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Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > Mountain Khakis Rendezvous Quarter Zip > Test Report by Kurt PapkeMountain Khakis Men's Rendezvous
Quarter Zip LS Shirt
|
Name: | Kurt Papke |
Age: | 60 |
Gender: | Male |
Height: | 6' 4" (193 cm) |
Weight: | 225 lbs (102 kg) |
Email address: | kwpapke at gmail dot com |
City, State, Country: | Tucson, Arizona USA |
Manufacturer |
Mountain Khakis |
Model |
Men's Rendezvous Quarter Zip LS Shirt |
Year of manufacture |
2013 |
MSRP |
US $119.95 |
Manufacturer website |
http://www.mountainkhakis.com/ |
Color |
Clear Blue Also available: Rooster (Orange), Black |
Weights |
300 wt fabric 8.8 oz (300 g according to the website, my conversion = 225g) Note this is the weight/square meter of the fabric Measured garment weight: 15 oz (426 g) |
Size |
X-Large Also available: Small, Medium, Large, XX-Large |
Fabric |
21.5 Micron 100% Washable Merino Wool
Jersey Knit |
My measurements confirmed the dimensions of the zipper,
collar and cuffs. The zipper length seems generous to
me, which I find attractive as it allows easy on/off and good
ventilation when desired.
The garment appears to be made with high quality - I could
find no sewing defects, loose threads, etc. I was
surprised that the hang tag was attached with a safety pin
embedded in a seam, and I may have damaged the seam removing
it.
I put the
garment on over a T-shirt and checked for fit in a
mirror. I was relieved that it fit perfectly; I have a very
long torso (23 in or 58 cm) and typically need to purchase
Large-Tall sizes for shirts and jackets, but since a Tall size
was not available I went for the Extra Large. It was not
baggy nor loose fitting - their label of "Athletic Fit"
appears to be accurate. The length was good in the torso
and the sleeves - I could even use the thumb loops without
feeling I was stretching out the sleeves. It'll be
interesting to see how well this wool garment retains its size
through several launderings.
The photo at left shows the Rendezvous slipped on over a
cotton T-shirt. It is a bit more fitted than the photo
would suggest, because the picture was snapped from a low
vantage point which distorts the perspective.
It was a bit warm to be wearing a wool garment the day the
photo was taken, but I still felt an immediate warmth when I
put it on - this should keep me pretty toasty. On the
other hand, the fabric is not particularly thick nor by any
means windproof - I'm thinking a windshirt or the like to stop
a breeze will be a good item to accompany it.
It also felt somewhat scratchy. This will not be a
problem for me, as I certainly intend to wear at least a
T-shirt under it at all times, but it did not seem as smooth
as some merino garments I have touched in the past.
Date |
Location |
Trail |
Distance |
Terrain/ trail type |
Weather |
Altitude
range |
November 16-17, 2013 | Santa Catalina Mtns, near Tucson, Arizona | Samaniego
Ridge |
7.5 mi (12 km) |
Sky island ridgeline | Sunny, cool, 33-46 F (1-8 C), very windy |
7200-9462 ft (2200-2884 m) |
Dec 14, 2013 | Tortolita Mtns, near Tucson, Arizona | Alamo Springs | 5 mi (8 km) | Mountain ridgeline | Sunny, 40-50 F (4-10 C), breezy |
2800-3800 ft (850-1160 m) |
Dec 15, 2013 | Santa Catalina Mtns, near Tucson, Arizona | Buster
Mountain |
4.6 mi (7.4 km) |
Mountain slopes | Sunny, 32-60 F (0-16 C), winds were calm |
2700-4200 ft (820-1280 m) |
Dec 28-29, 2013 | Santa Catalina Mtns, near Tucson, Arizona | Sycamore
Canyon |
10 mi (16 km) |
Mountain canyons | Sunny, 24-60 F (-4 - 15 C) |
3800-5000 ft (1160-1520 m) |
January 11-12, 2014 |
Santa Catalina Mtns, near Tucson, Arizona | Romero Canyon |
11.2 mi (18 km) |
Mountain canyons | Sunny, 30-70 F (-1-21 C) |
2600-5200 ft (790-1580 m) |
January 19-20, 2014 |
Santa Catalina Mtns, near Tucson, Arizona | 15 mi (24 km) |
Mountain foothills, Jeep trail, and steep
mountain ascent |
Hazy, 40-65 F (4-18 C) |
2600-6600 ft (790-2010 m) |
I put the Rendezvous on as soon as I hit my campsite, as the
temperature was falling fast. I wore it over a silk long
underwear top and a merino wool T-shirt, and put my windshirt
on over that. I was plenty warm while doing camp chores
(temperature around 40 F, or 4 C), but when I sat down to eat
dinner I chilled quickly and had to throw my sleeping bag over
the top of me to stay warm.
