A long-time reader emailed me with a question about Uniqlo’s Supima vs DRY undershirts.
He also confirmed the company’s recent San Francisco store opening:
Hey Tug,
Long time no talk. The blog is looking good I see.
I was reading your opinion on Uniqlo (they just opened one in the Bay Area).
What do you think about their Supima cotton shirts (2 pack) versus the $5 DRY shirt?
ADVERTISEMENT
Uniqlo Supima vs DRY Undershirts
Yo John,
How you doin buddy! Good to hear from you.
Thanks for the confirmation on the uniqlo store opening.
I knew it was coming but didn’t check in to see about the progress.
I’ve tried several Uniqlo undershirts, including the Supima and DRY lines. Personally, I like the Supima line better – their overall value is really fantastic.
I will say that the Supima on the undershirts does not feel as soft as other Supima I’ve tried, but it’s hard to beat the value.
Also like the fact the offer the form fit with stretch, via the fine ribbing, without using spandex.
The DRY shirt is pretty good too, but I’m not as much of a fan as I am of their Supima and Heattech (Heattech undershirt review).
Generally speaking, the dry is just a cotton/poly jersey undershirt without a lot of forgiveness.
Mine fits pretty good, but if I recall correctly, it wears a hair bit on the warm side for me – plus – I generally like undershirts with a bit more forgiveness/stretch, even if they are a jersey undershirt.
Bear in mind, it’s been a while since I wore them.
I spent a good amount of time during the summer in either ribbed tank tops, or some super-light weight undershirt products I’m testing.
I did hear some pretty good things about Uniqlo’s AIRism undershirts, but I haven’t had the time to try them out yet.
Have you tried them out yet?
If so, what do you think of them?
If not, and you’re planning to buy some, can you email me back and let me know what you think?
Uniqlo’s San Francisco Store Opening
Lot’s of info on the web about Uniqlo’s new 29,000 square-foot, multi-level San Francisco Store located at 111 Powell Street, San Francisco, CA.
One thing that looks really interesting is Uniqlo Magic Mirror:
The global unveiling of UNIQLO’s “Magic Mirror” technology will occur at the San Francisco location.
Developed by the worlds leading printing company Dai Nippon Printing (DNP), this ‘virtual dressing room’ allows customers to use the Kinect color-changing engine and half-mirror touch panel technology to instantly switch between different color palettes of iconic UNIQLO clothing.
The exceptionally large bright color monitor brings to life the vivid product quality and details to make consumers feel like they are actually wearing the real product, while also matching color variation to best fit the style preferences of San Francisco’s diverse demographic technology that is Made for All.
What Do You Think About the Undershirts?
If you have any thoughts about Uniqlo undershirts, tell us about it in the comments below!
Hey Tug!
Just wanted to let you know that the AIRism mesh shirt is definitely lighter but I personally like the smoother feeling of the non-mesh one. Will definitely still keep it though as part of my undershirt arsenal.
Thanks again for the recommendation!
Hey Tug!
What is your take on Uniqlo’s Supima cotton undershirts (link) vs. the AIRism undershirts (link)?
Also, what is the difference between ribbed (link) vs the regular supima cotton?
And for someone that somewhat sweats a lot, would you recommend the supima cotton or the polyester/spandex blend provided by AIRism in regards to material for undershirts to use?
Thanks!
Peter
heya peter, thanks for your questions!
i haven’t tried the non-ribbed uniqlo supima undershirts, but i did try the ribbed supima undershirts many years back.
overall they were pretty good, but i like really thin undershirts, and the ribbed supima undershirts from uniqlo were more heavy than i like.
as for the non-ribbed ones, likely a jersey fabric, i can’t really say too much because i have not personally tried them.
that said, if i am correct in saying the main difference is the fabric (jersey vs ribbed), the fit characteristic will likely be different, because ribbed fabric behaves different than jersey fabric, especially if the fabric is 100% supima cotton.
ribbed fabric is a lot more forgiving than jersey, and will stretch to accommodate different body types. jersey is less forgiving, and as such, may wind up feeling tighter than a ribbed undershirt.
out of all the uniqlo undershirts i have personally tried, i like the uniqlo airism mesh the most, just because i like really lightweight undershirts.
note: airism comes in a mesh and non-mesh version, and while they are both great value lightweight undershirts, i prefer airism mesh undershirts more.
now, regarding what undershirt would be best for someone who sweats a lot, that would primarily depend on what’s most important to you.
are you hoping to:
1. prevent sweat through (so you avoid getting sweat rings/patches on your outer shirts)
or
2. hoping to wear something that will keep you feeling a little cooler, even if it doesn’t help you sweat less
let me know which of the above is more important to you, so i can more fully answer your uniqlo undershirt questions (:
Thanks for the reply Tug!
As for what is more important if I had to choose would be to feel cooler because I believe the main culprit of me sweating most of the time is the heat my body produces during certain situations.
I have recently purchased the AIRism v-neck undershirt in beige from Uniqlo and it feels really lightweight and comfortable but I’ve heard that manmade materials like polyester is inferior to natural materials like cotton in regards to undershirts?
I did end up ordering both the ribbed and non-ribbed supima cotton undershirts online from Uniqlo so we’ll see how they go!
If anything I can always return them and get more of the AIRism shirts :).
I’ve also heard horror stories where the supima cotton shirts from Uniqlo shrink drastically after the first wash and dry :O
Also, you’ve probably answered this already on another post but, do you have any recommendations for other undershirts that are thin/lightweight, comfortable and has the same price point as the ones offered at Uniqlo (roughly $10 a piece)?
heya peter, sorry for the delay in responding — got caught up with valentines day!
love your question about natural materials vs man made ones, so i’m in the process of writing an article to respond to you question in detail.
after i get done, i’ll pop back here and add to the article with responses to your other questions.
stay tuned.
No worries Tug! Hope you had a good Valentine’s Day :)
Awesome can’t wait to read it!
hi peter — ok, here’s the article:
https://undershirtguy.com/polyester-vs-cotton-which-is-better/
to your other question, the only other thin undershirt undershirt i’ve ever come across, that is inexpensive and an overall great value, was the pima cotton v-neck undershirts from costco.
the only problem is, i don’t think they’re being manufactured any longer. they used to be sold on the costco website (and in store), but not any longer.
it’s been a while since i’ve been to a physical costco store, so maybe someone else can go there soon and let me know if they see them there.
hope all the information helps!
Hey Tug!
Thanks for getting back to me; I will read the new article asap!
Hmm I will definitely try to find them whenever I go to Costco next time but given what you said, I have little hope in finding them..
Side note, I received my online order with the supima cotton v neck undershirts from Uniqlo and from what you said they definitely feel heavy, especially after trying the AIRism undershirts.
Seems like the AIRism undershirts are a winner for now!
Might grab the mesh version and see how they feel too :)
heya peter — yeah, the airism undershirts are around 115gsm, and the supima airism undershirts have to be at least 160gsm.
i think the airism mesh undershirts are even lighter, so you may want to give them a try.
keep me posted, ok?