Old Navy RecTech

[judozuna]

Did anyone see the thing on Discovery where they proved that moisture wicking clothing actually puts you at more risk for heat exhaustion and heat stroke? Your body produces sweat for a reason, that reason is that it cools off your body by evaporating off of your skin. If you wick it away before it gets a chance to evaporate your body isn't getting cooled off so it starts creating more sweat which causes your body to exert more energy, while excreting more fluids and salt than you should actually be losing.

There was some other athletic wear that actually spreads the sweat over your body better somehow and allows it to evaporate more efficiently. It was called bionic something.

Just thought I'd let you guys know.

[Luke]

They're not trying to survive. They're just trying to stay dry(er), while playing a casual round of disc golf.

[judozuna]

I understand that. I wasn't trying to imply that they were trying to survive. I was merely pointing out the short comings of the athletic wear. Allowing your bodys cooling system to work without interrupting it will enhance your athletic performance because it will conserve energy and resources that your body needs.

There is a danger of heat exhaustion and heat stroke even when you don't have moisture wicking clothing on so why would you want to raise the chances of it happening to you? just to stay more dry?

I don't know. I'm not trying to say you guys are stupid or anything in fact I still have a bunch of old dry fit stuff I used to use when I ran, but ever since I started not wearing it It just seems easier to run and I know its because my body isn't wasting a bunch of energy and overheating because the clothes aren't wicking away my sweat. On the other hand I used to run around in a 120 degree room with plastics bags and a lot of layers of clothes on when I wrestled in high school and I never died. But that was so I could deliberately lose pounds of the water in my body so I could make weight for a meet. I know I could easily have outperformed myself if I wasn't wearing all that stuff though. So performance wise it would be better not to wear moisture wicking clothes.

Would you take the coolant out of your car and then drive it?

[Luke]

Dry > Wet
Chafe < No Chafe


Exhaustion is not and has never been a problem when I play disc golf.

[JR]

Did anyone see the thing on Discovery where they proved that moisture wicking clothing actually puts you at more risk for heat exhaustion and heat stroke? Your body produces sweat for a reason, that reason is that it cools off your body by evaporating off of your skin. If you wick it away before it gets a chance to evaporate your body isn't getting cooled off so it starts creating more sweat which causes your body to exert more energy, while excreting more fluids and salt than you should actually be losing.

There was some other athletic wear that actually spreads the sweat over your body better somehow and allows it to evaporate more efficiently. It was called bionic something.

Just thought I'd let you guys know.

Wow interesting. Could it be bad science at work? I can only speak for myself comparing cotton to technical gear. I sweat so much that even in wicking clothes I produce enough moisture to cool me down and any winds that are around helps me cool down better than in cotton that breaks the breeze better.

[judozuna]

Heres the show I was talking about

Part 1-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLhLXSyaVlA

Part 2-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65LFpKVw3KU&feature=related

Now you can watch and come up with your own judgements.

[JR]

Heres the show I was talking about

Part 1-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLhLXSyaVlA

Part 2-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65LFpKVw3KU&feature=related

Now you can watch and come up with your own judgements.

Thanks for the link. The video does not compare regular gear to regular technical gear. It compares regular gear to top of the line extreme gear. The thermal camera image of the extreme product was very convincing. It's basic physics that evaporation cools down and that's why the extreme gear works so well. Regular technical gear evaporates faster than cotton which makes the cooling effect of tech gear much higher in theory and I can testify as to tech gear working in real life too. I fear looking at the price of that kind of extreme gear though. So far I've been quite alright with regular tech gear. And this summer hasn't been the hottest around here and I really suffer in hot conditions. For harder exercise of long duration I don't doubt the added benefits of extreme gear. I don't know if there's a lot of difference unless one play in tropical condition or for really extended periods of time.

The video stressed the need to sweat which consumes water so you need to replenish everything you lose and before you start losing power.

[Eric O]

Heres the show I was talking about

Part 1-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLhLXSyaVlA

Part 2-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65LFpKVw3KU&feature=related

Now you can watch and come up with your own judgements.

Thanks for the link.

Yes, thanks. Haven't had a chance to watch it yet but it sounds interesting so I will eventually.

You raise some interesting points, but I'm not sure how applicable it is to most of my rounds of disc golf in fairly benign conditions.

[judozuna]

I guess I should point out that I don't wear cotton teeshirts either. I usually go shirtless or with a connon cut-off or some mesh material that allows breathing but doesn't wick away the sweat. I think all of those options are probably better and more efficient than regular tech gear but still not even close to the extreme tech gear. I wan't some of that X bionic stuff but its like $100 for the shirt and $80 for the pants.

[JR]

Thinking afterward the common exercise clothes used in the first test where the presenter fell on the tread mill soon may have had regular technical gear although to my eye it looked more like cotton.

