Best materials for casual-looking technical shirts and pants?

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TopHatFox
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Best materials for casual-looking technical shirts and pants?

Post by TopHatFox »

I like technical shirts, meaning those that dry overnight/within a few hours and wick away sweat. Sadly however, they often look like plastic--think Under Armor--because that's what they often are, 100% polyester.

I'm looking to ultimately replace the mostly cotton shirts in my wardrobe to casual-looking technical shirts: maybe a mix of 50% poly-whatever and 50% merino wool would be best?'

I also don't really like jeans or cotton shorts because they take FOREVER to hand wash and dry, but nylon hiking pants or shorts are often too wide, have a million unnecessary pockets, and are generally ugly to wear around casually. Not sure what the best solution is here, except for having both or not caring.

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C40
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Re: Best materials for casual-looking technical shirts and pants?

Post by C40 »

For shirts and socks at least, wool is the best. The more wool the better. It needs to be fine enough that it's never itchy. It dries quickly. It prevents/slows bacterial growth and doesn't get stinky. When you're wet in it, you don't get as cold or uncomfortable as other fabrics.

I have a story about socks for you.

When I arrive in San Diego, Ego gave me a pair of Smartwool socks. They are over-the-calf length, which I really like. They're thin. When we went to a swap meet, I found another pair of the same style for $0.50 (made by Darn Tough. Also thin and long). Lately I've been wearing thee as a base-layer sock. And wearing other socks on top because it's cold out. After a couple days, they get stinky. I take them off and set them somewhere, sometimes on the dash where sun will shine on them. I put the other pair on. Then in a day or two I switch again. Now the socks on the dashboard that were smelly a day ago seem clean. So I put them on. And a day or two later I switch again... and again.. It's crazy!

The problems with wool are:
1 - It's expensive. When paying non swap-meet prices, I'm not so sure it's worth it. I'll only ever buy stuff like Ibex, Smartwool, or Icebreakers at big discounts
2 - Some/most wool clothes I've had will stretch. Then you have to wash it with enough heat to get it back to original size.

[Don't worry folks, I'm going to wash them soon]

BRUTE
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Re: Best materials for casual-looking technical shirts and pants?

Post by BRUTE »

well, UV light kills bacteria, which cause the smell. in sunny enough locales, brute has sun-cleaned his clothes instead of bothering to wash them most of the time. this has little to do with wool.

wool is good for cold/temperate climates. in warm enough climates it starts to suffer compared to even cotton, because wool loses its structure when wet and starts to stretch and rip. it also gets itchy when warm. so in constant humidity (summer, tropics, or even just workouts), wool is a bad choice.

it's also not true that wool "dries quickly" or "doesn't get stinky". it doesn't get as stinky as some other fabrics in some conditions. and it just plain dries slower than almost anything, because it can't be made as thin as other fabrics. especially in warm climates, wool is not an option.

Gilberto de Piento
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Re: Best materials for casual-looking technical shirts and pants?

Post by Gilberto de Piento »

Try clothing intended for travelling. Some of it looks normal but is wool/plastic or cotton/plastic.

Read reviews before you buy to avoid plastic clothes that permanently smell like body odor. Patigonia capilene and cheap champion workout clothes are known for this. You might think washing them, putting them in the sun, freezing them, not getting sweaty will avoid the stink. It won't.

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Ego
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Re: Best materials for casual-looking technical shirts and pants?

Post by Ego »

C40 wrote:When I arrive in San Diego, Ego gave me a pair of Smartwool socks. They are over-the-calf length, which I really like. They're thin. When we went to a swap meet, I found another pair of the same style for $0.50 (made by Darn Tough. Also thin and long)....
Hah. Funny you should mention it. She had seven pairs of Smartwool socks for me today. Let me know if you need more. I've got a bag full of them.

One of my friends goes to an auction where they sell all of the overstocks and returns from Costco. He gets me these pants which I like very much.

http://www.costco.com/UB-Tech-Men's-Tra ... 03218.html

It looks like you can get them new with tags on ebay for less than $20. They don't look tacticool with pockets all over. They are quick drying nylon with a bit of spandex so they give just a bit. They look like generic pants, not flappy like the zip-off-leg travel pants, but they have that one zipper on the side and zippers on the rear pockets so I guess that qualifies them as "travel" pants. They are very durable.

I've got about twenty tacticool, button-front travel shirts. I get them second-hand for a dollar or two so I get to see which ones held up well to abuse. Mountain Hardwear made a good one a few years ago out of a super-durable lightweight material. It has a large flip-up collar to protect your neck from the sun and some mesh vent material under the arms and shoulders. I like them for cycle touring because they vent the air across your body while protecting you from the sun, but I don't like the look of them. I am now on the lookout for simple button-front 80s polyester shirts like the off-white shirt Shocklee is wearing in this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkApBW1GC80

I've had those in the past for travel. They are simple and can be worn in a wide variety of situations (hiking to biking to dressy dinner). They are lightweight, quick dry and last for years. If you buy them at a thrift shop or swap meet then you don't feel bad about getting caught on a branch or sploching a big mustard stain on the front. If I do that with a Patagonia shirt, I am pissed.

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C40
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Re: Best materials for casual-looking technical shirts and pants?

Post by C40 »

Ego wrote:
C40 wrote:When I arrive in San Diego, Ego gave me a pair of Smartwool socks. They are over-the-calf length, which I really like. They're thin. When we went to a swap meet, I found another pair of the same style for $0.50 (made by Darn Tough. Also thin and long)....
Hah. Funny you should mention it. She had seven pairs of Smartwool socks for me today. Let me know if you need more. I've got a bag full of them.


Heck yeah. All thin ones? I could use a few pairs. Send me your Paypal email address.

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Ego
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Re: Best materials for casual-looking technical shirts and pants?

Post by Ego »

No need for that. PM me your next Poste Restante address.

henrik
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Re: Best materials for casual-looking technical shirts and pants?

Post by henrik »

I like Fjällräven's G-1000 for pants. It's basically just polyester+cotton, but the quality makes it very comfortable for a wide variety of conditions. Dries quickly, windproof, breathes etc. I have been wearing my one pair at least a few times weekly for about 4 years, no sign of wear. They have a variety of models and colours for pants, some of which are quite suitable for office wear. At least one model is sold with the bottom of the pants unfinished, so you can adjust the length. I have not tried the waxing that they recommend (see link above) for fear of losing the easy breathing.

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