Commuting - How long does wicking last?

I've had the same jersey for about 2 years. This morning it was about 55F and I hung my jersey and shorts up as usual (in the filing cabinet). Now 7hrs later the stuff is still sopping wet? Weird oder too

I did move offices but it's the same cabinet...same air flow...Wha happened???

I don't believe the wicking properties of the fabric ever lose their function. I've been told that as long as you can put it on, it will work.

Cheers

The winking properties of the fabric remain, but the stuff they add to your fabric to assist the wicking will wash out. You can go to a local sporting goods store and buy some stuff to help with this. Throw your jerseys into the wash with it, and they should start wicking again.

As I understand wicking is to help move the moisture away from one side of the shirt (where it touches your skin) to the outside so it gets dried by wind, etc.

I can't see that wicking would make much difference for a shirt in a cabinet, and even if it did it would be a gradual decline, not from one day to the next. Maybe its more humid in the building now. I can't imagine a shirt would dry much in a cabinet anyway- I know you said it had before.

Al

Some fabrics use a treatment on it to make it "wick" better. Others rely on the weave or cross section of the material fibers themselves. Synthetics are hydrophobic, meaning they reject water. So water that gets shoved into them by your skin keeps going till it's on the outer surface and the fabric doesn't hold onto water as much as say cotton does. It's a property inherent in most synethic wicking fabrics.
That said, warm and dry helps evaporation a lot more than cold and damp.
That's why it's so important to have wicking fabrics in the winter. During the summer you get wet, during the winter, the fabric freezes, you freeze, and you die.

Let's not forget wool.

Merino wool, if you're willing to spend the time to find it and the money to buy it, is cool in the summer, warm in the winter, wicks naturally, and will last for a very long time!

Some fabrics use a treatment on it to make it "wick" better. Others rely on the weave or cross section of the material fibers themselves. Synthetics are hydrophobic, meaning they reject water. So water that gets shoved into them by your skin keeps going till it's on the outer surface and the fabric doesn't hold onto water as much as say cotton does. It's a property inherent in most synethic wicking fabrics.
That said, warm and dry helps evaporation a lot more than cold and damp.
That's why it's so important to have wicking fabrics in the winter. During the summer you get wet, during the winter, the fabric freezes, you freeze, and you die.

Well I'd be interested in something that the fibers themselves. Would that be CoolMax only that does this?

Maybe not the same humidity overall in the room. There's a couple months here in the summer where things take twice as long to dry b/c of air humidity. Outdoor weather would be a huge factor re humidity and inside the building things could vary some. I doubt it would account for the entire effect you describe, but coupled with fabric wear ... maybe?

I think the stuff they are talking about is not really for wicking but waterproofing and keeping the ability for the fabric to breathe. Most wicking is not because of an additive but as what was stated above weave and type of fiber being used.

laundry detergent leaves a residue designed to draw water into clothing, try wash w/ nikwax techwash or a non-detergent soap

Can you fit a very small desk fan in there with your stuff? I have a little plastic one that is 7-8" diameter. Probably cost less than $10. Even if it can't blow straight on it, the air movement will help.

Can you fit a very small desk fan in there with your stuff? I have a little plastic one that is 7-8" diameter. Probably cost less than $10. Even if it can't blow straight on it, the air movement will help.

Some chick in accounting took my fan!

"Some chick in accounting took my fan!"
That wench!
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If I wear long underwear under tights in the winter, will that keep me from turning into an icecicle? I need different clothes for frigid weather other than jeans.

"Some chick in accounting took my fan!"
That wench!
--------------------

If I wear long underwear under tights in the winter, will that keep me from turning into an icecicle? I need different clothes for frigid weather other than jeans.

Cotton long underwear will get soaked and you'll get pretty cold. See the Winter Cycling thread... or IceBike.com for helpful hints about hands, feet, head etc.