[pct-l] Trail Shirt: Silk or Synthetic or ?

[walt Durling]

Amen to what Ben says. 

 Underarmour and other synthetic brands may have their place, but as far as active outdoor recreation, including backpacking goes, synthetic can't hold a candle to merino wool.  Early last spring in the high Sierra I usually wore a mid-weight 1/3 zip merino wool baselayer under my l-s nylon shirt, and had my rain jacket as a windbreaker over that.  I hiked in comfort through freezing and near freezing temps.  Some say only wash wool in cold water, but I haven't seen much difference washing in warm water.  I do use lightweight synthetic socks as part of my hiking ensemble, though merino wool will always be my go-to.

Prices vary greatly, though.  One company's merino wool baselayer, etc, will be twice as high than another company's similar article of clothing.  Icebreaker can't be beat for quality, though it has higher price points on all its clothing.  I read somewhere that the difference is where it's made, or even where the merino sheep come from.  LL Bean is said to sell it's merino wool products made in China, whereas Icebreaker uses clothing made in Australia.  I use Bean's for much less and find no difference in quality.  But that's my opinion.  walt

Sent from my iPad

> On Mar 5, 2015, at 8:13, Benoit Ballester <senasplage at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Dear Michael, 
> 
> I would definitely not use synthetic for obvious smelly reasons. All my synthetic shirts/t-shirts simply smell very bad as soon as I use them. I now stopped buying synthetic base layers for all my sports  (hiking, running, trail running, skiing), and am gradually switching to wool. 
> 
> I have been hiking/skiing/running in Icebreaker merino wool t-shirt for a few years now, and I have been totally converted. 
> You can wear the same merino wool shirt for days, and it won’t skink (well at least not as bad as synthetic).
> 
> If you don’t like Tshirts, I am sure (hope) they are shirts made of light merino wool. 
> 
> Hope this helps. 
> 
> Regards, 
> 
> Ben
> 
> 
> 
>> On 5 Mar 2015, at 02:02, Michael Murray <mmtnsong at telus.net> wrote:
>> 
>> For a thru-hike, I'm not sure what the best choice will be for durability
>> and comfort.  
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> I know I prefer collared because better venting from chest.  (T-shirts seem
>> a bit constricting in this aspect)
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Any suggestions are appreciated.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Cheers,
>> 
>> Michael
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
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