My lovely wife loves to backpack with me....but she is struggling with getting her pack weight down. She loves her cotton t-shirts because they feel so good, but of course they weigh a ton.
Do any of you women on the board have a recommendation of a good hiking shirt?

REI safari? others?

thank you!

I'm not a woman (nor do I play one on TV), and I'm hoping my question/suggestion doesn't brand me as sexist; it's not intended that way. You may have already considered it, anyhow, and rejected it for any number of valid reasons.

How much does your pack weigh, and how much does hers weigh? Is there any way you could take a little more of the weight of shared gear? That would accomplish the same thing as replacing her T-shirts.

However, I'm not suggesting that you overload yourself. She's the one who wants the luxury of cotton T-shirts, so she should have to deal with the issue of the unnecessary weight. But, since you're both in this together, and have long since probably resolved the issue of "taking care of the little lady," this could be part of the solution. For example, if you're both carrying 21 pound packs, you might be able to increase yours to 23 without any real discomfort, reducing hers to 19 and increasing her comfort. Of course, if she's carrying 24 and you're carrying 33, my suggestion becomes, well, stupid.

I'd be eternally grateful if my wife wanted to backpack, and would do pretty much whatever it took to make it a comfortable and enjoyable experience for her. Enjoy your good fortune.

Not all cotton t-shirts are created equal. I have several thin, light organic cotton shirts from Wal-Mart that I really like to wear. They are more comfortable than the Beefy-T's that comprise the bulk of my t-shirt collection.

That being said, I prefer synthetic shirts like Under Armour (and yes, I prefer that brand to the 'knock-off' brands, but those aren't bad either). If it is on the hotter side I will wear a sleeveless tank if I need my shoulders covered. I actually prefer workout or yoga tops, but they don't play well with pack straps. I have a nice synthetic tank by Columbia that I will wear as needed. I don't have anything sleeveless by Mountain Hardwear, but I love the long sleeve backpacking shirt I have made by them. You might also look for smartwool or similar. I don't know that you will find much weight difference though, if she carried an equal number of shirts. The biggest advantage of synthetic is the ease at which they can be rinsed out, dried and worn again.

HTH,
MNS

I'm not a woman, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last month.

First thing I'd do is buy a postage scale. I found a cotton shirt was lighter. As long as she has something synthetic for wet weather, I see no problem.

Then I'd weigh everything in both packs. Some things will surprise you. My wallet weighed 1/4 pound. It was a long process detailed in a couple other threads. At first it's simply eliminating things you don't need and it doesn't need to cost money. Then it depends on how obsessive she wants to get.

Gram Cracker

I may have mis-read the original post, but I got the impression that it wasn't the weight of a cotton shirt versus the weight of a synthetic shirt. I thought he meant that she was carrying a clean cotton shirt for each day, and the cumulative weight was the issue. With synthetic, you need 1 shirt to wear and 1 in the pack to wear while the first is drying.

In the old days, when there were no synthetic T's available, I tried taking only 1 spare cotton T for a week. I rinsed the one I was wearing the first night, and put on the second. It wasn't dry the next morning, so I hung it on the back of my pack all day; it was still damp when I went to bed that night. I think it dried sometime the next day (of course, at that point, the one I'd worn for two days really reeked - and it never did dry out the rest of the trip.) At that point I went back to the old rule: one shirt per day. A few years later, a miracle occurred: lightweight, quick-drying synthetic Ts were created.

You read the OP correctly, Glenn.

And yes, I carry about 32 pounds, she carries about 20. And it is the cumulative weight of those shirts that worries me.

And Gershon--am I crazy, or are you giving us the same advice we gave you about ten days ago?

I guess you got smart in a hurry!

grin.

You are correct, but I can't vouch for your sanity. I guess I've been converted.

I have a few polyester T-shirts that feel exactly like my cotton ones. You wouldn't be able to tell the difference if you didn't read the tag. I am not a woman, but I did marry one. I have noticed that walmart carries a brand called Danskin. They have many styles of shirts, and I think most are not cotton, and not that expensive. I would start there.

As MNS said, there are some light weight cotton shirts out there. I think in my collection I have 4 different weights.

