Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > Scottevest Performance Tee > Test Report by Brian Tannehill

SCOTTEVEST SEV PERFORMANCE T SHIRT LONG
TEST SERIES BY BRIAN TANNEHILL
INITIAL REPORT
Jan 01, 2008
FIELD REPORT
Mar 24, 2008
LONG-TERM REPORT
May 26, 2008

CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO THE FIELD REPORT
CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO THE LONG-TERM REPORT

TESTER INFORMATION

I am fairly new to backpacking, but I have hunted/fished/camped all my life in East Texas, Colorado, and California. My young kids (4, 10, 12) limit me to weekend overnight camping trips, or day hikes Geocaching. I am also an avid mountain biker. Currently I live in Colorado Springs, Co at the base of the Rocky Mountains. Pike National Forest surrounds me at 9000 - 14,110 feet (2743 m - 4301 m). Snow can happen 10 months out of the year and summer is the hottest reaching 65 F + (18 C +), the other months average 45 F (7 C).

INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Scottevest
Year of Manufacture: 2007
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.scottevest.com
MSRP: US$ 40.00
Listed Weight: N/A
Measured Weight: 8 3/4 ounces (248 grams)
Other details from the web site:

Fig 1 courtesy www.scottevest.com

The ultimate t-shirt for today’s active lifestyle! The incredibly popular SeV Performance T-Shirt combines comfort and good looks with the convenience of 3 pockets – perfect for carrying iPods®, cell phones, and other on-the-go essentials. The pockets-1 chest pocket and 2 side seam pockets-are strategically located and ergonomically designed to minimize shifting, chafing, and neck stretch (unlike other t-shirts that simply have pocket cloth sewn on the outside). Our Performance Tees feature our patented Personal Area Network (PAN) wire management system and elastic loops to keep your earbuds in place.

The performance fabric feels fantastic, resists fading, and wicks moisture away from your skin to keep you drier and more comfortable. It’s also lightweight enough that you can control your iPod® right through the fabric! Whether you run, bike, golf, work out, travel, or just like keeping your gadgets near by, the SeV Performance T-shirt is the perfect choice. It is available in short sleeve and long sleeve. Huntsman High IQ Performance Fabric. Machine Washable.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

I am testing the black long sleeve performance T shirt Size Xtra large. My measurements are as follows:
Height: 5' 7" (1.7 m)
Weight: 185 lbs (79 kg)
Neck 17 in (43 cm)
Shoulder Girth around both shoulders and chest 52 in (132 cm)
Chest 42 in (109 cm)
Hips measured around my gluteus maximus 42 in (107 cm)
Waist 36 in (91 cm)
Hat size: 7 1/2 in (19 cm)

The shirt is made in China of 100% polyester, and has a small diamond pattern for the outside, and another layer on the inside. When I hold it up to a light I can see light coming through the material.

TRYING IT OUT

I've worn the shirt around the house and yard for a few days now. Temperatures have been fairly cold here hovering around 20 F (-7 C) for the high. One day when I wore it outside there was a slight breeze, and the breeze cut right through the shirt. As it was the only shirt I had on, it was really cold. I'm worried this is going to be a problem for wearing it out hiking and such as I am in the middle of winter.

The overall fit of this shirt is right on for me. I like how it is cut generously at the waist so that it doesn't hug my mid section. The sleeves are the perfect length, and the neck fits good, but it is a bit tight when I pull it over my head.

Fig 2 courtesy www.scottevest.com

Fig 2 shows an Xray view of the pockets. Even though the information about this shirt list three pockets, I can only find two, and the x ray view only shows two. I'm not sure what is being considered as a third pocket.

Fig 3 Elastic Loops

Figure 3 above shows an inside out, blown up view of the elastic loops that are located in the collar area of the shirt. So far these have not bothered me and I do not even know they are there. At first glance, I think running the cord under my shirt just seems easier. I use larger earphones that have a piece that hangs over the outer part of my ear so that they stay in place when I run. It is a bit time consuming to route the earphones through these loops.

Fig 4 Shoulder Pocket dimensions

Fig 4 shows the dimensions of the shoulder pocket. I used a standard 12 in (30 cm) wooden ruler. The zipper opening measures 5 in (12.7 cm). The picture on the right shows the shirt inside out so I could measure the dimension of the pocket. The width of the pocket measure 5 in (12.7 cm) and the length measures about 11 in (28 cm).

Fig 5 Side Seam pocket

Fig 5 shows the dimensions of the side seam pocket. The pocket is located on the right hand side at the bottom of the garment about my waist line. The zipper opening is 5.5 in (14 cm) long. The inside dimensions are 8 in (20 cm) by 7.5 in (19 cm). The red portions in the upper corners of the side seam pockets are the openings so I can route earphones out of the pockets. Both pockets have this.


