I don't even have to sweat for polyester to smell.Originally Posted by vic_doom69
LoL. LOL....
I'll second that LOL, my poly's are permanently Funked up. So glad I bit the bullet and got a merino shirt to walk in. I walk every day, and use the same shirt all week to walk in...it really has saved the wife a lot of laundry and me a scolding for leaving stinky shirts laying around...good stuff that merino, bide your time and buy it on sale. Reward time is almost here again.
Also want to add,I was completely skeptical about the claims that this stuff laughs at funky smells,again,glad I pulled the pin and just went ahead and bought one,completely expected it to not work and be a total let down and a total waste of money...it wasn't, the stuff really does work folks.
Last edited by rocketsocks; 02-23-2014 at 05:04.
My Favorite in the summer is the poly that I discuss below. In colder weather I like Merino.
I have a few sets of poly-pro that have some type of silver additive that supposedly acts as a anti-bacterial agent, inhibiting bacterial growth and hence reducing the traditional poly-pro hiker funk stink. It works surprisingly well and I've gone 4 or 5 days with it on and no ill effects. I wasn't smelling like a rose but I certainly didn't smell like I used to with the old style poly. I had gone 3-4 weeks with the old stuff on and the smell is pretty spectacular....you know you smell bad when you smell yourself and you stink!
Here's an article: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/am4011644
I'll see if I can dig up the actual items on-line. I was issued this stuff years ago in the .mil as a special issue from Natick labs though I'm assuming it was eventually sold to the public.The antibacterial activity of the modified surfaces is tested against gram negative bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli). Overall, our results show that PP surfaces coated with AgNPs exhibit excellent antibacterial activity with 100% removal efficiency.
Edit: here's some. Not the same type but the same concept. This stuff does work well. The consideration is if you anticipate being around fire as poly-pro and fire aren't a good mix....especially if you're wearing it.
http://www.geneze.cz/en/kategorie/thermo-underwear.aspx
Some more discussion for those that are interested: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-...hread_id=25406
Last edited by Weather-man; 02-23-2014 at 11:40.
maybe you guys are wearing the wrong kind of polyester. I wore the same shirt everyday on my thru. I still have it and it doesn't stink. Came out of every wash smelling great. The shoulders turned a little pinkish (red shirt) from the sun bleaching everyday. Also has a bit of a twist in the torso from putting my pack on the same way multiple times everyday. Otherwise it is in great shape.
http://arcteryx.com/Product.aspx?lan...=Ether-Crew-SS
i have the older version that doesn't have the vented underarm panels. They are impossibly thin as well. I sweat a lot so they are usually soaked pretty instantly but would usually be dry by the end of a break or lunch.
I also use merino wool year round. The short sleeve shirts are great in the heat and the long sleeve ones keep me warm.
ya know, that may very well be. I don't own any treated garments, kinda always felt the same about those as I did about merino. Perhaps it's time to pull the pin again...I know I've spent money on worse things. Ok vic Doom69, gonna put a treated poly shirt on my wish list and throw a few more nickles in the gear jar. gonna be a while, but I'll report, you all decide.
I'm going in a different direction here.
My favorite fabric is the one I can get the cheapest.
To take care of the smell the synthetics seem to get I apply a liberal dose of bug repellant
If I use synthetic I don't need bug repellant, the smell will keep them away.I'm going in a different direction here.
My favorite fabric is the one I can get the cheapest.
To take care of the smell the synthetics seem to get I apply a liberal dose of bug repellant
hands down for me its merino wool LS ibex zip in the cool season SS merino Ibex shirt in the summer
Just to share, I just bought a midweight Terramar LS merino tee. It's a great fit and feels excellent in terms of quality, no clue how it would hold up long term. But mine was a tad itchy right out of the box. After a wash it may improve but I wore it around the house a couple straight days and I'm sold. I am now a big merino fan.
Where did you buy it ? Can you post a link ? Tks.
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone!
