New Hind shirt / Question on Rayon properties

Ha ha, I bought the same shirt! So you and I now both own green Marmot 100wt, and now a green Hind. If I see "me" on the trail, I'll know it's you.

I'd always heard Rayon was an ideal hot-weather material. Rayon is just cellulose, extracted from wood-pulp. It's a cousin to cardboard, actually.

"It can imitate the feel and texture of silk, wool, cotton and linen. Rayon fabrics are soft, smooth, cool, comfortable, and highly absorbent, but they do not insulate body heat, making them ideal for use in hot and humid climates."

"Rayon-polyester blends dry quickly and have a comfortable, stretchy feel. The fabric works well for exercise clothing…If the rayon fabric contains at least 30 percent polyester, it is safe to machine or hand wash, according to the Ohio State University Extension."

Sounds a little like Dri-Release, doesn't it, because it mixes a moisture-rejecting poly with a moisture-loving textile? I found one post that claims: "It should feel much nicer and drapier than plain polyester, and in my experience it also breathes better and doesn't get as smelly. Pure polyester and armpits can be a stinky mix even on non-stinky people."

Also found a note that rayon tends to shrink. And it's known to pill. I noticed my shirt already has a bit of a pill-y look.

Haha, Delmar! I knew you would show up on this thread! Lets go blind everyone on the trail with our bright green clothing!
I was wondering if the material might be similar functionality to the dri-release stuff, but I wasn't sure. At $10, I figured it was worth a try. :-)

Rayon absorbs more moisture than cotton, but seems to release it a bit faster than same.

The main problem with rayon is that it's rather weak when wet, but that's also an issue with wool. But with a slight majority of synthetic, should significantly strengthen it.

I wore this shirt yesterday (70 degrees) and was cold most of the time! Must be it's a warm weather shirt, as the rayon would indicate.

> But with a slight majority of synthetic, should significantly strengthen it.

Rayon is synthetic.

>Rayon is synthetic.

Some have remarked that it's sort of a semi-synthetic fiber since it is derived from naturally occurring cellulose. It is heavily processed though.

Good description Ben, and i would agree, one could either call it, semi-synthetic or semi-natural.

The reason why i don't put it in the "synthetic" category is for clarity, because like more natural fibers, it's quite hydrophillic whereas fully synthetic, petrol-plastic based synthetics are all more or less hydrophobic (nylon almost straddles the line between the two though). Also, unlike the latter synthetics is quite a weak fiber (tencel on the other hand is a kind of rayon which is MUCH improved in that area, and seems to release moisture a bit faster too).

Hi

Does rayon stink less than polyester?

Thanks!

rhz

Should be less stink than synthetic. More hydrophobic, more stink, I've heard.

Also on a similar note. I have some tencel khaki pants, and they look like wet cardboard when they get wet. It cracks me up.

After wearing this shirt for a day while doing somewhat strenuous landscaping, I can report two things:

1) Kept me cooler than most knit shirts when working in the sun. Liked the long sleeves to keep the sun at bay.
2) It's a stinker. Too stinky for backpacking in my book; needs to be washed at the end of the day.

Follow the washing instructions carefully. Rayon is not very sturdy and that's probably why it is mixed with polyester, which is very sturdy.