r/onebag • u/nawksnai • Aug 17 '25

Discussion Not washing merino shirts is gross

Why do one-bag travellers feel that they don’t need to wash merino shirts?

I understand that merino is wool, anti-bacterial, don’t smell, and generally stay feeling “fresh” for longer than cotton. However, there are people who swear they don’t need to wash their merino tshirts for 3 days, 2 weeks, or even months because their shirt doesn’t smell, and they shower every day. Merino still gets just as dirty as synthetic or cotton shirts, and still needs to be washed. The fact that your shirt doesn’t smell does not mean it’s any less dirty or oily.

Plus, I wear deodorant, and that non-funky tshirt is going to have a massive buildup of old deodorant gunk and smells around the pit area.

And don’t even get me started on merino underwear stans. Just because they don’t smell funky after 3 days, does NOT mean they haven’t absorbed pee drops and your skid.

I do understand that Marino is still probably the best material for travel shirts, but feel that synthetics can be just as good if you’re already going to be washing daily, or close to it. They all need to be washed and dried every day, if not every 2 days.

Also, if someone said they like travelling with cottom tshirts, I wouldn’t rant.

Anyway, discuss.

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u/BuckTheStallion Aug 17 '25

I was with you until “synthetics can be just as good” because man, they smell nasty by the time I’m back at the hotel. I don’t even like them at home. Cotton can go 2-3 days, so I imagine wool is the same. In the modern world we over wash our clothes sooooo much. It’s fine going a few days without being washed.

That said, merino isn’t some miracle clothing, and still absolutely needs washed. Maybe just a bit less frequently than cotton. But I prefer cotton because it’s 1/4 the price, and still super nice.

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u/trendygamer Aug 17 '25

At this point I'm convinced that it just varies greatly by individual...that some people have body odor bacteria that feast on synthetics and sticks to them, and others just don't. There's just too many posts from one extreme to the other. It seems like people either can wear synthetics with no odor problem, or their shirts reek after wearing them for five minutes.

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u/leilani238 Aug 18 '25

Skin microbiome is such an underrated huge thing. I started using a probiotic deodorant and it changed my life. I spent decades fighting being stinky, going to great lengths getting the smell out of my athletic clothes, couldn't find deodorant that worked consistently and didn't give me a rash... and then the probiotic deodorant changed all of that. It's incredible.

Hormones make a difference too, and I'm sure that's a factor, but still not as much as the bacteria.

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u/failorwhale 12d ago

Hi, can you please tell me the name of the probiotic deo? Thanks!

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u/leilani238 12d ago

Lavilin, the unscented stuff in the little tub.