Bamboo clothes?

Bamboo is a bit of a gimmick, nothing more.
Bamboo forests are slashed, often to make way for some other sort of large-scale farming, and the bamboo is used as a very cheap raw stock for getting raw cellulose and making viscose yarn. That's all you end up with: old-fashioned viscose.
Oh well, plus lots of green-wash marketing spin.

Cheers

pro: has a lovely, silky feel

con: it's very absorbent and not durable

(my experience in textiles coming from the world of cloth diapering)

Had some bed sheets. Didn't last. Pass.

With bamboo clothing, you would not want to get close to a giant panda. It might try to eat your shorts.

–B.G.–

I tried bamboo injinji socks. They were truly non-stink, naturally antimicrobial. But they did not last long at all. The fabric was not very durable.

My experience is the same as Katherine's, being that I used bamboo liners for cloth diapering my son.

Durability I think would be the main issue, I very quickly switched to fleece liners.

As mentioned, bamboo is all just "green marketing spin". Which is why I tried the bamboo in the first place.

Good to build with, good to eat in stir fry, bad textile source.

No direct experience with that company, just some with rayon, which is what "viscose" is called in the US. It is cellulose originated, whether beginning as bamboo or trees. Lovely fiber, one I never tested for durability, being in a sportshirt. But I do humbly counter the assertion it is largely a gimmick and nothing but marketing spin. Everything sold has spin. It comes from an above-ground renewable source, leaving carbon underground. Apparently there are other methods of mfg than the "viscose" one, which can leave a lot of toxics ON workers & the ground. How green that all is depends on your religion. This smells right to me: http://www.ecouterre.com/how-eco-friendly-is-bamboo-fabric-really/

re antimicrobial. There was something too that. Let go of stink far better than hemp. Better than cotton…I think.

but wool is the real champ if you might be peeing in your clothes.

I have the Freefly sun hoody. It's an excellent shirt for red fishing in the fall. The shirt is the softest shirt that I own. I would recommend it to others. The shirt is a little in the heavy side for this forum. I typically wear a medium and would describe their sizing as loose. I haven't washed mine yet, but have heard they shrink a low if dried in a dryer.

I bought a couple pairs of bamboo hiking socks a few years ago from Big 5. They did OK, lasting about as long as some synthetic socks I've had.

My understanding of the appeal of bamboo is because it's considered an extremely renewable resource, being one of the fastest growing plants/trees on earth.

I have experienced a wide range of experiences with bamboo. The main appeal is that it is a natural fabric that is excellent in tropical and hot conditions. I use a bamboo sun hoody in the summer, bamboo shirts in tropical places, bamboo underwear much of the time. Very thin pure bamboo is very fragile. Thicker bamboo or mixes holds up. It does retain water and isn’t quick drying but still seems better than cotton. It is very soft and cool and doesn’t get that sticky thing cotton does in the heat. It is ridiculously expensive for what it is though.

I really like my shirts from Cariloha. They resist odor well, have been reasonably durable, and are more comfy than cotton. They don’t dry as quickly as synthetics, but they don’t seem any worse than any of my cotton tees or wool tech tees. I’m in favor of bamboo based shirts for day to day normal wear, but maybe not so much for backpacking use.

I used to live in India, so used many bamboo T-shirts and trousers. Bamboo underwear is the nicest thing in the hot and humid climate. Generally more stretchy and absorbent than cotton. Not particularly durable, but lovely feeling on the skin. They really don’t smell as bad as synthetics or cotton when you sweat a lot. Subjectively, I also felt like my skin breathes much nicer when wearing bamboo fabrics. Generally wonderful to use in a hot and humid climate, but I had a couple of bamboo T-shirts with me all the way up to 6,000 meters.

Recently switched from “recycled” trees toilet paper to bamboo TP. Works better using less. Never goin’ back.

Even works in septic system homes like ours. Dissolves quickly in water (I checked). For this use, lack of durability is a feature, not a bug. Might try bamboo paper towels soon.

I know, other ways with lower different impacts. One step at a time. Especially when my opinion counts for much less :-)

— Rex