Compression shirt regulates body temperature and inhibits bacterial growth

By Michael Satlow, PCI #769
Jerusalem Civil Guard
Jerusalem, Israel

As if I don't have enough pressure living in Israel and patrolling in Jerusalem, I volunteered to test wear Zensah's new compression shirt. The micro-fiber shirts differ from others in that they have silver ions on the inside layer to regulate body temperature and inhibit bacterial growth. The compression factor is supposed to aid in preventing vibration of the muscles, which reduces fatigue (scientific-minded see the Penn State study at http://physics.iop.org/IOP/Press/PR1501/html). The fabric was developed in Israel and the shirts are in use by Israel's special forces as well as members of Israel's Olympic judo team.

I must admit that when I heard "compression fabric," the first thing I thought of was something akin to a circa 1950's girdle. While I always wondered how it would feel to wear one (no, I'm not one of "those"), I'm pleased to announce that it is extremely comfortable and really does feel like a second skin. As a matter of fact, you hardly feel its presence.

For officers who only wear a uniform shirt and no body armor, like me, it's probably less important to wear this type of garment. (No, we don't wear vests. People here don't shoot at us; they just try to blow us up.) If you do wear a vest, I can see how this shirt would serve as a comfortable barrier between you and the vest. The seamless design of its sides would also help prevent chafing.

I wore the shirt while doing my standard shift in temperatures ranging from 60-90 degrees. I found that it warmed me at the lower temperatures and kept me relatively dry at the higher end. To check its effectiveness at peak exertion levels, I wore it under my bike shirt for a weekend 30K off-road trek through the hills surrounding Jerusalem. Even at near exhaustion level, it wicked away the moisture effectively and dried extremely quickly. My only suggestion is that people who don't like anything binding around the neckline should consider the v-neck model. (One of the reasons that I moved to Israel was so that I'd never have to wear a tie again.) The tactical shirts retail at $35 and come in white, black, and olive drab. I'm now waiting for them to come out with bike shirts and padded bike shorts. If their comfort level is the same as the undershirts, they're bound to be winners.

For more information, visit their website at www.zensah.com.

Michael is a volunteer auxiliary officer in service to the Jerusalem Civil Guard. He can be reached at satlow_m@netvision.net.il.

© 2004 IPMBA. This review appeared in the Fall 2004 issue of IPMBA News.