Polypro reconsidered also, but in different ways

I currently wear a thin polypro over my fishnet. Reduces air movement around the fishnet and dries quickly. Fishnet keeps the wet (I'm always wet) polypro off my skin so I don't get that chilling feeling from the polypro. A windbreaker tops things off.

If I'm cold or it is raining I insert a closed cell foam upper garment between the polypro and the windbreaker.

Thanks for the feedback Daryl. A couple of questions if you don't mind. How stinky does the polypro get, and how fast does it get that way?

2nd, have you tried using it by itself, without foam, during cold and wet conditions, and if so, did it wet through?

They sell a polypro that is fleece lined. These work great as mid layers. They are mainly sold cheap at like military surplus stores. I brought these up in another thread but did not realise it was fleece onthe inside. I used to have one of these when I was really young I used it mainly for hunting chukar in nevada. The mornings can be brutally cold and the afternoons can be blazing hot.

Funny enough Josh, i have a polypro shirt that looks JUST like that one, which i did get from military surplus store via ebay.

Fleece is not a specific fabric or fiber, but a style or characteristic though. That polypro shirt is all polypro, but they do a "fleece" making process on the inside. They do that to increase wicking action, to increase heat retention, and to increase softness/comfort. The only downside is that it will increase piling as well, and thus slightly weakens the structure of the fabric.

The term fleece originally applied to wool and other woolen natural fibers.

Btw, my shirt that looks exactly like the above one, i believe weighs 11 oz. Not bad for the thickness, tight outer weave, very high neck and partial zip features. I believe it would be too thick for the purpose i want to use it for as outlined earlier in this thread in my 1st post.

Yeah mine was really light fom what I remember and really warm. The only issue I remember with it was that mine would stretch out and not go back unless washed. So it had a wierd fit. But I might take a trip to a local army surplus and pick one up for fun. post on here how awsome my 15 dollar fleece is and make you all jealous with your 200 dollar pattys….HAHAH

Ok so I'm that guy where anything and everything can be a reference to when I was in the military. I'll own that.

I've used these polypros and I like them. They dry quickly, they are very warm, and I don't remember them smelling any worse than anything else I've ever used. After a few days in the field, we will all smell like butt flavored corn chips anyways so I don't see what the big deal is. Maybe I am just nose-deaf to my own funk?

The trick to get better mileage out of them is to wash them inside out and air dry them.

I have and use the ECWCS polypro (http://coldweatherclothing.ciehub.info/ECWCS.html ) for winter.

Mainly for base camp purposes (like Chaco ..brrr!), but the shirt also works well as a 'shirt-jac'. I was toying with the idea of using it this winter for skiing in this way, but never got around to it.

FWIW, for many years, I used lightweight polypro for my thru-hikes. Seemed to work OK. It is dirt cheap, too.

Thin polypro against the skin really wicks (thinking Lifa from HH) but gets really smelly really quick. Then other companies came up with their own polyester base layers (Capilene, etc…) which cost more. The military went with polypro probably since it's cheaper (in the budget-cutting 1990's) and developed the thick polypro sweater to replace the old Vietnam-era wool one. It wasn't until recently (thinking about 5 years ago) when the military went with waffle-fleece, soft shells, etc.. in response to Afghanistan (had to deploy there to initially get the stuff).

Thanks for the tip Ian.

Yep Paul, the one you mentioned seems to be the one i have as well. I'm looking to get some thinner ones. I'm curious about layering two thin ones rather than having one thick, heavier one. But i'm not interested in using them as baselayers.

HK, why do you think the military switched from the Polypro to the Poly, etc? Flammability or melting issues?

Thank you for the feedback everyone. So far it seems like no one has experimented with this specific idea of turning it into a sort of cold weather raingear?

I have lots of old polypro underwear.

It is warmer than most polyester fabrics of equal weight
It is lighter than most polyester fabrics, except powerdry
I have never had a smell issue with polypro

It picks up lint, pet hair, fuzz horribly, cannot keep it clean
Surface pills badly
They lose their "snap back" ability and get loose and stretched out when they get old
Drying them in the dryer too hot will really damage them.

Hi M.B., thanks for the info. Re: the last part of your post, kind of makes me wonder why more manufactures don't blend it with other fibers. For example, Polypro with some polyester, and/or a little spandex should help some of those issues. The only blend that i've heard about is a Merino and Polypro blend, but it seems pretty uncommon.

Justin: Yes, flammability issues. The wickiness was great, … many bought aftermarket UA Heat-gear on their own dime, but everyone neglected to think about flame (didn't read about the Falklands problem).

I was thinking about the civilian Lifa polypro however. The stench was truly horrible, so I just used it for day trips in the snow pre-merino wool.

