Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > GoLite DriMove Longsleeve Top > Kathryn Doiron > Test Report by Kathryn Doiron

GoLite DriMove Longsleeve Top

Product Information:

I received the GoLite DriMove shirt on Nov. 3 2006. The GoLite DriMove long sleeve shirt is a thin polyester knit shirt with v-neck, raglan sleeves and flat seams. The shirt is fitted in that it comes in at the waist and flares out at the hips. The sleeves are long with good wrist coverage even after arm extension. The length of the shirt comes down well past my waist and covers my bum a fair amount. I have noticed that many companies are making their shirts shorter, this shirt is a change from that model with plenty of coverage. After getting used to short tops, I am wondering how I will like this length change.

The DriMove shirt is much thinner than the picture on the website seemed to imply. I was expecting something with a little more heft to it. The feel of the shirt is slightly thicker than my normal base layer. I can see myself using this over my normal base layer as the weather gets colder. The large size was a relatively good fit, the only thing stopping it from being a great fit is that the shoulder area is a little tight. I will see if the shoulder area will relax after wearing or washing. I chose the Tangerine colour as my monitor showed a dusty orange colour . Upon opening the package, I was a little surprised by the brightness of the orange. It is not blaze orange, but it is quite orange. The seams are not perfectly flat, there is a small bump at the seam location from the thickness of the fabric and the thread. But due to the construction of the shirt, the seams do not run along the top of the shoulders or at the sides. The seams are offset by a panel on the side of the shirt and the raglan sleeves puts the seams on the front and back of the shoulder.

In my testing of this DriMove shirt, I will be looking in to how well the shirt keeps me dry either by itself or over a base layer. I will look at the overall fit and comfort as I am a little concerned about the extra length, I will look closely at that area too. The seams are not in the standard location and as such I will check for chaffing points from the seams and from the pack laying on those seams.

Field Report:
January 16th 2007

I've used this shirt both as a base layer with just a halter top underneath and as a mid layer with a base layer t-shirt underneath. As a base layer, I found the shirt comfortable against my skin. The seams did not chaff or rub, in fact I did not notice the seams at all. As a mid layer over a t-shirt and halter, the shirt fit well over the base layers nicely. While the shirt is a good fit there is room enough to fit a few thin layers comfortably underneath. In both cases though, I found that the shirt seemed to fit a little tight in the shoulder area. I am not sure if this is due to the cut of the shirt or fact that I might have wider shoulders then the average woman. After wearing the shirt for a few minutes, the sensation of tightness disappeared. The sleeves are also a little tight, but not in any way that bothers or discomforts me. The length of the shirt does seem a little excessive. I feel I would prefer a slightly shorter shirt. Mostly I have noticed that the shirt does not stay down around my hips when I start moving but rather it works it way up around my waist and tends to bunch up a little. I find myself tugging the shirt in place sometimes. I will be looking into this further when I use a pack with a hip belt.

The shirt has done a nice job of wicking sweat away from my body either as a base layer or as a mid-layer, but I did notice that under my day pack, the sweat did build up as it normally does with other shirts. I have taken this shirt out on several day hikes. The weather has been very nice and not very cold and as such I have been able to wear the shirt either with a t-shirt underneath or with just a halter top underneath. The temperatures have ranged from about 60-65 F (15-18 C) during the hike with some wind. The terrain was mostly hilly trails in wooded or semi wooded areas with the grade of the trail ranging from moderately hilly to very hilly with some climbing and rocky scrambles. This hike did have me out on an exposed mountain face and I did need to have a wind breaker in order to stay warm as the wind was very biting. Elevation gain for this hike was about 2000 ft (610 m) and was a 9 mi (14.5 km) round trip hike. Another hike down the C&O canal had the temperatures down to about 50 F (10 C) where I ended up wearing a wind breaker and fleece combination over the shirt. The trail was moderately flat and was an old railroad bed along a canal, the trail was wide and easy to walk. The hike was about 6 mi (9.6 km). I did notice that the thinness of the shirt did allow me to feel the warmth of the sun when I was out of the wind but in full sun.

For wear and tear of the shirt, I have brushed up to trees and branches a few times and have not noticed any picks or catches of the shirt material yet. After several trips through the washing machine, the shirt and seams are still in good shape showing no signs of wear. I have only air dried the shirt at this point as that is how I dry all my laundry. While at first I thought the orange was a little bright, I have since gotten used to it and now find it pleasing.

Long Term Report:
March 10th 2007

Over the past four months, I have taken this shirt out on numerous dayhikes and several overnighters. Mostly these have happened in the Canaan Valley or in the Shenandoah National Park. Conditions have ranged from room temperature to below freezing. Elevation gains have been up to 3000' (914 m). I have taken the shirt snowshoeing, backpacking and day hiking as well as just wearing it around the house or to work on the rare occasion. I have washed the shirt numerous times and have even tossed it into the dryer with no ill effects. The shirt still shows no signs of wear, no catches to the material or loose threads in the seams.

After continued use of this shirt, I feel that I still don't really care for the length. It is just a little too long and tends to bunch up. Wearing a pack with a hip belt does keep it in place but I have to make sure I tug it down, snap the hip belt in place then pull it up to get moving room before cinching the hip belt. I am also still having trouble with the shoulder area. I must have wider shoulders than the size comfortably allows for as I always feel a mild constriction in the shoulder area. While this constriction eventually becomes ignored, I do notice it when I first put the shirt and at random times during a hike.


GoLite DriMove at Annapolis Rock

The shirt has done a nice job of wicking the sweat away from my body. After hiking in the snow several times, with a pack on, I have not noticed any accumulation of moisture either on my back or under the straps. On the several hikes were the temperature was around room temperature, I also felt that the shirt did a good job of wicking the moisture way from me. The stiff breeze that day might also have helped too. The shirt does tend to pick up body odour. After a day hike it is not too odoriferous but after a weekend I have found it to be quite odoriferous. It isn't so bad that I can't stand it, but it does smell enough that I notice it without sticking my nose into the shirt. I do not notice the odour much while I am wearing the shirt though.

This concludes my long term report on the GoLite DriMove shirt. I hope you have enjoyed this test series.

Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > GoLite DriMove Longsleeve Top > Kathryn Doiron > Test Report by Kathryn Doiron