Posts Tagged quick-dry
Performance Socks Made in the USA
Before I attended the Outdoor Retailers show last month, I thought it was pretty much a lost cause to still find socks that were made in the USA instead of in some developing country. I was wrong. Among the sea of sock manufacturers there I found a few that are still employing Americans and using facilities on home soil. In comparing their prices to some of the others shipping things over from China, the prices aren’t all that different either—these are, after all, quality socks that cost more than $10 a pair anyway.
So get your Chinese cotton tube socks for a buck a pair at Wal-mart, but turn to these brands for working out, hiking, and travels when you’ll be walking a lot. Here are a few I’ve been trying out and some info on what makes them special.
Swiftwick
A company that announces they make “the best sock you’ll ever wear—guaranteed” is obviously confident that they’re putting something good on your feet. 
These guys are based in my home state of Tennessee and they set themselves apart in a few different ways. Their Olefin fiber socks retain less than .01% of their moisture and they’ll even float they’re so light. Naturally these sock dry quickly and they resist deterioration from perspiration and detergents. They make a compression sock (which I tried out) that uses 100% olefin, plus other sizes where it’s mixed with other fabrics. Thicker models use merino wool with a mix of nylon and lycra, making them comfortable but stretchy. Naturally the thicker the sock, the more strategic cushioning is built in.
Swiftwick socks start at a list price of $11 and go up to $23 for full-blown thick compression socks rising to your knee. They aim to be carbon neutral in their practices and use a bare minimum of packaging. They have a ballsy guarantee too: if you don’t like what you bought, send it back and they’ll replace it with your choice—including a competitor’s product from off their shelf. You can find their products at many independent bike shops: see this dealer locator.
Goodhew
Not to be outdone on the bold claims side of things, Goodhew’s products are billed as the “the finest socks you will find anywhere at any price.” I can’t vouch for that since I haven’t tried them all, but these are certainly comfortable and high-performance. Their socks feature “flat toe seams, ring-toe cushioning, Y-heel construction, arch support 
and turn welt tops.” Sure, that’s gobbledygook to most of us just looking for some nice socks for hiking on mountain trails, but let’s trust that all this adds up to something you’ll love.
I have been trying out two pairs from Goodhew. One pair is made with a mix of lambswool and Alpaca wool—but with the requisite synthetics blended in to make them form-fitting. The other is 75% merino wool, in a soft version they call “Cashmerino.” (Catchy eh?) These are more all-around winter socks, as are many of their styles—meant to be cushioned enough for long days of walking but look good enough to wear with a pair of nice pants. Like Swiftwick, these guys are based in Tennessee, but in Chattanooga. They have a full product quality problem replacement guarantee and besides manufacturing in the U.S., are trying to source all the materials they can from domestic sources as well.
Get them for $12 to $20 online at Rock Creek or check this retail locator.
Darn Tough Vermont
Heading up north to Vermont, this company says, “If our socks aren’t the most comfortable and durable socks you’ve ever worn, return them for your money back.” Of all the ones I tried on for this round-up, I have to say I liked these the best. 
In all fairness though, they were the thickest and it’s been a darn cold winter. This company was a favorite of many retailers at the Outdoor Retailers show too, so this brand is the easiest to find of the three, available at Backcountry.com and Campmor.
Their material of choice is soft wicking merino wool but they also make a Coolmax blend. All feature “form fitting toe boxes to sculpted heel pockets and knit-in elastic support at the arch.” Darn Tough socks come in a wide variety of styles and as you’d expect from a company in Vermont, there are plenty of ski socks and hiking socks to choose from. They don’t have to go very far to test them out. Most are priced in the range of $10-$22 per pair depending on how much material goes into them.
Posted by Tim in Adventure Gear, General Gear on February 10th, 2010
Get a Free No-stink Wicking Shirt
There’s a company called Agion that supplies antimicrobial treatment to a lot of brands (Adidas, Columbia, Motorola, Logitech) and they want to give you a free t-shirt. No contest, just sign up and they’ll send it to you.
