Stewing in your own juices

I have tried two sustainable material shirts. One was bamboo, one was based on soybeans. They seems fairly similar… but the bamboo shirt was lost after only a few uses so I don't know how they would have compared over the long term. I can say a bit more about the soybean based shirt which is made by ex officio which has had more use, maybe 20 days, but I won't consider extensively tested. It was to replace a nice looking synthetic tee I use around two and when traveling. The shirt has been used around town, working in the garden, a couple of day hikes,and it went on one overnighter to pt reyes. You might be able to guess that it's not my favorite shirt.

The material is soft against the skin and draps a bit like a very light cashmere. Some people might like this… but I am not super happy with it. It seems a bit too clingy to me. On cooler or moderate days this was fine since the material feel nice, but in hot conditions I want just enough contact to wick, and I also want good air flow which I didn't feel I got with the ex officio shirt. I was always aware that I was wearing a shirt.

I haven't given it a really good odor test since it's only been wore 2 days in row. The performance after two days was fine. Then again, my cotton tees are good after two days as well. It's just untreated polyester and to a lesser extent nylon than turns nasty after 2 days for me. It was certainly better than those. I look forward to hearing how bamboo's odor performance is in a real trial.

As far as drying speed… I haven't don't any careful tests. My impression is that is way better than cotton, not as fast as my thin supplex or my summer weight poly based synthetic shirts. I don't have a comparison against light weight wool because I can't use wool without a reaction.

Something that would be interested to know is how long lasting there sustainable materials are. On the one hand, some bamboo product are surprisingly durable… like some of the better cutting boards on the market today. But the soy based material in the ex officio shirt makes me think of other materials that didn't even survive a full season of heavy use. Not saying this is an issue for sure, but something that would be wise to monitor.

–Mark

So I was able try out the Terramar VisaEndurance T for a few days. I think it has to be one of the lightest, most breathable synthetics I have used in awhile. The XXL fits great for length and still has some room around it so it is not clingy in the heat. As for odor fighting, it reduces but does not get rid of all of the odor. I think a two shirt system could be quite usable where one is being worn and the other is airing out.

I am going to try out my SEKRI again here soon and probably order a Medalist to give that a try for the X-static.

Something to keep in mind with x-static is that different companies use different % of sliver. You might want to inquire about the amount of silver to increase the odds that whatever you pick up will work.

Sorry VisaEndurance in the Terramar shirt wasn't enough for you. I guess this is one of those times that body chemistry variance produces variable results. Good luck on your quest.

–Mark

I know SEKRI is 3% and Medalist 4% while I believe the Adidas stuff is 2%.

And there is no problem about the VisaEndurance as the shirt is still the lightest and most breathable I have found and I will be using it.

The SEKRI long sleeve Level 1 I have seems to be doing okay but it is as scratchy as wool to me. More later on the anti-funk properties.

When people refer to 'Poly' they are usually referring to Polyester which the vast majority of synthetic base layers are made from. Patagonia's Capilene, anything by the North Face, underarmour etc are all Polyester. Polyester has some cool advantages (great wicking, quick drying) but it's terrible with odour because it absorbs the odours and you can never really get them out.

A better way (IMO) is Polypropelene. Unlike Polyester, it does not absorb odour (or moisture) so to be an effective baselayer it uses a tube like structure (at the microscopic level) that uses your bodies heat to push sweat vapor through the fabric. It's really cool stuff. You can actually pour water on it and it won't soak it, yet it breathes incredibly well. Also, in cold weather conditions it's safer because if you do sweat in your pits it won't wick the moisture all over your body and give you the chills.

The only company that I'm aware of that sells Polypropelene is Helly Hansen. Most of their HH Cool baselayers are made from Polyprolene (not all them, check the label to be sure). It's really cool stuff….they actually won the Nobel Peace prize for science when they invented their proprietary method of turning pellets of hard propropelene into a soft, comfortable and highly effective baselayer.

Dan, polypropylene is as bad or worse than any polyester for smelling. In the UK Helly-Hansen polypro tops used to be known as "smelly hellies" because of this. And you used not to be able to wash it in hot water so you couldn't get rid of the smell. Helly-Hansen has now altered its polypro (I'm not sure how) so it doesn't smell as much (on me it still stinks after an energetic day) and so it can be washed in hot water. Other makes of polypropylene are not so good. I think the main advantages of polypro clothing are the light weight and low bulk. I sometimes carry them as spare clothing.

Polypropylene is no safer than wicking polyesters – both dry fairly quickly and are far better than cotton in cold wet conditions. I prefer merino wool to any synthetic as it doesn't stink after a week's wear and is extremely comfortable.

I'll add my vote for a nylon shirt. I tried a couple different polyester or poly blends and noticed I could actually smell myself after an hour or so on the treadmill. I never even took them into the woods! They also seemed much hotter than other shirts. I'm currently wearing a 100% nylon polo type shirt I got at Goodwill and love it…no smell and it feels cool while hiking.

May I suggest Hyd Peroxide spray on the polyester? Works as a pre-treatment and after the fact. The H2O2 is the over-the-counter kind, not the (dangerous) lab stuff). Been using it for two years now, no damage to me or the fabric. If you search BPL, you'll find more commentary.

I know it's taboo because we're all supposed to wear super wicking ultra amazing new and improved synthetic fibers, and they have their place, but I also enjoy cotton during the summer, especially if it rains.

For very hot weather (95'F+), I like a lightweight cotton A-shirt, with sunscreen. Not very effective with the bugs though, I'm afraid.

My SEKRI level 1 gets smelly, maybe not quite as quick as my Cap 2 top, but it's still too stinky for me to bear.

I think the lightest weight merino tops are no hotter than synthetics like Cap 1. Can be hard to get them in pale colors though.

Well, I have found that

Polypro does nothing to reduce odor.

VisaEndurance, Rayon, 3% X-Static and Cotton only reduce the odor but do not eliminate it.

Wool and nylon get their test when I can sit all day in air conditioning.

Anything else I should look at?

The Patagonia SunTech shirt made out of nylon worked reallyt well for me. I don't know if it was the nylon or the mesh that allowed for breathing but I could hardly smell anything on it at all after a full day with it in temps around 85F. Tomorrow, the wool.

I am the opposite.. don't sweat that hard and certainly don't smell unless I wear something for many many mnay days. Can anyone explain why that is?

The wool worked great. Hopefully tomorrow or the next day will be the 30% silver.