Super affordable and worth a look - USGI Polypro Mid Weight Thermals

This is an old school, almost, thermal top that was used in the US Army and across the US Military. The polypropylene top is warm, lightweight and drys fast. It’s sorta like a fleece top in feel and very soft. These are a great mid layer when paired with a wind resistant jacket or as an outer layer on chilly days. The zip up collar helps keep the wind off your neck when it’s cold and help you cool down when zipped down. They are a part of the first generation of the ECWCS system and also part of the LWCWUS. While they have been replaced with newer materials and styles of thermal layers, these are still a rock solid thermal layer for camping, hiking, hunting and general wear.

Expect some pilling on the exterior of the clothing in Used & Defect condition.

Features:

Shirt 1/4 Zip closure – This shirt has a 1/4 zip closure which means that it is a pullover that has a zipper that goes about 1/4 of the way down the shirt.
Part Of The ECWCS Clothing System – This is part of the US Army Extended Cold Weather Clothing System that is used to protect the wearer from cold to extreme cold weather situations and environments.
Moisture Wicking – Garment wicks away moisture which decreases drying time of the material and less soaking.
Quick Drying – Material is quick drying.
Manufactured by:

Various Government Contractors – This item is manufactured for the US government by various contractors.
Country of Manufacture: USA – This product is manufactured in the USA.

Issue Type: USGI – These are genuine US government issued items made to military specification (mil-spec).

[tallspy]

I saw an ad on YouTube for you guys, decided to give your site a visit. And holy shit. You guys have a lot of good stuff for a fair price. Going to be placing an order with you guys soon. I'm eyeballing that ecws sleeping bag.

[justinw]

Polypro fell out of favor and polyester took its place because it builds up really nasty odor pretty quickly (for a lot of people, not everyone), it is hard to get that odor out, and drying it in a dryer can be a gamble (it is heat sensitive)*. Some say it's wicking ability goes down after awhile as well. In the military more specifically, they also didn't like how flammable it was, and how easily/quickly it could melt from heat.

But I don't think Polypro should be completely counted out because it has some really nice properties too. It is very lightweight (the material is less dense than even nylon, which is yet less dense than polyester), it has the lowest thermal conductivity of regular, non exotic textiles/fabrics, and it is extremely hydrophobic and dries very fast. Where Polypro really shines in my opinion is as mid layers and outer layers. That helps to keep it from building up the odor, if you have a good baselayer to manage that.

Some Polypro baselayers are very wicking, and some not at all. I actually like the non wicking ones for an outer layer if it is not too windy. Reason why, is because it sheds snow and light drizzle type rain, really well. The "DWR" is built in so to speak and unlike a factory applied DWR, will never wear off (but you have to keep it clean for it to work well).

* With modern driers that have adjustable heat levels, this is a non issue. Also, it dries so fast that after a good spin cycle, it can just hang it up and it will dry quite quickly.

[goingagainstthegrain]

The 1/4 zip waffled; we ordered. We reside in the dead/humid heat. We had to go to Missouri this past weekend. The temperature was 31°. Perfect! We both had T-shirts on with the waffled 1/4 zip. Great windbreaker and kept us dry/warm! 👍🇺🇸

[bd]

I wanted to get one of these until I learned that they don't exist in long lengths so I'll just get a waffle top because it's in my size. Why did they go to the waffle top instead of keeping the polypro?