Personal Information:
Name: Christine Korhonen
Age: 31
Gender: female
Height: 5'4" (1.6 m)
Weight: 150 lb (68 kg)
E-mail: chris@wormguy.com
Location: Western Montana
Date: September 9, 2005

Backpacking Background:
I'm in Montana enjoying the summers and becoming re-acquainted with winter. Now that I'm back above the snow line, I'm attempting some winter camping and snowshoeing. I'm a lightweight backpacker mentally, if not always in practice. My summer pack weight is around 19 lb (9 kg) with a tent, but my winter pack hovers around 25 lb (11 kg).

Product Information:
Manufacturer: Ibex
URL: www.ibexwear.com
Item: Neck Gaiter
MSRP: US $20
Color: Red Rock/Graphite
Size: Large

Dimensions:
Listed Weight: 2.2 oz (62 g)
Measured Weight: 2.2 oz (62 g)
Measured Size- flat: 9¾" wide x 7" high (25 cm x 18 cm)

Neck Gaiter Description:
The Ibex neck gaiter is a knit tube made from Merino wool designed to keep one's neck warm.

Testing Locations:
I tested the neck gaiter while backpacking in elevations from 4000' to 14,000' (1200 to 4200 m) in Montana, Wyoming, and California. Temperatures ranged from 25 to 50 F (-4 to 10 C). I experienced quite a lot of wind, no rain or snow, but both sunny and shady conditions.

Use:
During the Long Term Testing phase, I used the neck gaiter more as a headband than to protect my neck. In cold conditions, when I wanted to cover my neck, I tended to wear my front-zip fleece. This fleece has a high collar that zips closed. When I wore the fleece, the neck gaiter wasn't necessary since the collar of the fleece covered the same areas that the neck gaiter covers. Instead, I tended to wear the neck gaiter on my head to cover my ears.

Neck Coverage:
Since the gaiter is so short, it doesn't cover much more of my neck than the collar of my zip-front fleece. In windy conditions, I could have used a longer neck gaiter. I would like a neck gaiter to tuck into my fleece's collar and be able to reach high enough to cover my chin, mouth, and nose. The Ibex Neck Gaiter doesn't do this.

As a Headband:
I really like using the neck gaiter as a headband. The material is soft on my skin. The diameter of the gaiter is perfect to fit over my ears without being tight. The material, while too thick for my neck, works well on my head. The gaiter's length from top to bottom is much longer than other headbands I use, but covers my ears and side of my face nicely. The gaiter is like a cross between a hat and an earband, with the best from both worlds. It's open in the back for my hair to stick out, my ears are completely covered, and the top of my head is covered as well. I never noticed wind penetrating the gaiter to reach my ears. The gaiter also does a great job holding hair off my face, especially in windy conditions.

Packing:
When folded, the neck gaiter fits into the front pocket of my hiking pants, but just barely. It's a little too thick to fit comfortably in my pocket. I would prefer a gaiter made of a single layer of material that could fold thinner. Normally I kept the neck gaiter in my pack, but I would often be in situations where I was passing from sun to shade. In the sun it was too warm to wear the gaiter, but I wanted to wear it when I was in the shade. At these times I would keep the gaiter in my pocket when I took it off.

Durability:
I have washed the neck gaiter three times. I followed the washing instructions: cold water wash and lay flat to dry. The neck gaiter has held up to washing well. It hasn't shrunk, nor has it become stretched out. The seams are intact. In fact, the neck gaiter looks like new. When I first pull it out of pack it tends to have some wrinkles, but these smooth out when the gaiter is worn.

Like:
Soft feel.
Use as headband more than neck gaiter.

Would like:
Could be longer.
Would prefer if it was thinner and not lined.

Thanks to Ibex for holding this test and BackpackGearTest for allowing me to be a part.

Read more reviews of Ibex gear
Read more gear reviews by Christine Korhonen

Long Term Report

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