Silver Technology underwear

> but if we can wear them a week without stink . . .
Ho ho ho.
Spin.

Cheers

The silver technology doesn't work. I've tried it. It just can't overcome the nice bacterial environment synthetic garments provide in such low concentrations.

That said, I've heard Silver Ion technology in Samsung washers works very well.

Anyway, I'd stick with merino. Nothing else works anywhere near as well.

Hi Tom – The effectiveness of the odor control is dependent on the amount of silver. There was a previous thread on this and Richard Nisley posted data indicating it needs to be in the 8-9%range
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=25406
I use the Visaendurance discussed in the thread and it works a better than merino for me. I purchased it online from Magellan.
Ron

Richard is right about the 8-9%. VisaEndurance is a good step but does not work as well as wool for me.

I bought a pair of the Smartwool merino boxer briefs and they work great, stinkwise, but they are a bit flimsy. Still, they're the best in terms of comfort and odor.

I still like the synthetics (ExOfficio ) for longevity, but they don't seem to do as well as wool in terms of odor and they are a bit less comfortable around the waist band.

Based on the discussion here, I ordered a couple of pairs of the Terremar (sp?) boxer briefs with the VisaEndurance/ silver threading. I'll let ya'll know. At 10 bucks each from Campmor, they were a real bargain.

Stargazer

It’s pure hype. There’s not nearly enough silver in silver threaded underwear to make any difference. Like discovering that ibuprofen relieved pain, but brought to market in a new drink containing 2-3 mg of ibuprofen per serving and hyping it up as a replacement for laudanum…

I own a few pairs of Medalist Silvermax Boxer Briefs, which use the X-Static silver thread. Bought them knowing that the silver thread thing was a scam, but Cabelas had them on sale for $6 a pair and they met my requirements. I’m very picky about underwear- long legs, athletic fit, fly that doesn’t pinch or overlap too much, and made of a nylon/poly that breathes, wicks, and doesn’t pill up or wear easily. Excellent briefs on that score.

On the rare trips I worry about odor, I wear wool. Nothing beats it.

The best stink reducer is not silver lined underwear. It is a rock called TAWAS in filipino culture. It is called Alum in American culture. It works better than every deodorant i have ever tried and lasts for days. Its no joke, it actually kills the bacteria that produce odor. It has lots of medical properties as well. I dissolved a clump of it in a plastic bottle, each morning i rub the water on my arm pits with a brush after showering and i dont need to use it again for 2 days. It can also be bought in powder form. Its all i use now for hiking. A little of it here and there, and you can avoid the "hiker smell" guranteed-because your actually killing the organisms that make the smell.

Much better to lightly put on a natural mineral than to lather yourself in man made chemicals that cause god-knows what in the long run.

wiki:

"Alum's antibacterial properties contribute to its traditional use as an underarm deodorant. It has been used for this purpose in Europe; Mexico; Thailand, where it is called Sarn-Som; throughout Asia; and in the Philippines, where it is called Tawas. Today, potassium alum is sold commercially for this purpose as a "deodorant crystal," often in a protective plastic case."

"Medicinal

* Alum is used in many subunit vaccines as an adjuvant to enhance the body's response to immunogens. Such vaccines include hepatitis A, hepatitis B and DTaP.
* Alum in powder or crystal form, or in styptic pencils, is sometimes applied to cuts to prevent or treat infection.
* Powdered alum is commonly cited as a home remedy for canker sores.
* Preparations containing alum are used by pet owners to stem bleeding associated with animal injuries caused by improper nail clipping.
* Alum is listed as an ingredient of some brands of toothpaste or toothpowder."

If chemophobia is a factor, stick with wool.

I wouldn’t usually go out of my way to flog this horse, but between the pseudo-science and Wikipedia quotes I may as well point out that the “made made chemicals” used in anti-perspirants most likely to be of concern are salts of aluminum.

Alum, the mineral, is another salt of aluminum and it is absorbed through the skin just as readily as the aluminum salts used in standard anti-perspirant deodorants. They work in the same way, by absorbing water and killing bacteria. As such, the safety concerns regarding the safety of these “man made chemicals” also apply to mineral Alum, specifically a possible link with Alzheimer’s disease.

Unfortunately, whether a substance is “natural” or not has little bearing as to whether or not it’ll be compatible with our bodies. There are many poisonous substances to be found in the natural world, including quite a few minerals.

Its not pseudo-science, alum works. I use it, my wife uses it. Her whole family uses it. Without it i get a stinky arm pit after a few hours of being awake, and a very stinky one by the end of the day. Using it in the morning produces no smell at the end of the day.

Regarding "pseudo-science". The dangers of Alzheimer(and others) is what make aluminum salt scares pseudo-science.

There has been no scientific proof that aluminum salts have anything to do with various medical nonsense that people spew.

One thing for sure is that it is easily absorbed and is somewhat toxic in elevated levels. That is probably one reason it reduces BO, by poisoning the bacteria.
I would suspect that applying iodine or other poisons would have similar effect.

@Ike the pseudo-science is that alum is magically safer than supermarket deodorant because it's a naturally occurring salt of alum. Not the thrust of your original point, I apologize.

@Steven +1

No problems, i assumed you were talking about it not working. Im pretty sure the one i use is called potassium alum. I have several sources saying it does not contain the toxic version of aluminum, then i have other sources saying it does. They are all .edu universities, so i dont know whats going on. Either way, i have zero history of alzheimers in my family so im not concerned.

Take a look at Potomac Field Gear.

http://www.potomacfieldgear.com/intro.html

Marketing hype? I don't know, what I do know is the stink factor of these is much lower than anything else I have tried.

The boxer shorts are about $25 + shipping.