Clothing suggestions for hot humid sunny weather outdoor work

I wear only shoes or boots most of the time, nothing else.  

In the humid, blazing hot summer days of the Ozarks I feel ya on this inquiry! Hard!

I usually prefer to work in the morning/evening hours and leave the hottest parts of the day for a siesta or cool spring fed creek dip, but I have found a few things that I prefer in the hottest months..

Natural material clothing! Linen and hemp to be exact. On ebay or other thrifting sites you can buy these clothing items used/basically new at great prices. I do find the 100% hemp or linen items to be the best.

Linen has hollow fibers which means that it is light while also being strong. Linen is the strongest natural fiber so the clothing will last you a long time as well. Both of these fibers also dry really fast (after absorbing 30% of their weight in water without noticeable side effects) if you do get really sweaty. That's a must because, let's face it, we're basically drenched in these conditions with our natural AC we've got going on. I just find that the natural fibers feel great, breathe well and can't be beat! Oh and of course always wearing a sun hat, drinking cool mint/lemon balm/tulsi teas, eating cucumbers and sometimes a wet washcloth on neck or head.

Hope this helps.

I think you should look into linen clothes, they are especially good for hot summer days. No wonder back in the days they used to wear linen almost everywhere.
This might be not your taste, but something like This would be comfortable.

I was raised in south Florida.  We soaked our clothes.  The water is less salty than your sweat, so it will evaporate faster.   It is the evaporation that cools you.  A heavy cotton T-shirt under will help you stay cooler longer.  If you think you will need it a second cotton T-shirt in a bag in the fridge. can be a big relief.
 

Roy Hinkley wrote:The first one I got as a gift, it's the best and been trying to find a lower cost one that works as well.  http://www.coolcanuck.ca/apparel/golf/golf%20shirts   Logo says Coolcore fabric, maybe search that.

Tried others with mixed results. They can't be big sellers, everything I bought before is a dead link except for the link I posted.

Amazon "coolcore"
https://www.amazon.com/Coolcore/b/ref=w_bl_sl_ap_ap_web_10007840011?ie=UTF8&node=10007840011&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=Coolcore

no luck with those links, but this should work

https://www.coolcore.com/

You'd be amazed how cooling a soaked bandana can feel around the neck, seems to pull the heat from your blood before it hits your head where we usually feel the hottest.

Along the same lines as the bandanna mentioned above those cloth tubes full of silica gel that you wet down and throw in the fridge, then wraparound your neck work well.

Linen and hemp are harder to find at a decent price point, but are definitely the best. I use a strip of linen as a soaked headband, and find that unlike cotton, it never feels clammy even when it warms up. My wife just used a super loose and easy pyjama pants pattern in a heavier linen hemp blend, and I am super excited for them. I found a loose bamboo shirt on the discount rack, that works well too. Cotton is still the bulk of my wardrobe, but on the worst days, linen makes me feel less sticky…