Go to the site StinkAtNothing.com and click on “get a shirt” at the top or “start sweating” partway down the left column. Or just click here. Fill in your info and they’ll send you a split shirt like the one pictured above: half of it is untreated, the other half is treated with Agion’s silver ions odor-elimination technology. The company thinks this treatment is better than anything currently on the market out there and they want to prove it. So sweat in this shirt for a while and see how it goes. If you submit a good enough story afterwards you can also win more prizes. Get the full scoop at the website.
You should be seeing branded wicking shirts using this technology starting this summer, but you’ll have one first. Well, half of one anyway…
(While you’re in the mood to score some free stuff, put a comment on this reading and task light post from a few days ago. Then sign up for Perceptive Travel’s monthly newsletter, where a new gear item ships out to a lucky winning subscriber every month.)
Posted by Tim in Adventure Gear, Travel Light on January 31st, 2010
Travel Underwear by Tilley
The challenge: Pack only two pairs of Tilley “fast drying, sweat defying” underwear on my week-long road trip from Colorado to California. The reasoning: The undies are made with 100% polyester CoolMax Extreme Mesh fabric, so I could wash them by hand in hotel sinks (or my mom’s bathroom), and they’d dry by morning. My goal: Take this test so that PracticalTravelGear.com readers would know if they could do the same when packing light really matters (i.e. when you’re on an extended backpacking trip or you only want to pack a carry-on bag for your next plane flight, not when you’re driving a mini-van that could actually transport two dozen pair of underwear).
I’m not one to typically buy underwear for its quick-dry qualities, but I sure found the Tilley CoolMax Extreme Women’s Briefs ($22) fit the bill here. On our trip, I was able to wash my underwear by hand at night, wring it thoroughly, towel it dry twice (per instructions), hang to dry in a well-ventilated place, and it was dry by morning. I almost made it through the entire nine days of our trip on one pair of black and one pair of white Tilley briefs … if only I hadn’t forgotten to do my hand-washing one night. Since both were dirty the next day (hey, it’s not part of my nightly routine; mea culpa), I had to pull out my back-up pair of Hanes.
I am very impressed with how comfortable and light the underwear are. The weather was cool in California over Christmas, so I couldn’t fully test its moisture-wicking capability on our hikes in Joshua Tree National Park (I just didn’t sweat that much), but I sure intend to wear the underwear this summer when I’m hiking in the mountains here at home.
My husband was given a pair of Tilley CoolMax Travel Boxers ($22) to test on our trip as well. He could not speak more highly of how comfortable they are. To wit: He said he was more comfortable driving our 10-hour day in his Tilley CoolMax boxers than driving for just 4 hours in his Gap cotton ones. He says they are the most comfortable underwear he owns.
Testing Tilley Underwear in Jamaica
I wanted to test the quick-dry theory on our trip to Jamaica last week, so I packed my Tilley briefs again. I figured that doing the overnight-dry routine in arid Palm Springs would be quite different than in the humid tropics. Indeed, the quick-dry feature just didn’t work well in our hotel room in Jamaica. It might be that my husband and I abhor air-conditioning, and I dislike ceiling fans, so we actually slept in a room with no air circulating (really, it was better than it sounds), and whenever we were in the room, we had the sliding doors open, so the humid breeze blew in. All of these factors added up to my underwear not drying overnight, unfortunately.
But, to be fair, neither pair of my Hanes underwear dried overnight either (yes, at one point, I had four pairs of wet underwear hanging in various places in my hotel room … the housekeeping staff must have thought I was nuts). In fact, all of my clothing ended up slightly damp by the time this trip was over, as is typical when I travel to tropical locales; it was downright musty when I unpacked it all in Colorado, and had to rewash everything.
Testing Tilley in Colorado
I wanted my Tilley underwear experience to end on a high note, so just last night, I hand-washed a clean pair and hung them to dry on the doorknob of my bedroom. I went to bed at 11 p.m., and by 7 a.m., they were perfectly dry.
So, what did I learn from this experience?
- I’ll do just about anything in the name of research for this blog.
- I highly recommend Tilley underwear for frequent travelers, with the caveat that it may not wick and dry as well in humid climates as it does in arid ones.
- I know what I’m getting my husband for his birthday.
