Does Under Armour work?

[Reaper TN]

My son is 16 years old, and plays four baseball seasons a year here in East Tennessee.  They start the school ball season games in late February, then play summer ball, tournaments and then a fall ball season into late October.  He's baseball crazy, and would play in the snow I believe.  Him and all of his teamates wear Under Armour, the cold gear and the heat gear.  I understand the science of it, moisture wicking in the winter and summer, but I find it hard to believe that wearing two t-shirts when it's 90 degrees is cooler than wearing one.  They wear this stuff under their uniforms.  Any of you guys use this stuff in the summer under camo?  Better to buy it camo than use it in two layers?  Does this stuff work, it's pretty expensive, I know because I've been buying it for about six or seven years now.  I can just buy a t-shirt for 25 bucks and try this stuff out but would like some opinions from some who have used it.

[joevan125]

YES!!!!!

[COOCH]

Absolutely love the stuff.I was a sceptic but after trying it I'm sold on it.

[s_mcflurry]

Well, if he can wear two layers and play ball in 90 degree weather and not pass out I think that's saying something.  My question, though, how many layers would it take to be comfortable in, say 40 or 50 degree weather?  In terms of string clearance, the less layers the better (an your arm, anyway).

[L82HUNT]

Started using the stuff in early season elk hunts a few years back.  Now use it from August to January, coldgear or hot both work very well, I tried some of the bass pro endura skin for the winter last year and was very happy with it, a little cheaper price tag.

[swampthing]

I would not where poly unless it was cold out. Unless I wanted to stay dry "AND!!" was not exserting myself, if I was going to exert it would be cotton.
  Thing with Poly, Underarmor is expensive polyester, is that it sucks the moisture off of your skin. Now that is good if it is cold out and you need to stay dry. Wet skin will cool you much faster than dry skin. Cold days with high humidity are the same as damp skin, it just feels raw and cold, dry days aren't as bad.
 Now lets go outside in the heat. Ok, I'll be in cotton and you in U.Armor. Your warm and I'm warm, ok, and you start to perspire slightly, I also will be perspiring lightly, ok, all is even so far. Now this is were things get technical. My cotton absorbs this sweat, were talking small amounts here, and holds on to it and it sticks to my skin. This wet fabric next to my skin will keep my internal temp. cooler better, and more efficiently.
Reason for this is 1, wet skin is cooler than dry skin, {don't believe me, go put on a t-shirt and jump in and out of water}
Reason #2 is, Your body needs water to regulate temp. If you are constantly sucking and wicking the moisture off of your skin your body will use more water trying to keep you at a safe temp, but you keep wicking it away so it will try harder, as that is how the body cools, it sweats! Now you are actually warmer and dehydrating faster even though that poly is cool feeling. You will be going through a lot of water.
Look at people that live in deserts they wear cotton underneath a outer wool robe. The wool robe insulates the sun and keeps it from drying out the wet cotton underneath. If those guys wore poly they would be dead in about 2 days not the 5-8 that we would realize in milder temps.
     Bottom line is. You are going to sweat, vapor is always coming off you. If you keep it there when it's hot you'll be cooler, if you get rid of it in the winter, you will be warmer. Even if you don't "feel" so, it will be so.
Have a good one.

[Breakfast Boy]

Yes it works and yes I like it.  I especially liked it while sitting in a ground blind last year on a Montana antelope hunt in August.

[joevan125]

I reread his post and im not sure about how the stuff works in the summer time but as far as cold temps. i have not found anything that keeps me warmer.

I actually have to wait till i get to my stand before i put mine on because i would be sweating like a pig if i wore it in.

[Mojostick]

Agree with the others. I works better than anything out there.

I used the heat gear today while working on cleaning up a deer trail and dragging tree tops for a new natural ground blind.

Cotton would have been soaked the whole time. I use not only the shirt, but HIGHLY suggest the boxer briefs. Don't laugh, they're sweet for keeping "the lower unit" as dry as possible. LOL
The boxers aren't cheap as far as undies go, but if you get 2 pair, you're set for any sweaty chores or hunting trip.