So far I've used two different mp3 players with this shirt. The first one was my Dell 30 GB mp3 player. It weighs 6.5 ounces (184 grams). It measures 4 in (10 cm) long by 2 1/4 (5.7 cm) wide by 3/4 in (1.9 cm) thick. The other player I use is my other Dell DJ mp3 player. It is 1 1/4 ounces (36 grams) and is 3 1/4 in (8.3 cm) long 1 in (2.5 cm) wide and .5 in (1.2 cm) thick. Both fit well inside all the pockets, but I like the heaver item in the lower side seam pocket.

TESTING STRATEGY

These look like it would be a nice base or second layer shirt. I will use it on all adventures outdoors, to include digging snow caves with my kids, building snow men, shoveling snow, snowshoeing, and cross country skiing. I will also use it during my exercise sessions at work as we sometimes run outside in the cold, well when its not too cold...

Things I will look for: The pockets seem cool. I run a lot with some kind of mp3 player, (currently a large clunky one), how well will it fit the pockets? Will the shirt sag from the weight or is it designed to stay in place? How does the Personal Area Network (PAN) wire management system work? Will the elastic loops bother me or rub me in certain places? The web site says the material is light weight enough to control an Ipod through the shirt, but how will it stand up to the Colorado cold and wind? Can I use it as a base layer or a second layer for the coldest months or is this more of a spring/summer type shirt? How well does the shirt wick moisture? My other concern is if I sweat a lot, will it sweat through the material and affect my mp3 player?

This concludes my Initial Report. The Field Report is posted below.

FIELD REPORT

FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

I've worn this shirt about 2-3 times a week since I received it. Somewhere along the lines of 24 days total. While I wore it almost a month, these are a sampling of the outings that I have done.

Outing #1: Temperature was 18 to 27 F (-7 to -2 C), with a wind 2 to 3 mph (3 to 5 km/h). I hiked 3 miles (5 km) round trip with elevation ranging from 6800 to 7200 feet (173 m to 183 m).

Outing #2: A small cross country ski attempt. I say attempt as this was my first time to try it out. The temperature was 32 F (0 C) with a 2 mph (3 km/h) wind. I was in a thick shady wooded area at a local park. The elevation was 7700 (196 m) and I was carrying my Alice pack full of extra gear.

Outing #3: Mountain biking. I rode approximatly 5 miles (8 km), 3.5 mile (5.6 km) were on the Sante Fe trail, that was nothing but a slushy/snow/ice mix on the ground. Speeds reached a max of 20 mph (32 km/h), but averaged around 8 mph (13 km/h). Weather was clear and 48 F (9 C) with a 6 mph (9 km/h) wind.

Outing #4: I also work out as part of my job about 3 times a week for about an hour. Anytime we went outside I wore the shirt. Mostly temps have been below 40 F (4 C) when we run outside so I didn't sweat a whole lot. I wear either an atheltic style shirt under the SeV, then a cotton t shirt as the outer layer.

Outing #5: Working out in a gym, temperature was probably 65 F (18 C) and I ran for 20 minutes on a treadmill. I was wearing the SeV shirt and another cotton shirt over it.

Outing #6: Touring the mall area in Washington DC. Again I was wearing the SeV as a baselayer, and a cotton t shirt over it. Temperatures were in the high 40's F (4 C) with a stiff wind.

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

During each use the shirt seemed to perform fine. The one thing I don't like about it is the wind cuts right through the shirt. For me this shirt is not a cold weather shirt due to the wind cutting it. Now that the temperatures are warming up, I would like to see how the shirt performs during exercising and hiking, basically any of my outdoor activities.

The below outings correspond to the outings in the field locations section.

Outing #1: I went on a small hike late in the afternoon. I did some light rock scrambling and brush breaking. I wore a white athletic fit shirt as my base layer, then my ExOfficio long sleeve top, then the SeV top. I carried a small mp3 player in the left chest pocket and was wearing my Alice pack with water and some extra clothes. Starting out the temperatures were at the high end of the range, about 27 F (-2 C), and I was comfortable until the sun went down and the temperature dropped to around 20 F (-6 C). That along with the slight breeze made it cold enough I had to put on a fleece pull over. The wind cuts right through the SeV, as it does not provide any wind resistance.

My pack weight was in the range of 10 lbs (4.5 kg). I thought the left side pack strap would give me problems rubbing on the mp3 player, however the pack strap didn't bother the mp3 player at all. I was also glad to see that the earphone cords didn't shift around or get pulled back through the loops due to me shifting the pack around. After a while I was tired of listening to the player so I just dangled the earphones from the neck line and the shirt did not stretch nor did I have any problems with them hanging there.

Outing #2: Cross Country Skiing. I wore a fleece pull over, on top of three layers the whole time. The base layer against my skin was an atheltic style short sleeve shirt, my ExOfficio top as the 2nd layer, the SeV shirt third layer, and a fleece pull over. I skied into the area, and had some wind against me, but I wasn't really skiing fast enough. However I was warm. I had to hike out, as I didn't know I needed some kind of skins to climb back up the hills I skied into. Hiking up I got a bit warmer, but being in the shade the whole time I kept all layers on.

