We’ve all heard it…. if you are going to run or do exercise, you want some type of fabric that wicks away the moisture. Somewhere along the line, that seemed to limit the use of natural fibers like my beloved cotton. But there are a couple of products in the market that have more people looking at cotton. And I just wanted to point them out in case you are in the market for some great gear for athletes and outdoor enthusiasts. Since the natural fibers offer a better feel, increasing some of the performance characteristics means everyone can have a win-win!

UnderArmour’s Charged Cotton

I have mentioned Charged Cotton from UnderArmour and previously posted about the ad campaign that had me UnderArmour free. But I only saw UnderArmour’s cotton products recently while shopping my 16-year-old nephew (it was his birthday shopping trip!). I was impressed with how big the selection of Charged Cotton was! The signs clearly position it as active wear when you aren’t sure of or you don’t care what the weather will do. Take to the road in the rain cause its weather tough. There are hoodies, t-shirts, etc. and they all feel really good. I may just have some under the Christmas tree as a result!

Gear Junkie Reviews ‘Performance’ Underwear made of Cotton

A couple of weeks ago, I caught this product review from Gear Junkie and thought to myself…. this HAS to go on the blog! If you are familiar with the Gear Junkie site, you know that whether you need winter boots, the latest in cycling or camping gear, etc, then its a site to check out. To see them covering underwear is…. well…. unexpected.

Cotton underwear. Seriously, that is the topic of this column. But these boxer shorts, made by Longworth Industries Inc. of North Carolina, are not knitted with your run-of-the-mill white fluff. Marketed as “performance underwear,” the company’s Polarmax AYG line of men’s and women’s boxers and briefs feature a special cotton type branded as TransDRY.

The quick summary of TransDRY is that it is a fabric that looks and feels like normal cotton, but it breathes like a synthetic. The secret is in a chemical treatment applied to the threads that helps disperse moisture that might otherwise get caught up in the fine filaments on each cotton strand.

In my use, the TransDRY treatment seems to work. I have worn the boxer shorts on long hikes and on backpacking trips that last a couple days. (No, I did not change my underwear the whole trip!) The TransDRY fabric is indeed a neat product, as it creates a comfortable, non-clammy environment inside boxer shorts that otherwise might act like normal Fruit of the Looms.

A bonus is the underwear’s anti-microbial treatment, which is necessary for trips where your skivvies might do duty for a couple days in a row. The treatment helps with odor and “enhanced comfort and hygiene,” as the company puts it.

The feel of TransDRY is that of a thin cotton fabric, comfortable and light. On the underwear, a strong elastic waistband keeps them in place, and an athletic cut allows for free motion.

via ‘Performance’ Underwear made of Cotton | Gear Review | Gear Junkie.

Do you have any athletes on your shopping lists? If so, this may work!

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Its getting close to reality and closer to a store near you. What am I talking about? Cotton clothing from UnderArmour, the brand that was not showing much love to my beloved natural fiber before. (A past blog post does more background.) But they are officially launching the Charged Cotton line and it will be shipping soon for March sales.

Wired magazine says the about face was led by the reality that their target customers (people in their late teens through 30s) have an average of seven cotton T-shirts for each synthetic shirt in their wardrobe. Yep, it’s the best way to grow the brand to use cotton fiber and then put a bit of UA spin to it by combining the vast majority of cotton with five percent elastane, which is the fiber that provides a stretch fabric. The result is comfort, wicking & dryability.

The production process starts with alternating yarns of hydrophobic and hydrophilic cotton. The hydrophilic part is responsible for cotton’s moisture absorption, which can extend to 25 times its weight in water. But the inclusion of a hydrophobic yarn, which contains molecules that reject water, helps athletes stay as dry as when they first put on the garment. “That’s what causes the sweat to wick away from the cotton and dry quicker,” Stafford said of the hydrophobic yarns.

Heather Mitts, a defender with the Atlanta Beat of the Women’s Professional Soccer league, explained to Wired.com that the cotton products she used to wear while training were too heavy. Not so with Charged Cotton: “You don’t really notice that you’re wearing cotton.”

via How Under Armour Learned to Love Cotton Fiber| Playbook.

I’m going to have to check the line out next time I’m at Sports Authority or Dick’s Sporting Goods. Wonder what the sales people will think when I mention how I have a bunch of cotton farmer friends…. and imagine the glaze over when I ask about the hydrophobic and hydrophillic yarns. I think I’m going to like this!

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