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Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > tasc Performance V Long Sleeve Tee > Test Report by Lori Pontious

tasc Performance V Long Sleeve
Test Series by Lori Pontious

INITIAL REPORT - January 2, 2011
FIELD REPORT - March 13, 2011
LONG TERM REPORT - May 15, 2011


Tester Information

NAME: Lori Pontious
EMAIL: lori.pontious (at) gmail.com
AGE: 45
LOCATION: Fresno County, California, USA
GENDER: F
HEIGHT: 5'7" (1.7 m)
WEIGHT: 165 lb (75 kg)

I've backpacked, camped and fished all over the lower 48 states with my family as a kid, and then life happened. I've restarted these activities about four years ago - I dayhike or backpack 2-6 times a month. I am between light and ultralight. I have a hammock system and own a Tarptent. My base weight depends upon season and where I go.

Product Information


Manufacturer: thriv NP, inc.
Manufacturer URL: www.tascperformance.com
Listed Weight: not listed
Actual Weight: 5.3 oz (150 g)
Size: Medium
Fabric: 55% Organic Cotton, 40% Viscose from Bamboo, 5% Elastane
Color:
Sunset Purple
MSRP:
$35.00


Initial Report

Product Description

I received my Performance V Long Sleeve (alias the shirt) in mint condition with no frays, missed stitches, and with tags safety pinned to a seam. The fabric is soft and feels good against the skin. The brand and country of origin ("made in India, designed in New Orleans") is printed on the fabric at the back of the neck; the tag on the side seam instructs me to "machine wash cold, do not bleach, tumble dry low, warm iron if desired."

IMAGE 1
Image courtesy of thrive NP, inc.

The Performance V Long Sleeve is made of 160 GSM performance fabric. GSM stands for "grams per square meter" and measures the thickness of the fabric. It is described by tasc as having excellent wicking ability and "naturally remains odor free." It is also described as providing UV protection, a feature I appreciate. The shirt is a blend of cotton, bamboo and elastane. The website describes the shirt fabric as "drapes like silk and feels like cashmere" - while I wouldn't go so far as to say it's exactly like cashmere, it does have a nice drape to it that reminds me of a heavier silk and it is quite soft.

tasc stands for "technical all season comfort." The focus of tasc as a brand is on being light weight, moisture wicking, breathable, and comfortable, using four way stretch and UPF 50+ protection.

Upon receiving the shirt, I immediately put it on. The shirt is comfortable and quite light. There are no places along the seams that rub uncomfortably - in fact, I don't even feel the seams. The shirt is advertised on the tasc website as being "not too loose, not too tight." The dimensions of the shirt appear to be correct and it fits me as well as it fits the model on the website (despite my slightly-different proportions).

I wore this shirt under my sweater for a cold New Year's Eve, and was quite comfortable with it against my skin all day. I am hoping that it will be as comfortable when I am hiking with it on.

FIELD REPORT

Field Conditions

Point Reyes National Seashore, California, USA, January 13 - 15. Temperature Range: 40 to 70 F (4 to 21 C)

Dewey Point, Yosemite National Park, California, USA, February 4 - 5. Temperature Range: 15 to 55 F (-9 to 13 C)

Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park, California, USA January 29. Temperature Range: 45 to 55 F (7 to 13 C)

Map and compass class, Woodward Park, Fresno, California, USA, February 26. Temperature Range: 50 to 60 F (10 to 16 C)

Henry Coe State Park, California, USA, March 3 - 4. Temperature Range: 38 to 60 F (3 to 16 C)

Temperance Flat, Auberry, California, USA, February 25. Temperature Range: 50 to 60 F (10 to 16 C)

Panoramic Point, Kings Canyon National Park, California, USA, March 10. Temperature Range: 45 to 55 F (7 to 13 C)

Kings River, Sequoia National Forest, California, USA, March 11. Temperature: 55 F (13 C)

Field Report

Over the last two months, I have worn the tasc Performance V Long Sleeve on three backpacking trips, two snowshoe trips, and two day hikes, plus one fishing trip. I have worn the shirt as a base layer and on its own when temperatures permitted. Temperatures have ranged widely from 15 to 70 F (-9 to 21 C) while the shirt was in use.

The shirt continues to be as comfortable as ever. I have worn it for three consecutive days and found that odor control is fairly good; I still manage to get the shirt sweaty, with some odor present, but it all comes out in the wash. I washed it as I do all of my wicking layers, in cold water with odor free light detergent, and tumble dried at a low temperature.

I note that as of this writing the shirt has some frayed fibers and pilling along the arm seams, and three pinholes have appeared on the front of the shirt in the general vicinity of my navel. It is possible this has to do with pack belt fasteners rubbing in this area, but two of the holes are somewhat higher than the belt of any of my packs tend to ride. The shirt has not stretched, torn or shown any abrasion from pack straps.

Using this shirt as a base layer on my overnight trips (Point Reyes, Dewey Point, Henry Coe) I found that I could not wear just the shirt but needed an additional layer to sleep warmly. The shirt is more like a lightweight base layer than a midweight; typically I prefer a midweight layer to sleep in.

IMAGE 1
snowshoeing to Panoramic Point

The shirt does keep out the UV; I burn extremely easily, and would know if the rays were getting through! I appreciate that it is so light and works well for sun protection. I'm looking forward to summer trips where I will want to be cool yet protected from sunburn.

LONG TERM REPORT

Field Conditions

Hite Cove Trail, Sierra National Forest, California, USA, April 8. Temperature Range: 70 - 80 F (21 - 27 C)

Pinnacles National Monument, Paicines, California, USA, April 27 - 28. Temperature Range: 45 - 75 F (7 - 24 C)

Laurel Lake, Yosemite National Park, California, USA, May 5-6. Temperature Range: 45 - 80 F (7 - 27 C)

Mist Trail, cross country hiking and climbing, Yosemite National Park, California, USA. Temperature Range: 45 - 85 F (7 - 29 C)

Long Term Report

During this phase of testing, I wore the shirt on many day hikes and another fishing trip. I list above the ones with a broader range of temperatures and activities. I've been living in the shirt on all outdoor excursions save the search and rescue outings (they tend to want us in uniform for those). I've worn the shirt for about 25 days of hiking, sometimes two or three days in a row.

I note the small holes from the field testing phase have remained the same, without getting bigger. The slight fraying at the seams is unchanged. I also note that while I have gotten the shirt sweaty enough to retain some odor until I wash it, it hasn't continued to smell that way after being washed, as some of my synthetics have done.

In addition to trail hiking, I wore the shirt while climbing and bushwhacking on my way to the Diving Board, a rock feature on the western shoulder of Half Dome in Yosemite. I note that the manzanita and other bushes and trees I pushed my way through didn't tear the shirt. This was my warmest trip and I really worked up a sweat bouldering and routefinding up the ridge in full sun. I spent a lot of time in open granite as well and still did not experience sunburn where covered by the shirt.

Summary:

The shirt has performed well for me - it wicks moisture well, and I enjoy the softness of the material, the sun protection, the odor control, and the light weight. It seems to be fairly durable despite some small holes and fraying. I've enjoyed putting this shirt to good use and intend to use it in the future as summer warms up my time on the trail.

My thanks to thriv NP, inc. and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to review the Performance V Long Sleeve.



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Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > tasc Performance V Long Sleeve Tee > Test Report by Lori Pontious



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