Synthetic, warm when wet, and quick drying shirt?

peripatew

peripatew

Joined
Jul 31, 2007
Messages
1,421
I'm in the market for a short sleeve non-buttoning shirt that is quick drying, and warm when wet. Any recommendations? I have a weird reaction to wool, and wool like material.

I'll be using this when canoeing/floating rivers when cold water in nice weather. I went yesterday with a cotton undershirt w/ a polartec jacket. This combo kept me warm, but the shirt was wet for hours.

Thanks!
 
Thanks for the recommendation. Just so happens that Backcountry is only 2 miles from my house!

L!
 
naked said:
I have a weird reaction to wool, and wool like material.
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Of course you do, that's why you're naked!


naked said:
I'll be using this when canoeing/floating rivers when cold water in nice weather. I went yesterday with a cotton undershirt w/ a polartec jacket. This combo kept me warm, but the shirt was wet for hours.
Thanks!
Click to expand...

Remember the old cold weather adage, "Cotton kills". Some kind of polypro should do the trick. Most of my canoeing is done in early Spring (sometimes still some ice on the lakes) and late Fall (all the bugs are gone) and so poly pro (Helly Hansen, in my case) does the trick.

Doc
 
I've got a pair of super-light shirts my brother gave me awhile back that are insanely warm despite being as thin as an undershirt, a bit stretchy, pack super-small, and dry so fast it's like they're waterproof. I only wear them in the winter, because they're way too warm for any other season around here, though they're short sleeved. I've gone out in ~20 degree weather wearing no jacket with one of these on and been fine. Let me scrounge around here and find the brand/material for you.

Here we go! They're called Duofold, and are made of 100% Polyester-Coolmax according to the tag.

Hope this helps!
 
I always scour the discount places for bargain-basement prices on the normally expensive polypro t-shirts for warm weather and polypro zip turtlenecks fo cold weather. I have a bunch from companies like Duofold, The North Face, New Balance and Wickers.

I work outdoors every day in all weather (I'm a mailman in northern NY). I don't know how I'd survive without modern synthetics! A polypro layer next to the skin is warmer in the cold weather and cooler in the warm weather. It's comfortable and dries very quickly. The only downside is, the untreated types tend to be an excellent growth medium for bacteria. They can get smelly in a hurry! The premium types are treated with antibacterial agents (not always chemicals... silver threads are used in some).

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
bladefrienzy said:
+1 on the UnderArmor. Or any other well made poly shirt like it. But I prefer the UA.
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I have one of their loose fitting t shirts and in summer I wear it backpacking.

When I get to camp it's usually wet with sweat and I can dunk it in the creek and rinse it out and hang it to dry.

Then I have a separate cotton T shirt I wear at camp and to sleep in. By the morning the under armor is dry enough to use again.

I also have a tight fitting turtleneck longsleeve that is great in really cold windy conditions as the first layer.:thumbup:
 
desmobob said:
A polypro layer next to the skin is warmer in the cold weather and cooler in the warm weather. It's comfortable and dries very quickly. The only downside is, the untreated types tend to be an excellent growth medium for bacteria. They can get smelly in a hurry! The premium types are treated with antibacterial agents (not always chemicals... silver threads are used in some).

Stay sharp,
desmobob
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Is this preventable with constant washing? I am about to order a few sets of heavyweight polypro for deer hunting.
 
troutfisher13111 said:
Is this preventable with constant washing? I am about to order a few sets of heavyweight polypro for deer hunting.
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It doesn't seem to be. The untreated ones I have that have "soured" at one time now do it very soon after being worn, despite having just come out of the laundry.

Early untreated polypro garments had a reputation for getting stinky. Helly-Hansen was one of the first makers. Their stuff became known as "Smelly Helly."

You can actually do a web search for "smelly polypro", etc. and get lots of information.
http://www.discovery.com/area/skinnyon/skinnyon970801/skinnyon.html

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
desmobob said:
It doesn't seem to be. The untreated ones I have that have "soured" at one time now do it very soon after being worn, despite having just come out of the laundry.

Early untreated polypro garments had a reputation for getting stinky. Helly-Hansen was one of the first makers. Their stuff became known as "Smelly Helly."

You can actually do a web search for "smelly polypro", etc. and get lots of information.
http://www.discovery.com/area/skinnyon/skinnyon970801/skinnyon.html

Stay sharp,
desmobob
Click to expand...


How is the military stuff?
 
Give the REI Sahara Tech T a try. I have owned quite a few of the various synthetic shirts on the market and definitely like these the best. I work in outdoor retail and can get any shirt awfully cheap and I always go back to the Sahara.

Every time they go on sale for $14.99, I buy several, so I probably have 20 or so by now. They are made from brushed polyester, which is much softer than your regular poly, almost on the level of organic cotton. You still get all the regular benefits of poly, the quick-drying, wicking, etc. I have not noticed any odor problems with these like most of my other poly shirts. The only shirts I think are better are the Icebreaker Tech T Lites, but those are a whole other realm of price.
 
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