This article is brought you by: RibbedTee, a skin-friendly apparel brand offering premium undershirts & basics designed to help men look better and feel more confident. I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed or written more indepthly about the Uniqlo Airism Undershirts until now. If I recall correctly, I first heard about them back in early/mid 2012 when I was trolling on Reddit. The issue back then was that Uniqlo did not have a U.S. website, which meant you could only buy them in-store. The challenge with that was Uniqlo only had retail stores in New York City. Thankfully, in the fall of 2012, Uniqlo expanded their retail footprint with a store opening in San Francisco. Then in October 2012, Uniqlo launched their U.S. website, making getting their line of products a bit easier for all of us here in the U.S. Now they have around 40 retail locations. Going back further for just a moment, I first learned about Uniqlo’s other Heattech Undershirts and their t-shirts in 2009, then professed my love for Uniqlo undershirts in my Uniqlo Heattech Undershirt Review.

They also made my favorite undershirt list at the time, and have been there ever since. Now, four years later I get the opportunity again to profess my love for yet another Uniqlo Undershirt — the Uniqlo Airism. Uniqlo Airism Undershirt Features Styles: V-Neck, Crew Neck, Tank Tops, V-Neck Sleeveless/Muscle Fabric Weight: 115 gsm (super lightweight) Colors: V-Neck/Crew Neck – 12 colors, Tank Tops – 5 colors, V-Neck Sleeveless – 6 colorsPet Adoption Milford Pa Sizing: S – 3XLRustic Oak Laminate Flooring From Focus Other: Anti-Odor, Developed jointly with TORAY IndustriesHouse Moving Service In Kuching Care: Wash in Cold, Line Dry, Do Not Iron or Dry CleanAt 115 gsm, this is one of the lightest weight undershirts I have ever worn.

In my opinion, all undershirts should be close to this weight. Thanks to the folks at Uniqlo for getting me the fabric weight!My size large Airism is a tad too big for me, but proportionally I think the overall fit is spot on. Not knowing the sizing, I asked for large instead of my regular size Medium since I heard they run a bit small. Though, after trying large, I’m certain they don’t run small, and that a size Medium would likely fit me perfectlyPlenty long and great length for staying tucked. My size large is about 29″ long after washing which is a respectable length, and with the 4-way stretch, this undershirt reaches far down around my hipsPlenty deep to stay hidden with 2 buttons undone. Front drop on the size large is 7.75″The 115 gsm fabric is slightly transparent, which is ok with me, and breathes incredibly well. It’s so lightweight, it’s one of the most undetectable undershirts I’ve worn The Not So Good Honestly, it’s really hard to point out any not-so-good items on this undershirt, but if I had to point out anything, they would be:

While the polyester/spandex blend is pretty darn nice, it does slightly border on the synthetic-feeling side. I generally like more natural feeling fabrics for my dailywear undershirts Visible chest hair outline. Since the fabric is thin (which I like) and smooth (which is nice), when I look at myself in the mirror, I see my chest hair outline under the fabric. This may deter me from wearing the undershirt alone around the house I decided to wear the Airism undershirt and underwear to the gym, just to see how they felt & performed under severe sweating conditions. Overall, they both performed pretty well, though I did notice they felt slightly more wet than some of my other synthetic gear that I wear to the gym. Drying time seemed to be about the same as some of my other synthetics and synthetic blends. Keep in mind, this is just an observation under a very high sweating condition, and not a situation this undershirt is specifically designed for. I would say that under most normal dailywear conditions, this undershirt will keep you cooler than many other undershirts, thus likely allowing you to sweat less than you would normally wearing something heavier.

