I have merino socks (with ~20% synthetic fibers) made by Giordana. Really comfy, and i wear them year round for cycling.

Only time they smell is when i wear them inside leather shoes for two consecutive days (when traveling).

I have lightweight merino long sleeve baselayer that I run with up here in the Pacific Northwest when it starts getting chilly. It's my favorite piece of gear, surprisingly warm for it's weight.

Polyester is known for retaining smells.

I say you got a lousy polyester shirt if it's pretty new. If it's well-used, then yes, that happens to polyester.

If you use/wear it a LOT, like dozens of time, yes, it will gradually build up a smell that will become pronounced if you start sweating in it. Laundering it won't 'get it out.

But new polyester shirts shouldn't smell for a long time. Definitely not in your first 10 uses.

It's probably got about 15 uses and it has smelled awful for as long as I remember, especially with a backpack. I've regretted every expensive salomon purchase...
What is the downside of merino compared to polyester (besides price of course)? Dries slower? Heavier?

Wool shrinks if you put it in the dryer, some people allergic, but the biggest one - a lot more expensive compared to typical poly shirts.

Give it a try, you might like it.

Merino won't dry quite as quickly as poly but isn't bad. Merino tends to wear much faster than poly, which is why merino-poly blends are sold — because they're stronger.

Some poly is more resistant to smells than others. I've had good luck with Patagonia, for example.

A lot of it is how you launder your clothes though, and smells can be removed.

I use SmartWool exclusively for running and I sweat a lot. They last a long time probably can launder it 50-100 times. I don't know for sure but use several times weekly outside of summer and last a year or two.. Doesn't stink so I only launder after using a few times. Has not shrunk that I can see much and I can launder in regular cycle and dry in drier.

The have some process that removes the itch and shrinkage issue with wool

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We learned a TON about this during our sock development and it's super fascinating.. with synthetics, it really is just a matter of quality and price, the best yarns have both geometries as well as chemistry that reduces or eliminates odors. In our socks we use this stuff called Q-Skin which is extruded with silver ions and also has a cross sectional shape that both feels soft and reduces surface area for bacteria to grow/hide. Lots of companies use this stuff including Rapha, Assos, Tracksmith, Lulu Lemon, but it's like 4-5x the cost of the Asian spin polyamide fibers so it isn't THAT common. It was a moment though when I was visiting the lab in Italy and it hit me: THIS is why my running shirts from costco stink so bad!!

Meryl Skinlife/Force is another yarn that's phenomenal at wicking/cooling but won't retain odors, again, start googling and you'll find it in socks, shirts, underwear, etc, it's very similar to Q-Skin.

As for wool, most all wool athletic wear is wool fibers interwoven into a sort of synthetic grid.. this was the clever invention of SmartWool years ago in socks where you had this sort of stretchy inner core of elastic/synthetic but the rest of the sock is wool, it's why over time the sock goes threadbare in some areas exposing the core where the wool is worn away. We use a merino that is spun in Austria in a special process to increase softness and then steam autoclaved which changes the structure of the individual fiber making it much more water resistant and also resistant to bacteria growth. I know that Rapha and Tracksmith use this same yarn producer and I'm sure there are others making shirts from this same stuff.

I will say that I haven't had the best luck with Smartwool clothing and socks these last 10 years or so, not sure if it's due to supply chain streamlining after being sold to Timberland and then to VF or just my bad luck, but I have 20 year old Smartwool socks and shirts that are holding up much better than 2 year old ones.

Lastly, my recent go-to wicking travel shirt (I fly ~160-200k miles per year) has been the Patagonia Capilene Cool Merino.. not cheap, but ridiculously comfortable, dries fast, never smells, packs smaller than a cotton shirt, and looks new for a lot longer than a standard t-shirt.. hard to beat!

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I find this stuff makes my stuff stink less. It’s worth a shot.

https://rockingreen.com/...ctive-wear-detergent

10 uses is a long time? I guess the implication is "buy more shirts," but a shirt with a use limit of appx 10 before it reeks is a non-starter for me.

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JustinDoesTriathlon

Owner, FuelRodz Endurance.

Thought I'd give an update and a mini feedback closure unlike last time I asked for a recommendation.

I ended up buying from decathlon, a kalenji synthetic shirt (5€) and a trekking merino wool shirt (25€). Cheap way to try both, so why not?

-The synthetic shirt has 3 uses already, and it definitely stinks after a couple hours of fast hiking in hot weather, but not as much as my salomon shirt that cost much more. It's also mesh-y and breathes well
-I procrastinated trying the wool shirt because I wasn't sure how to wash it, until I somehow ran out of shirts in the house 4 days ago. I gave it a quick water rinse with no soap, dried it and have been wearing it ever since. Granted, this has been a winter-like week (yes, northern hemisphere) and I ""work"" from home, but I'm currently pushing to see how long I can wear it. I've never worn the same cotton shirt 2 days in a row, yet I'm on my 4th day without washing it, 3 days of inactivity and one 20 minute jog with another layer and that thing refuses to stink. I haven't even rinsed it and only took it off to shower and sleep naked. I don't really want to push this experiment but I can confirm merino wool is legit. It doesn't dry as fast as the synthetic because it's meant for trekking in potentially colder temperatures and is therefore thicker/heavier (125 grams VS 91 grams for the synthetic, both size M)

Overall very happy with both purchases, and I will buy more of them. I just wish the merino was a little thinner maybe