Ably Apparel – Perfect for Travelling: Product Review
Our first introduction to Ably Apparel was back in 2016 when we were watching a YouTube video of a guy travelling in Mexico talking about his purchase of a t-shirt from a new clothing company. And we were impressed from what we saw….
In this video, he poured red wine and other liquids that would normally stain onto his t-shirt and we were amazed as we watched the liquid not only pour off, but leaving no trace at all on the shirt. In addition, he swore he could wear the shirt for at least one whole week without washing it due to the material being non-absorbent and odour resistant. We were amazed and thought like most: “This seems too good to be true!”.
We had a trip to Thailand planned for 3 months’ time and Jonas sweats a lot in hot and humid countries. This seemed the perfect opportunity to ‘test’ them out, so upon further research, we decided to buy a couple of t-shirts. And…… they were an outstanding success!!!
Since this trip, we have purchased many more items from Ably Apparel and they make up the bulk of the clothing in our suitcases.
Features of Ably Apparel
- Odour Free – Perspiration evaporates through the breathable fabric leaving clothes smelling fresh even after a hard workout.
- Less Washing – Since Filium made clothing resists stains and odour, you will find yourself spending a lot less time doing laundry. This alone is a great selling point, especially for those travelling longer term as we know it can sometimes be quite the challenge to hand wash or find a reliable laundry. In addition, this will save you time, energy and help you reduce your carbon footprint.
- Quick Drying – Dunk a Filium activated shirt in water and it’ll still get wet, but it dries up to 40% faster than regular clothing.
- Stain Resistant – Wine, coffee, melting ice cream: anything you used to worry about ruining your clothes runs right off Filium® activated fabric.
- Eco Friendly – Filium’s core technology is produced according to bluesign® standards for sustainable materials and production.
- Nano Free – Free from any nanoparticles or chemicals that can break down and leach into your skin or the environment.
What is Filium?
The Filium website doesn’t say much about what Filium is exactly, but they do say this:
“Filium turns cotton, wool, silk or other natural fabrics into water-shedding, stain-resisting, odour-refusing fabric without losing any natural softness or breathability.”
In addition:
“The Filium process is safe for you and the planet. We don’t use any nanoparticles or harmful chemicals that can break down and leach into your skin or the environment.”
Suppliers of Ably Apparel
Ably Apparel Products We Have Bought and Like
Jonas
- Jamison Style – men’s cotton short sleeve shirt with a relaxed V-neck USD$48
- Bradley Style – men’s crew neck pocket tee USD$48
- Tourist Style – men’s pocket-less t-shirt USD$48
- Ranger Style – men’s classic polo shirt USD$85
- Voyager Style – men’s cotton slub knit V-neck t-shirt USD$55
- Globetrotter Style – men’s short sleeved jersey t-shirt USD$55
- Drifter Style – men’s button up short sleeve shirt USD$95
- Captain Style – men’s classic tank USD$44
- Men’s no show socks 4-pack USD$40
- Jeremy Style – men’s knit boxer shorts USD$30
Peta
- Nessa Style – women’s modal short sleeve top with a relaxed V-neck USD$52
- Vanessa Style – women’s short sleeve top with a deep V-neck USD$48
- Daisy Style – women’s slub knit short sleeve top with a relaxed V-neck USD$50
- Women’s no show socks 4-pack USD$40
Cons of Ably Apparel
Our home base is Australia so the downside for us is the fact Ably Apparel is based in the US and as such, we do have to pay for international shipping on our orders. The shipping rates are quite high i.e. USD$49.41 for FedEx International Economy (7 business days). We have tried to negate that cost to a certain extent by purchasing more than one item during an order.
Also, Ably Apparel items are not cheap i.e. from USD$48 for a men’s / women’s t-shirt but in our opinion, they are worth every cent. We also take into account the need to pack fewer shirts and therefor buy fewer shirts, due to the amazing properties of Filium.
We have managed to get about 2 years of wear out of each of the t-shirts before we have noticed a reduction in their ability to resist water and odour for extensive periods of wear. In saying this, they can still be worn on more than one day in extremely hot and humid conditions without smelling. We just don’t get the 7 or so days out of them that we used to.
Our personal recommendation is to hand wash the shirts yourself in cold, or lukewarm water, rather than sending them off to a laundry which will inevitably place them in a long, very hot wash. This will reduce the effectiveness of the features.
Do We Recommend Ably Apparel for Travel?
100%! Ably Apparel lives up to all their claims and delivers much more. They are ideal for any type of traveller and have become a permanent addition to our bags for the following reasons:
- Need fewer clothes due to odour and stain resistance which helps to us to pack light
- As comfortable and breathable as any regular cotton t-shirt
- They are lightweight to wear
- We spend less time doing laundry on the road
- Quick-drying
- Wrinkle less after washing and packing than other brands we have tried
- When sweating, your shirt doesn’t look wet with perspiration like normal shirts
- If caught in the rain, our clothes don’t get soaked through – we just pop into a private area, take off our shirt and give it a good shake to remove all water drops
Our top tip is to sign up for their newsletter subscription to be kept informed on their latest products, but most importantly, their sales!
