Synthetics Comfortable

Q. Cotton is out, but I have been told that silk undergarments are both practical and comfortable on mountain hikes. What’s the scoop here?

Kirk Haney

Gear Guy: True, cotton is out. But I’m not sure silk is in. Silk is lovely stuff, but it doesn’t perform as well as many synthetics when your body is really pumping out the heat and moisture, such as when hiking. Where silk excels is as a “passive” insulator, such as when you’re sitting around a cold house.

I like DuPont Coolmax for a hiking shirt in cool to warm weather, as well as Patagonia’s Silkweight Capilene (a polyester-based fabric that feels like, well, silk). Other good choices include REI’s M.T.S. underwear and Helly-Hansen’s ProLite 5000.

Send your questions directly to Interactive Gear Guy Douglas Gantenbein by e-mail at gearguy@starwave.com or check out his twice-weekly column on Outside Online at http://outside.starwave.com

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