Wanted: t-shirt recommendations

Long sleeve?  Short sleeve?

For a short-sleeve base layer, I’ve been using Dickies brand or whatever else Walmart is carrying that year as a wicking work shirt for $9-$12.  They last forever – I’ve been wearing some of them 1-2-3 times per week for 6-7 years now and they’re still just fine.  It’s my most common around-town base layer and always if I’m walking the dogs on the beach or in the forest, plus on backpacking trips and dayhikes.  Usually I wear it under a 100% nylon fishing shirt.  I always get one with a chest pocket because my “reading glasses” are achieved by removing my distance glasses.

If you’re long-torso’d and want them to tuck in, then Duluth Trading’s (anti-plumber’s butt) “Long-Tailed-Tee” is available in wicking fabrics and many colors but for $25-30 instead of $10.  And I think they also offer long-sleeved ones.  Duluth sizes run large.  When I get down to 175 pounds (6’0″), their size Small fits me.  At 195, I’m a Medium.

Assuming from the starting points of Arms of Andes and Smartwool you are looking for a spendy  merino wool type of thing? For T-shirts for backpacking trips I like Icebreakers Merino 125 Cool-Lite short and long sleeve T-shirts – a merino wool and lyocell (made from wood pulp) blend. I like the very light weight thin material in all seasons and layer up if I need warmth. They definitely wick moisture (which means they get wet), with enough merino wool to keep the stink down. They dry reasonably fast given the materials, and seem to hold up pretty good to pack straps and hip belts – not much pilling after many trips. I have a small 1″ tear in my oldest one, but it is at least 10 years old at this point. A bit spendy though – I only have 2 short sleeves and 1 long sleeve that I reserve for backpacking trips. For casual wear I buy cheap synthetics from Target, Walmart, or Costco.

https://www.rei.com/product/229144/icebreaker-merino-125-cool-lite-sphere-iii-t-shirt-mens

https://www.rei.com/product/229143/icebreaker-merino-125-cool-lite-sphere-iii-long-sleeve-t-shirt-mens

DavidH: So you find the spiffy Merino wool ones get funky less quickly then the $10 synthetics?  That’s my sense from socks.  I’m doing the Camino in August/September (a warm time in Spain), and was thinking of the synthetics for their toughness and ease of washing and drying in a wide variety of laundry facilities in the albergues (hostels).

I’m a fan of the Hanes Cool DRI.  A 5 pack short sleeve is on for $30 right now.

I’ve used the long sleeve for years.  No wear issues under my pack.  They claim “advanced odor-protection technology”.  Dunno about that but it doesn’t get ripe anywhere near as quickly or bad as my octa or most of my other poly shirts.

In a cheap poly shirt, look for some sort of anti odour treatment.  Not too hard to find

@DavidT – I do find that merino resists stink better than poly or anti-odor treated poly. I suspect the anti odor treatments don’t last that well. I have some older patagonia capilene shirts that supposedly had an anti-odor treatment and they seem to light up pretty quick – even after laundering. But most of the merino base layers are too heavy for my taste – I could never wear them in hot weather. I don’t like the skin feel that much either – I find 100% merino a bit itchy. It doesn’t wear that well either. That is why I like Icebreaker’s 125 weight merino blend – light enough weight for occasional warmer temperatures (I try not to backpack in summer heat), good skin feel, and wears much better than 100% merino.

However, if I was walking the Camino in summer I would wear light colored well vented long sleeve nylon button down shirt. I have spent some time working outdoors in the middle east (where it was hot enough to melt the glue in my shoes) and that was pretty much the standard uniform for westerners. I think I would bring 2 of them and alternate days, washing one of them each night.

Wool is the gold standard for odour control but it’s really hot for summer.

Nylon doesn’t get as stinky as polyester.  I use my nylon sun shirt spring and fall but find they’re hot in summer.  That’s helped by throwing open the front but that’s not a look everyone’s comfy with in high traffic areas.

Polyester will get ripe but some are much better than others.  The echo is the gold standard for lightweight breathability and is above average for controlling the ripeness but it does get a bouquet.  Lots of user experiences out there where other (sniffing at you Crater Lake) are far worse

cotton in summer?

