When you are traveling in hot weather, whether you are visiting a city or going on an outdoor adventure, your three biggest concerns when it comes to dressing should be heat, sweat and the sun’s UV rays. 

Whatever you wear should protect you from all three. With that in mind, here are the best kinds of clothes to wear when traveling in hot weather. 

Start From Your Head

Start by protecting your head and face from the harsh sunshine and heat. You can wear a round brimmed hat or a baseball style cap like the Hercleon Kronos travel hat that comes with built-in UV protection.

Next, a pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes from glare and UV. You can also wear a headband to keep sweat and hair out of your face and a bandana or neck gaiter to protect your neck and wick away sweat. 

Wear Loose Clothing

When it comes to the main clothing, it’s important to dress loosely. This allows maximum ventilation on your skin, which keeps you cool and allows sweat to evaporate quickly (which is also important for cooling). 

Anything that’s too snug is going to make you overly hot and sweaty, and can even lead to acne, eczema and skin infections.   

Wear Light and Breathable Clothes

Choose lightweight clothing that’s breathable to help keep your body cool and comfortable. Fabrics like cotton, wool, silk, linen and bamboo provide the best breathability and cooling. Just make sure they light. 

If you are concerned about getting cold if it gets chilly or windy, you can layer your clothes. Have something light underneath like a t-shirt or a tank top and then put another warmer layer on top like a sweater or light coat. If there’s a possibility of rain, pack a heavier rain coat for the outer layer. You can then remove or put on layers depending on the weather.  

Choose Fabrics That Wick Away Sweat 

In addition to breathability, moisture-wicking is another important feature to consider when dressing for hot weather. 

Avoid clothes that trap sweat against your skin. They’ll make you clammy and make it harder for your body to cool down. These include synthetics like nylon and polyester. That said, not all synthetic clothes are bad. 

Lightweight polyester clothes are great when doing something active like running, hiking or summer sports. They have good ventilation, which allows sweat to evaporate. They also dry quickly, so you don't stay damp. 

You can also get high-performance polyester clothing designed to keep you cool and dry in hot weather. 

The only challenge with synthetics is that they get smelly quickly when you sweat. So if you are not doing something active where a sweaty smell is expected, avoid synthetics and pick a natural fabric instead. 

Alternatively, get the Hercleon self-cleaning HercShirt. It actively fights odor-causing bacteria, keeping you smelling fresh for hours or even days with the same shirt. You can wear the same shirt for several days without worrying about stinking. 

Cotton is a good choice if you want to go natural, but only if you don't expect a lot of sweating. Cotton is cool, breathable and absorbs sweat. 

The only issue is that it retains sweat and can stay damp for a long time. To avoid this, wear lightweight cotton clothing that will dry faster. Also make sure it’s loose to allow more sweat to evaporate directly from your skin rather than getting absorbed by the fabric. 

Wool, silk and linen are excellent choices for hot weather. They are cool, wick away sweat and they stay fresh for a long time. 

You can also wear semi-natural fabrics like bamboo, Tencel and modal. They are just as cool as cotton but wick sweat better so they don't stay damp. If you are on a budget, look for semi-natural fabrics that are blended with cotton or polyester.  

Protect Your Skin 

Finally, don't forget to protect your skin. Apply sunscreen several times during the day. We also recommend wearing clothes that cover most of your skin especially if you won’t be spending time under a shade. 

Long sleeved shirts, pants, a neck gaiter and even sun protection gloves can keep harmful UV rays from damaging your skin. 

Final Thoughts

Remember to stay hydrated. Carry a large refillable bottle of water and drink up even when you don't feel thirsty. Be especially careful if it is hot and humid. You may not feel thirsty, but your body loses more water and you can easily become dehydrated.