On a side note, i would love to see and test out some Polypro microfiber clothes. Anyone know if they even make this for clothes?

HK,

I don't remember the military ones stinking all that bad. At least they didn't smell as bad as I did in comparison lol! I'm glad that they've gone with a safer material though.

Ian: It may also be my oily skin, which becomes a buffet for bacteria – wrapped up for the little suckers like a polypro burrito. It was so bad on my Jansport Rockies 7000cu in+ monster pack at the time, I strapped a sun shower to the top and debated on making a cedar "grid" floor to carry as well. Same thing happened with the military version smell-wise.

Ian, i've heard/read that a lot actually, about the Polypro stinking quickly There seems to be direct relationship between the moisture regain properties of the different fibers and degree of stink or not.

The more hydrophobic, the more stinky in general. This "may" be because the oils, dirt, dead skin, and related micro organisms that feed on same (primarily bacteria and fungi) get trapped in-between and build up in the fibers, and it's hard to wash them out because they literally sort of repel the water off the surface, whereas natural and hydrophillic fibers attract the water close to the surfaces and the water can better wash out all that stuff which the micro-organisms love to feed off and proliferate on.

Polypro being THE most hydrophobic of the commonly used fibers and fabrics for clothing, will tend to have the worst problem with this unless treated in some way to prevent same. Followed by polyester, followed by acrylic, followed by nylon. Nylon seems to be the least innately stinky synthetic because it has the highest moisture regain property of the synthetics although should still be considered basically hydrophobic.

I have no idea if this is completely true or not, but it's what i've pieced together using holistic logic and listening to the experiences of others or myself with different fabrics and wondering the "whys" behind same.

But I guarantee you Ian, that if you did a longer term thru hike, and took say an untreated polypro baselayer and one merino wool baselayer and wore them equally as much at different times, there would be a HUGE difference in the stink factor of them at the end, or even just a just a week in. This is part of the reason of why i have no interest in using polypro as a baselayer. Now putting a layer of odor controlling fabric in between my body and the polypro, should help that out quite a bit–theoretically speaking at least–i have yet to test it out.

I'm not promoting it I'm just saying that I didn't have those problems with it. I was stationed at Ft. Drum NY as a grunt and wearing it for 2-4 weeks without bathing wasn't unheard of. We smelled like holy hell. Wearing merino wool or cuben fiber onesies wouldn't have changed that. I'd wash them and they would smell fine until the next ftx.

I rarely wear anything more than a light base layer and maybe a shell for three seasons. I'm good to 30* in that set up when I'm moving. So far, the only outdoor activity I'm in to for the winter is alpine skiing and a recent return to snowshoeing. The civy poly pros I wear for that doesn't smell worse than I do and they're odor free after I wash them. The key thing being that I'm not wearing them for days on end.

I'm working on taking my backpacking to all four seasons and going to build a pulk sled in the off season. I'll have the summer to dial my winter gear in and I'm sure that will include merino wool over poly pros but tbc.

I hear yah Ian, and i wasn't trying to argue, just trying to explain the possible whys behind common reports.

No it's cool bruddah! I've been in the woods for a while but I'm way behind the power curve when it comes to gear. I appreciate your input.

To be honest, i'm pretty behind that curve too compared to a lot of people here, which is why i tend to ask a lot of questions, or often say things in a more questioning manner. The only thing i know pretty well is fabrics, because i have a particularly strong interest and experiment basse in same. But for a lot of other things, i'm more or less a newbie and i'm sure you have a lot more experience than moi in a lot of areas and i appreciate you sharing your experiences with polypro (& other things too).

I used polypro for over 20 years. Yeah, it smelled some but what doesn't when you're perspiring? I still have one pair left. I mostly use capilene now since it lasts a lot longer and does shrink and pile like polypro.

What with fancy dancy, high efficiency front loading washers today, combined with gentle soaps, and hanging to dry in closet, i bet some of that could be remedied quite well. Some might call some of that "work", and think it's a hassle, but i already do some of that for other fabrics like merino–so i'm used to it. Again, it's a shame there aren't more polypro blends make, also could help a lot. 25% nylon, 10% spandex, etc. included can do wonders.

"Yeah, it smelled some but what doesn't when you're perspiring?"

Gorgeous run way models wearing the newest super duper antiperspirants, or so "they" would have you believe? But, i never really fully trusted or listened to "them" anyways.

Also, if you don't use the polypro as a baselayer, but as a midlayer, you won't have to wash it as much, which also will extend the (quality) life of the garment.

;)

Ooh, ooh, polypro wet dream!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-XCEL-Polypro-L-S-Shirt-with-Hood-size-S-/271185750328?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f23ee2938

Just wish it was larger… (that's what "she" said?)