View Full Version : t-shirts?
desdemona
02-14-2008, 01:01
Hi,
Last week I had my first all day hike. I have been wearing cotton t-shirts, but this was not such a good thing. I have read all this stuff about not wearing cotton and now I see why. I was nice and sweaty and by the time I got to the top where it was cold I started getting chilly. What do you all like?
I looked at REI and saw these $40 shirts. YIKES. I hate polyester t-shirts though I guess that would be cheaper. Would 50-50 polycotton help any? (Not that I like them much but they would be cheaper, and I could easily buy them at a thrift store.)
--des
River Runner
02-14-2008, 01:18
I like wool the best, but it is expensive.
50/50 poly/cotton is better than 100% cotton, but still not good.
Duofold make some 95% poly/5% cotton shirts that are inexpensive & feel like a cotton knit & are pretty good.
Survivor Dave
02-14-2008, 01:18
For what it's worth, I use UA(Under Armour) T shirts at around $20 at Dick's Sporting goods. I have not really seen anywhere else cheaper than that. I also found the shirts of that wicking material at Kohl's department store for about $12 on sale.
If you are looking for long sleeve, you'll spend more. I do like the Patagonia Capilene #2 and #3. Yes, they are a bit pricey at 40-55 bucks, but they last and are very warm IMO.
I'm not a SmartWool fan.....
SD
Hi,
Last week I had my first all day hike. I have been wearing cotton t-shirts, but this was not such a good thing. I have read all this stuff about not wearing cotton and now I see why. I was nice and sweaty and by the time I got to the top where it was cold I started getting chilly. What do you all like?
I looked at REI and saw these $40 shirts. YIKES. I hate polyester t-shirts though I guess that would be cheaper. Would 50-50 polycotton help any? (Not that I like them much but they would be cheaper, and I could easily buy them at a thrift store.)
--des
You can get synthetic t-shirts for a lot cheaper than $40. Look at the "outlet" part of REI.com (they are having a big sale right now and I saw synthetic t-shirts for less than $10), or campmor.com or sierratradingpost.com (just to name a few). You don't want ANY cotton in your hiking shirts (or any hiking clothes) unless you are planning to hike in a very hot dry climate, like a desert (in that circumstance retaining moisture can sometimes be a good thing). You will learn to love the feel of polyester, or other synthetics against your skin eventually :D.
FanaticFringer
02-14-2008, 01:27
Wal-mart carries some nice synthetic/polyester shirts. The Athletic Works brand is one of them. Cant beat the prices.
warraghiyagey
02-14-2008, 01:28
When I first started learning the benefits of fabric differences I went to all the EMS/REI types and looked at the prices. Then I looked at the clothing tags, wrote down the fiber make-up and percentages and went to the much less expensive stores and made my purchases with that info.;):)
Corkscrew
02-14-2008, 02:42
I was able to pick up 4 awesome polyester shirts today at the REI Flagship Store for no more then $5.00 a piece. They are having a big sale...
88BlueGT
02-14-2008, 02:49
Patagonia will have what you are looking for but they are a little expensive, there was someone who posted on here the other day that sold Patagonia products at discount. Lots of things were between 20-40 percent off. I forget what section it was posted in though, maybe someone can help.
88BlueGT
02-14-2008, 02:59
By the way, if someone finds out where this discount Patagonia products was posted, please let me know also. I could have sworn that I saved it in my favorites but it seemed to have disappeared. Thanks :)
the solution may be wool. SMARTWOOL,orICEBREAKER
d'shadow
02-14-2008, 06:52
you get what you pay for, believe me, it is worth the cost, good in warm or cold weather....and clothing lasts for years. Spend the money, forget cotton. Oh, layer, layer, layer
Mrs Baggins
02-14-2008, 07:55
I have a couple of REI Tec Tees - think I paid about $12 each for them. I love them and that's all I take on the trail. Wal-Mart does have some good stuff as well for cheap. Go through the clearance racks at any sporting goods store and try places like Ross'. I saw Nike Dri Fit shirts at Sports Authority for $36, went to Ross' and got the IDENTICAL Dri Fit shirt for $10. I can't wear UA (and neither can my husband) as it actually stings and itches like millions of tiny needles. My husband will wear Duo Fold but it does irritate his skin as well, just not as much as UA.
