wicking underwear

[cause4alarm 7]

I started using wicking undershirts and jocks for hockey with the intention that it would result in less stinky equipment. However, the way wicking clothes work is they draw perspiration from the inside (where your skin contacts) and push it to the outside where they would evaporate. So in theory, wouldn't wicking undershirts simply pull the sweat away from your skin and then push it into your shoulder pads? If this is the case, isn't it doing the exact opposite of what I'm hoping it would do, thus making wicking undergarments a poor choice for hockey?

[mack 44]

No, you feel better with the wicking so just make sure you air out your equipment.

[Rustpot 1]

For your intention, you'd need to wear a towel or two under all your gear, but then you wouldn't have any airflow and would overheat.

The purpose of the wicking under garments is to get the sweat away from you, taking the heat with it. It helps to make you sweat less (not by much) by keeping you cooler and keeping fatigue from setting in as quickly as it would.

The smell is bacteria feeding on the sweat. Bacteria grows best in moderate, moist, dark areas. After you've played take your gear out to get it dried ASAP. The faster you get things dried the less chance for bacteria to show up and start multiplying. This is why equipment trees are effective at combating smell when used well.

There are a few methods to get rid of the smell since gear will eventually start to smell unless cleaned. Some will damage certain types of gear, some require soaking, some require exposing the gear to conditions that will neutralize all of the bacteria.

[cause4alarm 7]

Being still new to the whole wicking fabrics game I've never experienced this myself, but I've heard complaints from some (who use wicking clothes for running and cycling) that once stink sets into your wicking clothes (even those with anti-microbial properties) that it's difficult to wash the odor out, even after multiple washes.

Is this a common problem?

[mack 44]

That's what ended up happening to mine. Some people don't wash it and hang it out to dry, but that just seems all kind of disgusting to me so I washed it but a scent remains. Not enough for me to care, it just smells odd.

[Chadd 916]

Being still new to the whole wicking fabrics game I've never experienced this myself, but I've heard complaints from some (who use wicking clothes for running and cycling) that once stink sets into your wicking clothes (even those with anti-microbial properties) that it's difficult to wash the odor out, even after multiple washes.

Is this a common problem?

Not if you use oxy clean in the wash. Puckskin works very well and doesn't have nearly as much odor buildup as any other brand that I've tried.

[sc37 0]

It does smell a little funny...for me it's not disgusting or anything. But there's a special washing liquid they got for sale for these types of shirts to help renew the material...idk if it works or not though. Never cared enough to fork over the $$$

[hapamatt122 0]

I was surprised to hear how many ppl on my team and at drop-ins don't air out their stuff.. they just leave it in the bag in the garage (still zipped up) or worse, just leave it in the trunk. I've done that a few times by accident and the odor almost knocked me out so I vowed never to do that again. Yet, these same ppl don't wreak to high hell, maybe they just don't skate hard enough to sweat nice and good!

[t-bone 1]

Ok, I'm going to go into garage and smell my jock. I'll make some notes and let you know what I came up with.

... Still smells like funky cheese. ...

I think I'll send my anti-bacterial, wicking, bio-dry, etc sack holder back and ask for a refund.

If hockeygiant refuses to refund, I'm taking it all the way to the supreme court. I got evidence.

[Ti-girl 0]

My stuff only really starts to smell after 4 or 5 wears and even then it usually just smells...damp. I air my stuff out and wash my underarmour a LOT.

[MLSman 22]

Oxy clean works well for washing under garments.

When I get home from playing, I always hang all my equipment to dry. I also spray all of my equipment with Lysol before hanging to fight bacteria. So far, after a full year, no stench whatsoever. The extra couple of minutes to spray and properly dry my stuff has kept my equipment odor free.

[chippa13 1844]

As soon as I get home my gear goes on the rack and my performance shirt and pants go into the hamper. It keeps my stuff from getting funky and makes it all last a lot longer.

[Law Goalie 147]

Isopropanol is your friend.

[Doctor Hook 0]

The benefits of performance wear outweigh the negatives of extra sweat on your gear. Just air out your stuff ASAP and you should be good.

Hockey ain't supposed to smell like a lapdance :)

[Andoy 5]

I am a firm believer of Puckskin. I've had the same long sleeve for 3 years runnning and it doesn't smell at all.

[hunterphfr 12]

Living in Florida with temp in the 9os+ and humidity to match means your equipment pretty much walks away.

[Viking 1]

That last post just made me cringe. I used to play in this summer roller hockey league that required full equipment (I'm not at all a roller hockey guy, but you usually don't have to wear shoulder pads/real hockey pants, right?). The arena was pretty much a metal box - no windows, didn't seem to be insulated in any way or air conditioned, so it was basically like being inside a giant tin can in full hockey equipment in the middle of july, so it would be approximately one billion degrees inside. Reading that just brought back that terrible memory, and reminded me of one of the many reason's I'm not a roller hockey guy (that and because I don't live in Florida, so there's plentiful actual hockey rinks, and snow on the ground most of the year - as I type this, it's below freezing outside; and besides that, roller hockey is just no fun). I have to wear long sleeves/long underwear under my hockey stuff, because it irritates my skin - cotton Stanfields stuff because it's what I like, but back then, the underarmor trend hadn't started anyway - at the end of those games, I'd be able to squeeze my undershirt and pants, and probably a couple of glasses worth of sweat would drip out. A good amount of water was necessary on the bench, and I would have liked some wicking underwear then. My stuff did not smell pleasant that summer to say the least.

[TBLfan 25]

I live and play in florida and my equipment doesn't smell... wicking gear + airing it out asap does wonders.

[cause4alarm 7]

One thing I remember about visiting the Molson Centre (actually not sure which arena in Montreal), is that the Roadrunners' locker room was far away the most putrid smelling large room I have ever been in (the Canadiens' room was alright). The overall heaviness of the stench, uncomfortable warmth and humidity made it seem as if the Roadrunners had their own atmosphere. Nobody on the group tour could tolerate being in the locker room for more than a few seconds at a time.