≡ Menu

Best T-shirt Fabrics For Traveling

What type of t-shirt should the traveler wear?

Travel gear

The season of travel is upon us, and we can’t wait! The one thing that can break or make your travel experience is your clothing. Wear something uncomfortable, itchy, or a tee that makes you sweat bullets and not even the most beautiful locations will seem too exciting.

Since t-shirts are a stable of any – including travel – wardrobe, we decided to look into the best fabric options and help you pack wherever your next adventure will take you! Let’s dive in.

Cotton

Cotton is undoubtedly the most popular fabric for tees, and it’s excellent for summer travel. It’s lightweight, soft, absorbs moisture and keeps you cool and breezy. Besides that, cotton is also super comfortable. 

Our main advice is always to opt for the highest quality cotton t-shirt available and choose thinner fabrics. Leave the thick materials for fall or winter – you want something light that won’t get you hotter than you already are. 

However, if you’re a cotton t-shirt fan, you might have noticed that this fabric is not perfect at moisture-wicking, so if you’re going to hot tropical climates, your tee will get soaked real fast and take forever to dry.

Another downside is that some cotton fabrics wrinkle easily and don’t dry too fast. So when you’re on the road, keep in mind that you should fold your tees carefully to avoid too many wrinkles.

Modal

Modal is one of the best t-shirt fabrics for summer and traveling. It’s a high-quality and eco-friendly version of rayon that’s super light, soft and comfortable. 

Modal is a semi-synthetic fabric as it’s made from wood pulp, but it has nothing in common with the cheap synthetics that make you feel like you’re wearing a plastic bag.

Modal t-shirts are a good heat conductor and absorb moisture well. It also is wrinkle-resistant (perfect for packing).

However, modal, though better than cotton, is not ideal for moisture-wicking, so keep that in mind if you’re a profuse sweater. 

Bamboo viscose

Similarly to modal, bamboo viscose is a great fabric choice for traveling. It’s made from bamboo cellulose and is super soft, silky and luxurious. 

Bamboo viscose has excellent temperature regulating properties that we all look for in hot weather. It’s also wrinkle-resistant and – hear this – it has natural sun protection.  

This fabric is also breathable, moisture-wicking, and ideal for hot climates and small suitcases. 

Bamboo viscose dries pretty slowly, especially if it’s a thicker tee, so make sure you choose a thinner material or take a few tees as it will take time for those to dry if you hand wash them when traveling.  

Overall, though, bamboo viscose t-shirts should definitely find their spot in your closet and suitcase! 

Linen

Linen is the ultimate summer fabric! It’s loose, breathable, provides excellent protection from the sun and allows airiness. 

The fabric absorbs moisture well and dries quickly; it also feels nice on the skin.

Linen is also not that common for t-shirts, so be sure you’ll stand out wherever you travel this summer! 

The downside of linen is that it tends to wrinkle, so make your peace with a wrinkly tee or opt for a linen blend.

Cotton blends 

Lastly, we want to talk about various cotton blends, e.g. cotton and polyester blend.

It can be an excellent choice for traveling as it combines the best qualities of cotton and adds the much-needed stretchiness and wrinkle-resistant properties of polyester. 

Clothes from this blend are easy to pack as you don’t need to worry about finding an iron right away.

Whatever fabric you choose, always go for high quality and trusted brands that are ethically sourced.

Filed under: Travel Guide

About the Author:

has written 1005 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.

1 comment… add one

Leave a Comment

  • DaNuck April 19, 2022, 10:18 am

    Good article, except you missed one of the best, IF not the best T-shirt material “Merino wool”

    Link Reply