Alligator
02-14-2008, 08:45
Map Man gave you great links there. I've bought lots of clothes from Sierratradingpost the prices are always good. Just keep an eye on materials and sometimes their stuff is heavy. At Campmor, go straight to the hot deals section. REIoutlet.com can be hit or miss. Often the colors and sizes are not what you might want.
The cheaper department stores do have decent shirts sometimes also (as mentioned). I have hiked in the fall and winter in $10 polypro shirts from Wal-mart. (I got a nice new tall one though I think from Campmor.) I'd say be careful of the weights though.
Target has a line of wicking shirts, but they will hold the stink in no matter how many times you wash them.
NICKTHEGREEK
02-14-2008, 10:11
Cotton works well in the Arizona and NM desert.
Hiking isn't the only sweaty passtime, I have had some good hits with soccer shirts from Adidas, Nike and others that are light, wick and dry quickly. They go out of style very quickly as teams change sponsors frequently. $2.00 for a brand new $45.00 jersey is a good bargain.
mothermenke
02-14-2008, 10:15
Hope I am not throwing the thread too far off course, but for those looking for the discounted Patagonia products, their winter sale is going on now with a lot of capilene shirts at 50% off. Just check out patagonia.com.
I was able to pick up 4 awesome polyester shirts today at the REI Flagship Store for no more then $5.00 a piece. They are having a big sale...
:welcomeHey dude, we just read your trailjournals, good luck on your thru this year.
kytrailman
02-14-2008, 10:53
Get a merino poly blend. They have a real soft feel and are as warm as you'll need. You can score these alot cheaper than those rei prices if you look. Like someone said try sierratradingpost, campmor, discount department stores, etc. They are out there. Just know that if you were poly it will probably hold a pretty good stinch. Good luck.
88BlueGT
02-14-2008, 11:57
I have a couple of REI Tec Tees - think I paid about $12 each for them. I love them and that's all I take on the trail. Wal-Mart does have some good stuff as well for cheap. Go through the clearance racks at any sporting goods store and try places like Ross'. I saw Nike Dri Fit shirts at Sports Authority for $36, went to Ross' and got the IDENTICAL Dri Fit shirt for $10. I can't wear UA (and neither can my husband) as it actually stings and itches like millions of tiny needles. My husband will wear Duo Fold but it does irritate his skin as well, just not as much as UA.
I have the same problem with wearing Under Armor. I love the quality, I love the warmth, etc. BUT if I wear them for more than 7-8 hours it starts to irritate the hair on my arms, etc. Plus under armor is very expensive. Not that other top brands aren't though....:rolleyes:
The Weasel
02-14-2008, 12:11
Hi,
Last week I had my first all day hike. I have been wearing cotton t-shirts, but this was not such a good thing. I have read all this stuff about not wearing cotton and now I see why. I was nice and sweaty and by the time I got to the top where it was cold I started getting chilly. What do you all like?
I looked at REI and saw these $40 shirts. YIKES. I hate polyester t-shirts though I guess that would be cheaper. Would 50-50 polycotton help any? (Not that I like them much but they would be cheaper, and I could easily buy them at a thrift store.)
--des
Des, "microfiber" (what REI sells) is "polyester" with a 40 dollar name.
Best deal is go to a Goodwill/Salvation army store and find a polyester "Hawaiian" shirt. Loose, comfy, rinses, and usable as a town shirt. Will cost you $5.
TW
I'm a big fan of REI's Sahara line of clothing, especially their long and short sleeve T-Shirts. They're moderately priced, fit well and true to size and are easy to get/find. JMPP.
Polyester dress shirts for high altitude use/desert hiking.
"Free" shirts from trail work or trail races when I want a short sleeve T.
When I do another long hike back East, I'll probably use a short sleeve polyester dress shirt. $4 (or less) from the thrifter.
Dries quickly, has pockets. Buttons up and down for ventilation.
Big fan of Smartwool. If the synthetics start to stink try a Smartwool T-Shirt underneath. It's not hot in the summer and stink free. I don't feel the scratchiness that others may. They are pricey if you don't find a sale but IMO they are worth it.
