by Mike Carey, September 19, 2015

I got to learn a little bit about first layer under wear recently at Ed Iman’s Fish Camp, courtesy of Grays Harbor Unders Company GHUnders. This local business has been around since 2005, and started making products primarily for motorcycle riders. Ben and Mario Winkelman did a presentation for us at Fish Camp, which was quite informative.
Mario was a cross country motorcycle enthusiast, and his travels led him to develop the first seamless seating area for riding shorts. It was a start, but his breakthrough, patented design was a special fabric that has two different sides, but is one piece of fabric. This dual layer fabric transports moisture from the inner layer to the outer layer keeping the skin dry even while wet.

I got to product test their “sleeves” on my arms in a variety of conditions, cool/cold/windy/and sunny/hot. When it was cool and dry my arms benefited from an extra layer of fabric to keep me a bit warmer. It was cold this year at Fish Camp, getting into the low forties first thing in the morning. The sleeves definitely helped keep my arms warm.

Later in the day, as the sun came out and things started heating up, I noted my arms being almost being in an “air conditioner” effect. As the rest of me started to sweat and get sticky warm, my arms actually felt cool – “just right”. I could tell immediately that sweat was wicking away from my arms. It felt a little weird having this happen while the rest of me was sweating, but it felt cool and comfortable. If I had the tops and bottoms on I imagine the sensation would have been very comfortable indeed.

From the GH Unders web site, they talk about how their under wear works in heat and cool:

“The GHUnders™ long sleeve top can provide you with everything you need for helping you work or play in 100 degrees to 40 degrees. Simply put on the GHUnders™ top underneath your other layers. Temps down to 40 degrees are not a problem depending on the wind proofing of your outer garment. You can work and play in freezing weather with little to no trouble when properly outfitted.

Temps reaching 100 degrees are also not a problem when handled correctly. The high heat is where many people make mistakes and place themselves in danger. The GHUnders™ long sleeve top can be used as a cooling garment to help you work and play in temps up to 120 degrees - 49 Celsius (Tested). Pour water down the sleeves and into the neck of the GHUnders™ top. By wetting the garment you are using an outside water source to keep you cool. This helps keep you more hydrated as you are not using your sweat to keep you cool.”

I’m definitely interested in trying the wetting idea next year when I go fish Brewster sockeye in 100 degree weather. If you’re looking to get some high quality and unique underwear check out their web site at ghunders.com. You can order online there. The garments are made to fit so you’ll be prompted to supply various measurements to get just the right fit that will work for you.