I’ve always wondered, “Do anti-odor technologies like Gladiodor really work?” It’s like we pay extra money for a technology when we don’t even know if it does anything. For all I know, these ‘technologies’ could be some sort of placebo. I never really knew the answer until I tried to figure it out for myself…
Last week, I did an experiment. I wore my same Patagonia t-shirt that had a Gladiodor anti-odor technology for 7 days in a row. It started out as an unintentional experiment, but then I figured I could document my experience. Here’s exactly what I did:
- I wore my Patagonia t-shirt for 7 days straight.
- I had the shirt on for at least 12 hours a day during daylight hours.
- Every morning I did a light workout (in the shirt).
- The test was done while I was in Cuenca, Ecuador with average temperatures ranging from 75 F to 45 F. It wasn’t very humid, and I didn’t sweat too often.
- I did not sleep with the shirt on for health and safety reasons.
- No animals were harmed while conducting this experiment.
- Yes, I did shower (not with the shirt on).
- To ensure smell test accuracy, I got at least one person other than me to smell my shirt at the end of the day.
Day 1, Monday, 10/7/13:
Today was the first day of my experiment. I ran about a mile this morning but didn’t really sweat. I mainly stayed at home and did schoolwork on my computer. At the end of the day, I changed my shirt and smelled it. I also got my mom, at www.travelwritingpro.com to smell it.
The Smell Verdict: Completely Odorless
Day 2, Tuesday, 10/8/13:
I didn’t do too much active stuff today. Mainly just some schoolwork and computer work.
The Smell Verdict: Completely Odorless
Day 3, Wednesday, 10/9/13:
Today I did a light workout, and then went out to explore the city of Cuenca for most of the day with my mom, dad and sister. I did a lot of walking and eating all over the city. It was pretty hot when walking, so I sweat just a bit.
The Smell Verdict: My shirt smelled a little weird, mainly from staying in some strong food smelling restaurants. The smell wasn’t bad, just a bit funky.
Day 4, Thursday, 10/10/13:
After letting my shirt air out for the night, it smelled normal once again. Once again, I did a lot of schoolwork. I still felt clean while wearing the shirt, so I’m starting to think that Gladiodor really works. In the afternoon, I sweat a decent amount.
The Smell Verdict: Doesn’t smell too fresh, but still ok.
Day 5, Friday, 10/11/13:
When I first put my shirt on in the morning, I noticed it didn’t smell normal. I didn’t do anything active today, so I wouldn’t expect it to smell that much worst.
The Smell Verdict: Smells a bit worst than yesterday, but still ok.
Day 6, Saturday, 10/12/13:
I ran about 2 miles this morning at high altitude and sweat more than usual. The shirt wicked the moisture really well and dried extremely quickly. After my run, I didn’t do any sweat inducing activities.
The Smell Verdict: Strangely, my shirt always seems to smell worst in the morning compared to at the end of the day, after I wear my shirt for the day. I got both my dad and sister to smell the Patagonia shirt at the end of the day and they both said that it was relatively odorless. If you don’t believe me you can ask my sister here: http://bethanylooi.com/contact-me.
Day 7, Sunday, 10/13/13:
This was like game day. Today was my final day in this shirt and it’s Sunday. Once again, my shirt seemed to smell pretty bad in the morning. At around 7:30, I ran about 2 miles and was almost attacked by a dog. After that I went to church, so it was a bit awkward to wear a t-shirt that I had worn during the whole week to church. For appropriateness, I wore the Patagonia t-shirt under a polo.
The Final Smell Verdict: I didn’t get any weird stares from people in church, so I think it worked. My shirt ended up smelling a bit funky but it’s probably a lot better than if my Patagonia shirt didn’t have an anti-odor technology. So overall, IT WORKED!!!!
Disclaimer: Everyone’s interpretation of smell is different, so there’s no real way to measure stinky-ness. If you want to try this out for yourself, go ahead. I didn’t die while doing it so there’s nothing really to lose other than some friends, popularity and style points.
You can check out my full review of the Patagonia Capilene T-Shirt here. (I highly recommend the shirt)
What are your thoughts? Leave your comment below.
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