# Shopping



## RussD (Apr 26, 2010)

Hello Everyone,

I like to travel light. Like the old axiom says, take half the clothes and twice the money. Therefore I would like to know if brand names of light weight, fast drying, travel clothes, like Ex-Officio, are available at the street markets. The label on the ones I already own say made in Thailand. Here in the U.S. the darn things are expensive. If they are available would anyone know where? I will be staying on Khao San Rd. the first couple of nights, Chiang Mai the next week or two, and then it's anybody's guess.

Thanks
RussD


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## gino (Jul 20, 2009)

*Impedimentia*

In my limited experience, the brand-name Western fashion labels are no less expensive in Asia than in the States, if you shop at a legitimate department store. There are knock-offs of just about everything you can imagine, from iPhones to running shoes to DVDs to Smart ForTwo automobiles, but the quality is often suspect and there’s a remote chance the items could be seized by customs on your return. I actually saw a list of the top ten iPhones clones somewhere on the Internet, which suggests there are a lot more than ten. Some copy the design down to the Apple logo. 

Sizes can be a problem, particularly if you’re a bodybuilder, obese or unusually tall. This can reportedly be an issue with anything from motorcycle helmets to condoms. I still pump iron, although not as diligently as I used to. While I’m nowhere near the size of the guys who compete, an XXXL shirt bought in Thailand is tight around the shoulders and chest. I like to get t-shirts with custom-embroidered slogans, which is cheap at a shop I found that doesn’t charge the hundred-dollar set-up fee imposed by many shops in the States. I brought a dozen blank shirts from the States because I can’t find t-shirts in my size. 

You can’t fling a copy of GQ down the street without hitting at least one custom tailor, or one of the hawkers standing outside the shop trying to corral tourists, but another thread suggests many of them may have quality issues.


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