We love it when something subverts expectations-meaning, we're enamored with wearing wool during the summer. By wool, of course, we mean merino wool, the all-organic distant cousin of the thick, scratchy sweater of your youth. It breathes better than cotton, wicks sweat from the body like a sponge, and keeps you surprisingly cool when you're overheating. And, unlike most synthetic fabrics on the market, it claims to be entirely odor-free-a trait that could make it an invaluable piece of travel apparel. But we wanted to confirm this last proclamation... which is why I wore just one shirt for an entire week's-worth of workouts in one of the most humid cities in the country during one of the hottest months of the year-without washing the shirt once.
The test subject: The GT 180 Short-Sleeve Chase Crew T-shirt (pictured), made by New Zealand merino wool wonder-company Icebreaker. Lightweight yet substantial, it's not the lightest in Icebreaker's line (that's reserved for the near-paper-thin GT 140 apparel), but the shirt was perfect for my needs, with a dropped tail and reflective graphics that cater to the cyclists, a right-hip zipper stash pocket for the runners, and flat-lock seam construction to reduce chafing when wearing a pack. I first wore it for two days while hiking in the Peruvian Andes, and it performed admirably-but when I got back to Washington, D.C., and washed the Andean dust from its seams, I decided to really put it to the test. That test included:
1. A 45-minute run through Washington, D.C., at its hottest and swampiest. The shirt was basically transformed into a wet rag, which was hung out to dry on my return.
2. Five days of commuter cycling, a modest 25 minutes total each day-except it was in late July, when temps broke the 90s and humidity hovered at a drenching 100 percent.
3. Two hour-long weight-training workouts.
4. Two 30-minute treadmill runs in a poorly air-conditioned gym.
5. A six-hour sweat marinade; after the last trip to the treadmill, I forgot to take the shirt-which was fully saturated-out of the plastic bag and air it out before cycling home.
The end result?
Despite grimaces of disgust from colleagues who recognized I was wearing that red shirt... again... there was absolutely no evidence of smell by the end of this arduous test period. On day five one coworker, who was brave enough to put the Chase Crew to her nose and inhale deeply, looked up with utter disbelief and said, "It smells like the floor room at REI."
Lesser fabrics that were put to a mere faction of the travails that the Chase Crew endured-a cotton T-shirt and a poly-blend tech crew from a named manufacturer-failed the odor test miserably; by day three the shirts were ripe enough to shame even this owner.
We're not saying you'd wear just one shirt for entire week while traveling. But if you're looking to pack light by getting a few days of use from a few choice garments, pretty much anything from the Icebreaker line will work. And not everything looks like you're priming for the Olympic trials; most of the line is very fashion forward. From hours-long bus rides through Southeast Asia to days-long hikes at 15,000 feet to an ill-advised mid-day run on the National Mall to the not-so-local pub, Icebreaker won't let you down (or smell like you know it should).
-- Nathan Borchelt
Got your own favorite can't-live-without travel garment? Let us know about it in our comments section.
