Rayon Clothing Suitable?

[zboss]

Are shorts made of rayon suitable for long range cruising? I am worried about mould and mildew.

[Cheechako]

Good rayon is great for sweaty situations (ie: bowling shirts, jam shirts). I doubt it would mold as much or more than many other garments. Certainly less than cotton.

[Teknav]

Rayon is made from cellulose (same as paper). It does not insulate against heat, therefore using it during hot and humid weather is recommended. Usually, fibers that retain water are more susceptible to mildew. Rayon retains much less water than cotton.

Mauritz
Knows All, Sees All...Your Age, Weight and Fortune for Only a Dullah!

[zeehag]

sorry rayon is a dupont product made of petroleum. thankyou i know this as my dad, a chemical engineer, had to show us what was made from petroleum when he was regional then divisional sales manager for e i du pont de nemours and co, inc, in my formative years.
is not comfortable in tropics, as you will find out.
all my life i was advised that rayon was a substandard clothing material--it twists and does not wash well. also fact.
start out in rayon and see how soon you will be screaming for natural cotton. it is HOT out here. you will sweat to death in synthetic fabrics.
enjoy your new life.

btw--if you are to be full time cruisers, you will notice no mildew or mold in clothing you actually wear. i have yetto find any in my clothing i do not wear, as well. i have been living on board since 1990 an d cruising full time since 2011, april

[Mimsy]

Actually, Teknav is correct and Zeehag is also correct.
Rayon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Teknav]

Mimsy! ++ Rayon is made of cellulose that is chemically treated; distant cousin of plastic.

Mauritz

[zeehag]

eidupontdenemoursandcoinc was our life for 33 1/3 yrs. i know much more than most people. rodlmao.

of course i am right, thankyou for noticing --is something i learned by watching and paying attention when dad had conventions and had to practice his tricks--he had waht was called a magic varrel show to show folks what we use in our lives that is produced from petroleum.
cellulose sponges were one item, nylon, rayon, dacron, the --ons, and other awesome creations.
plastic is also from petroleum.

[colemj]

On the contrary, cotton is death in extreme heat and cold. It is the exact opposite fabric that you want. People who work and play in hot and cold environments avoid it at all costs.

Synthetics are MUCH better in the tropics - they wick moisture, dry well, don't retain salt and wash and dry using minimum water and drying time. There is a reason sports and performance clothing are all synthetics.

Synthetic fabrics have come a long way since 70's polyester and rayon. Some feel indistinguishable from cotton. They are all I wear now.

And they are not just for clothing. Check out synthetic towels - these things are the bomb: Discovery Trekking Outfitters - Towels - Products . They suck up huge amounts of water and then dry out almost instantly. And they store in no space at all.

Just say no to cotton...

Mark

[Roy M]

Silk.

[Teknav]

Cotton has its functions set in for a while, especially in medical/surgical care and for "hygienic" purposes.

Mauritz

[colemj]

Originally Posted by Teknav

Cotton has its functions set in for a while, especially in medical/surgical care and for "hygienic" purposes.

Mauritz

Yes, but those are mostly in controlled environments and not in 100F 100% salt humidity...

Mark

[zeehag]

i wear cotton--100percent cotton , here in tropics , as it actually breathes and is cooling in breezes and natural non allergenic fiber.
i tried alternatives and damn near died of overheating. not an option.i wear only natural fibers--in winter i wear silk, in summer i wear cotton, loose and cool ...
the synthetic fabrics are well known to hold heat in to your body as your core temperature will rise and you will be in trouble before you can realize you are ill. seen this happen way too many times on the water and on land here in tropics.

when i volunteered as corner worker for the sports car races in hot desert summers we had to wear cotton as it is only thing that breathes so you do not build up too much body core temperature ---indy cars required nomex.
to wear synthetic fabrics in tropical heat is death.
i have seen way too many individuals here with heat prostration, heat stroke, and severe dehydration because they refuse to wear cotton in tropics. mexicans wear cotton--why cant you?? they dont have heat prostration here--only the gringos who refuse to wear cotton have to suffer heat prostration.

i do not live in a controlled situation....lol....

by the way---scrubs are not made of cotton. scrub suits are made of mixed synthetic materials.

[cfarrar]

Synthetics are MUCH better in the tropics

Zeehag, after a summer in the Persian Gulf wearing Nomex on the flight deck, I know what you mean....

On the other hand, synthetics have come a long way, though this seems counterintuitive for those of us who grew up wearing stiff, stifling, cheesy looking polyester. Guys, if you don't have them for the boat you should treat yourself to a couple pairs of quality boxers in a nylon/Spandex/Lycra blend. Not only do they breath well, but you can wash 'em in a bucket, wring 'em out, and they're basically dry. This is the way to lounge about the boat in hot weather, if the Admiral will tolerate it. The Patagonia ones are perfection, but I can only hope for these as Christmas gifts. The Ex-Oficio version is about $15. They last forever.

[colemj]

There are many practices of Mexican villagers and farmers that are not optimum.

You will not find a Mexican sports team wearing cotton. In fact, you won't find a sports team anywhere in the world wearing cotton. They specifically do not wear cotton because they do not want to suffer heat or cold prostration. Arctic explorers, Gobi desert archeologists, mountain climbers, rally racers and many others who regularly live in extremes are others you will not find wearing cotton. For a very good reason - it is the wrong fabric to wear in hot and cold environments.

The reason synthetics are universally used in any and all professional activities involving extreme temperatures and humidities is because they are very well known NOT to hold heat in to your body. Your statement that synthetic fabrics cause death in tropical heat is simply wrong and uninformed as a generalization.

One should not be wearing their 70's disco suits, but modern synthetics - which are widely available in Walmarts and other common box stores - are definitely a much wiser choice than cotton for the tropics. For example, I have a lot of these: FILA SPORT Performance Tee - Men . Their feel is indistinguishable from cotton, they do not absorb salt, the air moves right through them and they are very light.

Sweeping statements on how many gringos you see with heat problems JUST and SPECIFICALLY because they are not wearing cotton are difficult to believe, but I will leave it lie with the rest of these types of statements.

And for the OP, rayon is not a good fabric - look for other synthetics.

Mark

[zeehag]

problem with synthetics in hot climates is they raise your temperature at your core thus causing heat prostration/ heat stroke--i have been watching here in tropical mexico as gringos drop like flies to overheating and all of em are wearing synthetic fibers . get real, folks--cotton in tropics will save your life.

but of course i know nothing--i am only an emergency room nurse /critical care registered nurse living and travelling in th tropics. what could i say that would be of any value here..rodlmao.

cole--you are not reading the correct materials--the words you say will kill someone travelling in the tropics. you are preaching death to gringos who refuse to wear the material most conducive to saving their lives due to not holding heat inside, the only fabric that i s useful in treating heat stroke--wet cotton and it will dry, cooling your body. this will not happen with the synthetics as they will not hold water nor will they cool you. nor do they allow air to flow thru them as does cotton

maybe you need to live here to figure this out. you are backwards, colemj..backwards, i bet my life and yours on that . i DO have experience of over 30 yrs treating folks in serious distrress and i worked for 12 yrs a sa corner worker in scca racing and i am only LIVING in the TROPICS watching gringos fall like flies to your kind of bad information. we had over 10 victims one afternoon in winter, on a 85 degree f day falling from heat, wearing synthetic fabrics. zihuatenejo. winter, 2012-2013.
your bad info, cole, will KILL someone.