Dakine Oakridge Flannel with Polygiene Review
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As one of our favorite shirts of 2016, the Dakine Oakridge Flannel won’t disappoint. While there are hundreds of options for flannel shirts out there, there are only a handful of flannels that incorporate Polygiene into them. For those not familiar with Polygiene, it’s a solution that is added to the final stages of the production of the fabric that prevents the growth of bacteria and fungus that makes your clothes smell.
The fabric is 100% polyester and is soft to the touch, no old school scratchy flannels here! The pattern design of the Dakine Oakridge Flannel goes with just about any pair of pants, however it might conflict with your Jcrew pants with little lobsters on them.
Flannel in Use
Testing Dakine Oakridge Flannel
While Dakine may suggest that you should use this flannel for mountain biking, I prefer to use this flannel for less strenuous activities and after my activities primarily. This shirt is still a flannel and won’t stretch as much as you want it to on the trail while mountain biking. My preference for use is hiking, road tripping, traveling abroad, camping and getting out on the town.
Flannel Fit
The fit of the Dakine Oakridge Flannel is on par with most other flannels on the market. It’s not super baggy like a Carhartt jacket and it’s super skinny, sorry for the guys that have been working on their beach bod all summer! I’m 6’0 and 173 and found a size medium to fit perfect. The sleeves were just right and the buttons along the sleeve are nice in case you want to roll up your sleeves.
Polygiene and the Dakine Oakridge Flannel
Polygiene has been around for a number of years now and many outdoor minded people are becoming aware of it’s properties to keep stink away. If you’re happy with knowing it keeps your clothes smelling and that’s all you care about, skip this section. If you want to geek out for a minute, read on…
During most outdoor activities, you produce sweat. Sweat itself doesn’t stink, but it produces bacteria. This bacteria grows and starts to stink. Polygiene uses recycled silver salt which prevents this bacteria from growing, which in turn keeps your clothes from smelling due to the buildup of bacteria from your sweat.
By wiping away the smell, you need to retrain your brain when washing your clothes. We as Americans are generally trained to wash your clothes after one use or you’re considered “gross” (Chime in high screechy girly voice)! After knowing that your clothes are fine without washing them after one or two uses, it lengthens the life of your clothes, reduces your water consumption, and saves you money.
Sometimes benefits such as waterproofing and sunproofing don’t always last forever. You often need to re-apply a treatment to your clothing or outerwear for it to keeps its properties. Once Polygiene is applied to a fabric, it stays there for life and you don’t need to re-apply anything for these anti stink properties. Learn more at Polygiene.com.
Final Thoughts
I’ve found the Dakine Oakridge Flannel to quickly rise up to the frequently worn shirt rack. This flannel is moderately priced. Visit backcountry.com or amazon.com/dakine for more information.
