How to pick the right T-shirt for hiking in the summer?
The heat is often a much bigger challenge for tourists and athletes than rain and water, but while we have a lot of respect for the rain, the sun and heat tend to be underestimated. So while many of us automatically take a high-quality and ideally freshly impregnated waterproof jacket into the rain, we will take the first T-shirt we found in the closet, because what should go wrong.
And that's a shame because it can only ruin your hiking experience.
Although you don't need a lot of clothes for summer hikes and you don't have care about any layering, the little you wear should be chosen carefully. While some low-quality T-shirt is lost between 4 layers of clothing, one layer of clothing does not forgive mistakes.
And it all starts and ends when choosing the right material. Which one suits you best?
Cotton - for easy walks
Cotton is a natural material that is known for its breathability. For several reasons, however, it is not an ideal choice for sports activities, but rather for free time and easier walks, when you do not get very sweaty. Cotton is one of the most pleasant materials in itself, it is very soft, easy to maintain, and durable, but there is one big problem.
Cotton does not wicking moisture but soaks it in. On a heavier hike, you will stay wet and with unpleasant smell. Therefore, (our) cotton T-shirts are better choice for a mountain hut, for an evening at a campsite or for a walk around the lake.
Tencel - Progressive material from eucalypt
So we put the cotton T-shirts away for leisure. What do we have left?
Tencel is a material that we have only in 2021 started using on our T-shirts. Fibers for its production are obtained from the pulp of eucalyptus and is considered one of the most progressive technical materials ever - not only because it has excellent properties for active movement and hiking as such, but also because the negative impact on nature during its processing is close to zero.
Tencel is most often compared to silk in terms of properties and feeling, which would in itself be an excellent choice for outdoor use, but due to its luxurious character, it is not used much in outdoor clothing. Tencel, like silk, is very pleasant to the touch (even softer) and also perfectly wicks sweat and moisture outwards, so it will keep you dry even with more intense exertion. Tencel does not lose its properties even after possible wetting and is also extremely durable, which is its advantage over wool, for example.
Merino - a miracle of nature for hiking all year round
Our merino t-shirts are among your favorite products and we can't even wonder why this is so. Merino wool is wool from a special breed of sheep, which excels in its breathability, is lightweight, and wicks sweat and moisture outwards. Unlike many other materials, you don't even have to wash them after every wearing because they don't retain odor. Just let it air out in the fresh air after the hike and the next day you can continue in the same T-shirt. And this also applies to heat, where you can wear merino t-shirts just like that, or even for winter when merino t-shirts are the ideal bottom layer under the fleece and the top protective layer.
The only disadvantage of merino is that, unlike cotton or synthetic fabrics, it is less durable and more difficult to maintain.
Synthetics - a universal choice for all types of sports
Synthetic materials have better properties year after year and have long not only matched but also surpassed many natural materials properties. And although this is not the rule, synthetics are still in many cases cheaper than natural materials and therefore more affordable.
The current synthetics used in sportswear are not only breathable and quick-drying but also durable and extremely easy to maintain. Although we have to say that the individual materials can really differ significantly.
However, unlike merino, synthetics retain the odor, so it should be washed after every exercise, and unlike its natural competitors, synthetics are usually not that pleasant to the touch.