Tilley manufacturers all sorts of other travel clothing, including its awesome lifetime-guaranteed hats. I wore a pair of “Unholey”quick-drying travel socks ($16) on my two most recent trips; similarly, they dried no problem overnight in desert California, and took longer to dry in Jamaica. They are super comfortable, mid-calf socks with ribbed arch support and a “moisture escape panel for breathability.” They really resist odor, too. The Tilley CoolMax Extreme Women’s Briefs have matching black or white Extreme Tanks ($26), made from the same moisture-wicking fabric. These, too, are very comfy, and great for layering for active outdoor pursuits in cold weather.
Yes, Tilley costs more than the underwear you might find at your local Gap, Jockey or Hanes outlet. But because Tilley underwear is built to last with material that will keep its shape much longer than traditional cotton underwear, I look forward to wearing my Tilley travel undergarments for years to come.
To purchase — and browse more Tilley offerings — visit the Tilley Endurables website.
Related post: Travel underwear by ExOfficio.
Posted by Kara in Travel Light on January 21st, 2010
Stow and Go Pocket Gloves from TrailHeads
As the south gets gripped by a cold freeze, I’ve worn gloves more times in the past month than I usually do all winter long. So I’ve had plenty of chances to try out these nifty Stow and Go Pocket Gloves from a company that puts out lots of nifty items: TrailHeads.
The main target markets for these are runners, cyclist, and others who need to leave the house with just one or two esssential items, like a house key or a bit of money. They would work well as general travel gloves too since they’re lightweight, compact, and useful as an additional place to hide some cash. You could also use them for spring skiing, with beer money handy that doesn’t require digging through your pockets with gloves on.
Each hand has one double-flap pocket that keeps an item close and secured on the top of your hand. If the item is something flat, you don’t even notice it’s there. On top of the pocket is a Hyperreflect strip that helps you be more visible at night—always handy on the road when there are tuk-tuks or auto-rickshaws manned by suicidal drivers whizzing by. (Or cars sliding around on ice.)
The gloves are made of Lycra, so they conform to your hand, are washable, are breathable, and dry quickly. There’s a terry lining though to feel nice against your skin. TrailHeads Stow and Go Gloves list for $28 and are available at their own site or at Amazon.
While you’re at their site, check out the other interesting items that will set you up for being active in cold weather. Women might especially dig the Goodbye Girl Ponytail Hats, which also come in kids’ versions.
Posted by Tim in General Gear, Travel Light on January 13th, 2010
Performance Polo Shirts from Greg Norman
Since the U.S. media is all obsessed this week about a pro golfer wrecking his car in the wee hours, how about some golf clothing?
The venerable polo shirt has been a wardrobe staple for decades now and it doesn’t show any signs of going away. It presents a way to wear a collared shirt and not look like a slob, while still being comfortable and retaining full movement. From the Greg Norman-designed golf course to the 19th hole bar and then some, a Greg Norman golf shirt will do nicely. And since it’s getting chilly out, they come in long-sleeve versions as well.
I’ve worn this long-sleeve Greg Norman ML50 polo on a few trips now and while it’s a bit shiny for my tastes, it has been a great item to pack, especially since it’s supposedly 30% lighter than the average golf shirt. It’s ridiculously wrinkle-free, to the point where I’ve balled it up and crammed it into a small pocket on purpose just to abuse it. After about five minutes on me after unpacking, it looks fine. It wicks the moisture well without getting stinky and claims an SPF factor of 50 to protect your skin from the sun. And of course it dries quickly if you have to sink-wash it.
While this may not be the kind of thing you want to pack when setting off for a year-long trip as a shoestring backpacker, this clothing line is worth considering when you are going to get subjected to “business casual” or want to pack light for multiple situations.
Strangely this $69 shirt is only listed in three colors on their consumer site, none in black, but the corporate site where you can get your own logo put on them has the same model in black. This was a retail version I received though, so maybe in the stores you can score a black one.
Naturally the company has dozens of other styles and colors in short sleeves for when the weather heats up again. Want to find a real bargain? Try the Shark Tank Clearance section!
Posted by Tim in General Gear on December 2nd, 2009
