What: Organic Basics SilverTech™ Active Tee

When Organic Basics reached out to me to try one of their clothing products, I really wanted to jump at the opportunity. I had been following them for a while and was very intrigued by their innovations in fabrics and sustainable wear. I was already on my second trimester of pregnancy and knew that it wouldn’t make sense for me to get something to only wear for a few months. I didn’t want to waste a product or the opportunity. Instead, I volunteered my husband to try and test out their SilverTech™ Active Tees.

My husband is a very active person, completing his second half Ironman Triathlon in May of this year. He had scheduled his third 70.3 race in September, but due to the arrival of our baby girl he had to reduce his training load and postpone the race.On the lead up to the big event, my husband will go through an insane amount of workout clothes thus increasing our laundry pile and requiring that we wash workout shirts a few times. He sweats…a lot.

I originally heard of Organic Basics SilverTech™ line on Instagram when the CEO of Organic Basics wore the same shirt for one week to test and prove the product. Pretty bold I must say, but I like that. If you believe in your product, you must be willing to prove it. So I bookmarked that in the back of my mind for when my husband needed new workout shirts. I even sent him the link to that story and he wasn’t interested then. He wanted to use up all of the gear he had from his Crossfit days before buying new ones.

As you know sweat itself is odorless, it’s the bacteria that forms that causes the stink. Bacteria love dead skin cells, wet and dark environments and if you are like most folks, most activewear ends up balled up in a bag or on that chair in your bedroom. Realizing this and knowing that most activewear is made of synthetic materials that shed microplastics at each wash, I wanted to reduce launderings. You can read more about ways to reduce the shedding of microplastics in this earlier post.

This post was originally published on Oct 3, 2019.

What exactly is SilverTech™?

SilverTech™ products from Organic Basics are garments that are treated with Polygiene® Stay Fresh and Odor Control Technology. Polygiene® uses low concentrations of silver salt (silver chloride) which has antimicrobial properties to treat the fabric. The goal is to have a garment that can be washed less often and at a lower temperature extending the life of the garment and reducing launderings which saves resources. Polygiene® permanent odor control does not interfere with perspiration or with the skin’s natural bacterial flora because it’s active only on the fabric surface. Polygiene®-treated fabrics have received Medical Class 1 approval in Europe, the same class that includes bandages for direct contact with open wounds. Polygiene® treated fabrics are also bluesign® approved which “guarantees the highest degree of assurance to consumers and ensures that the products were manufactured with responsible use of resources and the lowest possible impact on people and the environment.”

Depending on the product you get from Organic Basics, many will be made of recycled materials. The Men’s SilverTech™ Tee is made of 100% recycled nylon and made in a factory that follows sustainable practices. You can read more here.

Testing Process

So I asked my husband if he would be willing to test this shirt. Here’s the workouts he completed in it before it was thrown in the wash:

Day 1

4 mile run
Hanged to air out

Day 2

20 min bike
20 min run
40 min lifting
Hanged to air out for 1 day, then was balled up in the closet for 2 weeks. #newbabylife

Day 3

Pulled from the back of the closet
20 min bike
20 min run
40 min lifting
Hanged to air out

Day 4

20 min bike
20 min run
40 min lifting
Hanged to air out (final sniff test)

Normally, my husband would have worn 4 different shirts by now and each one would go into the laundry because it would be wet with sweat and already have a stink. Surprisingly, the SilverTech tee held up. Of course, there was sweat, but it dried pretty quickly. Overall, the shirt does not smell, but there definitely is body odor around the pits area. Other than that, the shirt continues to look and smell kinda normal.

A few disclaimers: I am not in the business of smelling my husband’s clothes. I can smell stink from far away so there’s really no need for that, but for this test, I did have to do the sniff test a couple of times. I am also not in the business of buying my husband’s workout gear, but I am in the business of looking for sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives to what we are already using. I am also not in the business of buying a lot of cheap things and want to buy quality items for their value and their longevity. I think this active tee fits the bill. It is a bit expensive for a shirt, but seems comparable to all of the other workout shirts out there that have this odor technology in it. Other brands that use this technology include Patagonia.

I do like the Organic Basics SilverTech Tee because it doesn’t look like a workout shirt especially since the colors they offer are muted basics so the shirt could very well be used for casual weekends or even as an undershirt.

Polygiene treated shirts have been tested by many other sites and here’s a few examples: Outside Online and Gear Junkie testing. If you note these tests were done a few years back which means this technology has been around for awhile now.

This product was provided to me FREE of charge in exchange for the review. All opinions and testing process are my own. For this particular product, shout out to my husband for testing the SilverTech™ Tee.

If you are interested in purchasing this product, head to organicbasics.com and use code DOSOMETHINGOB1 to get 10% off until November 4, 2019.

This post contains affiliate links. See Disclosures for details.

Background
- Organic Basics is a maker of sustainable clothing, choosing fabrics and working with factories that care about the environment.
- “Design everything to last. That means investing in quality fabrics and workmanship - but it also means designing with simplicity and function in mind.”
- This particular product is from the SilverTech™ Tee which is treated with Polygiene® Technology
Material
- 100% Recycled Nylon treated with Polygiene® Technology
Product Packaging
- The shirt came in a paper envelope with no extra packaging. No plastic.
- The tags were paper with string.
- No shirt tag. The fabric info is marked on the bottom hem.
Cost
- $86 for the Men’s SilverTech™ Tee in nylon. See discount code below.
Where to Buy
- Currently on their website organicbasics.com
- Use code DOSOMETHINGOB1 to get 10% off until November 4, 2019.
Shipping Packaging
- Came to me shipped in a paper envelope without any plastic packaging. See photos.

Verdict

I would recommend for those who are active.
It is a little expensive at $86 a pop for the tee, but I would venture that it will replace 4 shirts and have a longer lifespan.
For the minimalist, this is a good shirt to have. Nice range of basic colors which can be used for the weekend casual hang.
It’s a shirt that has a small environmental footprint and will not require as many washes which means less resources to use and less laundry. Less laundry is always a good thing.

Update 2020

An updated after one whole year of wears - it’s still good. Maybe not as new, but it has definitely held up after the beating my husband has put into this shirt. He continues to air dry and hang it in the bathroom after each use which helps reduce the stink. He has been putting a lot of miles in it, both as a runner and while using our AirBike. Washes are few and far in between which I think has also helped keep its shape. His only feedback is that it feels like it soaks the sweat much faster than before.