Don't mesh clothes wick and evaporate quickly by design without the benefits of the tubing and partial recycling and cooling of the extreme gear in the tubes it has. I have their socks already and to me they seem like durable material regular technical clothing. They don't advertise them as having top of the line materials either. Residing inside shoes would probably negate any small advantages of having tubed top of the line material in such a small and coolish area of the body anyway. To a layman that is.

[judozuna]

Right I don't think the socks would have that much of a benefit because they're in your shoes. Maybe a little if I wore them with my asics. the mesh clothes I have absorb water and are from before the whole wicking thing ever came along but they allow a breeze to come through to help with evaporation more than cotton. In my understanding clothes that wick move the sweat off of your skin to the outside of the shirt and let it evaporate from there and not off your skin which doesn't cool you as well.

I looked up the prices on those things and it seems that they have different levels of items with different features. The shirt that they were wearing in the video is $200 which is ridiculous and they have a few that are 100 and even some as low as 70 and I think all are priced for the features they have.

[JR]

They are EXPENSIVE!!! Regular tech clothing is for me damp enough to touch my skin in harder DG terrain like my home course or in hot weather. But that may not be a determining thing because even though more of the sweat may evaporate on the outside of the cloth it still cools the cloth which touches your skin cooling it some too. because regular tech clothing is somewhat 3D and allows air to flow somewhat and is not in 100 % contact with the skin some evaporation occurs from the skin directly. It just doesn't spread to such a large area as with the tubing cooling a lesser area. Still beating cotton.

Before buying anything super I'd ask a vendor an check reviews if they are for the outer layer because most regular tech gear is so soft and thin that it beaks quickly when moving under branches rubbing to them or worse picking discs from bushes and getting scraped or prodded at by thorns and ends of broken branches.

If Fennec material works like X Bionic site suggests that will help a lot on courses without shade on hot sunny days. DG is hard on the muscles with vibration and I wouldn't wonder if good vibration damping by compression would help. X bionic has three levels of compression in their product lines. Not having tried any of their pants I can't tell which if any would work. Also a shirt that restricts motion and retards speed may not be conducive to getting great D. Unless it's an exercise method to throw far after you free yourself from the straight jacket. Throwing in winter I can tell that D falls off significantly in restricting and motion speed retarding clothing.

I've got three compressing underpants one Nike half long and one no name full length and one Halti full length that seem to keep me a little bit sharper for longer in cool and cold weather in the legs. Offering minimal protection against injury when slipping which is common in wet and snowy and icy conditions that is the majority of the year here in Finland. Nike feels too tight and so do Haltis as well while being my size and don't warm that well. I think they are designed for more stressing exercises where the training keeps you warmer. The no name underpants don't compress as much and keep me warmest. Too bad that it's retailer brand stuff that's available once or twice a year. I'll be on the lookout for them because they are cheap compared to sporting brand tech gear even though they don't breathe and wick as well. They're still significantly more comfortable than cotton. But more moist than the others.

[rehder]

this is not to say whether the X-bionic stuff works or not, but just some things to consider. This is not a scientific program, more like a really long commercial for X-bionic.

The parameters for the so-called scientific test are not clear, there are a ton of smaller variables that could be different, that could have a significant impact on results.

The italian triathlete is most likely sponsored by X-bionic, so you obviously have to take everything he says about the product with a grain of salt.


And most of us dont run while playing DG or even play while its 50 some degrees. So this again doesnt mean that the stuff doesnt work, but it does mean that Im in no risk of dehydrating while playing on a normal day with my wicking shirt, the way they are in the show.

[JR]

this is not to say whether the X-bionic stuff works or not, but just some things to consider. This is not a scientific program, more like a really long commercial for X-bionic.

The parameters for the so-called scientific test are not clear, there are a ton of smaller variables that could be different, that could have a significant impact on results.

The italian triathlete is most likely sponsored by X-bionic, so you obviously have to take everything he says about the product with a grain of salt.


And most of us dont run while playing DG or even play while its 50 some degrees. So this again doesnt mean that the stuff doesnt work, but it does mean that Im in no risk of dehydrating while playing on a normal day with my wicking shirt, the way they are in the show.

Exactly. But I suppose that not many of you play regularly climbing up and down a ski jumping hill either. Well there's two of them and one hole goes uphill more than a one with an actual landing area of one. The course is rocky without shade on the hilliest areas so the sun really scorches where it counts. My heart rate is high after the hilly area and I sweat like a pig. Somehow I suspect a Dane wouldn't face these conditions at home

I haven't bought any of their gear after seeing that piece. Had socks from them prior to seeing that. Regular wicking shirts don't last long on my home course so I'm glad I bought them from a sale. Don't think I'll buy expensive stuff without touching them or seeing very convincing evidence about their durability. Too bad I haven't found retailers lose to me so that I could see if they have any chance of surviving on a DG course.

[Luke]

Why not play shirtless?