Personal Details
Name: Andrew Preece
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Height: 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight: 188 lb (85 kg)
Waist: 39 in (100 cm)
Sleeve Length: 20 in(53 cm)
Chest: 42.5 in (108 cm)
Neck: 16 in (40 cm)
Email: andrew_at_teamgunnparker_dot_com
City: Perth.
Western Australia.
Australia. |
Backpacking Background
I have done a lot of hiking over the years but now carry
a hammock and gear for overnight stays of one to two nights. I
normally carry approximately 35 lb (16 kg) which includes food and
water. My trips are usually between one to two days duration mainly over
weekends. I hike all seasons with winter temperatures ranging from 39 F
(4 C) to 64 F (18 C) including periods of heavy rain at times to summer
conditions with the temperature ranging from 68 F (20 C) to 95 F (35 C)
and very dry. |
Initial Report
August 26th 2008The Prowick shirt is a
very nice, light weight, non static shirt. It is made from high tech
materials designed to keep the wearer dry by moving moisture away from
the skin, and odor free with its unique stain release system. The only
colour this shirt is available in is Titanium, it is not a blue colour
nor grey but perhaps a nice mix of the two. The sizes that are currently
available are; small, medium and extra large. This is interesting as I
ordered and received a large.
Details
Manufacturer: DryShirt UK
Year of Manufacture: 2008
Manufacturer's Website:
www.dryshirt.co.uk
MSRP: £19.99 ($37.20 USD approximately)
Listed Weight: Not listed
Measured Weight: 5.4 oz (153 g)
1. 100% Nylon Helix micro fibre knit.
2. Invasan AM 110 Anti Microbial anti odor system.
3. 100% Made in U.S.A. insures quality and product safety.
4. UPF 50+ sun protection rating.
5. Stain release and anti static properties ensure comfort.
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The shirt
The shirt arrived as ordered, I ordered a large size and after trying
the shirt on I would have taken an extra large if I was able to try it
in a store. I found the fit to be a little tight but not overly tight.
The neck has a round cut which fits fairly tight to my neck and is very
tight to pull over my head. All over the cut is nice though and the
sleeves are a good length. The waist is not too long.
The shirt has a Prowik logo on the left sleeve and I was surprised to
see it did not have a tag on the inside at the back of the neck. This is
nice though as sometimes I find I have to cut the tags off as they can
annoy me. The care instructions are simple and are printed on the inside
rear of the shirt.
The shirt is well constructed and of some of the softest and almost
silkiest material I have felt. The seams are all overlocked and I could
only see a couple of threads that are not cut close to the material of
the shirt.
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The sleeve logo and care instructions inside.
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First try
When I first received the shirt I wore it to work over about 5 days and
as I work in a warehouse it had a good work out. I then wore it on a 5
mi (8
k) geocaching hike up in the hills, the day started cool but I soon
warmed to a sweat. The shirt feels a little tight at first but after a
little while I forget that I am wearing it. It just feels so light and
silky.
At night when I am taking off my shirt at home in the dark before I go
to bed, sparks can be seen around my shirt as I take it off, but not
with the Prowik. So far I had had no trouble with sparks or static and
my wife is not afraid to touch me as we walk through shopping centres
while I wear this shirt, as normally she would get a zap from me.
I am glad that the shirt has a logo on the left sleeve as one day I put
it on and after a day of wear my wife said that the logo was on the
right. It turns out that because there is no tag on the inside rear I
had put it on backward. So know I know to make sure the logo is on the
left.
After this use of the shirt it was time to give it a wash but first I
asked my wife to give it a sniff test. I am happy to say she did not
detect any odor at all.
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The inside and the outside of the shirt.
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Test plan
I plan to finish my section hike of the
Coastal Plains Trail to the North of Perth and once that is completed I
will start to complete more sections of the Bibbulmun Track. I hope to
be able to get away for a mornings hike geocaching around the hills of
Perth as time permits and this shirt will be the one that I will wear on
all of these occasions. |
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Field Report
November 10th 2008 |
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The
shirt came back from the wash looking brand new and smelling nice.
It did not shrink or change shape in any way at all.
In the last two months I have worn the shirt a lot of times, from days
at work to short hikes of a couple of hours, to overnight hiking trips
of two days hiking and one night camping.
The hiking trips overnight have been in the hills of Perth near
Mundaring on both occasions at an altitude of 1083 ft (330 m) and it was
44 F (7 c) over night. It has not been overly warm yet with daytime
temperatures in the mid teens, about 63 F (17 C). Day time hikes have
been around my local park and river area where I can get away for a couple of
hours and explore and take photos of the bush and wild life. |
I have found the shirt to be tight at the neck and
also tight when I pull it over my head. Had I have been able to try one
on before buying the shirt I would have gone for a larger size as it is
a little tight on my tummy, more sit ups might help that though. The arm
length is good, being not too long or too short and the waist length is
good.
