Polarmax All Year Gear Sleeveless Scoop-Neck Tee

Earlier this year, Polarmax reversed cotton’s debatable reputation with their PMX TransDRY Cotton long-sleeved baselayer. For Spring 2011, they journeyed to more intimate territory with their new All Year Gear, a line of all-season undies that are super lightweight, moisture-wicking, and comfortable.

Specifically, the women’s Sleeveless Scoop. Available in stores around March 2011, the Sleeveless Scoop is made of 96% cotton and 4% Spandex for a flattering fit and has nice flat seems for comfort—an important attribute when wearing a heavy backpack or full hydration pack. A rounded, scoop neckline enhances the style.

TransDRY, a technology developed by Cotton Inc., is a patented high-performance moisture management application that allows 100 percent cotton fabrics to transfer moisture away from the skin or across the surface of the fabric to dry faster. TransDRY™ wicking cotton delivers all the benefits of soft and breathable cotton, plus synthetic-like fast wicking and drying performance to stay comfortable all day.

I pitted the Polarmax TransDRY Cotton Sleeveless Scoop in a test against two different shirts: a Cars-R-Coffins 100 percent cotton tee and a tried-and-true fast-drying, moisture-wicking (but rank) synthetic Capilene top. On all testing days, I ran for thirty minutes on the treadmill at the gym, walked briskly for a 15-minute cool down, biked fifteen minutes on the stationary, and then attended one hour of restorative yoga.

The Sleeveless Scoop, I found, didn’t cling to my skin like the Cars-R-Coffins shirt did. The sweat patch was wider than that of the Cars-R-Coffins shirt, proof that the TransDRY technology spread moisture over a wider surface area where it dried completely in about twenty-five minutes (the Cars-R-Coffins shirt never fully dried during one hour of yoga). The synthetic Capilene shirt dried the fastest.

The pizza resistance of TransDRY Cotton is the mixture of hydrophobic (water-resistant) and hydrophilic (water absorbent) weave in the fabric makeup. You’ll never be able to see it with the naked eye, but rows of alternating absorbent and resistant threads are woven into the shirt to promote moisture movement and speed the drying process.

I love the Sleeveless Scoop. It dries faster than a cotton shirt, doesn’t cling to my sweaty back and remains odor free. The price point is tempting, too. It costs only $24.95. A comparable Capilene top is going to run double.

My only “complaint”, if I can even call it that, is the lack of a shelf bra in the women’s model.

Does the TransDRY ever wash out? Cotton Inc. said that through extensive testing they found the TransDRY treatment on average remained unaffected on up to 50-plus loads of laundry. They also said that when put in the drier on low (no dryer sheets!), it often reactivates the treatment to help maintain optimal performance.