Choose High-Performance Hiking Shirts and Don’t Lose Your Cool

Wearing the proper hiking shirt can even mean the difference between overheating, hypothermia or having a safe, enjoyable hike.

As explained throughout this site, cotton is not the ideal material for active sports and outdoor activities. Although comfortable for sedentary activities, cotton gets soaked with water and sweat quickly, and takes a long time to dry compared with other materials. It also traps moisture close to your skin. (Not good--or comfy.)

For high-performance hiking shirts, look for the following:

• Wicks moisture away from your skin
• Absorbs sweat
• Insulates
• Breathes/Dries quickly
• Protects—from sun, wind, cold, abrasions, insect bites, stings, poisonous plants, etc.

Instead of cotton, look to synthetic materials like nylon, polypropylene, polyester, and other technical blends to provide performance and comfort.

Hiking Shirts: Layers

Taking at least two layers of shirts is a good idea on almost any hike. Layers allow you to fine-control the level of comfort, temperature, and protection in a variety of conditions.

When choosing hiking shirts, look for two main layers:

• Base Layer This is your undershirt and provides a temperature-controlling layer in cold weather hikes.

  The ideal base layer shirt will wick away sweat and hold in precious body heat, while allowing your skin to breathe when things start to heat up.

  A base layer shirt is usually form-fitting and not too loose. Look for polyester blends to perform well. In mild weather this may be all you need on your hike.

• Mid/Insulating Layer Depending on weather and trail conditions, you may want to add warmth, keep blustery winds at bay, or protect yourself against insects or brushing against plants.

  For extra insulation, fleece shirts or sweaters perform great. Fleece has a high thermal value but is lighter than other “warming” materials like down or wool. It also dries very quickly, if wet.

  For blocking wind and keeping in some heat in mild weather, and breathing well in warmer weather, look to polyester blend short or long-sleeve hiking shirts.

  

  Finally, look to nylon long or short-sleeve shirts for a certain amount of water resistance, wind resistance and protection from other hazards like scuffing against boulders, and insect bites and stings.

But What about the Smell?

As most people have experienced, man-made materials seem to promote and retain foul odors sooner than cotton or other natural fibers.

Not to worry—Several manufacturers have combated this problem in recent years with a variety of solutions.

Like Patagonia’s Gladiodor™ natural odor control which uses the natural power of amino acids to help keep odors away. Find Patagonia's Gladiodor clothing for men and women at Altrec.com

Eco Friendly Hiking Shirts

One option is Merino wool. A sustainable fiber produced by Merino sheep, the soft and fine fibers are also high-performance for both wicking and insulating. (Bonus: you don’t have the odor problem as with traditional polyester fabrics.)

Recycled polyester. Polyester is essentially a plastic fiber, so with the vast quantity of discarded plastic bottles and containers out there, it makes sense to recycle them into useable things-even clothes.

Several hiking shirts made by Patagonia, Mountain Hardwear, UnderArmour, and REI use this sustainable material.

Plant-based polymer fibers, like Ingeo. These perform well like polyester, are made with renewable resources, and are compostable.

Other Bells and Whistles

• Pockets. Shirt pockets come in handy for toting small items, like a compass, trail map, or snacks.

  No need to take your pack off, the pockets are right there in front of you!

• Vents. If you do any high-action or warm-weather hiking, a T-shirt with vents adds an extra level of performance to your trekking clothing.

  Vents typically are a highly breathable mesh material stitched into the sides of your shirt and up to the armpit. Hot air can escape quickly, reducing the amount of sticky sweat as you hike.

  Vents are especially useful if you do trail running, or lots of climbing. On hot days, they are a must.

  Vented material also comes in handy at the back of the shirt where sweat likes to accumulate and where a backpack can turn up the heat.
  
  
  
  

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