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more breathable hiking shirts?
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Jan 26, 2012 at 11:11 am #1830004
I've been using the Columbia Tamiami shirts for 4 years now and I find them to be perfect for hot weather. They breathe well and dry quickly. I've jumped into a river with the shirt on and it was bone dry inside of 20 minutes while wearing it. The temperature was probably around 80-85°.
Jan 26, 2012 at 11:17 am #1830008Another vote for the Columbia Tamiami shirts. The shirts run extremely large. I'm normally a medium and the small is almost too big for me
Jan 26, 2012 at 2:18 pm #1830124Capilene 2 is very breathable, not very durable. That’s the dialectic.
Jan 26, 2012 at 2:50 pm #1830145When ya'll are mentioning all these shirt brands I think it is more important to post the material they are made of than the brand. For the most part polyester is polyester, cotton is cotton. I am more interested to see what materials people are wearing and liking versus the brand.
I tend to hike in 95% polyester, 5% spandex mix shirts mainly because that is what most of the Starter brand stuff at Wal-Mart is and the shirts are cheap.
I also hike in 100% nylon fishing style shirts (some Gander Mountain brand I have) but I have never really liked the feel of these shirts, too rough and maybe a little thick. Ends up feeling like kind of a wet piece of cardboard on you, the advantage is they dry quickly.
Jan 26, 2012 at 3:17 pm #1830162For desert, Mexico, and summer Grand Canyon hiking I like a $3 thrift store 100% cotton shirt (or just one that I've retired from office wear to round-the-house to hiking use). In part because when I pass a stream, I can carry more water away from the stream absorbed into my shirt. I also like the wrist-to-wrist and collar-over-the-neck coverage in the sun.
But even if I wet the shirt from a water bottle, I find that less tiring than to sweat out that same water.
Jan 26, 2012 at 3:42 pm #1830172AnonymousInactive"Motus is the same fabric different fit and features reflective striping because its a running designed tee."
I have the 2011 version and it doesn't have any reflective striping. It is also "really fitted" and is designed for just about any aerobic activity outdoors. I found it superb on 2 8 day trips in the southern Sierra last year, everything I could ask for in a base/hiking layer.
Jan 26, 2012 at 4:12 pm #1830191@Ty Ty: Sorry, I disagree. The weave of the fabric makes a big difference. You can have polyester no-see-um mesh and a polyester vapor barrier. Two ends of the spectrum and an extreme example, to be sure, but construction of the material makes a difference.
Jan 26, 2012 at 4:39 pm #1830205AnonymousInactive"@Ty Ty: Sorry, I disagree. The weave of the fabric makes a big difference. You can have polyester no-see-um mesh and a polyester vapor barrier. Two ends of the spectrum and an extreme example, to be sure, but construction of the material makes a difference."
+1
Jan 26, 2012 at 7:24 pm #1830283>@Ty Ty: Sorry, I disagree. The weave of the fabric makes a big difference. You can have polyester no-see-um mesh and a polyester vapor barrier. Two ends of the spectrum and an extreme example, to be sure, but construction of the material makes a difference.
You are right but I still think we should mention the materials. It's hard to know the make up of each shirt and brand, they change them around, re-name them, etc. It would be helpful if people said I like my Brand X brand shirt that is X% this and Y% that.
Jan 26, 2012 at 8:30 pm #1830309It seems the consensus is that cotton is king in the desert because it will hold water. As I alluded to a few posts up, in sunny, humid conditions I'm not really sure the material matters all that much. In those conditions I think it's most important that the shirt is extremely thin, light in color, provides full sun protection, and gives you the ability to vent as much as possible. Typically the stuff I find that fits those criteria are the super thin nylon fishing shirts. There's nothing really special about nylon in this instance, it just happens to be what they're most commonly made of.
Maybe the best compromise is a 50/50 cotton/synthetic shirt that meets the criteria I listed above. No one shirt will be good for all conditions though.
Jan 26, 2012 at 9:18 pm #1830323Well I'm not sure. Deserts are dry and really hot, so as the water evaporates it cools the skin. In humid areas it is not going to evaporate, so maybe you would want something like a Cap 1 t-shirt or something that moves the moisture out as quickly as possible; that is it does not retain water like cotton. My only real experience in really sticky weather was compliments of Uncle Sam and he did not provide us any options.
Jan 26, 2012 at 9:59 pm #1830328Exofficio has a bunch of them.
Jan 31, 2012 at 9:08 am #1832187I concur. The first section of Keith Conover’s excellent overview of clothing materials is entitled “Names and Fabrics: A Rose is a Rose, but Polyester isn’t just Polyester!” http://www.pitt.edu/~kconover/ftp/Clothing%20Materials.pdf
Jan 31, 2012 at 9:46 am #1832203We are talking about shirts though so that gives some definition of say polyester.