There are a lot of "microfibers" out there, for the most part, when talking about underwear, it's a form of Polyester. Polypropylene has fallen out of favor by many because of its plastic feel, easier pilling, and lower melting temp. making for difficult drying in the laundry.
A lot of brands have an "antimicrobial" element added, chemical or silver (expensive) that keeps the "Polypew" down a bit. None of them can withstand my SuperStink! :p
I'm looking for some woolies that I can buy through the bicycle shop I work at. When bicycling in the '70s, I wore wool shorts and jerseys. Not particularly quick drying, but they didn't seem to hold odors.
Tennaseevol
02-14-2008, 14:13
Decent price for the quality.....
http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/product/product_focus.jsp?OPTION=PRODUCT_FOCUS_DISPLAY_HAN DLER&style_color=11364-305&ws=true&patcatcode=WS_SP_US.WEB_SPECIALS.MENS
Walmart has knock off under armor stuff for $10.
Alligator
02-14-2008, 17:20
Walmart has knock off under armor stuff for $10.Where do they usually keep it?
desdemona
02-14-2008, 23:59
Cotton works well in the Arizona and NM desert.
Au contraire my VA friend! There are circumstances where you don't really want moisture even in the desert and that it will accumulate. Sunday I went out in the early afternoon. It was warm and I worked up a sweat going up. After awhile I had climbed 1000 feet and then it was getting colder. There was also a little wind whipping up. I also ended up being out at night. If worse came to worse I was going to take off my shirts and just have my synthetic jacket on (and zipped) but it didn't come to that. I wasn't too comfortable though.
It does get cooler at night too.
OTOH, if it is hiking thru desert lowland areas in the summer a little sweat cooling off my body would be a very good thing.
Guys you are all great btw. There are many very good suggestions here.
--des
FanaticFringer
02-15-2008, 00:10
Where do they usually keep it?
Should be easy to spot in the mens clothing section.
FanaticFringer
02-15-2008, 00:12
By the way, if someone finds out where this discount Patagonia products was posted, please let me know also. I could have sworn that I saved it in my favorites but it seemed to have disappeared. Thanks :)
www.acgsports.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=1
desdemona
02-15-2008, 00:50
I have Cool Max socks and like them a lot --not for hiking (though I have Cool Max sock liners). I found out there are Cool Max t-shirts that are reasonable. Anybody have any experience with these??
--des
Tennessee Viking
02-15-2008, 00:58
What you really want is something that wicks sweat away but keeps you cool. Cotton really is too hot to hike with.
I work at Target, and picked up and hiked with some great Champion and Jerzee namebrand shirts. Its a microfiber shirt, from sleeveless to longsleeve. Its around $20-25. Just check the clearance racks because usually one style or length is always on clearance.
88BlueGT
02-15-2008, 02:15
Should be easy to spot in the mens clothing section.
Yea, I have some knockoff under armor and its really not that bad. Only difference that I can tell is that the knock off shirts seem to be a little thinner.
One thing that I do not like about under armor is it seems to capture the outside air and hold it in. For ex: I was home and wearing an insulated under armor long sleeve shirt. I ran outside to my car for a second and I got some cold air inside the shirt (the cold air just came right in). I got back into my house and was freezing. The problem was, once air gets trapped in there, it holds it there. I had lift the shirt up to release the cold air and get warm air in there. But once the air thats inside the shirt warms up its going to stay warm. IMO underarmor is WAY too hot to hike in (been there, done that) but maybe for incamp use they might be OK.
take-a-knee
02-15-2008, 07:34
By the way, if someone finds out where this discount Patagonia products was posted, please let me know also. I could have sworn that I saved it in my favorites but it seemed to have disappeared. Thanks :)
That would be www.acgsports.com
NICKTHEGREEK
02-15-2008, 07:49
Au contraire my VA friend! There are circumstances where you don't really want moisture even in the desert and that it will accumulate. Sunday I went out in the early afternoon. It was warm and I worked up a sweat going up. After awhile I had climbed 1000 feet and then it was getting colder. There was also a little wind whipping up. I also ended up being out at night. If worse came to worse I was going to take off my shirts and just have my synthetic jacket on (and zipped) but it didn't come to that. I wasn't too comfortable though.
