Ex Officio Soytopia T-Shirt : Soy Good

I guess it's appropriate that my first time wearing ExOfficio's Soytopia T-shirt was on Earth Day. An accident, really. My mother-in-law was in town and wanted to walk on the beach, and I was searching for a casual shirt that was respectable enough for M-I-L approval.

The shirt is 56 percent organic cotton and 37 percent soy, with a hint of spandex for stretch. I knew it was a winner as soon as I pulled it on. Moderately fitted in the shoulders and chest, it's long enough so that stretching my arms up in the ocean breeze won't reveal a slice of skin. I also like the built-in UPF 30-plus sun protection. I slapped on sunscreen on my face and neck before we left, and hours later I came back invigorated by the sea air and not pink from the sun.

I took the shirt back to the beach on a long run the next day to test out its mettle under higher-sweat conditions. Even though the shirt's sustainable ingredients might recall patchouli and peace signs, there are no smelly hippies here: it wicked sweat away during an hour-long run, and passed a sniff test on its return. I can even hang it up and take it on another run before I wash it. Reuse before recycle? It's all in the shirt's eco-friendly spirit.

Bottom LIne: T-shirt with eco-friendly fibers-and high-tech enough to fend off hard use.--C.W. (May 08)

Price: $35

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Manufacturer's Site: www.exofficio.com