How not to smell without showering: the merino solution

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Comments

  • meanwhile
    meanwhile Posts: 392
    photons wrote:
    I use a dry wash called 'Lifeventure dry wash', and is available to buy from all good Millet stores :lol: .

    It' around 5 pounds to buy, it is a liquid gel substance. You just apply it to your body and it will evaporate along with with any bacteria, odours.
    It smells very refrshing and clean and on occasions I use it as an alternative to deodarant.

    If you pour a whole bottle on one of your co-workers, say someone from HR, will they disappear?

    (Also) seriously, that's one of the most useful commuting tips I've ever heard.
  • cee
    cee Posts: 4,553
    Hey folks.

    well the folks at dryshirt.co.uk sent me one of the free shirts they were talking about in at the start of this thread.

    So here are my thoughts on it.

    I was given a choice of two colours...yellow or green and opted for green.

    When i opened the shirt, the fabric felt very light and silky. It felt the same after a good thrashing too, staying cool feeling, light and comfortable after 2 laps of Inners XC (well you need to do 2 don't you ;o)) I also wore it on the way to work the day after that thrashing and it stops the smell just as well as my merino base. You could probably wear it for at least 2 or 3 days before feeling like it needed washed.

    I think merino wool is really comfortable, but at the point where you first put a merino on i think you can tell it is wool. Not itchy as such, but a just a light grip... The prowick felt exactly like it did on my hands when i took it out of the bag, and the closest thing i can compare it to is the feeling of silk. Very Comfortable.

    I did have a couple of negative thougts as well though but these were to do with the styling. It was quite loose fitting (which I don't mind) but some folks would prefer a more fitted feeling. I thought (and have responded to dryshirt with this) that it could be tailored a little more at the bottom and be longer at the back to suit the cycling market, but it seems they have more af a 'one shirt for all sports' approach.

    The Styling of it will not suit everyone either. I held it up and immediately thought 'Golf'. It just looks like that kind of garment. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, just not to everyones tastes. As I said, I got a green one and it was a deep, full block, bright number. As I say, maybe a little 'Preppy' for some.

    There is a prowick logo on the left breast and on the promo versions a big prowick logo on the back (both in white). Kevin at dryshirt tells me that on the retail version, there is no logo on the back.

    So....if you are looking for a wicking layer with classic t-shirt stylings, that is super comfy, and stops smells really well, the prowick by dryshirt.co.uk is worth a look.

    Cee
    Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I believe in the future of the human race.

    H.G. Wells.
  • Mithras
    Mithras Posts: 428
    Sounds good, looking forward to getting mine to try under my body armour!
    I can afford to talk softly!....................I carry a big stick!
  • dondare
    dondare Posts: 2,113
    edited June 2008
    In the old days when cycling to work was still regarded as a perfectly normal thing to do, people cycled in their work clothes and didn't shower when they arrived, they simply removed their cycle clips and got on with their jobs. Why should things be so different now? And why should cyclists care how fragrant they are when those who use public transport clearly don't?
    This post contains traces of nuts.
  • Surf-Matt
    Surf-Matt Posts: 5,952
    About to order a Finisterre Merino wool mid layer and base layer.

    Can't say I've ever had a problem with stinking though - we have this thing at home (in fact two) called a shower. Combine it with shower gel and hey presto, you don't smell.
  • DryShirt UK
    DryShirt UK Posts: 4
    Cee,

    Thanks for your review.

    As discussed we have taken your comments and passed them onto the manufacuter of the product for their response to supplement our reponse to you.

    To respond for the forum

    There are actually 10 colours available but the main colours we stock here in the UK are white titanium and black both in long and short sleeve but any colour can be ordered by special request.

    You are correct in saying the styling of the product is an attempt to suit all. The shirt can be used in so many different sports that to produce a tailored fit to say cycling then tennis or golf would require greater manufacturing variances which would end in a higher retail price !

    The most pleasing result from our point of view is that the product performed as it is designed.

    Regards

    Kevin Rutherford
    DryShirt UK

    PS: Code B14DRY gets you 10% off through our site !
    www.dryshirt.co.uk
  • rhext
    rhext Posts: 1,639
    I think it's an advert too. Can I have a free shirt now?
  • meanwhile
    meanwhile Posts: 392
    cee wrote:
    Hey folks.

    well the folks at dryshirt.co.uk sent me one of the free shirts they were talking about in at the start of this thread.

    So here are my thoughts on it.

    I was given a choice of two colours...yellow or green and opted for green.

    Mine was exciting grey/beige. I did say to send me whatever there was most surplus stock of!
    When i opened the shirt, the fabric felt very light and silky. It felt the same after a good thrashing too, staying cool feeling, light and comfortable after 2 laps of Inners XC (well you need to do 2 don't you ;o)) I also wore it on the way to work the day after that thrashing and it stops the smell just as well as my merino base. You could probably wear it for at least 2 or 3 days before feeling like it needed washed.

