acrylic clothing?

It doesn't seem to be a fabulous material, but it seems to be cheap and practical for some light stuff like a beanie.

–B.G.–

Works okay as hot weather socks. Dries faster than cotton. Holds smells like most synthetics.

I use cheap $1 beanies made of it for cold weather exercise so they can be washed frequently and replaced often.

I like acrylic balaclavas because they're stretchier and don't fit too tight and give me a headache like the fleece ones do. They also seem to be easier to breathe through when I cover my mouth and nose in strong, cold wind or while sleeping in winter.

the reason why a lot of headwear is made with acrylic is because it is exceptionally cheap to manufacture, and it adds a lovely, soft hand to sometimes scratchy wool – especially when used next to sensitive areas like foreheads. however, acrylic is a dirty fiber. the production process requires heavy chemicals that including neurotoxins. some manufacturers have replaced the acrylic in beanies/handwear with nylon and/or poly. it's a bit more expensive to manufacture, but it is much less enviro impact.

I picked up an acryllic flannel shirt at my local goodwill. I'm surprised, it's actually very, very warm. Weighs about 10 oz. I thinking about carrying it as a midlayer for colder weather. I don't know how it will manage being wet.

I have a Stillwater ThriftyKilt made of the stuff.

It's the quickest-drying piece of clothing I own (over and above my polyester blend Nike DriFit shirt), but is somewhat abrasive. If I didn't wear underwear, I'm pretty sure I'd want to sew in a liner to the waist band on the kilt; it's not something I'd want rubbing against my skin.

That being said, it's still the quickest-drying piece of clothing I own.

I've tried acrylic sleep socks before. They're not terrible, but a good pair of thick wool socks is warmer for the same weight/thickness. And sleep socks is usually a section of my kit that I don't have to worry about getting soaked (a little damp, yes, but not soaked).

YMMV, though.

I didn't know that Sarah, thanks for the tips. I do have a little acrylic blend stuff, like some lightweight, thinner merino-acrylic blend sweaters/shirts. Things i do like about it, it's got a low density which is just slightly higher than nylon, so it can be lighter, but it's more thermally resistant (warmer) than nylon.

Since it's a bit less hydrophobic than polyester, it doesn't stink up quite as fast or as bad. Experiments with the 55% merino 45% acrylic have so far proven to show satisfactory odor control, though obviously the slight predominance of Merino of that acrylic is a big, helping factor.

Other problems besides potential toxicity, bad eco profile, is that for a synthetic isn't not particularly strong or durable–i believe woven acrylic is less strong and durable than woven polypro, which in turn is a bit less strong and durable than polyester, which in turn is a bit less strong and durable than nylon. However, it's still significantly stronger than lighter weight, thinner, and non felted Merino.