MPG Elite Seamless T-Shirt

Odor control is the name of game with this Polygiene tee shirt. Nice fit, good ventilation, plus an interesting knit make this tee shirt stand out from the crowd.

While planning my latest backpacking trip, a section hike on the Pacific Crest Trail, I realized that I had worn out my previous odor control tee shirt. Since I would be hiking with my wife for 16 days, being a smell mess was not going to work.

A quick internet search brought me to the MPG Sport website. While I was not familiar with this brand I found they had quite a few Polygiene treated tee shirts. I chose the Elite Seamless Tee because it had some interesting knit details and was a nontraditional two-tone blue color which would stand out on the trail.

My wife is always saying she can't find me up ahead because I wear colors that look like trees. 
For anyone not familiar with Polygiene, here is an explanation of its properties directly from the MPG Sports website:

"Polygiene neutralizes odor by stopping the growth of odor-causing bacteria and fungi. Polygiene uses naturally occurring silver salt (silver chloride) made from recycled silver, a highly effective antimicrobial agent, to safely inhibit the growth of odor-causing bacteria and fungi. However, Polygiene does not affect the natural bacterial flora of your skin. The odor-free effect is guaranteed for the normal lifetime of the product."

Once purchased I put the Elite tee shirt to a smell test prior to taking it on the trail. I wore it during four gym workouts without washing the shirt and then had my wife do a smell test which the shirt passed. 

Once on the trail, I really liked both the fabric feel which was quite soft and the ventilation that kept me cool during low 80 degree days. The shirt fits my 5'9" frame well and I liked that it was rather long in the torso so it would extend below my packs waist belt.

I wore the MPG Sport Elite Tee shirt for 16 days straight without washing. Every day of the hike at some time during the day the Elite tee became soaked with sweat. Because of that, I did, however, rinse it out several times to remove the salt stripes that built up from sweating. Hanging it on a line it would be dry very quickly and be ready for another day of use.

I received no odor complaints from my wife and I have found that the Poygiene treatment actually keeps my skin from developing any body odor. This means a quick body wash after hiking and I can don my sleeping shirt without transferring any body odor.

The one shortcoming of this shirt and others I have had with a similar knit is the fabric on the shoulders pills up from the rubbing of the pack straps. While this doesn't bother me on a trail shirt I had hoped to also use the Elite tee for other activities but it looks a bit too worn for that. I will say I am totally satisfied with my purchase since I was able to buy this shirt on sale for only $18. If I never wear it again it was money well spent.

Details:
Sizes: M/L, L/XL

Color: Charcoal, Cobalt, Tangelo

Price: $42, on sale now $29.40