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DeFeet ArmSkins Lite
Test Series
Initial Report - March 8, 2008
Field Report - May 27, 2008
Tester Information:
Name: Jason Boyle
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 6"/ 1.68 m
Weight: 180 lb/ 82 kg
Email address: c4jc "at" hotmail "dot" com
City, State, Country: Snoqualmie, Washington, U. S.
Backpacking Background:
I have been camping and backpacking for about 19 years. My introduction to the outdoors started with the Boy Scouts of America and has continued as an adult. I have hiked mostly in the Southeastern and Northeastern United States. I am generally a lightweight hiker, but will carry extras to keep me comfortable. I currently reside in the Pacific Northwest and spend most of my time hiking and backpacking in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, but I can be found exploring the other wild areas of Washington!
Product Information:
| Manufacturer:
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DeFeet |
| Model: |
ArmSkins Lite |
| Size:
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S/M |
| Color:
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White |
| Year of Manufacture: |
2008 |
| URL: |
www.defeet.com |
| Listed weight: |
None listed |
| Measured weight: |
1.6 oz/ 45 g |
| MSRP: |
$22 US |
| Fabric: |
47% Nylon, 49% Coolmax + FreshFX, 4% Lycra |
| Country of Manufacture: |
USA |
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Product Description:
The ArmSkins look like socks except they are open at both ends. The upper end of the ArmSkins has a short roll top cuff called the DeFeet Securl which is supposed to hold it in place “no matter how rough the terrain”. The bottom cuff is wider and has a smooth finish. The body of the Armskin has a square knit texture to it and is also soft to the touch. There are no vertical seams on the Armskin just flat seams at each cuff. Initial Impressions:
I am a very warm hiker and unless the temperature is below freezing I generally cannot wear a long sleeve base layer. I get even hotter if I need to layer a shell while hiking. Most of the time I only need a short sleeve base layer top, but still get tend to get chilled in the morning and evening of my hikes. I am hopeful that the ArmSkins can help me stay warm in the morning or evening and I can remove them in the middle of the day when the temperature warms up.
They are comfortable to wear and feel like a compression sock for my arm. They are snug but not tight enough to cut off circulation. The roll top cuff and the bottom cuff are smooth to the touch while the body of the Armskin has a textured finish. They seem to be sized appropriately for my frame with the top of the Armskin coming just a bit above my bicep and the bottom cuff ends at my wrist. The care instructions are fairly simple – Machine Wash Cold, Tumble Dry Low, and No Chlorine Bleach.
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Field Report – May 27, 2008
Summary:
The ArmSkins have performed well over the past two months. They have done a nice job of keeping me warm and helping me regulate my temperature while hiking. The white color has not become easily stained like I expected and they have not retained any smells. They are thin and provide very little wind protection but this is only a minor nit and the only one that I have.
Field Conditions:
I have used the ArmSkins on 8 trips for a total of 10 days over the past two months. The majority of the trips were dayhikes in the foothills of the Cascades, but I did take them on a three day backpacking/snowshoeing trip in the North Cascades. Elevations ranged from 800’ to 4000’ (244 m to 1218 m), temperatures ranged from 24 F to 50 F (-4 C to 10 C). I experienced heavy snow squalls during my backpacking trip and during one of my day hikes I had heavy rain, blowing snow, followed by more heavy rain, and finally sunshine.
Report:
Socks for my arms… that’s a good description of the ArmSkins. I was a little apprehensive about how useful these would be but I have been very pleased with them. I think their usefulness is limited by my imagination. Most of my hikes I would start out wearing them and would roll them down when I needed more ventilation or to cool down. This method worked pretty well at helping me regulate my core temperature. As spring has arrived I don’t tend to wear gloves as often but I still get cold hands. Before I received the ArmSkins, I would either be cold, or if wearing a long sleeve shirt I would pull the sleeves over my hands. Now that I have the ArmSkins I just fold them over my hands and presto instant hand covers! They were plenty warm even down to freezing and several times I even used them to ward off light precipitation. However, they wouldn’t hold up to any serious rain, snow, or wind.
I had two areas of concern with the ArmSkins – durability and permanent stains on the white fabric. Neither has been a problem thus far. The ArmSkins are in good shape and after several washings have not lost any of their elasticity. They are also retaining their color nicely. They are not bright white anymore, but they don’t have any permanent stains and are still mostly white. I am pleased.
This concludes my Field Report. Please check back in two months for my Long Term Report to see how the ArmSkins fared through the spring. Thanks to Backpackgeartest.org and DeFeet for allowing me to participate in this test.
Read more reviews of DeFeet gear
Read more gear reviews by Jason Boyle
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