YMO's Semi-Guide to Survive Hot/Humid Environments

Cotton vs polyester is always a tough one for summer. Cotton is hydrophilic. At a molecular level, it forms chemical bonds with the water molecules. Which is why it won't release the absorbed water. Polyester is actually hydrophobic, but the technical textile like Drifit from Nike and Climacool from Adidas, are constructed in such a way that they absorb the sweat through capillary action and release the moisture through air circulation. But there is a lot of variation and not all models/products are effective. I am not familiar with their equivalents on the non-sports/regular apparel brands. My personal choice however is cotton. Synthetic fabrics just make my skin burn despite the wicking and breathability.

Modal and Lycell are other special fabrics that are soft, quite breathable with good wicking ability, but again can vary with their ability to release the moisture based on the brand and the product.

It's sad that we don't get mineral salt deodorant sprays here in India.

@Erroneous , for socks, you could try antibacterial/antifungal/antimicrobial socks. But it can be a hit or miss and depends on the brand or the product. Using shoes with good ventilation or mesh fabric over leather shoes or boots will help further., but you probably already knew that.

 

Love this thread. Or, I hate it because it reminds me of how much I hate heat and humidity.

My cred: First 17 years of my life were being a chubby kid in Tampa, FL. Rest of my life trying to avoid hot and humid places (unsuccessfully), but also optimizing my wardrobe to deal with it when necessary (visiting my parents, travel).

Coincidentally, got back late last night from a quick overnight business trip to Miami, FL and had this particular outfit in play:

Uniqlo underwear - Something like 65% cotton, 35% polyester. They don't make this particular kind anymore - you can only get 100% cotton, or 100% poly. After a LOT of experimentation, this ends up being my favorite because it still feels like cotton, but ends up releasing moisture more quickly. I have tried the all poly Airism stuff (and similar travel underwear from Duluth and ExOfficio) that is basically a mesh and it feels like wearing plastic underwear as soon as the humidity rises. Horrid. The silkier, non mesh Airism stuff is only slightly better and definitely feels warmer. Like all have mentioned, 100% cotton feels the nicest and breathes the best, but you will be soggy forever. Wool is doable, and I have various weights of Icebreaker and Smartwool underwear for travel, but for pure comfort, I still like the cotton/poly blends (plus it is more robust and easier to hand wash).

Uniqlo cotton/linen pants - Like @YMO said earlier in the thread, a pretty good option due to the breathability and moisture management of linen, and the slightly more travel friendliness and wrinkle control of the added cotton. That said, still wrinkles like a mofo and I often choose to steam or iron it a little bit when I want to look nice. Then again, if you are in a hot/humid environment, everyone knows linen rules and wrinkles, so they won't really judge.

Uniqlo linen shirt - I use the long sleeve variety to cover as much skin as possible. It might raise the initial feeling of heat, but I do think overall, shielding from the sun helps keep me cooler, and living here in Chicago has turned me super pasty so I need the protection. Looser fit is essential to create airflow during movement.

Controvertial undershirt - I have been experimenting with undershirts that prioritize wicking away from my skin and leveraging the breathability and typical looseness of linen to create airflow. This particular trip, I used some Airism shirts that are slightly meshy, but not nearly as bad as the underwear. It definitely feels a bit plasticky on the skin when sweating, however it does a great job pulling the moisture off the skin. The only way this works is with the loose fit of linen creating airflow to dry the innerlayer when I am moving. It works well when walking, but starts to fail when I rest ironically. I have tried thin wool, 100% cotton, and various blends. Blends probably work the best overall for comfort, but tend to be thicker and add to the baseline heat. No undershirt is the coolest, but the sweat sits on the skin a bunch more and doesn't feel as good to me unless I get continuous airflow.

Socks - I am a Darn Tough whore. I have at least close to three dozen pairs of various shapes and weights. I have found their blends to be the best combo of wicking, heat and moisture management, and durability. I used the no-show running weight style this trip, and while my feet were warm the whole time, they were very comfortable. The no-show liner weight ones don't have enough fabric for my liking to absorb and hold moisture.

This outfit did well in Miami, Tampa, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen. Chicago summers can get surprisingly steamy, and it has been my work wear during those months.

I usually hate hats of any sort because they make my head too hot and give me hat head, but I have been using an outdoor research straw-y hat when out in the sun. Breathes well and has a wide brim to shade my face and neck. Most of the time, my wife won't let me wear it because I look like a dork, but when max protection is needed, she accepts it.

I am exercising more outdoors now and am making my way through various hoody t-shirts to keep cool since I don't want to go jogging in a linen button down (a little rough on the skin, and wearing an undershirt would make it way too hot). So far, I don't like the fabrics I have tried (various polys and nylons), but it is early days. Open to any suggestions.

And apologies for being an unintentionial Uniqlo shill. They just happen to hit my sweet spot for hot weather functionality, form, and price/quality ratio.

 

Came to commiserate about not being able to use class A speaker amps.. instead find discussion about shaving balls

 

You could had skip that part.