I wore the Rendezvous all night long in the same
configuration, as I was using a sleeping bag that was rated
for a temperature a bit above the ambient conditions.
The next day I took off the silk top before I started hiking
and then doffed the windshirt once I started to warm up, so I
was wearing the Rendezvous over my merino T-shirt at a
temperature of about 38 F (3 C). This kept me at a near
perfect temperature while hiking: not chilled, and not
perspiring. Overall it was a very successful first
outing with the garment.
The morning was chilly enough that I kept the Rendezvous on
during the duration of the hike. I started to perspire
just a bit when I was doing some climbing in the sun, but not
enough for me to want to take the warm shirt off. For
most of the hike the breeze was brisk enough that it kept me
dry and at a perfect temperature.
It isn't often I discover a new trail close to my house, but
this one turned up on a local hiker's blog. I set out on
a crisp Sunday morning to do a little exploring. It was
right at the freezing point, so I began the hike with a
windshirt over the Rendezvous. Within about 15 minutes
of climbing I warmed to the point where I could take off the
windshirt and hike with just the Rendezvous over a thin
baselayer. As soon as the sun peeked over the tops of
the mountains I quickly stowed the Rendezvous in my pack where
is stayed for the remainder of the hike.
I am finding that this combo of Rendezvous + windshirt is
very effective and adaptable.
I had never hiked the Sycamore Canyon section of the Arizona
National Scenic Trail, and I was looking for a trail with not
too much elevation gain/loss for a change, so I set out on a
Saturday afternoon for an overnight hike. I had the Rendezvous
on at the beginning of the hike, as it was chilly when I
began, but removed it after about 30 minutes once I warmed
up. It went back on immediately when I reached my
campsite, as the temperature was dropping fast, and a down
vest went over the top of it. This is a great combo:
down vest over the Rendezvous, as the merino wool keeps my
arms warm, and my core temperature was maintained by the vest.
I slept that night with the Rendezvous on. I like the
way it keeps my throat warm at night, as I have a tendency to
get sore throats in the cold weather.
The next morning I wore the Rendezvous for about the first 30
minutes again, then stuffed it into my pack, right after I
snapped the photo above. I seem to be finding a pattern:
wear the garment for 30 minutes at the start of hiking to warm
up, remove, then put back on immediately when I stop.
I purchased a new hammock that I wanted to try out, so I
headed out for a quick overnight to my favorite camping spot
in the Catalina Mountains. I put on the Rendezvous as
soon as I hit camp as it was cooling down rapidly, then soon
added a down vest for warmth. I noticed when I tried to
use the thumb loops that the sleeves were a bit constricted,
as if they could have been a little longer.
The next morning I set off before the sun came up wearing both garments, as the temperature was right about freezing, then took off the vest after the first mile as shown in the following photos.
The Rendezvous stayed on for about the next hour until the
temperatures warmed up to where I could hike in my
shirtsleeves. I am finding I really like hiking in the
Rendezvous in cold weather - it keeps me warm, vents well when
the zipper is opened, and breathes nicely if I heat up a bit
going up a slope.
One of the things I noticed when I got home after this trip
is the garment was pretty wrinkled from being stuffed into my
pack, and the wrinkles did not really want to come out.
