Super thin cotton t-shirts? Blends?

cotton kills!
Try merino wool as a synthetic alternative.
Patagonia and Icebreaker make some great wool pieces. Pricey, but it lasts forever and it doesn't stink!

"cotton kills!"

It's true. I had a friend who decided after a hard hike to take a nap. He was so tired he never felt the pillow case slowly wrap around his neck as he twisted and turned, tightening it with each movement. Never woke up. That pillow case was COTTON! If only it had been merino wool he'd still be alive today.

I appreciate the inefficiency and dangers of cotton but as specified this would mostly be used during periods of nice weather and less demanding situations (and even around town here in Florida)and I always carry a back-up Capilene shirt just in case when packing in. Consider it as a special-situation nicety.

Wool suits me fine for socks but can't beat cotton for the texture imho.
When conditions dictate the Capilene 1 and 2 go in the pack and are indispensable.

Cotton can be fine for trips in hot/humid weather. The plain Fruit of the Loom undershirts are 5.2 oz. in a M on my scale. A comparable thin Coolmax one is 2.9 oz. for reference. If you can, go for Merino. At least 50/50 poly/cotton blends dry much faster and are more durable. Many clothing stores, including Goodwill, have synthetics available, and sometimes Merino. Patagonia makes some great cotton and cotton blend shirts for warm climate travel and hiking.

Mike,

This may sound crazy, but I've done my fair share of thrift store clothing shopping and some of the thinnest and thread bare cotton shirts to be had can be found for .50 cents at your nearest Goodwill, Salvation Army, Savers, etc. You'll probably be able to find some overly expensive organic cotton T-shirt from Patagonia.com or something but that's completely unnecessary. I have a few vintage cotton T-shirts that are so breathable you'd mistake them for cheesecloth, well not really, but they're excellent trailrunning shirts for the hot summer when I feel like wearing a shirt.

Honestly, I think the most comfortable fabric in the world is 50/50 cotton & poly, in the 70's and 80's it seems like lots of T-shirts were made with this blend and local second hand stores are stocked with them. If you don't mind your fishing shirt saying "Wilson's Family Reunion 1986" and smelling slightly like mothballs or possibly being a pale robins egg blue in color then check out a thrift store.

Cotton doesn't kill. Bad choices kill. You can wear all the cotton you want as long as you have a backup and the know how!

For example…cotton isn't the best choice in cold rain in December. In the desert in hot weather that is dry, most excellent.

The whole "cotton kills" needs to die. Honestly. Wearing synthetics are not manna for staying alive.

BTW, Icebreaker may be nice, but it doesn't stand up – it shrinks and gets tough over time, as with most wool – I wouldn't call that forever. Merino wool fights the synthetic funk nicely but even it doesn't block all the stench. To make merino last you must avoid washing it – so yeah, it gets funky from that.

Buy what you can afford and what works for you. If you wear cotton, carry backup clothing. Plot it out before you wear it. Expect sweat back in it (which isn't a bad thing on a hot day on a breezy pass when you take your pack off! Ahhhh!)

Merino T's are expensive and maybe more delicate than cotton.

I had some smartwool T's, and they developed holes from being laundered.

The solution to avoiding more damage was to put the wool T in those sweater loose knit laundry zip-up bags. I wish I had known that.

I have no cotton T suggestions. Several years ago, I switched to either the "performance" polyester or merino wool for upper body wear. I have only a few treasured cotton T's and long sleeved T's left, and I almost never wear them.

Sorry you got hit with "Cotton Kills" verbage.

Cotton kills? Well sorta, the readily available cotton variety gets considerably heavy when moisture is introduced, on average takes longer to fully dry and it weighs twice as much as many synthetic and wool alternatives. For the ultralight backpacker those are definitely some things to consider, regardless of your geographical location. But like someone above said, it really comes down to the user and what they're willing to do or put up with to accommodate the material. I've seen backpackers hiking in loose fitting cotton button up shirts and old Carhartt double front pants without an ounce of whining or complaint and they did the job. To each his own. Sierratradingpost.com sells quite a large inventory of inexpensive clothing and cotton shirts are abundant in the button up short and long variety as well as cotton T's.

Appreciate all the concern about the dangers and am fully aware of the safety issues involved with retaining warmth in demanding conditions and the inherent problems with cotton.
Just thought some of you would be plugged in on your favorite uber-thin and comfy tees when frequently an LL bean or REI up north. We have a few old tees that were washed a million times wherein they get really thin but just thought with all the available outdoor gear nowadays that there may be a specialty type shirt that is made already purposely thin but no big deal.
Goodwill here I come……………

I just picked up a new super thin tshirt at the women's department of Target yesterday. Mossimo Tissue Tee $9.99.

The fit is body hugging but long, it is 100% cotton, very soft and very thin. The label said something like "super thin, great for layering." Put it on my postal scale and my Women's Medium size weighs in at just under two ounces.

Traveling in Southern Asia I wore nothing but Cotton Lawn fabric short sleeve button up shirts. They are thin, comfortable, wear like iron and do not need ironing. Cotton Lawn is used in higher end Hawaiian shirts.I wear them as work shirts and hike in them all summer .

Thanks for the help I just got a few of the Target Mosimo tees and they are pretty thin and very soft and comfy. The lady said that generally you can not make cotton as thin as the modern quick-dry fabrics due to the material characteristics and manufacturing so maybe there is no such thing as a wafer thin cotton tee anyways.

+1 on the Target Tee Shirts

I also got a long sleeved Mossimo Tissue Tee. My women size large is 2.3 oz.

My comments were intended to be pretty tongue-in-cheek.
All the downsides of wool pointed out are fair and accurate, although I've found the odour-proof properties of this material to be insanely consistent and long-lasting. If you can make your Icebreaker clothing stink, the problem may be you!
Cashmere and merino pieces can also be found at thrift stores for a heck of deal.

i use a snap front thin cotton long sleeved collared cowboy shirt. nothin keeps me cooler. it fits loose and the fabric wont stick to you like a t-shirt weave will.

Ditto on the cotton lawn Hawaiian shirts.

LL Bean makes a good Coolmax/cotton 60/40 blend tee and has a good return policy.

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/58431?from=SR&feat=sr

All those decades of wearing cotton shirts (and shorts) and NOW I find out they shoulda killed me. LOL they were my mainstay summer wear and sleep wear like, forever until recently.

+1 on exploring second hand stores for light cotton Ts

My wife is an ultra runner and she swears by the Target super thin cotton shirts. She can't stand syn fabrics and we live in Florida. She does races in hot weather to often to consider even the best merino wool T's, she is also too frugal.

A wife too frugal is a blessing. :)

These shirts from REI are comfortable and as soft as cotton:

http://www.rei.com/product/794440