Five quick-drying t-shirts and tops for traveling light

Need a sweat-wicking, easy-care, quick-dry t-shirt for your next adventure? These merino wool tees are great all-rounders

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If you’re on a frenetic journey where speed and traveling light are everything, wash ‘n’ wear is the only way. So having a quick-dry t-shirt or two that can be worn for a few days without stinking, then hand-washed and dried in a few hours, is a massive help. Cue these merino quick-dry ‘travel t-shirts’:

1 – Icebreaker Men’s Cool-Lite Merino Blend Sphere III Short Sleeve T-Shirt

Easy to wash and quick to dry, it’s no wonder that the Icebreaker Cool-Lite Merino is a legend with the wash ‘n’ wear crowd of light travelers. Featuring 60% Tencel and 40% merino wool blend, it is slightly more durable than the Icebreaker 100% Merino tech t-lite and retains its lightweight, quick-dry properties. However, it looks and works best in dark colors (black and dark blue) while its slightly delicate nature means it’s worth keeping ‘for best’ and worn strictly for travel only.

Read our full review of the Icebreaker Tech T Lite T-Shirt

2 – Smartwool Men’s Active Ultralite Short Sleeve

Made in the USA and weighing in at a mere 4.64 ounces, the Smartwool Ultralite short sleeve isn’t all merino. Instead, it’s 53% Merino and 47% Lyocell. However, that works in its favor when it comes to durability. On a recent trip to Cyprus, the Smartwool Ultralite short-sleeved shirt did a great job with moisture, temperature and odor control. It didn’t shrink and still looks new after multiple washes.

3 – Royal Robbins Featherweight Tank

It may not be merino or bamboo, so it lacks the odour control of a perfect travel t-shirt, but this super-cool lightweight tank punches above its weight with vibrant patterns rarely seen in travel gear. Made from a 52% cotton, 48% polyester blend, it’s a versatile, great-value base layer that works just as well on a trail as at a café. Worn recently on a city break in Lisbon, it proved a solid option for light, stylish travel.

4 – Arc’teryx Mens Ionia Merino Wool T-shirt

This 155 g t-shirt offers impressive softness, breathability, and durability, and it’s first in our bag for every type of trip. The 87% merino provides the expected natural odor resistance, with the 13% nylon giving it durability. The high merino content makes it a true quick-dry t-shirt. Ours has been washed in many a sink around the world, and it dries quickly enough to wear the next morning. It has a sleeker fit than others reviewed here, and the articulated shoulders add subtle structure. Smart and comfortable, it works well worn alone or layered.

5 – Icebreaker Women’s Merino 125 Cool-lite Sphere Iii Tank

Super-light and quick-drying, the merino wool (40%) and Tencel Lyocell (60%) blend keeps you cool during extreme heat and humidity. Soft and lightweight, this fabric blend actively wicks moisture from the body to keep you dry and comfortable, so it is the perfect travel all-rounder for hot and humid countries.