shirt for warm weather

I have a long sleeved OR Echo that I like a lot.  The new Patagonia light stuff looks similar.

The 32 Degree Heat short and long sleeve crew tops are light (5 ounces for short), thin, cheap at Costco ($8), and very smooth and silky on the skin. Right now Costco is carrying the short sleeve only (for summer). You can get them at Amazon too, but they cost more there.

I purchased the REI Sahara long sleeve on sale last year. Worked well to keep the sun and bugs off while staying cool.

Long sleeve Sahara shirt has lasted years of abuse.  I wear it in the SoCal desert for sun protection.  I really like the Railrider’s pants and they have a new Journeyman shirt with the same insect shield.  Expensive though – maybe when they have a coupon I’ll give it a try.  I would think the insect shield would be a huge plus in Georgia.

+1 of the RailRiders – I love my Ecomesh. While it is very breathing with the mesh panels. Sebastion – what did you mean by “scrappy thing” – are you looking for a shirt that resists scrapes and snags, or do you want a softer, more stretchy fabric? FYI, the Ecomesh uses a woven fabric that does not stretch.

hey Lester, scrappy meaning, rough material on my skin (not good).

Cool, breathable and feels nice on the skin = an old cotton dress shirt.  From your own closet or $5 at a thrift store.  It does not dry quickly, but I find that an advantage (it holds water for a while and keeps me cool during the day), as long as I let it dry out in the late afternoon so it is a functional layer again in the evening.  I like the collar and long sleeves which keep the sun and the bugs off my neck and arms.

Practice holding four layers of the material up to your mouth and blowing through it.  Fabrics vary a lot in their breathability and it does make a difference – not all cotton shirts (or any material) are as cool as one with a more open weave.

For something cool, quick-drying that feels nice, I like Duluth Trading’s wicking polyester t-shirts (SS and LS):

http://www.duluthtrading.com/store/product/mens-armachillo-short-sleeve-lightweight-t-shirt-83716.aspx?processor=content

$34.  I use them in variable weather, while hunting in the Fall, and under ski clothes.  They also make a passable “rash guard” under a wet suit or as a SPF-100 layer when swimming in the tropics.  My go-to base layers for most Alaskan adventures are that polyester t-shirt under a nylon “safari”-ish style of long-sleeve shirt.  I really like chest pockets for phone / EPIRB / knife / emergency light (be on a sinking boat just one time and you get a little fixated on the gear ON YOUR PERSON AT ALL TIMES) and the toughness of the nylon but the poly t-shirt underneath makes it comfortable.

Uniqlo AIRism is another low cost option:

http://www.uniqlo.com/us/men/airism.html

Very light weight, silky, stretchy, and affordable. Doubt it would hold up well for bushwhacking. Great for workout wear, though.

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“I have a long sleeved OR Echo that I like a lot.  The new Patagonia light stuff looks similar.”

+1 to the Echo. I got the L/S zip tee. The zipper goes past the sternum so it vents pretty well. I use them 100% of the summer – the breath so well that I never feel a need for wearing a short sleeved shirt. I also recommend annually spraying them w/ Permethrin to make them bug-resistant for the season, if you travel to THOSE places.

“I have a long sleeved OR Echo that I like a lot.  The new Patagonia light stuff looks similar.”

“+1 to the Echo. I got the L/S zip tee. The zipper goes past the sternum so it vents pretty well. I use them 100% of the summer – the breath so well that I never feel a need for wearing a short sleeved shirt.”

Yeah, this all the way.

We get very, hot and super humid summers here in Japan, so I try a ton of different thinnest hottest weather base layers. Nothing I tried is as comfortable (thin and breathable) in that weather than the OR Echo (and new Pataguchi).

Another fan of Echo LS shirts here.

I’ve worn a LS zip in the high 90s, and I never felt overly warm. Yet, at the same time, the knit is tight enough that’s also warmer than one would imagine in a cool breeze.

Love mine. My only complaint is that they are so wispy that I question their long-term durability. However, I’ve always been able to find an extra or two marked way down at the end of the season in weird colors.

In hot, dry weather cotton is king.

billy

For an all purpose three-season hiking shirt, I swear by poly-cotton blend “casual” dress shirts. The weave is often loose enough to breathe well, thin enough to dry quickly and the poly gives them a little more durability over pure cotton I find.  The collar gives some sun protection on the neck and I can button the shirt up and down easily as needed. A long sleeve shirt even gives more sun protection.

I used to buy mine at the thrift store (which is still a great idea), but I also reuse my current shirts once they are looking a little worn for town wear, but still look good enough for the backcountry or even traveling pre and post trip.

I’ve tried “real” hiking shirts (be it button down or tech t-shirts)  and I find them inferior to the simple poly-cotton blends for *me*.

thanks. Any recommendations for short sleeve, 1/4 zip? (similar to the OR Echo)

I am not aware of any SS with a 1/4 zip. Maybe a cycling shirt?

Patagonia makes one called the Forerunner. I took one of my long sleeve echo shirts and cut the sleeves to make it a s/s shirt.

Paul, Poly 50% Cotton 50% or what…?

I’ve settled on a Stoic Alpine Merino 150 Bliss shirt LS and then sent it to Insect Shield and had it treated.  60% merino, 40% polypropylene.

I have a couple favorites for warm or hot weather, but to be honest, I often just grab any T-shirt out of my drawer. It really doesn’t matter. And a Paul noted, any cotton/poly in the 60/40 range is excellent and cheap.

I’ve used 50/50 blends, 65/35 polycotton and even (looking at shirt tag) 60/40 cotton-poly blends.

I can’t see any real world difference. The fact I had to look it up on a current shirt is telling. :) I used this shirt on a warmish October trip last fall. The back was damp from sweat. I took a quick (15 minute perhaps) break and it was dry. In the link, you can see said shirt. Passes the Mrs. Mags “You can been seen in public with me wearing this shirt” test…

As long as the shirt is thin,  they all work fine.  I used to hike in hospital scrub shirts as well when I was back on the East Coast. There were also a 50/50 blend. I worked as an orderly at a hospital in my younger days. I don’t think hospital scrub shirt technology has changed all that much since 1999….   I’ve hiked a fair amount of miles using polycotton blend shirts and still prefer them over “real” hiking shirts.

I gave the nylon shirts and most of the tech shirts  to goodwill (kept two for the oddball time I play a hamster in a gym). I kept my old polycotton shirts for three-season use.

Polycotton is great for dry and semi dry to mildly humid conditions.  I don’t find it as comfortable in sopping wet, really humid conditions though (unless you’re more specifically talking Dri-Release type stuff which never uses more than 15% cotton).

When i was in Costa Rica, while more active (like hiking up a volcano) i wore a white OR Echo ls shirt in sun or a NB part nylon, part poly, thin, very breathable sleeveless t when in shade.  When just leisurely walking around (still sweating my arse off though), i wore an all linen shirt.

Occasionally, it can feel like the above in VA where i live and similar clothing principles apply.  I also like thin, knit, all or mostly nylon wicking shirts for the above conditions too.  I’m not talking about the woven, button up type shirts, but much, much more breathable ones like the Duluth Trading (“underwear”) shirts.