What I am saying is when someone is asking about shirts, me saying I like Columbia and Wal-Mart Starter brand shirts tells the OP almost nothing because each of those brands makes shirts in everything from cotton to nylon. Even if I say I like Columbia XYZ shirts it does not tell the whole story because Columbia changes the makeup of these shirts over time.
So rather than posting the brand and type shirt you like and me/OP/others having to go on a research expedition trying to figure out what fabric blend the shirt was using in the year your shirt was made…it is helpful to post the fabric mix.
If I say I like Starter Brand from Wal-Mart t-shirts that run 95% polyester and 5% spandex that gives the whole picture. I think since we are talking about breathable shirts it is fairly obvious that my favorite shirt is not made up of polyester no see-um netting nor is it non-breathable polyester. I think knowing that I like a shirt in 95% polyester 5% spandex for it's comfortable feel and breath ability tells you a lot and when you run across say an Underarmour brand shirt with the same mix you might understand that while not exactly the same as the WM Starter brand, you might also enjoy that shirt for the same reasons I enjoy my shirt.
My point was directed towards people posting shirt names and brands without telling what the make up of the fabric is.
Jan 31, 2012 at 10:16 am #1832226On most trips I just grab the shirt that is at the top of my closet shelf, with a little eye towards the weather. If hot it might be a T shirt, usually some sort of polyester or nylon. If a large range of temperatures without extreme cold then a long sleeve shirt. If even colder then some sort of base layer that will be worn alone or under other garments as the temp drops. I have 3 stacks… long sleeve shirts, T shirts, and base layers. So what I pick at the top of the stack is probably what I wore last, unless it is still in the hamper. I don't fret, worry, or give much consideration in choosing something for a trip. I have a lot of shirts, because there is little I need in life, and friends and family often give me shirts as presents.
Jan 31, 2012 at 10:18 am #1832227ive used the everlast from walmart, champion which is often found at target, cheap mec shirts,under armor, nike, $$$$ patagucci and dead bird, etc ….
to me it all works pretty much the same … honestly i dont worry about it
i find it quite funny personally that people who are essentially walking care so much about the brand names …. there are many other sports that require clothes for high exertion activities that are more performance oriented than walking …
to put it simply there is absolutely no way im spending close to $100 for a base layer … i got my mec shirts for $8 and theyve worked just fine for climbing and other pursuits for the last few years … my nikes i usually get for less than $20 or so at the discount store …
if not having a particular brand of base layer is limiting yr "performance" in something as physically intensive as hiking … i suggest that there are other issues at hand …
Jan 31, 2012 at 10:44 am #1832236Eric,
I agree with you for the most part. I still use some REI stuff and have some of the Target bought. But I will say that the Patagonia things I have last longer, don't unravel, snag, are generally lighter, etc. They work a little better. But the lack of name brand clothing shouldn't limit or define one's pursuits. Since I don't hang out with other backpackers, no one in my circle of friends knows the difference between Champion, Patagonia, Montbell, Mountain Hardwear or WalMart clothing. Until a few years ago almost all my clothing was military, REI or some department store brand. And I had grand adventures with them.
Jan 31, 2012 at 11:49 am #1832258I know a guy who thinks he’s had a fine steak because he’s been to Sizzler. I suggest he’s never had a New York Peppercorn.
Also, if you can get there in a pair of tennis shoes you ain’t goin’ to the same places I am.
Jan 31, 2012 at 12:12 pm #1832270didnt some grandma hike the AT multiple times back in the 50s and 60s …. wearing tennis shoes
doubt that stuff like capilene, powerdry, phase, etc … were available back then …
yet she did it just fine "wearing Keds sneakers and carrying an army blanket, a raincoat, and a plastic shower curtain which she carried in a homemade bag slung over one shoulder"
her recommended gear … "Make a rain cape, and an over the shoulder sling bag, and buy a sturdy pair of Keds tennis shoes.
but then she aint going to the same places you are ;)
Jan 31, 2012 at 12:24 pm #1832275And she didn't need no stinking breadcrumbs to get back. I shop Goodwill and Salvation Army and get perfect Columbia shirts made for backpacking for about $4 brand new. I do try for a tight weave because I use Permethrin all summer and it helps. I took the same shirts to China and washed them in hotel rooms and they dry overnight.
Jan 31, 2012 at 12:35 pm #1832283Aside from mountaineering and rock climbing, what backpacking trip can you make that I cannot do in tennis shoes?
Jan 31, 2012 at 1:29 pm #1832314I go on lots of solo off-trail packraft adventures that I wouldn't want to take tennis/running shoes on as my primary walking boot. On-trail with a 20lb bag is one thing. Off trail through the dense coastal rain forest with a 40+ pound bag is something different. I much prefer a light hiking boot over tennis shoes in these situations.
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