Interailing summer dress

[fleeceandwellies]

Hi I'm going to be inter-railing this summer. Its going to be hot and I'll have a rucksack. I'm looking for a bomb proof dress that can literally be screwed up and chucked in a bag for the evenings. I'm 56, 5ft 4 size 10 , decent boobs, nothing really above the knee pls. Cheap and needs to be able to be slung in a sink and wrung out to dry over night. Is there such a thing? thank you

4' 11" & 3/4! My old friend Sara from uni days, who was the same height as you, also insisted on that very important 3/4 inch!

Love your user name btw - such a pretty mushroom, especially when cooked with chanterelles!

Have you seen Decathlon’s hiking dresses?

Yes it's simple & versatile, & is cotton gauze too. And if OP needs something cheaper than the other ones I posted, it fits the bill. That style of dress is great for summer.

Personally though I don't shop at Matalan. It comes lower than Zara, H&M etc in terms of good practice & sustainability ratings. Still a notch above Shein & Temu though! But I'd rather hunt down one of the others second-hand, or something similar, if I really needed to save on cost (I buy most of my clothes that way). I also enjoy the thrill of the hunt!

https://directory.goodonyou.eco/search/Matalan/

I like Matalan for swimwear and vest tops

Never look at the sustainability or anything

I'm also going interrailling, looking for similar.

I bought this https://www.zara.com/uk/en/linen-blend-midi-dress-with-belt-p04745035.html?v1=500610589&v2=2420836

And I've bought a load of vinted, best of luck

So you think I have never been to any wild places and are patronising me based on a dress recommendation? Have you worked in the Antarctic post office? I have. Have you? That's fairly wild, believe it or not. And there's a toilet - not that you would know, because you've never been! I never get why people need to be so rude and patronising to others when they don't know them from a bar of soap. Wildness is fun for travels, but not so much when reflected in manners.

Steady on...

I do not think anyone is interrailing to the Antarctic....

And no, a post office anywhere is not wild

By wild, I mean where there is a good stretch of land/water without buildings, or perhaps only ruins or buildings in seasonal or occasional use. I do not count extreme clinate or weather as identical to wild.

No bra needed - that's good! Though probably only up to a D cup or so, which I no longer am, sadly ...

I try to check things out. Far from perfect about it - I'm not quite knitting my own jumpers from my cat's fur combings ...!! But I do my best.

I’m sure this has been said before, but Rohan is your friend when travelling.
Their clothes wash and dry really quickly.
www.rohan.co.uk/womens/dresses-skirts-skorts/?srsltid=AfmBOoraF4QeZOzHQGGJMFpoyHGMzWHXKF6XlZMOIgWucmfMfdZTPjUn

Depends on the cotton, I have a thin poplin dress from Cos and it dries incredibly fast. But it does need ironing so that's an issue. I agree with @EleanorMc67 , cheesecloth is a good cool option. But it does depend what the OP is doing while interrailing. Is she going to be doing lots of countryside walks or wandering round city museums with long lunches? How much does she care about fashion vs practicality? What shoes will she be taking?

I’ve got an absolutely lovely dress which would fit the bill. I bought it from Mountain Warehouse in their sale and it cost me about £10.50! It’s a jersey material and never creases and would wash out in a sink and drip dry. Every time I wear it I get compliments and they still have them in various colours (not always quite so cheap).
20% off with code 20FUN
https://www.mountainwarehouse.com/p/035129/mw/santorini-womens-uv-jersey-wrap-dress/bright-blue/?_gl=11bl2seb_upMQ.._gs*MQ..&gclid=CjwKCAjw5s_QBhAdEiwADD_gBvydxwSUxgWI5bskUTagqCH8DJIRp0jNli0hjKCmtAD2Kkmwl0UC0hoCBMIQAvD_BwE&gbraid=0AAAAADoKbU8J46gXvvdOd33nzd7b8bcN3
They come up a bit big.

I wore the All Saints Duma dress to death on holiday last year. Doesn't crease, lightweight, flattering, comes in black and pink. You can find them on Vinted, not in the shop. I've got it in both black and pink!

