Does anyone else sweat in these 'breathable' fabrics?

[Dragonsrock]

Hi I am a sweaty beast and when I wear the 'climacool', 'fitdry' style fabrics, I still sweat really bad, I am wondering if I would be better off in cotton fabrics.  Two questions,

1.  Does anyone else find this issue?

2.  Are there any high quality cotton blend golf shirts that will actually allow your body to breath?

Thanks,

Dave

[Yuri Gadow]

Yep. Plenty. And, I've not noticed how much I sweat changing due to any fabric, but then the difference one shirt will make to your core body temperature is small to none. That seems primarily a function of fitness v. exertion, humidity, and a little bit due to ambient temperature. I have noticed small differences from the design and color, e.g., how well wind is caught and flowed through the garment.

The big difference for me is how the fabrics dry. Cotton soaks through and stays wet for an hour or more after I stop sweating, which keeps me cooler but less comfortable and less able to regulate my own temperature. Good synthetics accumulate the moisture on the outside of the garment where it evaporates and falls away faster, which probably makes me sweat more but I'm less aware of it and I can stop and go without alternately freezing and roasting.

As for breathability, I'm familiar with the term in context of waterproof clothing, e.g., Goretex. If you're thinking about airflow through the material, I'd bet most non-waterproof clothing like golf shirts are going to be roughly the same—the big variable being how quickly they dry since a wet fabric allows less air to pass through.

[Zeph]

Not at all. I wear nothing but synthetic fibre clothes in any sport. Some are maybe 20-40% cotton, but the majority is 90%+ synthetic. I hate sweating in cotton, it soaks up, stays in the shirt forever, looks terrible and feels worse. With a little breeze in the air, breathable clothes are soooo much more comfortable. There are of course different brands and models among those too. Some got cotton in them, some not. In some, the fibres are wown tighter and breathe less. I sweat the same amount in any shirt, but synthetic ones do a much better job at transporting it away and keeping me cool and dry.

[Swampy79]

I don't really sweat in cotton or "breathable" sport shirts.....I perspire like a broken water main no matter what.  I have found that the breathable sport fabrics feel more comfortable and less cumbersome to wear even when completely soaked, they don't feel like an extra 40 pounds of weight hanging from my shoulders for the last 12 holes.  Thats the difference maker for me.  I sympathize with your beastly sweat problems, stay hydrated!!

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by Dragonsrock

Hi I am a sweaty beast and when I wear the 'climacool', 'fitdry' style fabrics, I still sweat really bad, I am wondering if I would be better off in cotton fabrics.  Two questions,

1.  Does anyone else find this issue?

2.  Are there any high quality cotton blend golf shirts that will actually allow your body to breath?

Thanks,

Dave

Everybody sweats in hot weather, regardless of their apparel.  What the modern fabrics do is make it less uncomfortable when you do.

[lville lefty]

Best fabric I have discovered is actually made from carbon resin found in coconut shells.  It is a hard to find shirt but a little bit of searching on the web and you will find some of the big name golf brands use a fabric called Cocona .  We make some of our hats from this fabric and it is truly amazing in terms of feel and moisture wicking performance as a shirt or a hat.  Couple of neat benefits of this this fabric; it is a renewable resource and offers natural UV protection.

[glock35ipsc]

Breathable fabrics aren't to prevent you from sweating, that's just a natural function of the body.  What they are designed to do is to wick the moisture away from your body and transport it to the outside of the fabric to be evaporated.

I have an extensive land and water rescue background.  One of our sayings was "cotton kills".

[Inebriated]

I sweat a lot either way, but the synthetic fabrics feel way way better when wet. I also don't start to sweat QUITE as quickly with a breathable fabric, but we're talking about a matter of minutes here lol

[shades9323]

I avoid this problem by golfing without a shirt on!

[glock35ipsc]

Shades9323 = John Daly!

