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Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > Sitka Gear Traverse Shirt > Test Report by Nathan Kettner
SITKA GEAR TRAVERSE SHIRT
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TESTER INFORMATION
I'm a medium weight backpacker, meaning my pack usually weighs 30-35 lb (13-16 kg), and I generally hike a moderate pace and mostly in mountainous terrain. I almost always use a tent (lightweight when backpacking, wall tent when hunting). I'm a weekend backpacker and make lots of day trips and single night outings, plus a few week-long backpack trips. All of my outings have been in the beautiful and rugged Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Wyoming since I started backpacking in 2004.
INITIAL REPORT
PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer: Sitka Mountain Gear INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
The shirt arrived in a box of ample size with a clear bag containing the shirt. There was also a shipping form and a return form with instructions and a cut-out return label in case a return was necessary. In my case, I was able to try this shirt on at a local dealer before ordering, so I was confident the shirt would fit and was already familiar with the feel of the fabric, which is very soft inside and out, and comfortably stretchy. READING THE INSTRUCTIONS
The typical advertisement/information cards were attached to the shirt, but were easily removed. They contain some useful information such as the intended use of the shirt, which is as an insulation layer between a "core system" and the Nimbus Series, which is Sitka's outer layer. TRYING IT OUT
I wore the shirt with nothing under it around the house, but quickly became too warm. I got the feeling that if I wore an undershirt, it would have to be really cold and/or windy outside before I would be comfortable in this shirt. I tried wearing the shirt with my thumbs in the thumbholes provided, which is almost certainly a good way to keep from losing my body heat, but I'm not sure I'll get used to that feeling of tension on my palm. TESTING STRATEGY
I intend to test this shirt on my upcoming elk hunting trip in northern Colorado's Routt National Forest and on a snowshoeing hut trip in Colorado as well. The average temperature will vary significantly, from lows SUMMARY So far, I like the feel of this shirt and can't wait to put it through its paces. FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS
I wore the Traverse shirt over a base layer of polyester for five days of hiking around Independence Mountain in northern Colorado in mid-October. Base camp was at 9,000 ft (2,400 m) and most of my hiking was slightly below that altitude. Temperatures were unusually warm, reaching the upper 50's F (10 C) during the day, but dipped to about 20 F (-7 C) on two of the colder mornings. Since I spent most of my time hiking cross country. I can't say for sure how many miles I covered, but it was easily 5 miles (8 km) each day and possibly as much as 12 miles (19 km) on my more ambitious days. PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD
I think the Traverse shirt performed very well. During my 5 day hunting trip I did not have a washing machine handy, of course, and although I changed by undershirt each day, I was pleasantly surprised to have never caught a scent of myself. As for warmth, it was great. Once the temperature was above freezing, I stuffed my parka in my backpack and wore just the Traverse shirt with my baselayer and was comfortably warm as long as I was moving. SUMMARY
I like the Traverse shirt so far because of its scent blocking and its warmth. On the downside, the pilling makes the shirt slightly less attractive and I'm still undecided about the cuffs. LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS
Since I filed my Field Report, I've had the pleasure of wearing the Sitka Traverse shirt on many cold days around town, but most interestingly, I wore it on two snowshoeing trips. The first trip was in the Lost Creek Wilderness of central Colorado where the trail starts at about 8,000 ft (2400 m). A friend and I ascended just over 2,000 ft (600 m) in 5 hours of steady climbing in nearly untouched snow and temperatures in the 20's F (-6 to -1 C). We took turns breaking trail, but the sweat factor was high whether I was in the lead or not. PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD
On my snowshoe trips, the only time I realized how much I was sweating was when I took my backpack off and the wind could get to my sweat-soaked back. The rest of my upper body stayed pleasantly dry and relatively warm because of the wicking properties of the Traverse shirt combined with a long-sleeve polyester undershirt. During a good workout in near-freezing temperatures, the Traverse shirt provided the ideal amount of insulation and a moisture wicking material to keep me dry and comfortable. SUMMARY The Sitka Traverse shirt met or exceeded all my expectations for comfort, warmth, and odor protection and except for the pilling, it seems to handle many cycles of wearing and washing very well. I'm not crazy about the cuffs with the thumbhole as they are not very comfortable for me, and I never really did figure out what the patch of material on the bottom of the back of the shirt was for, but it certainly did not detract from the shirt's overall comfort and utility. CONTINUED USE I expect that I will wear the Traverse shirt on many hiking, hunting, and backpacking trips in the future. It's light weight and comfort make it ideal for anytime I expect to encounter cool temperatures. This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1. Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.Read more reviews of Sitka Gear gear Read more gear reviews by Nathan Kettner Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > Sitka Gear Traverse Shirt > Test Report by Nathan Kettner |