Summer is definitely a fan favorite when it comes to seasons. It’s a time for beaches, sun, sand, and traveling! That’s all well and good, but being a plus size person in summer means two things: heat and sweat. That can also mean sweating through clothes, extra thigh chafing, and basically wishing you could run around naked! In order to avoid all of the above (since public nudity is forbidden in most places!) I’ve prepared a list of my top five plus size packing tips for women, tailored specifically for summer!

1. Dresses

I’m not what anyone would describe as a very feminine person, but I love a good dress, especially in the summer. I usually go for loose-fitting dresses, like t-shirt dresses or maxi dresses. The best options will give you full range of motion and will feel light, flowy, and breezy. I also prefer fabric that falls nicely and doesn’t wrinkle, because I am definitely not going to be ironing or steaming while traveling during already hot months! Also, be aware of the colors you wear. There was that one olive dress I loved but sweat through when I visited Memphis!

2. Rompers & Jumpsuits

I love a good jumpsuit, and on days when I’m feeling confident enough to show my thighs, I also love a romper. Here’s the issue: rompers tend to ride up when I’m walking, so even if I’m wearing the best thigh chafe cream out there, it looks and feels funny. I think the only way around this is to wear a romper with fitted shorts, but then I find that those are too hot. So if I know I’m going to do lots of walking, I’ll stick to a jumpsuit. But I still bring rompers. They’re great for the beach, meals out, or basically any day that isn’t going to require a ton of walking!

When it comes to jumpsuits, I also recommend you pay attention to the fabric and lighter colors. I bought a really cute jumpsuit from Primark but the fabric didn’t cut it and my legs rubbed holes in the thighs after three wears! Also beware of jersey material; it can be very comfortable but clingy and sweat shows really easily. Let’s be honest, I sweat in my lower back and butt. Have I had rompers and jumpsuits where it looked like I peed in my pants? Yes. I try to avoid that now!

3. Loose-Fitting Pants & Shorts

I used to be that person who traveled with exercise pants rather than ‘real’ pants, simply because jeans felt uncomfortable and I didn’t feel comfortable in much else. Thank goodness that’s over! While I still avoid jeans during the summer for any kind of extended time outdoors, I no longer wear exclusively yoga pants! I still wear them, of course. I have finally discovered the glory that is the loose-fitting bottom. They can be joggers, wide-leg pants, culottes, or shorts. I even like those paper-bag pants, but haven’t found any I loved on my particular body. Again it’s about comfort, free range of motion and mostly feeling as cool as possible!

4. Comfy Tees & Tanks

I know, t-shirts. Groundbreaking. The point I want to make here is comfy tees. I think plus size women have a tendency to buy things in the size that fits them, but not necessarily that fits the best. At least, I used to do that. The second I could squeeze into a large, even if it was tight, I did. The extra-large looked better and was more comfortable, but I was so focused on being smaller, I lost sight of that. Now that I’ve finally outgrown that, I look at several sizes when I shop. Most of the time, my size depends on the fit of the shirt. I range from size L – 3XL in most stores, and that’s totally fine! For summer specifically, I prefer shirts made in a light fabric, that are loose-fitting so I won’t feel like they’re sticking to my whole body when I sweat.

I also suggest and gravitate towards linen blend shirts and light colors in the summer. Again, I sweat a lot! I stick to white or printed shirts to minimize any of that sweat showing.

5. Good Shoes

I cannot stress this enough. We wear all kinds of craziness as footwear in the name of fashion. While I’m all for it, I would urge you to please take care of your feet. I had a job once where I had to wear heels and walk a ton every day, which messed up the ball of my right foot for three years. It took 18 months of almost exclusively wearing sneakers to fix it. I think this probably applies more to plus size women because we weigh more and are putting considerably more strain on our feet than smaller women. That’s totally fine, just be sure to take care of your feet. If I’m doing any amount of walking, I wear my Vans, Adidas, or Converse. They have each lasted four years before I felt like I needed to add insoles. So I bought some cheap gel insoles and bring those with me! I highly recommend that. If you want to wear flats, fine, but please protect your feet.

This is not to say sandals are off-limits! There are some amazing sandal options, it just depends on your style and what you’re comfortable in. For example, I cannot walk much in flip flops, I find it incredibly uncomfortable, because of my shins. If I’m going to wear a sandal, I usually stick to my Chacos or Tevas.

Other Tips

There are a few other random items and plus size packing tips I have, especially if you’re a plus size woman planning on doing plenty of walking out in the sun!

• Chafing stick. I’ve tried several different solutions to stop thigh chafe (aka chub rub), especially when wearing dresses, skirts, and shorts. In my experience, the best option is Megababe. It smells good and lasts a really long time. The only time I’ve had to reapply was when I walked 20 km around Madrid in 100-degree heat…I don’t think anything could handle that! Seriously though. I can’t recommend this enough!
• Shapewear. I know, controversial. I don’t wear shapewear to make me look thinner, I wear it to prevent chub rub on those days when I know I’m going to walk a ton and can’t bring my chafing stick with me. My favorites are these shaper shorts from Dressbarn – a way cheaper alternative to Spanx and better, in my opinion. I also like feeling like my stomach and back rolls are held in by something, you know?
• Biker Shorts. It’s funny that these have come back in style, because I used to wear them growing up under dresses and skirts, before I was old enough to consider shapewear. Now they’re multi-functional. I wear these as shorts and sometimes under skirts and dresses. I even wore them under a dress to a wedding once and I’ve never felt so comfortable!
• Sunscreen. I don’t care where you’re traveling, bring sunscreen! Protect yourself and especially your face. Because I sweat (redundant, I know) I prefer not to wear face makeup when I’m touristing around. I put on my face sunblock, color my eyebrows and head out. If I am feeling like I want a little coverage, I use the It Cosmetics CC cream over my sunblock. It smells amazing and has SPF as well! It has amazing staying power too; when I sweat I pat my face so the sweat comes off but makeup stays on. At first it seemed pricey, since I’m used to using drugstore brands, but one tube lasts me between 6-9 months and is worth the investment!

Did I miss anything? Any plus size packing tips you’d add to this list?

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