However, based on the advice I received on a thread I started here once, I have switched to Merino wool T's. They only weigh slightly more than my light cotton ones and I carry fewer because they wear so well. My wife ordered some at the same time and loves hers. Previously for her, it was silk undershirts. They ARE expensive; so we hand wash in Woolite and line dry to extend the life of these items. So far, they stink far less, dry out faster, and do not give me the rash of the synthetic shirts. Thanks again to hikerduane.

Check into EMS Techwick (Here's one < http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3646379&cp=4294077.3903228 >.) EMS currently is having an extra 20% off of summer clearance sale.

Also consider light Merino wool.

My personal fave is, alas, no longer made. I'd recognize the brand if I saw it, but as the company is out of business, it doesn't much matter. If you can find a soft, highly wicking shirt with silver thread, BUY it! They just don't stink. Period.

Cheers!

RS

I don't want to hyjack this thread but several years ago there was a thread that discussed how Woolite was about the worst thing to use for your wool clothes. I think Penny was involved at the time. I switched to using a mild hair shampoo for my woolens because wool is, essentially, hair. I now use Sport Wash for all my hiking and sports clothes (Wally World carries it.)

Okay, dude, out of line there. The 2 dozen women I backpack with (variously, in my hiking group and on my search and rescue team) would rather be in tents any day of the week. (I'd rather be in a hammock, under a tarp.)

Uh oh, I see how that was interpreted in a way I didn't mean it. It was just from a commercial which kind of means I'm not qualified to have an opinion on the topic.

Like, "I'm not a computer expert, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last week."

The other thing is, I really DID spend a couple of nights at a Holiday Inn Express last month.

I'll back him up there, I've saw the comercials.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgX7i0C-IK4
It wasn't meant to put anyone down at all.

Heck, I'm staying in one right now - and my wife's with me! (She, however, is of no help for this thread. As far as she's concerned, she's roughing it right now. And that's not sexist - my male business partner feels the same way.)

Fortunately, I know better.

Ah, I see. I am probably the only one who hasn't got cable and never watches tv. But pop culture references aren't always obviously so...

Lori,

No you"re not the only one who does not watch TV. Boy did my students love to catch me off base with references that absolutely everybody else in the room knew and doubled up laughing at while I stood there with my face hanging out. For them it doubled the fun. But I use the extra time to do such things as reading the backpacker. You use it to do a wonderful job on your blog and finding important links. Stay with it.

Best, jcp

I also refuse to buy cable or a dish and I live on an island where we lost almost all analog stations once the US "improved" things and went digital. So, no TV here and just watch DVDs via Netflix.

From Old Scout



Do tell ...I've used Woolite based on my Wife's recommendation, but the shampoo thing makes sense. Merino wool is nice and I want it to last.

And I thought the only people who DIDn't watch TV was my family. Get out there and experience the real world!!!

Believe it or not, my 11 year old son doesn't watch TV either. I rarely do, and if I do it is either old movies or old TV shows. I have no clue what current shows are running.

As for the original thread, I'll second Camper Mom (I think?) who recommended shirts made with silver fabric. That was why I recommended Mt. Hardwear... the long-sleeve shirt I have by them is silver impregnated. I have always loved it and never noticed any odor. My smartwool, OTOH, can get kind of smelly. Maybe it is my body chemistry since I've heard that wool is supposed to be skank-free.

MNS

It isn't just you. I almost had to designate one of my smartwools to hiking only (figured out a way to get the smell out finally) - so far none of my ibex has had the same issue.

OK, I'm going to repeat what was said a couple of years ago (disclaimer) but I printed the thread at the time and have used it. It was said, to get the stink out, you need to soak the clothes in a mild vinager solution (no, I don't remember the formula). The vinager was to dissolve the body oils AND the other things that block the ends of the fibers of the material. The blockage is what keeps the stink in.

It was advised to NEVER wash hiking/work out clothes in any soap that has a scent or a fabric softner because those things block the ends(?) of the fibers and trap in the stink. If you use a dryer, DO NOT throw in a fabric softner. (In fact, because it is hair that could be damaged by the heat, I line dry all of my wool stuff.)

It was said, the problem is even worse for synthetic clothes and that's why the stink is worse for synthetics.

I used Mirazyme a few times to get the stink out completely, but I stopped using it because it was extra effort for no gain. The clothes are stink-free while hanging in the closet, or sitting in a drawer, but then you wear them for a little while and they stink again. I haven't had any type of clothing that still smelled that bad after washing that I would notice unless I put my nose right up against the fabric.