Clothes tips for Summer

higdonk

Mouseketeer
Joined
Apr 2, 2007
Ok from reading other threads I have a good idea for myself on what to wear. What about for my son (6) and dd's (14 and 11). What kind of summer clothes to stock up on? Is moisture-wicking "cool dry" stuff better or just lightweight cotton? What about for boys bottoms, mesh shorts? I am thinking what will dry fast in case of rain or water rides, also what will be cool.

Thanks,

Kate

ETA: We haven't done a WDW summer trip before, so no experience here.
 
Cool dry/quick dry is much better than cotton, IMO. We go in August, and pack two outfits for each day, so we can change out of sweaty clothes during our afternoon break. If we are staying longer than just a few days, I do laundry so we have enough clothes. Don't let the kids wear bathing suits all day though - heat rash and other personal hygiene issues can bloom in wet swimsuits, unless they are quick dry.
 
Light colored clothing definitely. And I have found having a light weight shirt with sleeves is cooler than wearing tank tops, sleeves keep that sun off of your shoulders, which make you feel cooler.
 


Good replies! Any experience with Old Navy Go-Dry athletic wear in the parks anyone? Way more cost-effective than UA or Nike. ;)
 
I wore all moisture-wicking stuff last September (it was SO HOT). I got most of mine from Kohls--their Tekgear brand. It worked well and was cheap.
Now, my husband used an umbrella to block the sun most of the time, and he said it was great. I was pushing my son's wheelchair, so couldn't do that.
I loved the necklace fan I got from Menards, though. Having a breeze on my neck/face really helped.
 


Most of our trips have been during summer. I completely agree with the light colors, that makes a difference. But we haven't found that the fancy moisture wicking stuff is any better than cotton, really. We just use plain cotton t-shirts for the kids. And just regular old shorts for the bottoms. It's hot enough in summer that even if you go on a ride that soaks you thoroughly...and the only WDW non-water park ride that can do that is Kali...you'll dry relatively quickly.

Reality is that it's more how you plan your day than the clothes you wear (assuming you're not wearing pants and a winter jacket). It's hot out, and often pretty humid. During the heat of the day (from about 10am until 6pm), make sure you plan frequent a/c breaks. Plan the rides that are indoors. You can also do something like Kali or Splash Mountain mid-day if you can get FP+. Drink plenty of cold water. We go to QS places and ask for cups of ice and just suck on those, which helps a lot.

So my opinion is any light colored summer clothes will work fine, just plan smart.
 
I agree with PP, my kids wore light cotton and we just did the parks during the morning, took a mid afternoon break and went out at night. It's so hot there's no avoiding it.
 
I agree with wearing the cool dry materials, I used to wear all Disney Tee shirts (I have a lot of them) but in the heat once they get wet either from a ride or sweating they stay wet. The cool dry materials kept me much more comfortable. Also, going into an attraction with cold AC in a damp or wet cotton tee shirt is not very comfortable.
 
I think the quick dry fabrics are superior to cotton in terms of drying/cooling ability. You can even wash them in the sink each day and they are dry by morning.

Also, cotton tends to chafe when wet. Quick dry fabrics do not do this.

I got some from Eddie Bauer and some from Target (C9). I also got a few quick dry skirts from JJill in 2008 and I am still wearing them. I can dump a cup of water on them and they are dry in minutes in the sun.
 
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I went shopping yesterday for our trip in 2 weeks. My main goal was to find some wicking shorts/board shorts. Went to Academy Sports and found some great shorts! Magellan Outdoors Caddo Lake shorts. Tried these on and they are great. I am 6 foot tall, and they covered my knee cap (so these will work for teens and young adults who like that style). They were $19.99.

http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/magellan-outdoors-mens-caddo-lake-solid-short#repChildCatid=3477364

Pairing these up with some moisture wicking shirts. My favorite wicking shirts are from the company called A4. Alot of custom shirt shops carry these shirts in blank. You can also order them from many places online. We use these shirts for our baseball team all the time. My favorite place to order them from is Epicsports.com. Lots of colors and a good price. Shipping is a little pricey if you are only ordering one or two. If you want to order one or two to try out, Ebay is the best bet.

But while at Academy, I also grabbed some of their house brand BCG wicking shirts to wear for the trip. They have some that are a little bit more fashionable than the plain colors that A4 offers.
 
Honestly I wear NORMAL clothes lol.
Whatever shorts/t-shirts/tank tops they wear at home in the summer is fine as long as its comfortable.
I suggest athletic sneakers for shoes.
 
We have transitioned slowly from tees and shorts to workout clothes. Especially the old navy line. I find the shorts are longer for boys. I have two. The workout clothes dry faster with the wet rides and if it rains. Some days we still do the trick shirt thing. I like family.pictures with a theme daily. So we did lsu workout/t-shirt and hats one day and saints the other. We have done family to shorts and try khaki shorts, camo and gray. Those seem the lightest in the heat. The boys wear tennis and socks in the am definitely. In the health evening. We may wear flip flops or whenever we won't be in a park to rest their feet. We have even let them wear swim bottoms with rash quarts or a regular tshirt. Not all day but as a change.
 
Honestly I wear NORMAL clothes lol.
Whatever shorts/t-shirts/tank tops they wear at home in the summer is fine as long as its comfortable.
I suggest athletic sneakers for shoes.

Totally agree with this!! Only exception is our AK days where we wear better quick dry outfits due to Kali Rapids.
 
I live here and yes, normal clothes. I wouldn't wear denim shorts, but rarely wear denim shorts ant day. Thin, light colored, normal clothes. When my boys were your son's age, they wore board shorts a lot.
 
For those of you who wear the dry-wick, do you have problems with the smell? I have dry wick shirts from several companies (UA, Addidas, Old Navy) and they all start to smell really bad, really fast. Much worse than cotton. Normally no big deal because I wear them for running so off me and into the wash right away anyway but I fear wearing them to a theme park. No one would want to be next to me. :crazy2:
 
Everyone else covered the clothes so I wanted to chime in with how to prepare for summer downpours. Bring ponchos and flip flops or a change of shoes. Skies may be sunny when you go into an attraction but it may be pouring when you get out. Nothing worse than socks and sneakers soaked straight through.
 
For those of you who wear the dry-wick, do you have problems with the smell? I have dry wick shirts from several companies (UA, Addidas, Old Navy) and they all start to smell really bad, really fast. Much worse than cotton. Normally no big deal because I wear them for running so off me and into the wash right away anyway but I fear wearing them to a theme park. No one would want to be next to me. :crazy2:

You need to wash them in vinegar to kill the smellies nesting in your shirts. They get stinky from your body heat and sweat creating nice little habitats for that stinky stuff to bloom. They are already in your clothing - the heat/moisture just turns them on ;)
 

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