The best thing about the shirt though is just how comfortable it is to
wear, after maybe fifteen to twenty minutes of wear I do not notice that
I am wearing a shirt at all. It is light and soft and feels like I have
nothing on at all. I have noticed that the arms of the shirt do not
restrict my movements and I am able to freely move about.
I have not felt any rubbing from the seams inside the shirt against my
skin around my arms or at the neck.
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The front view of the shirt.
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Another big thing for me with this shirt is the
lack of static; normally I suffer with a lot of static electricity and
will often zap my wife while walking around shopping malls. At night
when I take off my shirts in the dark sparks can been seen coming from
me and my shirts but not with this one. I do not have any static issues
at all and do not feel the itch I would normally suffer. Nor does the
shirt cling to me. I have not noticed just how good the shirt will wick
away moisture yet as it has not begun to get hot so far.
I have worn the shirt on two overnight trips and would normally hike up to a spot
and set up my hammock for the night, then sleep in the same shirt that I
have hiked in with. With this shirt I have not noticed any bad aromas and even when I get home and put my shirt out for washing it does
not smell at all.
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The rear view of the shirt.
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The weather until now has been quite cool and so when
hiking with a pack on I have had a pullover on over the shirt, I have
not noticed any wear on the shoulders from the pack straps yet. Over the
next two months of testing it will be summer and the days will have
temperatures of around 86 F (30 C) and so I will not be wearing anything
over the shirt. I have a long sleeve shirt I wear which has worn on the
back from wearing a pack and it will be interesting to see if the Prowik
shirt wears the same. I am also interested in the UPF 50+ rating of the
shirt as the sun here in Australia can burn the skin under a shirt and
spending time outdoors hiking I would normally put on a lot of sun
screen. |
A view of the sleeve.
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A view of the neck, which I find a little tight.
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A close up of the Prowik logo on the left sleeve.
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Long Term Report
January 10th 2009
I have now been using this shirt for another two
months and in that time I was able to get away for another couple of
nights and I had a morning of hiking and geocaching. The overnight trips
were in the Mundaring hills East of Perth with an elevation of about
1150 ft (350 m). The geocaching morning hike was along the Eagle View
trail in John Forrest National park. The weather was fine on all of
these occasions with no rain and with temperatures in the 50 F to 68 F
(10 C to 20 C) range.
I have found this shirt to be a joy to wear, whether it is just walking
around town or day hiking or camping out overnight, it is always
comfortable. I have never felt itchy or uncomfortable at any of the
seams. I have never suffered with any static electricity with this shirt
and have never seen any sparks as I do with a lot of my shirts when
removing them. The shirt is not restrictive in anyway, I am able to move
my arms freely above my head and behind my body with ease. I have found
that the sleeves are a little too short for my liking and wish they were
just that bit longer. But I do really like the lack of a tag at the rear
of the neck. |
On the last overnight trip I set off in the afternoon and hiked out to a
spot I wanted to explore, clambering around rocks and through some bush
on the way. I had my ULA Conduit pack loaded with about 19 lb (9 kg) of
gear, which included my hammock, my sleeping gear, my food and water. I
wore the pack on top of the shirt this time, the other times I had worn
a fleece jacket over the shirt as it was a little cooler. I did not
notice any rubbing on my shoulders from the pack straps nor did it feel
unpleasant on my shoulders.
I hiked out to the spot and setup camp, I then explored for a while
until it was time to eat. After eating I retired for the night in my
hammock while still wearing the shirt. The morning came and I packed up
and headed back to the car, this time I followed different trails back
for a change of scenery. Once I was at home I went to shower and left
the shirt over a chair to dry out as it had become quite damp with
sweat. Later that afternoon I took the shirt to my wife to have her
check it for odor and she reported that there was none. I asked her to
wash it for me and as it has in the past the shirt came back smelling
nice and looking like new. |
Geocaching along the Eagle View Trail.
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After my months of using this shirt off and on and
the washing that goes with the use I am happy to say that the shirt is
holding up well, I can see no sign of any threads becoming loose, no
sign of any wear on the back or shoulders from my back pack nor are the
logos on the sleeve showing any sign of aging. The shirt has not
stretched out of shape at all and the neck is still a little too tight
for my liking. All in the entire shirt still looks very new.
Conclusion
This is a very nice shirt that is comfortable, hard wearing
and should last me a long
time to come. I would recommend any of my friends buy one of these
shirts.
Likes:
Comfort
No static
No odor
Colour
No neck tag
Dislikes:
Neck too small
Sleeves a little short |
Heading back to the car at Mundaring.
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Thanks DryShirt UK and
Backpackgeartest for this test of a very nice shirt, one I am sure will
get a lot of use in the future.
Andrew Preece
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