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Synthetic undergarments

j

(stands for Jerk)
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It's been a while since I asked a question of you all, and I know someone out there can answer this.

I have been experimenting around with various synthetic undershirts as alternatives to crappy cotton ones that stick to you, get stained underarms, rip easily and need to be replaced often. The synthetic ones are supposed to wick moisture away and since they don't hold stink they can often be worn a few times before you need to wash them (really.)

I have bought a few of them and here's my evaluation so far:

-Jockey v-neck white Coolmax (or something like it): not bad; kinda slinky; not tight enough; see-thruable; doesn't seem to wick moisture

-Calvin Klein "body" spandex-ish shiny black crew neck: pretty nice; chicks seem to dig it when I wear only this on hot days; anti-perspirant eventually soaks thru and dries into white crust on outside (yuck); doesn't keep you cool or warm really

-Calvin Klein real Coolmaxâ„¢ matte ribbed black crew neck: the best one so far; breathes well; doesn't show perspiration at all; doesn't crust up or get skanky after even a couple of days usually

-Under Armour HeatGear black shiny crew neck: ULTRA tight spandexy compression material, much like the Calvin Klein spandexish one but thinner; other than the fit it's about the same; breathes better; keeps you cool even when you don't want to be

I know there are other brands out there. I'm wondering if anyone has found a favourite so I can get a few and finally ditch all my cotton undershirts. I prefer v-neck, white and black, and I wear a medium.

Edit: changed title to "undergarments" from "undershirts", may as well discuss them together.
 

dah328

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I just went through this process for boxer briefs since that situation was far more uncomfortable than the undershirt situation. After trying Under Armour, Jockey and Calvin Klein microfiber boxer briefs, I found Under Armour to be the superior choice. The Jockey might be ok if it weren't for the fact that I have pretty muscular legs and the Jockeys end up bunching up rather uncomfortably. The longer length and tighter fit of the Under Armours works better in this regard for me. They are cooler, and while I still sometimes perspire in them, they will dry unlike cotton boxer briefs in which one must endure until the next change of clothing.

I've just started looking at microfiber t-shirts and I started with Under Armour because their boxer briefs worked best for me. I also have a reasonably muscular upper body and the heat gear shirts were far too tight for me. I may try going up one size, but I also didn't like the feel of my dress shirts over a skin tight shirt. The next thing I tried was UA's Loose Gear line of shirts, but their size small is still too big for me (go figure -- medium is too small in heat gear and small is too big in loose gear) and v-necks aren't available in that line, either. I may try one of the youth large sizes and see if that works for me.

I do a lot of running and wear Nike Dri-Fit shirts exclusively. The medium size fits me quite well, but the material is a little thicker than I would prefer for an undershirt. You might take a look at those if the thickness is not an issue for you.

Good luck, and let us know if you come across something you like.

dan
 

hermes

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i like the underarmour ones for athletic matters

as for normal day to day underwear (boxerbriefs/briefs and undershirts), there are some really nice ones by caleda which has a seamless version, a microfibre version, a microfibre and cotton version as well as an athletic line (something thermal but i can't recall the name) all of which are very good

caleda does offer the undershirts in v neck in black or white or some god aweful other colours - they are in the CHF35-45 range per undershirt

i also recently picked up some hanro synthetic mix boxerbriefs that appear quite nice so far
 

Mike

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I'm sorry but I can't refrain from doing this...


"WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE.."
 

Renault78law

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I've been meaning to ask this for a while now: when did polyester get so expensive.?.?.?
Now that I'm an "athlete" I wear polyester everything. Must be wicking, or I can't wear it. Almost unimaginable that I used to wear cotton socks to workout in...no, no, only coolmax socks will do. They only cost $12 per pair. Polyester everything: shirts, baselayers, jerseys, underwear, shorts, socks, headbands, arm-warmers, leg-warmers, gloves...everything. Heh, athletes are such suckers.

Anyway, back to the original post...are you sure about that "wearing it multiple times before washing thing?" It doesn't quite work for me...(but then again, I only wear synthetics to workout in).
That said, my favorite synthetic undershirts (we call them base-layers, by the way) are made by Craft, then DeFeet. They have a higher neckline than the Calvin Klein Tech stuff. The CK shirt is more a beater style tank, whereas the Craft and DeFeet are more of a sleeveless T-shirt. IMO, the CK stuff seems to run large these days...I recommend buying a size down.

For everyday casual or business attire, I still prefer the feeling of cotton. Of the more reasonable brands, I like Polo better than all of CK's lines, Jockey, and 2(x)ist. Polo is the cheapest too. Of the, er, unreasonable brands, Zimmerli is the best I've tried. Just like the cotton of fine dress shirts, Zimmerli's cotton has a sheen similar to silk and always feels great.
 

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