Outing #3: Mountain biking. I was dressed in three layers again. The base layer was an atheltic style short sleeve shirt, my ExOfficio top as a mid layer, and the SeV shirt as the last layer. I also wore shorts and Red Ledge rain/wind pants. I was moving more this time so I was sweating some, however I was cold as the wind still goes through the shirt. I got plenty of mud on the back of the shirt from tires. There were no issues with stains after I washed it, and so far it has been washed about 15 times. It has shown no signs of fading, and the sleeves and neck are still as tight as when I received it.

Outing #4: 4 mile (6 km) run. Temperature was 40 F (4 C). I actually built up a good sweat up on this one. I ran for 40 minutes even (10 minutes/mile). The shirt performed fine, except the fact that the wind blows through it. There was a slight breeze, plus me running made it cold out.

Outing #5: Working out inside I was sweating alot wiping my brow with the sleeves. The sleeves were absorbing the sweat fine, and I did not have a problem with the shirt. The SeV moved sweat away from my body as I would expect.

Outing #6: I hit the monuments around 10:00 am. The wind cutting through the shirt made me cold. Any time I was out of the wind, I was fine. We walked around 4 miles (6.4 km) back and forth through the monuments. My only complaint was the wind.

I do like the pockets on the shirt. I've carried 3 different mp3 players in it, my wallet, a camera, some souvenirs, and the shirt performs fine. I expected the shirt to pull to one side when I put something heavy in the bottom right side pocket, but it doesn't. I also expected the neck line and the wrist of the cuffs to stretch, but I am happy to say they don't. I routinely pull my sleeves up to my forearms. On most shirts over time my sleeves stretch. After 2 months of this these sleeves are just as tight.

I'm trying to work on getting the shirt to smell. The longest I have gone without washing it is 4 days, wearing it each day. My wife however keeps grabbing it and washing it, so I'm not sure if she is being on the ball with my laundry or if it really does smell. It doesn't smell to me.

For the next two months I will continue to wear this shirt in all my outdoor and indoor activities. Since the weather is warming up, I will be exercising outside more, and will wear the shirt each time I go out. Please check back in about 2 months towards the end of May 2008 for my long term report.

LONG-TERM REPORT

LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

I've continued to use the shirt along the same lines as my Field Report.

The latest outing I had with the shirt was running 6.3 miles (10 K) in the Bolder Boulder race.

Other outings include a couple of 4 mile (6 K) runs for work, one 1.5 mile (2.4 K) run for my annual physical training test and lots of outdoor sporting activities.

Weather conditions for the race were mid 50's F (12 C) cloudy and rainy. Other conditions were usually in the mid 40's F (7 C) and sunny as we have morning PT.

I've also worn it while fishing/hiking around a few of the local lakes.

Total days I've worn the shirt over the last 4 months is about 60 days.

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

Since the weather has warmed up, the shirt has been more comfortable to wear in the wind. In my previous reports, I noted how cold the shirt was when the temperatures were lower and it was windy out. Since we are out of winter, and it's been sunny out most of the time, the shirt has been nice to wear.

One of the things I noticed from some hiking and brush breaking episodes, is there are a few snags in the shirt. It's not bad, and doesn't affect the performance of the shirt. One is located on the back left shoulder, and one is located on the left sleeve. The snags are about 1 in (2.5 cm) long.

I like the pockets on this shirt. They hold items well and are easily accessible. I mostly put small Mp3 players in the bottom side pocket and run the ear chords up through the front of my shirt. I don't really use the loops made for the ear phones. I think it's mainly because I wear bigger earphones made to wrap around my ears and stay in place while I run. They don't fit all that well through the loops as the loops are small.

I also ran the Bolder Boulder a 6.2 mile (10K) race in the shirt. I wore an athletic fit shirt under the SeV. The shirt performed well as it moved moisture away from my body. It rained on me some towards the end of the race, and that kept me cool in the shirt. I also poured water on my head and down my back during the race. The shirt seemed to absorb the water and move it off me. I was not as wet as I thought I would have been after pouring the water on me.

The max number of days I could go with out washing this shirt was 7 days. After that it smelled and needed to be washed. Thankfully after washing the smell was gone.

SUMMARY

Overall the shirt is nice. However I don't think it works for a cold weather shirt, due to the fact that the wind cuts right through the shirt. This shirt is better suited for me in a somewhat warmer environment somewhere in the mid to upper 40's F (7 C) and up. I really enjoyed wearing the shirt when the temperatures were in the 50's F (12 C) and sunny.

Things I didn't like about the shirt:
The main thing is it didn't protect any from the wind.

Things I liked about the shirt:
I really liked the pockets, and the cut of the shirt. It wasn't tight at the bottom and didn't accentuate my belly like a lot of shirts. I also liked how the sleeves didn't stretch out over time. I ran a lot with my sleeves pulled up to my elbows and they never stretched.

I will continue to use this shirt when warranted in my outdoor activities.

This concludes my report series on the Scottevest SeV Performance T Shirt. Thanks to BGT and Scottevest for the opportunity to test this shirt.

Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > Scottevest Performance Tee > Test Report by Brian Tannehill