Final Thoughts about Airism UndershirtsThey are an incredible undershirt at an incredible value. I also just added them to my favorite undershirt list. My Uniqlo Airism undershirts have found a permanent place in my coveted undershirt drawer. Category: Tug’s Favorite Undershirts - Product Reviews, Undershirt Reviews About the Author (Author Profile) Tug is the world's undershirt expert. He is also one of the most knowledgeable individuals on sweat management solutions, men's shapewear, grooming, and new fabric technologies. Visit Tug's contact page and hit him up.There’s an interesting pattern that emerges from perusing the packing lists of long-term (or frequent) backpackers; they end up using eerily identical sorts of gear. You’ll see surprisingly consistent suggestions, such as using down jackets for warmth, traveling with just one pair of do-it-all shoes, using tiny airplane bottles, and so on. I call it the “objectivity funnel.” Despite the broad range of circumstances long-term backpackers run into, there’s an objectively correct answer (at least conceptually) to just about every situation.

And one of the most consistently suggested items for travelers of all sorts is a merino wool t-shirt. Everyone will tell you to get one. Or two or three. There’s a good reason for this. Cotton and polyester, which seemingly comprise 99% of the t-shirt world, have a number of irritating liabilities that simply won’t go away, which become especially problematic when subjected to the sorts of conditions that long-term backpackers often encounter. Merino wool has none of these problems. As any long-term backpacker (whether traveler or mountaineer) will tell you, merino wool has something of a legendary reputation for comfort (mentally and physically), in a broad range of situations, from summer heat to winter chill, and outdoorsy adventures to lazy hostel lounging. It’s incredibly versatile, which is absolutely essential to shrinking a gigantic pack to practically nothing, particularly if you’re going to put it through the rigors of extreme temperature fluctuations and rivers of sweat flowing down your torso.

These advantages come at a price, however. Many people will tell you that merino wool is so vastly superior in terms of comfort and versatility that there’s simply no reason to bother with anything else, and, if you aren’t in a financial mess, they’re correct. But I’m somewhat more price-sensitive than “just get them, they’re awesome,” because at $70 (or more) per t-shirt, it’s simply out of reach for a lot of people. Ironically, they’re especially out of reach for budget-stricken college-age backpackers on their way to sweltering summer climates where merino wool works amazingly well. Life is annoying that way. So I’m going to describe the situations where merino wool works best, so you can decide if the cost/benefit analysis is worth it for you. The more you make use of merino wool’s spectacular features, the more it’ll become worthy of the investment. You should probably invest in merino wool if: As you may have guessed, merino wool is most useful at extreme temperatures (and trips that involve wild temperature fluctuations), and, if you’re traveling, I would argue that it’s more likely that this will be relevant in hot weather, as you’ll gain the advantages of moisture management and odor resistance, which are most important in sweaty conditions.

It’s relevant in warm weather as well, since sweating lightly for 12 hours is going to create just as good a breeding ground for offensive bacteria as sweating heavily for 2 hours. Merino also works nicely in cold weather, as it still manages to insulate, even when somewhat wet, and dries quickly enough that you can stay warm, which is critical if you’re sweating heavily in winter. I would say this is probably more important for hiking backpackers, and somewhat less important for travel backpackers, because travelers sometimes have a backpack which makes them sweat ridiculously (before they drop it off at the hostel), but hikers pretty much always do. Hikers also can’t duck into a coffee shop and sip a hot drink whenever they feel like it, or throw their stinky used clothing into a laundry machine, whereas travelers usually can. You won’t need it if: I would actually argue that if you’re planning on a trip where the weather is going to hover between room temperature and slightly-cooler room temperature with a zero percent chance of rain, you don’t need performance clothing of any kind.

It’s mostly in the crushingly brutal temperature extremes that high-tech clothing is most useful, and, when you’re traveling (or hiking), you often run into this a lot, and you don’t always have a home to hide inside of, so your only means of shelter is clothing. And it had damned better be good. I’ve been through ridiculously blazingly hot summers, and brutally below-freezing winters, and got locked in a damn Italian train station overnight with inadequate gear in the middle of winter, where my stupid body decided to perspire all night long for no stupid reason, and since pretty much all I had was cotton, that sweat stayed there. Let me tell you, being wet and cold in the middle of winter while locked in a train station at 4am is the worst. But that’s why merino wool is so beloved by scruffy backpackers all over the world. It’ll regulate your body temperature, pull excess moisture away from your body and let it evaporate, and it’ll look, feel, and smell great the whole time, no matter what sorts of nonsense you get yourself into.