If you can really wash regularly I would think synthetics are best. I have several Patagonia sun hoodies and shirts and a MH Echo LS that dry super fast. Merino will be wearable longer, but also takes longer to dry. Cotton I think is out for me as it will take longer to dry on me or on a clothes line.

I quit cotton for the cool dry fabrics. Cotton is good, but you gotta have two, so you can switch to a dry one. They stretch out of shape when wet   Adidas, Nike, athletic shirts off of the discount racks. Dickies were my go-to at walmart, but I don’t see them anymore. A little thicker and heavier than the athletic shirts. I find the long sleeve Dickies a bit warm. Stink, but they rinse easy and dry quick.

so many options.  I found the icebreaker anatomica was the best merino tee for me.  it’s 150gsm, dries overnight, upf30, and I get around 600 days of wear before wholes start to appear, close fitting.

The last several years I have been going for more sun protection. Arcteryx cormac has been my goto.  upf50, resists odor for 3+ days of normal activities, ok for 2 day of vigorous activity, reasonably cool wearing.  Dries overnight, and in around 2 hours in Spanish sun (on camino would rinse it out each day when we finish walking and it was ready to be worn by dinner).

I would also recommend nylon button downs. Typically UPF 40-50, mosquitos typically can’t bite through, and they are accumulate stink a bit slower than polyester and better still, the stink easily washes out where polyester seems to hold onto the stink unless you engage in chemical warfare.

misc notes: https://verber.com/base-layer

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions so far. I’m looking for a short sleeve shirt,  so far it’s sounding like icebreaker has some options. Definitely have a few summer options to look into as well. For reference this short sleeve t-shirt, wind shirt, and a buff are all I need when moving from 60 to about the high 30s.

If weight is a priority, the TLRun from Amazon is the lightest I’ve found. I use one for nightwear to keep my sleeping bag clean.

Adrian, thanks for the heads up on that.  What’s that one weigh?  I found a Decathlon Kalenji Running T-Shirt ~ 3.6oz in medium.  UPF is unspec’ed but I use it for summer sleeping and camp and switch it over to a hike shirt when it gets above ~ 30C

I really love my LL Bean streamside T-shirts. They’re women’s but maybe there’s a men’s version? They’re synthetic but don’t hold the stink like most do, and are sturdy, light and wash well. In hot weather I wear cotton. I used to wear wool but find it to be more and more itchy, and of course they aren’t as durable.

I have a size large TLRUN shirt. Just weighed it. 70 grams or 2.5 ounces! It’s 100% polyester.

Nice, thanks, Casey!  I picked up an OR Echo SS last year (usually wear the quarter zip long sleeve) at double the price, med is 2.7oz, so a bit heavier but it does have some anti-odour control.  I couldn’t find any mention of that for the TLRun though.

Nuyarn, a mix of merino and synthetic fiber gives a good balance of wear resistance and odor resistance in my experience. Several brands use Nuyarn to some extent, off the top of my head I can think of KUIU and Outdoor vitals
There’s also the Norrøna Core spun wool, which are merino wool spun around a nylon fiber. I think it’s discontinued as it was too expensive to produce, but they can be found at really good close out discounts. The logo billboarding was a bit loud for me, otherwise I would have loaded up on this stuff.

I have a smartwool intraknit top baselayer that uses polyester and wool and zoned ventilation construction.  It’s designed for high aerobic activities but I find it holds sweat and is still heavy weight at 200gsm so isn’t the best choice for that.  Wool is still wool.  It doesn’t smell as quickly or as bad as full synth, but still gets there in a few wears because synth is still synth

So it dials back wool and synth’s biggest drawbacks but still has them both to an extent

T-shirt weights.

I have two TLRun T-shirts, both large. One I bought a few years ago is 2.6oz. The other, weighed when new and unwashed is 3.1oz. I also have a large Run T-shirt from Temu—3.6oz.

All too often, websites don’t give the garment weight. If stated, the fabric weight might be a guide. My Joe’s USA Driequip from Amazon is stated as being 3.8oz fabric. The shirt (large) weighs 5.1oz.

Thanks, Adrian!