Figuring out moisture wicking clothing

[DisneyAuntie12]

We will be at Disney in early September so I expect it will be hot. So I have a random question - I've never done moisture wicking clothing and can't quite figure it out. Light colored moisture wicking shirts (at least the ones I wanted to get my family for the trip - the personalize-able Disney line from Zazzle) are a little bit see-through to start with, and very see-through if they get wet. But doesn't wearing a tank top underneath defeat the purpose of wearing a wicking shirt in the first place, since the wicking part isn't touching your skin? Is it better to do the opposite, wear a more fitted moisture wicking tank to get sweat away from your skin and then layer a light tee shirt over that? Or would anything fitted decrease airflow?


Zazzle has a huge line of these shirts so I'm assuming there's a way to wear them that does not involve flashing the whole park, ha ha, just not sure what it is!

 

[Shanti]

We will be at Disney in early September so I expect it will be hot. So I have a random question - I've never done moisture wicking clothing and can't quite figure it out. Light colored moisture wicking shirts (at least the ones I wanted to get my family for the trip - the personalize-able Disney line from Zazzle) are a little bit see-through to start with, and very see-through if they get wet. But doesn't wearing a tank top underneath defeat the purpose of wearing a wicking shirt in the first place, since the wicking part isn't touching your skin? Is it better to do the opposite, wear a more fitted moisture wicking tank to get sweat away from your skin and then layer a light tee shirt over that? Or would anything fitted decrease airflow?


Zazzle has a huge line of these shirts so I'm assuming there's a way to wear them that does not involve flashing the whole park, ha ha, just not sure what it is!

Can't comment on Zazzle. I will recommend avoiding wearing any denim, which tightens when wet & takes forever to dry. Also, I recommend waterproof shoes. Makes getting caught in an afternoon rain (very common in the hot months), much less of a problem.

 

[tiggerunner]

There are many options of dry wick that is not see through. All of the running shirts are pretty good. Not sure about Zazzle and having printing, but UA, Asics, and generic brands can be good. Just stay away from the white.

 

[cdnjason]

I wear Lululemon at the parks.

 

[Mikie]

Also don't know about Zazzle printed ones, but I'd just stay away from the white! My athletic neighbor girl wears wicking stuff all the time and the couple of white shirts she wears do get 100% see through when wet. As an extremely fit teenager, she's comfortable with a cute sports bra showing through, but I'd stick with yellow, off-white, pink, light blues, etc. and avoid the transparent shirts

In addition to the good brands listed above, the C9 brand at Target is an affordable option.

 

[SgtTibbs]

Moisture wicking works best in high heat / low humidity. Orlando of course is decidedly not low humidity.

 

[Alesia]

Moisture wicking is not going to be helpful in Florida - it's just too humid. Cotton is your best bet.

 

[awalker1015]

Definitely no denim. I've had success with my Sparkle running skirts and danskin or any other athletic brand tank.

 

[DC to Disney]

I've never bought clothing from Zazzle, but I agree with the suggestion to wear colors other than white. I have a few white running shirts, and they are fairly sheer, especially when wet. Any other color seems to be fine.

 

[Jennasis]

Zazzle sells crap quality. You can find better stuff at Walmart. Stuff that is not see through. Avoid cotton It's.

 

[DisneyAuntie12]

Thanks all. The reason I liked the Zazzle site is that it's the only place I've seen where you can totally customize Disney gear (if anyone is interested, here's the link). I got a Sport Tek in pink but even the pink is pretty see-through - New Balance in grey which is not see-through but looks very much like a running shirt. Haven't tried the Champion Double Dry but it also looks thin in the pictures, and those are pretty much all the moisture wicking options. Unfortunately the colors for these lines are fairly limited too so going darker isn't really an option.


But good to know that wicking isn't going to help much in Florida humidity anyways - if that's the case, I'll just save some money and get some Disney tees at Wal-mart or Target as suggested above. And yes, definitely no denim!

 

[CAS239]

If you want to stay cool in the Florida heat then Nike DriFit is your friend.

Much better than cotton shirts for the heat and humidity

 

[aprincessatlast]

Moisture wicking is not going to be helpful in Florida - it's just too humid. Cotton is your best bet.

Really? I am not sure but I always seem to hate cotton as it seems heavy and holds onto sweat? At least moisture wicking is light, perhaps I need to find a lighter cotton?

 

[AFwifelife]

I prefer to wear workout wear that you can find at Target or Walmart. The humidity doesn't allow the shirt to work completely in the way of keeping moisture off but it is good for drying quicker than cotton. Lots of the shirts are thin (which I prefer) and I just wear a sports bra underneath. Walmart right now has a bunch of darker colored tanks and coordinating sports bras with padding that will keep you comfortable but not showing everything off.

 

[margot31]

One good idea is figure out what type of shirts golfers in the south wear.

 

[Princess_Kirky]

JC Penney had a lot of athletic clothing when I was there last night. They have mesh tanks which seem like they will dry really quick for my trip in August. Since they are mesh I am hoping they won't feel heavy. I plan on wearing athletic type clothing with a sports bra underneath. Hope it is cool and comfortable since I've never been in August and heard the heat is a killer.

 

[highlander357]

I wouldn't give up on using dry fit clothing. It is Florida so nothing will be perfect, but at least in dry fit, when you pop into an air conditioned show for several minutes your shirt will dry out if its wet. Cotton will be swampy all day. You mentioned fitted dry fit. Unless you want to be discovered as an UnderArmor model, I would stick with loose fit, even if you decide to layer. Ideally, choose colors you wont have to layer.

 

[Hikergirl]

Moisture wicking clothes dry a little faster in the humidity than cotton, at least that is how it is for me. We go in August, the heat and humidity is brutal. I wear cotton at night after the sun goes down, never during the day.

 

[SureAsLiz]

I personally find the most important area to wearing moisture wicking clothing is on the lower half. Performance leggings (my favorite pair are from Old Navy) and underwear (seriously amazing) will prevent pretty much any chaffing problems while also keeping your decently cool. Bonus is that the Old Navy Leggings specifically also seem to block heat from going through so I'm able to sit on the ground during parades without feeling like I'm getting burned.

For tops, usually a lightweight tee is fine. Target has a line of Merona tshirts made from Rayon that are comfortable in the heat, though they aren't necessarily sweat resistant which can be a problem in photos. I would avoid fitted cotton shirts as those take forever to dry. Any running shirts are awesome - I have a few Run Disney shirts that are great no matter the color (my black Star Wars one is actually one of my favorites to wear to the park, and because it's black, no need for a tank). Also look into materials like bamboo that are naturally cooling and antimicrobial (just make sure they are actually bamboo and not rayon)

 

[NH-to-FL]

I feel much more comfortable in moisture wicking clothing. LL Bean has a quality line of tropic wear clothes. My wife tends toward Coolibar.

Sun protection is another important consideration and the good wicking clothes will also specify a SPF rating.

Add a nice wide brim hat and I am ready for a hot, sunny day in the parks.