Evan's Question:
How important is it to select shirts that are made out of polypropylene when hiking? Does it really make that much of a difference?

—Evan

Karen's Answer:

	Karen Berger Meet Karen Previous Answers Hiking Forums

Hi Evan —

The kind of shirt you wear is probably not the most important backpacking decision you'll make, especially in temperate weather, so I wouldn't sweat this one (pun intended) too much. But it is true that choosing the right clothes can make you more comfortable.

I actually don't wear polypro shirts when hiking, although I do sometimes use them for evening. Polypro is a good all-around outdoor fabric because it wicks away moisture from your body. It has another upside—in this over-hyped era of high-tech and high-priced everything, it's very cheap. But it's also got two drawbacks: You can't put it in a clothes drier, and after a couple of days of use it starts to stink.

My favorite backpacking shirt is a polyester mesh shirt that looks a lot like a football jersey. The holes provide great ventilation and moisture transfer, and it doesn't look as ratty as a cotton T-shirt, even after a few hundred miles.

But there are lots of other choices on the market. In general, I'd say stay away from cotton—it absorbs sweat, doesn't wick away moisture, holds sweat against your back (which can cause rashes), and takes a long time to dry when you wash it. Other than that, it's largely a matter of personal preference. Cool-max and Capilene are two popular materials, but there are plenty of other synthetic shirts out there that do a good job. The more high-tech materials (like Capilene) can go in a clothes drier and don't smell as bad as polypro—but they are considerably more expensive. The key is to look for a fabric whose tags say it wicks away moisture.

Karen