    As synthetics go, the antibacterial is top draw - and the silkiness comment is right on too. Wicking seems very good. I don't know how the antibacterial will last though - with merino its a feature of the fibre; with synthetics its usually the result of a treatment which can often fade. The anti-pong didn't impress me as being at the same level as merino, but as I said, it was up with the best synthetics I've tried, which cost quite a bit more.
    I think merino wool is really comfortable, but at the point where you first put a merino on i think you can tell it is wool. Not itchy as such, but a just a light grip... The prowick felt exactly like it did on my hands when i took it out of the bag, and the closest thing i can compare it to is the feeling of silk. Very Comfortable.

    I did have a couple of negative thougts as well though but these were to do with the styling. It was quite loose fitting (which I don't mind) but some folks would prefer a more fitted feeling. I thought (and have responded to dryshirt with this) that it could be tailored a little more at the bottom and be longer at the back to suit the cycling market, but it seems they have more af a 'one shirt for all sports' approach.

    On my weightlifter shaped torso, the shirt was a good fit. I suggested a neck zip for ventilation control, although the wicking ability might make this irrelevant.
    The Styling of it will not suit everyone either. I held it up and immediately thought 'Golf'. It just looks like that kind of garment. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, just not to everyones tastes. As I said, I got a green one and it was a deep, full block, bright number. As I say, maybe a little 'Preppy' for some.

    There is a prowick logo on the left breast and on the promo versions a big prowick logo on the back (both in white). Kevin at dryshirt tells me that on the retail version, there is no logo on the back.

    So....if you are looking for a wicking layer with classic t-shirt stylings, that is super comfy, and stops smells really well, the prowick by dryshirt.co.uk is worth a look.

    Cee

    What I'd add to this is that this feels to me like a pure wicking top rather than a baselayer. Merino offers very sophisticated temperature management to cool you up or down (it breaths, while the fibres are hollow and insulating). The nylon fabric of the DryShirt felt cold and conductive, as if it was sucking heat away. So my impression is that this is a hot days only shirt; I wouldn't want to wear it even as a baselayer in cold weather. (Its interesting that UK companies like Montane have taken the approach of combining merino and high wicking synthetics to maximize versatility in this sort of shirt - we really do have one of the world's trickiest climates.)

    That said, the UK price is excellent compared to other products that do the same job. (Twenty something pounds?) I'd definitely choose light merino for commuting, because of its ability to cope with the fast changing UK weather and stop/start at moderate effort levels. But as a racing aid, where heat output will be constantly high, the DryShirt could be very effective. It might be a also be a summer commuting option for people who ride in the warm London micro-climate and who run hotter than I do.

    Oh - and I was wearing it when I had to do some Extreme Emergency Plumbing, digging up our stopcock. So I can say that it cleans very well.

    So overall:

    - A good shirt to wear when removing sweat and keeping cool is your main aim

    - Good "odour management"

    - Not something I'd wear as a layer in cold weather or when I needed a versatile shirt that can wick, cool, and keep me warm

    - Excellent UK price

    - Good fit for mesomorphs, probably baggy on typical roadies
  • DryShirt UK
    DryShirt UK Posts: 4
    Evening folks,

    Following on from this post earlier this year we took onboard the advice regarding backpackgeartest.org and the results are here.

    http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Clothing/Shirts/DryShirt%20UK%20Prowik%20Short%20Sleeve%20Shirt/

    Thats all - Thanks
    www.dryshirt.co.uk
  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    dondare wrote:
    In the old days when cycling to work was still regarded as a perfectly normal thing to do, people cycled in their work clothes and didn't shower when they arrived, they simply removed their cycle clips and got on with their jobs. Why should things be so different now? And why should cyclists care how fragrant they are when those who use public transport clearly don't?
    How old ARE you?
  • gtvlusso
    gtvlusso Posts: 5,112
    Firstly - Whats wrong with Tesco Tee shirts?! Just keep buying them and having a shower - at the end of the day, when you get knocked/fall off you are guarenteed to damage kit - keep it cheap and re-usuable. I use Tee shirts for everything - from fixing the car to playing football.

    Secondly - I am not sure I agree with companies/individuals directly marketing their wares on web forums........
  • BoardinBob
    BoardinBob Posts: 697
    Surely the cycling top you wear when commuting doesn't matter when you're sitting at your desk. If you're concerned about smelling if you haven't had a shower I'd recommend this stuff:

    http://www.odaban.com/

    One spray under your armpits before you go to bed and you wont have any underarm sweat for the next few days. No doubt someone will say "isn't it dangerous" but given the millions of sweat glands all over your body, you'll be fine. The sweat glands under your artms and around your..ahem..bumcrack are different from the sweat glands on the rest of your body. It's only these areas that produce the sweat that ultimately leads to BO. Sweat from elsewhere doesn't cause BO.

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