The Ultimate Tee Shirt
 

My wardrobe seems to consist of dozens of the ubiquitous tee shirt, all different colours etc but mainly cotton. They seem to be the only garment I wear. Cheap to buy and available anywhere in the world, just chuck 'em when they wear out. But has anyone found the "ultimate" tee shirt which has none of the disadvantages of cotton (awful when wet - sweat or rain, takes forever to dry, shrinks but neck stretches, limited life, looks bad when old) and found one which suits the traveler? They should be totally unshrinkable, feel as comfortable as cotton, easy to wash by hand, quick to dry, handle sweat, non wrinkle, good in hot or cold climates and look good. A lot to ask for.
In this world of the internet, shopping for clothing in another country is easy. Are there any suggestions? My favourite is Patagonia (USA) "Capilene". It has all the desirable characteristics above and has lasted me years. And yes, it's synthetic.

Merino wool Tee shirts for me, mainly coz you can wear them for days, weeks even and they never get smelly. When you do wash them they wash well and dry reasonably quickly, quicker than cotton, but not as fast as synthetic. Loads of brands and options available and in different weights of of wool.

I'll go with Lowe Alpine DryFlo. It appears to be virtually indestructible - I've used mine for years and it is still in a more than reasonable condition.

I'm looking for the same but in a polo. The collar can make it a little dressier than a t-shirt when requiired and provides some sun protection on the neck. I have not found one yet that has all of the quality's the OP specified. Anybody else had any luck with a good looking, fast drying polo?

I bought a couple of the macpac merino wool t's.Super fine wool but I found them a bit itchy a lot of the time, especially when it got over about 23-25 dg celcius

And 1 more thing...
I'm presuming the Op was asking about T-shirts specifically rather than base layers?

Indeed, the requirement is for mainly outer wear as a tee shirt. Having said that, I've used base layer garments as that function. The ultimate tee shirt should be able to cope with both.

I have an Icebreaker merino t-shirt (i.e. loose fitting, not underwear). It is amazing. Just wore it for a week of trekking in iceland and independent tests confirmed it wasn't smelly at the end of it (and I am a 40 year old man who sweats as much as the next guy). Machine washable. Smart enough to wear around. Fantastic. Only drawback is that they are expensive (I got mine in a sale).

The only T-shirt and even underwear to have are the awesome "Icebreaker" range from New Zealand...not cheap but well worth the money! doesn't even feel like wool....superfine!...and never smells bad!

I've never heard of these Icebreaker shirts so I Googled them to find out more. Jesus Murphy - $80 for a freaking T-shirt, and $110 plus for a polo. :helpsmilie:

I understand the value in paying for quality instead of cheap made-in-China junk, but damn - for that kind of money they should give you a massage when your back is sore!

Lol, yup, they are expensive but worth every penny. Basically wool has the advantages of other natural fibres, but wool also has additional benefits that is has insulative characteristics, even when wet. This can turn out to be a pretty important thing if you are stuck outside and staying warm is an issue.

And as far as comparing it to PataGucci, as good as the capilene stuff is, the smell that sticks to those shirts is something else. The latest technology is improving this somewhat, but still a person can't beat merino wool IMHO.

If you go to rebel sport, they do a range of "motivate" shirts that are in "T" and Polo style that are synthetic.

I used three of them for a year in the Americas from the Arctic to the tropics, and were extremely comfortable.

They will wash in the sink and dry overnight, do not need ironing, and the polo shirts are acceptable for any restaurant. I think they were around the $40 mark in the sales.

Chrispy

Thanks Im off to rebel now:thumbup1:

re Merino
 

My daughter swears by them (a common sentiment, it seems) so I bought one. Not an Icebreaker - too expensive - but another brand on special. I must admit it's very comfortable but when the wind blows it's like you're naked! Terrific for base layer but IMO not good enough for outerwear.

Personal message for me
 

My wife brought home one that I proudly wear with the caption;

"LET ME DROP EVERYTHING AND WORK ON YOUR PROBLEM"
:clap:

Cheers from Oz.