I accidentally bought a polyester shirt and the first time I put it on I was soaked with sweat before I even finished getting dressed. How can anybody stand to wear something like that? Is there some advantage polyester has over cotton that makes up for feeling like you’re wrapped in plastic?
Polyester makes you sweat…is it luck?
I’m assuming people buy it because it’s inexpensive and easy to take care of.
Well, not pure polyester; the business shirts I wear every day are typically 60% cotton, 40% polyester.
I find that it makes them easier to iron and more durable than pure cotton. I’ve not noticed any problem with excessive sweating, in fact I’d say that, if anything, I tend to get hotter in a pure cotton shirt because the fabric is generally thicker.
All of the pure cotton shirts I have ever owned ended up with a ‘fluffy’ surface texture farily quickly, whereas my PolyCotton mix shirts stay crisp for years.
Cotton also tends to shrink over time.
I hate polycotton bedding. It’s fine for a couple of weeks of use, then it pills to hell. Give me 100% cotton sheets, pillowcases and duvet covers.
Spun polyester is pretty good. (Polar fleece)
Polyester knits are cool. (CoolMax®)
Polyester blends are durable. (Army pants [BDU pants] and other uniform pants are usually 50% - 60% poly.)
The regular polyester shirts? They suck.
-Rue.
My favourite t-shirt is polyester. Like that’s not cool! You can’t do that with cotton.
[sub][sup]Nick, you’re wearing a polyester t-shirt with an astronaut on it. Maybe you need to re-think your definition of “cool”.[/sub][/sup]
I had a pair of polyester lime green pants that I bought for a quarter. I found them to be very uncomfortable in heat, but in air conditioning they felt very nice.
Only true Hawaiian shirts are poly. Man and they are great. When I go back to the States this summer, I’m going thrift store shopping so I can get me some of them poly Hawaiian shirts. I might even splurge and grab some of those bowling shirts, they be poly as well.
My work pants are polyester. I dont think I could say that they are excessively warm, simply because where I work Im always warm. Kitchens (120+ degrees F last night)and outdoor patios are NOT the place for black pants, dress shirts, aprons and ties! The pants are, however, very easy to clean off, which is a good thing when waitressing cuz sometimes you just have to wipe your hands off SOMEWHERE! And the spilt trays of water glasses, etc - they`re no problem when you have polyester pants! 
I have lots of polyester and polyester blends. They don’t cost too much, they are generally comfortable, and since I sweat a lot anyway, it really doesn’t matter so much about the fabric I wear.
I don’t know…
They do this thing to polyester that makes it look and feel like rayon. It’s very soft, and great to wear in the heat.
These days, good polyester shirts are just as expensive as 100% cotton shirts. I know because when I shop, I try to avoid cotton and linen and find the good polyester and poly-blend clothes. They maintain their shape better and never wrinkle. I hate ironing. Even when you travel, they stay wrinkle-free. While it’s true that your body can breathe better in cotton, I wear baggy clothes so it doesn’t really affect me as much as for people who wear tight clothes.
I have this poly shirt that I like a lot, don’t know exactly what kind of poly it is. It is very thin and cool, and many people mistake it for silk when I wear it.
I thank you all for your replies. I can only conclude that I have some kind of rare sweating disorder that makes me feel like I’m covered in Saran Wrap when I wear polyester. (Either that or everyone but me is a masochist.) I hope I can get them to name the disease after me instead of my doctor.
No no no. It is not you. You are sweating because polyester is NASTY. Only acceptable in blends. And, those fancy “silky” lightweight fabrics. That’s it.
I am a fabric queen. I used to work in a fabric store, I have sewn a lot, and I own lots and LOTS of fabric. I have a decided grudge against polyester.
The polyester “double knit” is satanic. Should be banned from the planet. Many other polyester fabrics should be banned as well. They are a scourge.
Blends can be OK, but it is best to get a blend with no more than 50% polyester. Acceptable fabrics to blend with poly would be rayon or cotton.
100% polyester would be OK for flowing skirts, or very loose blouses or shirts. VERY loose. If you wear more fitted garments, you will sweat and stink. No easy care benefits can compensate for how nasty and hot polyester can be with these kinds of garments.
Not that I’m opinionated or anything… 