Categories > Guides and Tips
What to Wear for Rainy Season in Thailand: Essential Things to Pack
Thailand along with other tropical Southeast Asian countries experiences rains and thunderstorms on a regular basis. While this may present challenges to tourists, there are a number of items they can wear to reduce the impact of the rainy season.
When visiting Thailand during the rainy season, tourists and guests are advised to wear appropriate clothing, such as quick-dry fabrics and some rain shoes. Travellers are also advised to bring jackets and umbrellas.
There are a ton of things to consider when visiting Thailand during the rainy season, especially in terms of what clothes to wear. In this article, let’s take a look at what to wear during the rainy season in Thailand.
When is the rainy season in Thailand?
When people say monsoon season or rainy season, most would imagine a great torrent of rain pouring down from the sky for many days. However, this scenario isn’t totally true for Thailand’s rainy season.
While most tourists don’t see Thailand’s rainy season as the best time to visit the country, travellers can still have an amazing time in Thailand by wearing appropriate clothing based on the season.
Generally speaking, Thailand is best visited from the months of November to March. These months cover the period when the country has a cooler and dry season.
The temperature can range from 73 to 91 Fahrenheit or 23 to 33 Celsius during this time. This period is also considered Thailand’s busiest season due to the volume of tourists that come into the country for their vacation.
The climate in Thailand is influenced by the northeast monsoon and the southwest monsoon. The rainy season of Thailand usually covers the months from May to October, with September to October getting the most rain.
Guests must note, though, that Thailand’s southeast coast, which includes islands such as Koh Samui, Koh Tao, and Koh Phangan, will experience something different. For these islands, heavy rains will commonly fall from October to December.
While downpours can commonly occur during the wet season, in most areas or places in Thailand rains rarely pour all day. The days are mostly sunny and warm and when rains do come, they are usually sharp and strong and will only last about an hour or two.
Tourists who don’t mind the low season of Thailand due to the rains will definitely benefit from quieter attractions and great value offers.
Essential Things to Pack for Thailand’s Rainy Season
There are a number of things to wear in Thailand to mitigate the adverse effects of the rainy season while travelling the country. Below are some of the key pieces of clothing and accessories to consider during the rainy season in Thailand:
1. Shoes
One of the most important considerations when travelling to a country during its rainy season is footwear. This is especially true for Thailand as tourists don’t just need to contend with the rain itself but also with muddy slopes and slippery surfaces.
As such, shoes to bring to Thailand during its wet season should ideally be ready for wet weather, comfortable to use when walking, and have good traction when navigating certain surfaces that are slippery.
In addition, travellers to Koh Samui may encounter different insects such as scorpions which love to make dry shoes their temporary hideouts.
Hence, it is recommended to bring sandals or slides instead of closed-toed shoes to see if any scorpions have slipped in. These sandals are not appropriate for all tourist itineraries and guests are encouraged to bring regular shoes.
It should also be pointed out that sandals are way better than flip-flops when in Thailand. Tourists may not be able to wear their sandals everywhere they go such as having dinner at a fancy resort but it will certainly be enough for most itineraries.
Travellers who want to go for closed-toed shoes, it’s best to get a pair that has a good floor grip and is waterproof. Trainers or running shoes can get wet but compared to flip-flops, they are much safer.
Synthetic boat shoes or water shoes with thin and lightweight materials are highly recommended as these will also quickly dry compared to gym shoes with leather uppers.
If you’re left with no choice and only have running shoes with you during your trip to Thailand, then use a balled-up newspaper and a hotel hair dryer.
2. Trousers
For trousers or bottoms, tourists are advised to get the ideal balance in terms of length. Shorter trousers won’t get as dirty or soaked in mud while longer bottoms can provide some protection against the annoying mosquitoes of Thailand.
It’s best to bring a combination of dresses and skirts or shorts and pants of varying lengths. With these options, tourists can choose the kind of bottoms or trousers to wear once they go to their itineraries or destinations for the day.
Trousers or pants made of material that is light and quick-dry are preferable over heavy fabrics. Convertible pants (pants that turn into shorts via zipper) may also be an advantage for guests once they visit Thailand during the wet season.
3. Tops
Just like trousers and pants, tourists should pack shirts or tops of different lengths. While Thailand doesn’t get freezing cold, a long-sleeve option should also be packed since it can be windy or breezy during the country’s rainy season.