The OP specifically said she wanted the dress for evenings. So, not for hiking with her rucksack, and not for train loos - for evenings in presumably hostels or hotels or Air BnBs or wherever. For dinner, concerts, open air theatre, entertaining, or being entertained, by new friends. Something she can rinse out in her room and have ready to roll up in the rucksack the next morning.

I mentioned one of the Uniqlo Airism dresses above. There seem to be three models: the midi shift dress, the camisole dress and the t shirt dress. I’d suggest taking one of each.

https://www.uniqlo.com/uk/en/products/E482982-000/00?colorDisplayCode=38&sizeDisplayCode=003&sv1=affiliate&sv_campaign_id=78888&awc=6771_1779702239_64c08d92e0cdae3c145c7f2d054d1771&utm_source=awin&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=78888&af_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.uniqlo.com%2Fuk%2Fen%2Fproducts%2FE482982-000%2F00%3FcolorDisplayCode%3D38%26sizeDisplayCode%3D003%26sv1%3Daffiliate%26sv_campaign_id%3D78888%26awc%3D6771_1779702239_64c08d92e0cdae3c145c7f2d054d1771%26utm_source%3Dawin%26utm_medium%3Daffiliate%26utm_campaign%3D78888&cks=6771_1779702239_64c08d92e0cdae3c145c7f2d054d1771&af_c_id=mumsnet.com%2Fapp&awinmid=6771&pid=affiliatewindow_int&is_retargeting=true&af_click_lookback=7d&af_media_type=web&deep_link_value=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.uniqlo.com%2Fuk%2Fen%2Fproducts%2FE482982-000%2F00%3FcolorDisplayCode%3D38%26sizeDisplayCode%3D003%26sv1%3Daffiliate%26sv_campaign_id%3D78888%26awc%3D6771_1779702239_64c08d92e0cdae3c145c7f2d054d1771%26utm_source%3Dawin%26utm_medium%3Daffiliate%26utm_campaign%3D78888&af_reengagement_window=30d&af_siteid=78888&af_sig=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJTVzVaIiwidmVyIjoidjEiLCJpc3MiOiJhZmZpbGlhdGV3aW5kb3dfaW50IiwicGFyYW1zIjp7InBpZCI6ImFmZmlsaWF0ZXdpbmRvd19pbnQiLCJhZl9zaXRlaWQiOiI3ODg4OCIsImMiOiI2NzcxIn0sImlhdCI6MTc3OTcwMjIzOSwianRpIjoiNDE0ZDNjODAtNTgxZS0xMWYxLTkxMzMtMjIzOTYxNTdlNzhmIn0.6CDKmwb30WJZ3uAm4y6gGHWHyIxuTMvj_ZSKVf0wnB0&af_ad_id=18831&c=6771

Can I ask anyone who has this… what the fabric of this dress feels like? It sounds quite polyester/elastany-is it shiny? Does it cling to lumps and bumps?!

It’s lovely to wear, has pockets, not shiny. I wear it year-round and have worn it in nine different countries in the last three years, including inter-railing and a work trip to a warm country where I paired it with tan Mary Janes and a linen blazer. You can’t go wrong, honestly.

Thanks Michael Winner.

Sweaty Betty makes some ‘Explorer’ dresses that are incredibly lightweight and quick drying for this very purpose. They are not cheap but can be found on Vinted. The Uniqlo Airism ones might fit the bill too

Milos Womens Sleeveless Dress

Santorini Womens UV Jersey Wrap Dress

£31.98 with the code

ive just ordered these two dresses, Im going bike packing in France so have, like you, limited space and want something easy to wash and sry without ironing.

Just need to find some lightweight small candles or flip flop type shoes

Agree - though they're much better now than when I last went backpacking in my early 40s! That's not saying a lot though ...

A thin proper silk-cashmere mix pashmina is my favourite scarf for travelling. I've even slept under it on overnight trains. And used it in all the ways you mention too!

I take cheap synthetic ones for traveling because my favourite use is to soak it in the handbasin then wrap it round my shoulders to keep cool when it's 40°. If you're really practical, they can also be first aid or make an impromptu picnic bag (preferable on a stick over your shoulder)

Cheesecloth

I think it was a perfectly innocuous comment.