Polarmax PMX TransDry Baselayer

Polarmax TransDry

Wicking cotton? Yes, that’s right, you read it correctly. Finally wicking cotton is a reality for every outdoor enthusiast. Polarmax, a company that has been making performance baselayers for more than 35 years has joined in partnership with Cotton Incorporated to create the first wicking cotton apparel. TransDry is guaranteed to be more breathable and dry faster than its competing synthetic styles. Polarmax and Cotton Incorporated achieve this breakthrough fabric by using a half-treated, half-untreated thread that is interwoven to create the fabric. Where the untreated thread retains the ability to absorb moisture over a large surface area, the treated thread resists water retention, helping the moisture to spread farther across the fabric and dry quickly.

PMX Baselayer

I admit that I was a bit skeptical when I first heard about ‘wicking cotton’, thinking that there was no way it could compare to other synthetics. That was until the awesome folks at Polarmax sent me one to try out or myself. Upon first seeing the PMX baselayer, I immediately was wishing it came in another color other than white since we outdoorsy types know that white won’t stay that way for too long. I was happy to see that Polarmax also offers both a long sleeve and short sleeve version in black as well, although the lighter color certainly helped me stay cool under the sun.

Another thing I had originally noticed about the fit of the shirt is that overall, it was a very comfortable and loose fit, but the opening for the neck seemed a tad to large on me. I know it’s not going to fit everyone perfectly and it is certainly a looser fit for a baselayer but I feel like if I was going to wear it under another piece, the outer layer wouldn’t lay as well over top of the PMX baselayer. This could easily be solved by sizing down one based off of what you might normally wear. I didn’t really notice too much of a problem when adding a fleece over top of it besides some minor bunching.

PMX wicking away sweat during XC Skiing

What really matters about the PMX TransDry baselayer is its performance. I was surprised when I discovered that it works better than advertised. After wearing the wicking cotton in the hot sun carrying a heavy backpack or cross country skiing 14 miles, the shirt was amazingly dry after every activity. The baselayer is very comfortable to wear and thanks to it still being made from cotton, its breathability is outstanding. The hyrdophobic thread does an excellent job of dispersing moisture to let the garment dry in under 10 minutes given most outdoors conditions.

More testing against other fabrics like merino and polypropylene will be a surefire way to see exactly how it stacks up. I still can’t see the wicking cotton being the warmest thing when it starts pulling moisture away from the body comparatively with merino wool but I can certainly see it becoming a direct competitor to other synthetic baselayers. Overall, the Polarmax PMX TransDry baselayer is one incredible innovation in fabrics. It performs better than I expected and it’s a great piece to wear around every day thanks to its great breathability. If you’re looking for the latest thing to keep you dry when you’re sweating outside, look no further than Polarmax’s PMX TransDry baselayer.

PMX Baselayer provided by Polarmax for review purposes

Polarmax PMX TransDry – $45 – polarmax.com

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