I bought them both from campmor.com. Both were $45 each, which is the cheapest of any I've found. Not sure if they have everyone's sizes, but I'm average so a L shirt or M pants is a tough find on the overstock sites. Here's the links:
Merino Leggings: http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___75183
Merino LS Tee: http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___75182
Another vote for merino. I love running in the stuff, too.
Merino in any weight is just too hot for me, even the 120wt stuff. For summer, nothing wicks better than polyester IMO. I don't mind the stink. A good compromise would be the Rab Meco 120 poly/wool blend. Lightweight, less stink, and wicks well.
Ryan
REI an/or UA wicking "athletic" shirts work best for me.
"I told my Ma's and Pa's I was coming to them mountains and they acted as if they was gutshot. Ma, I sez's, them mountains is the marrow of the world and by God, I was right". Del Gue
I will be in the minority. I have been wearing the lightest weight synthetic I could find for the last three years. Wear the same long sleeve shirt, Golite BL-1 year round. Occasional I will switch to a short sleeve capilene 1 in heat and humidity but that is also synthetic as well.
The polar vortex this winter, up here in Rochester, NY, had me "going back to the drawing board," for more effective wicking layers. Wow, conditions up here in Rochester, NY leant themselves to such research in the seriously cold conditions. I have to have my long walk every day (2-three miles, six miles twice a week) so upgrading my clothing choices to still allow me to hike but stay warm and not chilled by condensation in a considerably colder weather range (single digits, teens and low twenties) was paramount. In one of the many books I read on winter trekking, the novel idea (to me) was suggested to use a close-fitting pile layer next to the skin. Seems there is a company in England, Buffalo Systems, which has been in business for many years which pairs a close fitting pile garment with a pertex shell. I don't own one of these (http://www.buffalosystems.co.uk/prod...ountain-shirt/) but the idea fascinated me. And sure enough, one pile "fleece" that is close fitting when used as the insulating layer closest to my skin far outperforms (for me) in a cold environment any of the other alternatives I have used for years (merino, silk, anything.)
I did much reading about this and turns out that these Buffalo systems pile garments and sleeping bags (though the sleeping bags are heavy and bulky) have been preferred by many outdoor professionals and polar and subarctic British explorers when exploring in wet cold conditions.
Another aspect of this whole thing: On wintertrekking.com there were many testimonials about using a loose fitting outer layer of canvas, or similarly breatheable fabric over one's base layers. So that the outer layer served as a "bellows" to pump fresh air into the insulating layers which helps to move out moisture in this fashion. So I did my own version of this: I took an Arteryx pile fleece pull-over that is close fitting and wore it like you would a merino undergarment. I found it much more comfortable (no itchy) and immediately much warmer. I would layer over it with an additional heavy fleece, and then a breatheable shell over that or addional layers depending on how cold it was outside. This winter it was 9 degrees to twenty or thereabouts quite alot, so I used these two layers and a larger hooded wind shell parka (fjallraven Gutulia Anorak) with a generous hood and was able to crank out the miles while the pile layer conveyed moisture to the outer layers. Pile is now my favorite layer next to my skin. And my Fjallraven Anorak in XXL serves as a bellows to keep the air moving through and out, but can be cinched down and zipped shut to keep more warm air in. I've been at this for forty years and this is my latest thinking on the subject. I've tried every sort of layer you can think of. This is the best I've come up with yet for cold weather.
I realize that these were not typical conditions for much of the AT in summer. But during cold and rainy ridge hikes, and But the shoulder seasons, and definitely during winter I am convinced that a close-fitting pile garment, ( and perhaps another fleece or wool sweather, paired with a breatheable shell is going to be my preferred layering system for hiking or other aerobic outdoor activities. I'll certainly still use silk and lightweight fleece for sleeping.
There are a lot of folks that use a similar combo/concept although not pulled off quite the same as the Buffalo system. Namely a Capilene 4 fleece which is very form fitting plus a wind shirt. The Cap 4 wicks very quickly while providing a lot of warmth for 7oz. It's a great setup for a wide range of weather conditions.
Ryan
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