linen or silk

[dnjan]

I need to get some long-sleeve shirts for summer travel. (I prefer long sleeve, when not wearing a jacket, as it seems cooler to not have the heat of the sun directly on my arms.)
I would like to be able to hand wash the shirts in the sink, and have them dry by morning. Previous experience indicates that cotton dries too slowly, so I am considering either linen or silk.

Recommendations?
Opinions?

 

[Yeps]

Linen. I say this only because I have had many good experiences with linen, and have no experience whatsoever with silk. However, linen definitely fits the bill.

 

[The Good]

I've heard that silk shirts tend to get hot, for what it's worth. You might be fine.

 

[Gin&Tonics]

Also, linen is more durable than silk, I would think.

 

[H.Herdick]

Linen I would say.

But if you mean this kind of shirt http://www.walbusch.de/walbusch-de/...html?sid=b785ff29a038fae6370e45ce01ab653d&i=0 I would go for this cotton. (not only Walbusch sells this kind of shirts - it is a specially tropical weaving)

I was worn this shirts in a very hot and humid climate (China) and it was much more comfortable then my linen shirts. You can wash the shirts in the sink and the next mornig they are dry. No ironing needed. So I will wear nothing else in a hot and humid climate (round 40 [SUP]o[/SUP]C.) then this kind of shirts.

 

[dnjan]

Thanks for the advice! I don't have much experience with linen shirts, so I appreciate the recommendations.

 

[Undertow]

I've owned both linen and silk.

Silk tends to wrinkle terribly, is difficult to clean and stains like the dickens. It is a cool wearing fabric, but tends to work better in blends. If I had a choice between a silk shirt and a wool shirt, I'd rather sweat knowing my shirt would last the summer.

Linen is cool wearing and quite durable. Stains are lifted about as easily as they would from cotton, if not a bit better in my experience. Linen is easy to clean and easy to dry. Whereas silk is probably better in a blend, I think linen is much better by itself. Some linen can be a little scratchy but the shirts I have seem to be fine.

Between linen and silk, I would pick linen 100% of the time for its durability and comfort.

 

[Chasseur]

Another vote for linen!

 

[Saint-Just]

You have many qualities of silk, and some make light durable shirts that are quite comfortable in a hot climate. However to get a decent choice of silk you'd probably best spending a couple of days in SE Asia visiting the Chinese traders.

Linen can be a bit scratchy but is perfectly suited as well.

Both would benefit from a light ironing in the morning. Hemp is another option you may want to consider, usually a cotton mix

 

[dnjan]

Between linen and silk, I would pick linen 100% of the time for its durability and comfort.

thanks!

The comment about stains was helpful as well. I've been known to acquire a spot or two during an especially enjoyable meal!