Layers of light clothing can also help travellers adjust easily if a cooler or windier day suddenly turns hot and vice-versa. Aside from bringing your jacket, a cardigan, light sweater or a pashmina are perfect tops to wear at night and early in the morning.
In terms of dresses, ladies can still wear them as long as they don’t easily get blown up by the wind or if the silhouette of the dress is acceptable even if the dress gets wet and starts sticking to the skin and body.
4. Rain Jacket
Travelling to Thailand requires a jacket that is waterproof and not just water-repellant. Preferably, tourists are advised to bring a jacket with a hood, sturdy, lightweight, and waterproof.
In addition, the material of one’s rain jacket should have adjustable hoods, taped and waterproof seams, and breathable or lightweight fabric for the steamy weather of Thailand.
Guests who were not able to pack a proper rain jacket can purchase one once they get to Thailand. Individuals can choose from the more high-end jackets sold in department stores and rain jackets of questionable quality in supermarkets.
In terms of jacket size, those sold in supermarkets and department stores would perfectly fit people who are Thai-sized. This size translates to around a Western medium or small.
While ponchos are available throughout Thailand, the ones sold in the country aren’t very nice to wear and usually don’t last long. Guests can bring their own lightweight poncho and pair it with an umbrella to better manage the wet season of Thailand.
5. Accessories and Add-Ons
Thailand is notorious for its mosquitoes during the summer but these insects can get really voracious during the wet season. To fight them off, it is important to apply a liberal amount of high-quality mosquito repellent.
Mosquito repellent should be applied on top of sunscreen. It should also be applied 20 minutes after putting on sunscreen to make sure that there is enough sink-in time for the latter.
Another thing that helps stave off these pesky insects is by wearing a mosquito-repellent bracelet. These bracelets are waterproof and will be effective for up to two weeks which makes them very convenient for tourists.
For those whose mobile phones are not yet waterproof, it’s a good idea to use a phone case that is. Ladies are also advised to bring some waterproof hair ties and waterproof mascara to reduce the problems presented by rain during your travels.
Lastly, a handy foldable umbrella that can withstand a strong breeze or winds is a must when touring around Thailand during the wet season.
What Not to Wear During Rainy Season in Thailand
Don’t wear these during Thailand’s rainy season:
- Flip-flops
- Canvas Sneakers
- Absorbent clothing materials
- Jeans
The accessories and clothes mentioned earlier are some of the things that tourists can wear when they go to Thailand during the rainy season. However, there are also some things that travellers should avoid wearing during the country’s wet season.
First, guests are advised not to wear flip-flops during the rainy season. This is because Thailand can get really slippery during this period and tourists may have a hard time traversing the landscape in this footwear.
Next, travellers should also avoid wearing sneakers that are made from canvas. They are almost impossible to dry up, can get muddy, and easily get wet. Another no-no for footwear is wearing white shoes as these can get pretty dirty real quick.
Third, tourists should avoid certain fabrics when travelling to Thailand during its wet season. These fabrics include absorbent clothing such as Tencel, lyocell, rayon, denim, and cotton.
Lastly, it’s best to avoid jeans when touring Thailand when there are rains and downpours. Not only are jeans difficult to peel off once they are wet, but they are also difficult to dry and generally gross when muddy and wet.
Rainy Season Checklist
After going through what to wear and what not to wear, let’s go ahead and do a quick checklist of what to remember when visiting Thailand during the wet season:
- Do you have clothing for when it’s hot and sunny?
This may be wishful thinking but if you follow the tips mentioned earlier in the article, you should have some tops and trousers that will have the appropriate length of hem or sleeve for hot and sunny weather.
- Will you be able to wade?
For those who seriously considered bringing good quality sandals, then wading shouldn’t be a problem. But if other footwear is involved, tourists should be careful if the said item has enough traction and grip to allow them to wade in Thailand.
- Will your skirt or dress hold up against the wind?
Ladies’ skirts or dresses are okay as long as they can make sure that their clothes stay in place and not be blown around by strong gusts of wind or a sudden breeze. Think of it as the “Marilyn” (as in Monroe) test.
- Did you ditch the white and heavy fabrics?
Wearing white and getting wet can cause some issues, especially for women. On the other hand, heavy fabrics can be quite uncomfortable when they get wet and are also more difficult to dry off.