World’s lightest tee shirt: Rohan Ultra Silver Tee

[Colin Krusor]

I recently ordered and received a size medium Rohan Ultra Silver Tee in black from Foothills:

(http://www.foothills.uk.com/rohan-mens-short-sleeved-ultra-silver-t-baselayer-277-p.asp)

This tee was brought to my attention by BPL member Peter Fokkinga. It is a fairly loose-fitting, all polyester tee with Polygiene antimicrobial silver treatment. It has no logos and the size medium weighs 58 grams (2.0 oz) on my scale. It is 105F here in the Sacramento area today, and this tee shirt feels noticeably cooler than a cotton tee or an old Coolmax tee. Total cost with shipping to California was $36.

[Bob Gross]

Does $36 for a t-shirt seem high to you?

(It does to me.)

–B.G.–

[michael levi]

I have a TNF velocitee that clocks in at 3.2oz for a large, but yours is impressive!

Mine was only $15 though…

[Adam Kilpatrick]

They have some pretty light T Shirts here in Japan I've noticed. I've bought one so far, 780Yen (about $8). I've ordered scales, once I get them I'll let you know how much it weighs.

[Colin Krusor]

Yes, $36 is high for a tee shirt. I felt conflicted about the purchase for several weeks due to the cost.

But it is, at most, $10-$12 more than other ultralight synthetic tees. Ultralight tees from Golite, Rab, etc. are in the $25-35 range with shipping.

I've worn the same Coolmax tee for all of my running and hiking since 1995. And I run four days a week and hike frequently. That beloved shirt is now in tatters. I get funny looks. So, I think I've been pretty frugal in the tee shirt department, and I feel that I can justify an extra $10 for this shirt.

Note: proceed with caution if you find yourself telling a story that sounds like the above paragraph. If, like me, you're an unfortunate combination of persuasive and gullible, you might find that, with a simple narrative like this, you can accidentally cajole yourself into blowing a lot of money on all kinds of new backpacking gear.

(edited to incorporate a sober warning)

[Jason G]

all my hiking shirts cost between $1.99 and 4.99 from my local thrift store

[Colin Krusor]

Yes, thrift stores are great for items like tee shirts if you're not looking for anything specific.

Thrift stores and other kinds of secondhand/surplus places are also great for MYOG gear materials. I save a lot of money on MYOG projects by going to those places first. In Portland, Oregon, there is a store called SCRAP that often sells large pieces (sometimes rolls) of overstock fabrics from Adidas and Nike, which have large complexes in that area. They sell 3D mesh, light synthetic baselayer fabrics, stretch mesh, WPB laminates, pack fabrics, and lots of other materials for $1-3/yard.

[BlackHatGuy]

"Does $36 for a t-shirt seem high to you?"

No, not really. I pay nearly that much for a pair of underwear too.

But then again, I also buy Apple products.

[Greg Mihalik]

…so one underwear is $18?

…and you put apples in your underwear?

[BlackHatGuy]

"…and you put apples in your underwear?"

Looks better than socks…..

[Steven Paris]

You thought Doug was just quoting a movie. Now you what he is really talking about when he says, "How 'bout them apples?!?"

[Steven McAllister]

I have drawer full of ultralight tees. All of the inexpensive ones stink to high heaven after a hike.

The exception being the expensive BPL UL merino wool shirt, but being UL it is very fragile compared to the synthetics.
I do wear it a lot.

If this shirt is in fact stink-free, I'd consider the price fare as it should be more durable and quicker drying than a merino shirt.

[Colin Krusor]

I will report my impressions of the odor once I have a chance to wear it for a 2+ night trip. I'm not especially good at stinking up shirts, though. Maybe I have a low body odor variant of the ABCC11 earwax gene (look that up). A 3-4 night trip might be necessary for a good test.

[Ian]

When I Googled ABCC11 earwax gene, I received the message, "You've officially reached the end of the internet; there is nothing left to see."

I mistakenly thought I reached the end when I Googled Forehead Bagels and Ferret Legging.

[Ryan Smith]

1) Now I am sad I didn't jump in on that deal & get one of these. Darn it.

2) $36 for a T-shirt is a little high, but not really in the grand scheme of things. Especially given the specs on this one.

3) Always interesting to see what someone from BPL looks like after reading their posts for a couple years. No offense Colin. :)

Ryan

[Steven McAllister]

I'm not going to lie to you, but I do want to try this shirt out as a summer and cool weather base layer shirt.

I may just throw away all my cheapo synthetic shirts because of the stink factor issue.

If I could find a UL synthetic shirt that doesn't have the obnoxious synthetic shirt smell, I may even buy two?

But, I can't yet believe that it can be that perfect.

[Steven McAllister]

Googling so far has shown that the silver aspect of fabrics washes away after repeated washing, or at least with the garments they have tested.

I suspect it is true with the Rohan shirts as well.

I do know that the merino shirts I own are great with the odor issue, but are not durable. Mine are all full of holes from seam separation and snags.

Who makes a UL merino shirt that is 30 to 50% polyester or other durable fabric?

I'd pay 30 or $40 for such an item.

[S Long]

Thread drift, but it sounds like the Rab merino blends (Meco, I think?) are good.

[Colin Krusor]

My complaint about merino shirts is that they are HOT. I have a 150 weight merino tee and I can only wear it in temperatures below 65F. I would estimate that it is equivalent in warmth to at least two (maybe three) light synthetic tees layered on top of eachother. For me, this is a serious limitation and the result is that I wear that shirt about three times per year.

[Dondo .]

I also find even light merino too hot for summertime use. Also, the light stuff doesn't wear well at all.

Recently, I converted to an ultralight synthetic longsleeve T, and I think the conversion is going to stick. It's a Golite Wildwood at 3.2 oz for size medium. It's very comfortable, very tough, wicks well, and claims a SPF 50. $25 in the clearance racks at Golite.

Does $25 for a t-shirt seem high to you?

No

[Lars Laird Iversen]

You can get RAB MeCo T-shirts that are only 120 material weight. More durable than only merino, less durable than synthetics. But brilliant stuff.

[Steven McAllister]

The MeCo 120 looks like a great shirt, but I can't get it for less than $65(US) in the US. Maybe I'm just going to have to stink:-)

[BlackHatGuy]

"The MeCo 120 looks like a great shirt, but I can't get it for less than $65(US) in the US. Maybe I'm just going to have to stink:-)"

What size do you wear?

[Steven McAllister]

@Doug I,

I'm a standard large. Why, do you have one you want to unload?
You can PM me.

[Ryan Smith]

Colin,

You've had this one for a few months now. Had a chance to wear it much? What is your overall impression? Been thinking about picking one of these up.

Ryan

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