For cold weather, I use the cold gear next to the skin and woolpower long johns over that. I've worn both next to the skin and I like the cold gear better for keeping me basically bone dry on long walks out to the stand.

[rastaman]

i like it (not under armour's brand) in the heat of south georgia and middle alabama.  i wear it as a single layer in the early deer season. Yes it wicks the sweat off of you to keep you dry, AND it is so much easier to dry than wet cotton.  i drink lots of water to stay hydrated.    

[kbetts]

I love the stuff but you need to know its limitations.  If you sweat when its cold out and expose the shirt to the air, it'll take your breathe away.

[HUNT 24/7]

Never tried the Heat Gear, but I can assure you the Cold Gear works awesome  

[Zbearclaw]

Wear a tshirt and then swap it for heat gear on a hot day.  After just a few mins you will feel the difference as the fast wicking feels "cooler".

I'd rather wear living rattlesnakes than wear cotton on anything but a day hunt.  It never dries, and chafes like the dickens.  

On a backpack hunt, even in warmer climates cotton kills...

I was issued UA in the service, I bought more for hunting, and swear by it.  For backpack hunts their 2.0 cold gear is hard to beat in terms of temp adaptability and comfort for days.  I always buy it on sale, the military brown stuff is often on sale at cabelas.  Camo is always expensive so I have none.

Goodluck...

[Chris Shelton]

I don't even care about the warmth part, it is the absorption that I like.  After sweating my bootay off and stripping down to nothing but long johns in 20 below temps and then freezing because of sweat I decided it was time for a change.  Sweat is actually a major battle where I hunt, because when you hike up slopes that are so steep you can extend your hand and touch the ground you will sweat no matter what.  I wear some of the medium temp as a base, then the extreme cold temp on top, because that is not as soft on my skin?!  Then old fashioned long johns, then long sleve camo, then sweater then hoody, then jacket depending on how cold it is, my jacket is super thin.  I survived this rifle season and it was by far the worst I have ever hunted, dad who is a billy goat was like nanuc from the north kinda like a marshmallow and i was sleek and slim and most importantly still able to shoot!

[elknut1]

Yes, it is great stuff! I wear the heat gear in summer & cold gear during elk hunts mostly. If the weather is fairly mild then I wear the heat gear during the hunts! It's the best wicking stuff I've used. There are off brands out there by Wilson that work darned good too, it's called compression gear at half the price!!

  ElkNut1

[swampthing]

Smell some of that UA gear after you've worn it. Smelly stuff, thats because poly is designed to absorb oil! Stuff will only "absorb" less than 1/2 of 1% of it's weight of water and is considered hydrophobic {hates water} So as it is wicking all that precious sweat off you when it's hot, it is absorbing oil then when all that moisture is wicked away the oil is there and in the presence of HEAT. You just created a breeding ground for BACTERIA, not what I would want around my arm pits never mind the "lower Unit."  Now just exagerated your scent. Sweat by itself does'nt stink its when bacteria grows that the odor is formed this happens in poly much faster than it does in cotton because when cotton drys so isn't the oil contained in the sweat where poly holds on to it.    
You better be carrying LOTS of water on you during an expedition in the milder temps, nothing beats a wet t-shirt to cool you down when it's hot out. Its when the shirt dries out when you'll heat-up.
If it is going to cool down later in the sport then yeah cotton will chill you and UA would be better choice, if it aint going to cool down you will be better of with wet sweaty cotton. Just ask any of your local camel herder, Masai warrior, or English sheep herder who wears wool tweed over cotton
  Excuse the long wind, as this cannot be summed up in one sentence especially if one does not understand metabolism and homeostasis.

[Mechslasher]

it works great!  if walking in hot weather, a shirt and compression shorts are a must in s.c.

[stykshooter]

It works for me, best stuff made. I wear something UA daily from underwear to hoodies.

[Charlie Lamb]

It doesn't "suck" the moisture off your skin, but only allows it to move away from your skin. It is evaporation that cools not having sweat laying on your skin.

[rraming]

Warm gear yes - cold gear you better keep moving, if you sit it still it has virtually no warmth value - none for me anyway