So no, it’s not that you “need” merino wool, but, if you find yourself ending up in these ridiculous situations over and over again, merino will make you feel a whole lot better than just about anything else. Lots of people make merino wool t-shirts nowadays, so you’ll have plenty of options, from outdoorsy merino wool companies that specialize in the fiber, such as Icebreaker, Smartwool, Ibex, and Minus33, and outdoor/travel/performance companies such as Patagonia, Rohan, Outlier, and Wool & Prince, all of which have good options. Aside from personal preferences on style and fit, the one thing you’ll want to look for is the fabric weight; 150 grams per square meter is a pretty standard, “normal” t-shirt weight, and good for a wide range of climates and situations. Some go down to 120 (which will be super light, but much more delicate), and up to 200 (which will be much stronger, but maybe too warm for the tropics). Minor side note: Personally I prefer to wear nothing but t-shirts as a base layer (even when part of a winter packing list), because that way you can strip down to a t-shirt if you’re too warm, and leave the insulation to the other layers.

Packing multiple t-shirts is also lighter than packing multiple thermal long underwear tops, and much easier to wash and hang dry as well. So regardless of where you’re going, I’d say just bring regular t-shirts, and add more layers when it’s cold. Merino wool also makes great dress shirts, which not only do everything you see here, but are also completely immune to wrinkles! I’ve compiled a brief list here. Never iron anything ever again!There’s magical miracle fabric out there that pretty much does everything merino wool does, and could probably be sold at half the price. It’s called Tencel, and nobody uses the damn thing. Well, that’s not true. They use it for women’s clothing, because apparently only women enjoy feeling comfortable!?!? If you happen to have two X chromosomes, take a look at Nau, Royal Robbins, and Horny Toad, all of which have a billion Tencel options for ladies. It’s also called lyocell, so keep an eye out for that too. It drives me crazy how this is somehow a women’s fabric even though men sweat lots more.

I finally managed to find a couple things for men made out of the damn thing, and it shares a lot of the same properties as merino, but actually dries faster, which is why I keep blathering on and on about it. I’d love to see a t-shirt made out of this material, because I think it could be a great budget-friendly (and vegan) alternative to the tried-and-true merino wool t-shirt that everyone loves. Tencel is highly absorbent, quick drying, odor resistant, environmentally sustainable, and ridiculously soft. I can’t entirely determine at this point whether it’ll work just as well as merino (I literally cannot find a men’s t-shirt made purely of Tencel), but it feels great, and people should just start using it already. If you simply can’t spend $70 on a t-shirt, have no fear. A decent budget alternative is simply to use a cotton/polyester blend t-shirt, which will give you the benefits of both fibers; it’ll be soft and absorbent, but quick-drying and shrink-resistant.

It won’t be as good as merino, particularly when it comes to odor resistance (most cotton/polyester t-shirts are intended to be cheap, so they don’t bother with additional anti-odor treatments), but it’ll do. I’m voting for Uniqlo’s Dry Packaged Crew, which is only $6 per t-shirt, and is pretty great. Not wear-it-three-days-in-a-row great, but maybe one or two, particularly in cool-to-warm (rather than cold-to-hot) weather. It’s made of seemingly higher-quality materials than anything I’ve seen at this price, and it’ll allow you to deal with sink washes and intense sweating fairly well, and for $6 each, you can spend the extra cash on other important things, like beer. I would also add that if you’re traveling, it’s not a bad idea to bring one outfit you don’t mind ruining; a cheap polyester t-shirt makes a good “I’m going on a hike for 2 hours and showering afterward” layer, since you don’t have to worry about body odor in that case, and polyester t-shirts can be as cheap as $10, and if they get destroyed on a thorn-filled jungle trek, you won’t care.