, talked about making waterproof jackets out of high quality cotton. He said it was used to make high quality waterproof clothing long before synthetic material was around.

I don't think he ever produced one, but he reckoned he could make it. It was over 20 yeas ago, but an interesting concept.

[meic]

It has been done with waxed cotton (Barbour) and oiled cotton (Drizabone), both are heavy.
The SAS windproof jackets were very fine close mesh cotton, similar idea to pertex but not flamable not water proof either.
A weakness of the synthetic modern waterproofs is they dont do well within range of sparks from open fires.

[willem jongman]

I think the cotton being referred to is neither waxed nor othertwise treated, but very finely woven. See here: http://www.ventile.co.uk/

[meic]

I dont know if that is the stuff that the SAS smocks is made from or not.

If you look on this page
http://www.ventile.co.uk/specification.php
You will see that the fibre has been proofed with something as it needs to be reproofed occasionally.
I would guess a similar silicone treatment to the synthetics.

[Sooper8]

As another member above says, TKMaxx is a place to find bargains.

I picked up a very light weight down jacket a year or so back, and it can be packed down very small. I have used it when hiking and longer camping trips.
It really does the job, and cost just under £30.

I have also had merino stuff from Aldi, and then if I want a slightly better quality item like a Paramo jacket, then I just trawl ebay, gumtree and preloved and wait till I can find a bargain.