It does get cooler at night too.
OTOH, if it is hiking thru desert lowland areas in the summer a little sweat cooling off my body would be a very good thing.
Guys you are all great btw. There are many very good suggestions here.
--des
I spent a week in a desert survival school with a cotton T and a nomex flight suit. Yes the temperature range was impressive, oddly none of the 30 or so participants were killed by the cotton.
If I am over looking a previous post that has suggested this, I apologize.
Try military surplus. You can get brand new polypro t-shirts for $5.00. Check Ebay under the word "wicking" and you will find a host of tops and t-shirts. I never buy anything with cotton in it, and have gotten a variety of wicking items from Ebay very inexpensively. I always look there first. Sometimes they are listed as running, work out or biking tops, but who cares about that? Many are brand name.
Nessmuk and I regularly check-out gun shows and comb the military surplus tables for deals. My best yet are the Thinsulate, Gore-tex gloves I got for $7 a pair brand new! LOVE them!
Frau
johnny quest
02-15-2008, 09:25
coolmax is great stuff. go run a 10k for charity that is giving them away as part of the event.
underarmor is great stuff but way overpriced.
wally world knockoffs of underarmor dont last. ive had a sleeve come off.
i still have "contacts" in the Marines. they have a new tshirt made exclusively for them by danskin, of all folks. its got the antimicrobial and is super high quality. ive got both long and short sleeve. it is the best base layer ive ever seen. if you know someone with access to a Marine Corps exhange, get one. they are about 20 bucks.
desdemona
02-15-2008, 10:25
I spent a week in a desert survival school with a cotton T and a nomex flight suit. Yes the temperature range was impressive, oddly none of the 30 or so participants were killed by the cotton.
I doubt I would be "killed off" either. Merely uncomfortable.
BTW, I was reading the soldiers in Iraq are wearing Coolmax mostly, I think.
So it must be good for hot weather as well as not sweating up and making you colder.
--des
johnny quest
02-15-2008, 10:37
heres an article about the new Marine shirt. wether you have access to one or not its an interesting bit about the evolution of the t-shirt
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/2DBF83222E94FFD08525709F00515EA1?opendocument
Cabin Fever
02-15-2008, 11:30
Stores like Ross, TJ Maxx and Marshall's is the way to go. I have bought many UA and Nike shirts that are great for the outdoors at these places. I believe UA is correcting some of the irritation issues that came with their earlier lines. The newer lines coming out are MUCH more comfortable.
Dick's has also been clearing out all of their Nike ACG gear for next to nothing. I bought a soft shell half zip and convertible pants for less than $30!
Dick's has also been clearing out all of their Nike ACG gear for next to nothing. I bought a soft shell half zip and convertible pants for less than $30!
I posted this link on PCT-L. Always a good one to remind people of:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=206678#post206678
Appalachian Tater
02-15-2008, 12:27
Hi,
Last week I had my first all day hike. I have been wearing cotton t-shirts, but this was not such a good thing. I have read all this stuff about not wearing cotton and now I see why. I was nice and sweaty and by the time I got to the top where it was cold I started getting chilly. What do you all like?
I looked at REI and saw these $40 shirts. YIKES. I hate polyester t-shirts though I guess that would be cheaper. Would 50-50 polycotton help any? (Not that I like them much but they would be cheaper, and I could easily buy them at a thrift store.)
--des
You can find wicking shirts with various textures. Nike is not a corporation I respect but you can usually find some of their shirts cheap at TJ Maxx or Filene's Basement. (Look in the men's department, too.) Some of the fabrics they use have a nice hand. Also look at some of the Mountain Hardwear shirts.
Definitely check out the "hot deals" and "outlet" sections of the e-tailers like campmor (http://www.campmor.com/), altrec (http://www.altrec.com/), et.al. I bought some bargain-priced Duofold short-sleeve t-shirts for $5-$6 a few years back. Liked 'em so much I picked up some long sleeve versions & wear them all through the winter.