I threw it in the wash for the first time, and it came out
beautiful, wrinkle-free and looking brand-new.
I have done several short
sections of this trail as a day hike, but it ascends all the
way to the summit of Mt Lemmon and I had never spent the night
along the trail so I thought I'd see how far up I could
go. The trail starts out with a gentle climb in the
foothills, then turns into a rugged Jeep trail, finally
transitioning to a brutally rough climb straight up the
mountainside.
It was too warm to wear the Rendezvous hiking the first day,
but as usual it went on as soon as I hit camp at 4:30pm and
stayed on all night. In my hammock at night I noticed
small sparks of static electricity wherever the merino wool
rubbed against my hammock as I moved; wool + plastic =
static. The sparks were not big enough that I could feel
them, though I could feel my hair stand up a bit.
I set off back to the trailhead early next morning in the
dark, and the Rendezvous kept me at the optimal hiking
temperature with ambient air at 40 F (4 C).
After about an hour of hiking the sun started to peak over
the mountains, the air began to warm and I stopped for second
breakfast and a break (see photo at left). Right after
the picture was taken I doffed the wool shirt and hiked in
shirtsleeves back to the trailhead.
Overall, the Rendezvous shirt has been a nice garment to have
with me in the backcountry. I have enjoyed its wooly
warmth.
Date |
Location |
Trail |
Distance |
Terrain/ trail type |
Weather |
Altitude
range |
February 7-9, 2014 |
Grand Canyon National Park |
Grandview Loop |
18 mi (29 km) |
Deep desert canyon | Mix of sun and clouds, 25-60
F (-4-16 C) |
7300-3700 ft (2220-1130 m) |
The Grandview Loop is a "lollipop" hike: it begins by
descending to Horseshoe Mesa from the Grandview Trailhead,
loops to the left down to Cottonwood Creek, then connects to
the Tonto Trail to circle the backside of the mesa, hooking
back up with a connector trail back up to the top of the mesa
at Hance Creek, then back up to the trailhead. This was
only my second foray into the Canyon, and though off the
beaten path it requires only modest mileage and altitude for a
three day hike and has water available at convenient
distances.
The conditions were a bit challenging: fresh snow covered the
trail on my descent, and over the course of the next two days
it thawed and was trampled down enough to turn to slick ice on
the way up out of the Canyon. Temperatures were cool,
but I had prepared for worse than I got.
The Rendezvous served me well on this trip. The following picture was taken in camp on the second night out.
Shortly after the photo was taken the temperature began to
drop as the sun set and I had to add another layer.
I wore the Rendezvous as my main warmth layer while hiking on
all three days. On the second day it warmed up a bit and
the sun came out, so I had to stash it in my pack most of the
afternoon, but other than that it got a lot of use. It
breathes very nicely so it can be worn over a reasonably wide
temperature range by zipping and unzipping the collar. I
appreciated the zippered chest pocket to store my reading
glasses while hiking, as I need to pull them out to read maps,
GPS, camera settings, etc.
Despite being worn pretty steadily for three days it smelled
reasonably fresh on my return, though I did launder it when
the hike was over. It continues to wash up cleanly.
I wore the Rendezvous on numerous cool evenings in the last
few months, mostly to sit out on the deck when
socializing. It is a very attractive garment, one that I
have no qualms about wearing in any kind of social
situation. It is perfect for keeping me toasty when the
temperatures are around 55-65 F (13-18 C) and I am sitting
outdoors.
The Rendezvous has been a great piece of gear that I have
thoroughly enjoyed using over the last four months, as it is
both highly functional and attractive. On my Grand
Canyon trip I appreciated its flexibility when used as a layer
beneath a vest or outer shell. I intend to continue to
use it in situations where I am willing to carry a bit heavier
garment (versus a down sweater, etc.) and want to enjoy its
cozy warmth.
Thanks to Mountain Khakis and Backpackgeartest.org for the
opportunity to contribute to this test.