 

I discovered a few years ago that 100% cotton t-shirts were bad for workout clothes and they would come out of the wash smelling swampy. I pretty much refuse to buy any more t-shirts that aren't at least 50% synthetic. I don't have the same issue as @YMO finding them too hot as long as they're still 50% cotton. But I do have some active wear that are mostly poly/spandex/mystery fiber and they do get too warm.

I need to drop some money on merino socks. The cycling/bikepacking community generally swears by them. One thing I've discovered that helps with general athletic socks is I'll put a few drops of tea tree oil in with the wash

 

Gobros.com is my go to for socks. They usually have 20-25% sales every couple months off of good brands like Darn Tough, Smartwool, Sockwell, etc. Get some lanolin to wash them every once in a while to keep the antimicrobial/anti-stink properties topped up. My favorite low cut/athletic: https://www.gobros.com/collections/...gh-no-show-tab-ultra-light-cushion-mens-socks My favorite everything else: https://www.gobros.com/products/darn-tough-hiker-micro-crew-cushion-mens-socks.

 

For the last decade I’ve been wearing merino wool socks exclusively for work. The best being Smartwool, and Darn Tough for quality and durability. Generally Wigwam and Foxhill lagged behind in both durability and technical features, but can be a good value if heavily discounted. Merino wool is definitely legit when it comes to keeping the smell of funk down to a minimum, and warm when wet.

I also use NF designs long sleeve merino wool shirts for a light insulation layer when needed. They aren’t as good of a deal these days, but decently competitive for a made in Canada 100% merino wool product. I stocked up on a bunch of them years ago when on sale.

I use Smartwool merino wool underwear for work, bought on clearance a few years ago. I’ve tried the Amazon brand Wooly for underwear, but they are ridiculously thin and won’t last for long.

Yeah I’m all in for merino wool products. Just make sure to wash accordingly. I’ve ruined a few items, but they will last an extremely long time if maintained properly.

 

For merino socks I'd recommend Point6 which is miUSA, has a lifetime warranty, and is cheaper than Darn Tough (members get 40% off).

 

Merino wool, grip 6 makes some, they run a little small and are pricey, but I have had mine for 3 or 4 years and they look brand new.

 

Just ordered 3 different brands of merino wool socks to see if there's a winner, plus a brand of bamboo socks as a wildcard. I'm looking for that sweet ever after and willing to roll the dice until I find it.

 

Having grown up in Houston, TX and now living in Austin for me it's always been about not going outside when it's really f'ing hot and humid. Stay inside in the air conditioning as much as possible. If you must be out when the Sun is trying to charbroil you, do it before noon and be quick about getting back to the air conditioning and hug the shade like a vampire. A/C in the house to A/C in the car to A/C in wherever you're going. If air conditioning is not common where you live, all I got is sympathy.

I wear loose fitting cotton boxers and shorts and it just makes 'em stick to my legs more and if there's any stubble yikes. Other undergarmets may lead to different outcomes. On the other hand, updrafts are really nice and it's easy to get paper towels up there to dry things out temporarily.

Synthetic fabrics feel wrong on my skin and wool be itchy AF, I very much prefer cotton though I know it's not optimal

What kind of shoes are you wearing? Something breathable like a running shoe or something else? Might want to check the breathability of your footwear too.

Lol - until a recent A/C upgrade, I had a designated "summer" (class A/B) amp because my class A amp heated the room too much. I know your pain, and it is real.

 

Running shoes, mostly. Wanted to nicen it up a bit so recently got some cloth wingtip Cole Haan Zerogrand but they lack the padding I'm used to with running shoes. Hoping they break in well and will be more comfortable soon. They came highly recommended for people who are on their feet all day.

What's weird is that the only shoes I own that allow my feet to be fine all day regardless of sock choice are a pair of Mephisto leather loafers. But I'm not a loafers with shorts kinda dude and it's way too hot for anything but shorts, even if you're inside all day.

Not much of an update on the sock situation. The wool do okay but my feet are still pretty funky at the end of the day. The bamboo socks surprisingly keep pace so far with the (merino) wool ones. As always, further testing is required.

Maybe it's just damn hot and there is no magic bullet, but instead only various ways to partially mitigate the worst of it. Maybe it's finding the right combination of partial mitigation to lessen the shittiness of the heat.

 

@Erroneous you use Gold Bond?

 

I am so glad I live in Cleveland, the North for the win!

 

I live in Winterpeg and still couldn't live without my central AC. We don't top 100F most years, but 90s are still common summer temps (we hit 98 one day a few weeks ago). That is still too hot for me.

 

It gets warm here too, but I don't have to walk around with gold bond canisters between my cheeks to stay the swamp ass monster! Humidity is the worst to me. Higher temps not so much, high humidity, f**k that!

 

It may be time for...


Birkenstocks 'n socks! Maybe no socks, just the 'stocks (because socks 'n sandals of any kind is just... wrong).

 

During weather that suits, socks 'n sandals of any kind is just... comfortable.

 

Two things can be true at once!

 

One time, about fifty years ago, I was working in a shop in London (UK). I turned up one day in sandals and bare feet and was sent home, to, at least put some socks on!