[indykappa]

what i have found is that the $9 off-brand shirts i buy from burlington coat factory work just as well as the $55 shirt i got from the nike store...BUT AT LEAST I LOOK LIKE TIGER WOODS RIGHT?!

i think you're gonna sweat regardless...some just sweat more than others.  the synthetic shirts are nice because they wick away the sweat.  my dad plays in regular 'ol polo shirts and sweats like a hostage!  LOL

[te3point5]

If there was a fabric that prevented you from sweating, you'd probably die of head exhaustion. Everybody's gotta sweat. I do notice that it's more bearable/comfortable, if i'm wearing a nike dri-fit or Adidas Climacool shirt.

[motteler621]

yea the poly shirts are better when sweating alot, your shirt doesnt soak it up really and it dries fast. Only problem with some of the poly golf shirts is the white and light colors can be "see through" when wearing them. I cant tell you how many white golf shirts Ive tried on by adidas and nike where I could see my nipples through them and couldnt buy the shirt.

[codwater]

I am right there with you when it comes to pouring out the sweat. For the past few years mountain biking has been my main hobby/sport, but I played in a charity golf scramble for work every year. We recieved a complimentary Jack Nicklaus shirt with the charity's logo on it. I didn't wear the shirts for a very long time. They just sat in my closet.

At one point work and school got so busy, that I could not find the time to go out to the mountain biking trail so I started biking to work everyday. After a week of biking I ran out of bike jersey's, so I threw on the Nicklaus polo. I was absolutely stunned. No matter what, I will sweat. When I where cotton I am extremely uncomfortable. When I wear bike jerseys, I sweat and my shirts get soaked, but I don't feel as uncomfortable. When I wore the Nicklaus polo I sweated, but it seemed like the sweat dried up nearly as quickly as it formed. I started throwing those polos into my regular rotation after that. Now that I am golfing more, I wear them very often. I notice when I wear mine to the range, that every person out there has a drenched back. After hitting 100+ balls, my shirt still appears completely dry. I do sweat, but something about this shirt keeps me from feeling and looking like pig. I think it is a combination of airflow, fit, material.

I just pulled one of the shirts out of the hamper. It says Jack Nicklaus Performance 18 100% polyester. It seems like it two layers as well. A softer layer against the skin and a more normal shirt texture on the outside. I have no idea how much the cost, and I hope I score a new color at the golf tournament this year!

[shades9323]

Minus 40 lbs and 55 yards off the tee!

Originally Posted by glock35ipsc

Shades9323 = John Daly!

[daxc]

I recently went and played a week down in St. Simon's Island in southern Georgia and tried something a little different. I usually wear a "breathable" golf shirt (Champion or Nike) but this time I got a couple of breathable workout shirts a size smaller. They fit me more snugly and went under my golf shirt and I stayed a whole lot cooler.

My biggest issue with the synthetic shirts is that all my white ones end up with brown/yellow rings on the sleeves and the neck.

[SoCalPutz]

Originally Posted by lville lefty

Best fabric I have discovered is actually made from carbon resin found in coconut shells.  It is a hard to find shirt but a little bit of searching on the web and you will find some of the big name golf brands use a fabric called Cocona.  We make some of our hats from this fabric and it is truly amazing in terms of feel and moisture wicking performance as a shirt or a hat.  Couple of neat benefits of this this fabric; it is a renewable resource and offers natural UV protection.

I received one of these hats as a gift.  It breathes and wicks away sweat like no other hat I have tried.  Love it!!

[nevets88]

I have all sorts of different synthetics. So much better than cotton. They don't make me sweat more or less. I perspire the same regardless of the fabric.

Some synthetics have a funny texture to them and feel a little like wool, can be annoying.

Unlike natural fabrics, I don't see the whitish salt accumulation in the synthetics. I wonder where it goes.

I don't know about wicking, transferring moisture from in to out. I just thought they dry out much faster? Whatever they do, it works.

I notice synthetics don't crumple - no need for ironing, as if I iron anyway.

Some have a funny smell to them. But hey, I haven't grown a third eyebrow... yet.