It doesn’t seem like all that long ago I got my first technical t-shirt. I can’t recall which race it was, but I do remember being as happy as pie to get something other than a cotton t-shirt as an enduring souvenir of the event.
I recall marveling at this thing of beauty. It was as light as a feather. Its attributes included great wicking of sweat and the ability to stand up to a whole lot of washes without fading. For a whole summer, I wore this particular technical t-shirt because it felt good and it didn’t make hamburger out of my nipples on long runs.
But, boy, did it stink!
OK, maybe it was me that made it stink, but don’t you find that you can wear a cotton t-shirt 5 times before washing if you dry it out in the basement between runs? True, I’m a lazy pig, and I’m not suggesting I’d go to church or anything in a cotton t-shirt I’d been running in, but I could give the sniff test to a cotton t-shirt and under normal circumstances, I could get away with several uses. Not so with technical t-shirts.
It seems I only have to wear a technical t-shirt for 5 minutes around the house before it start to reek like Gorgonzola cheese.
Over the past 3 years, I’ve accumulated green, red and blue Club Fat Ass club colors. I wear the club colors proudly at events I host for the club, at the gym and out on training runs. But even at the gym I get stares from folks who I’m positive are wondering what I just did to stink like that. I have trouble standing my own stink when I wear a technical t-shirt and believe me, I used to do all my triathlon training without socks, so I know a thing or two about stink!
Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, my buddy Stewart Marshall of the UK introduced me to Greg Beaudin, a neighbor I didn't know. Greg is a tech industry person and hockey guy who is now making technical t-shirts he claims *don’t* stink. After telling me about how rotten smelling a hockey bag can get, Greg, the CEO of Puckskin garments handed me one of his t-shirts and challenged me to give it the stink test after a 2-hour training run on the Baden Powell trail.
Paul Cubbon and I went on that run today. I am pleased to report that the Puckskin technical t-shirt passed the stink test! This garment is a wonderment.
I don’t know anything about fabrics…I just wear t-shirts a lot. It was quite fascinating to hear Greg talk about fabrics, though. His next invention is a label that removes stink. He’s also working on natural fabrics that are make of fibers like bamboo that are not supposed to stink at all.
Anyway, if you see me around wearing a black t-shirt, try the stink test for yourself!
PS If you're from Canada and you're reading this, Happy Turkey Day!
Comments
Stinker
Gabi, Are you really a stinker? And I always thought there was a skunk chasing us... ;-) Seriously, though, I find most technical shirts can only be worn once and then have to go into the wash. My sister in Germany raved about a technical shirt that didn't stink. I didn't pay much attention, because I didn't believe it. Have to find out what material it was.
Stinky shirts
So glad to hear that you stink Ean. I thought it was just me. I thought there must be something wrong with my armpits and maybe I am getting that stinky disease. Even with loads of deodorant, I couldn't get away from myself fast enough.
I am all for non stinky shirts.
gabi
antimicrobial/nanosilver
Hi Ean,
thanks for the great feedback. Two things:
The odor elimination stems from two parts:
The basic premise is cut down on the bacteria that grows on the man-made technical fabrics, and minimize the smell. PuckSkin uses NanoSilver to prevent bacteria from clustering on the apparel. Single layer, polyester, moisture wicking shirts just don't cut the cheese anymore(*grin) The silver does not kill the bacteria(kill=bad)), it just does not allow it to grow and buildup. beware fabrics that are antibacterial and use chemicals as they are both unsafe and temporary.
Greg Mcmillan, my business partner, is the CEO of PuckSkin and the inventor/creator of these wonderful technical fabrics. Greg M. has been doing this kind of stuff for over 20 years. He is an amazing athlete; windsurfing, kiteboarding, hockey, skiing etc. he got tired of the smell in the dressing room and decided to do something about it. Four years later, we are being used by lots of NHL players, we are the official base layer for the Referees and now we are branching off into multi-sport apparel.
cheers,
Greg B.
VP- Brand Development- PuckSkin
I agree! Puckskin is amazing!