Field Report - Ibex Approach Tights
Initial Report

Personal Biographical Information
Background
Product Information
Introduction
Field Information
Field Testing Impressions & Considerations
Warmth and Moisture transport
Fit
Maintenance
Construction
Areas of improvement
Summary
Pro
Con

Personal Biographical Information

Name	Pascal Deschênes
Age	30 years old
Gender	Male
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	88 kg (195 lb)
Head circumference	57 cm (22.5 in)
Forehead width	13.5 cm (5 3/8 in)
Email	pasde at yahoo dot com
City, Province, Country	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Date	29 June 2005

Background

Long since I was young, I've always been an outdoor enthusiast: sea or white river kayaking, rock climbing, long and short distance hiking, classic and backcountry skiing, mountain biking.

I can describe myself as being a hiker with a paradoxical style. On one side I tend toward fast tracking while on the other I halt frequently, gazing at various points of interest, fauna and flora. I'm also geared toward lightweight backpacking but wouldn't let my solo percolator home.

Product Information

Manufacturer	Ibex Outdoor Clothing (http://www.ibexwear.com)
Manufacturing Country	U.S.A. (imported fabric)
Product Category	Clothing
Color	Black
Size	Men's Large
Year of Manufacture	2005
Listed Weight	383 g (13.5 oz)
Measured Weight:	400 g (14.1 oz)
MSRP	$95.00 US
Material
	89% Merino Wool
	4% Spandex
	7% Polyester

Introduction

Despite the fact that I have not been using the Ibex Approach Tights as I would have liked due to the arrival of the product late in the winter/spring season, the field-testing period has brought forth noticeable aspects.

Field Information

I have been using the Approach Tights during two cross-country skiing outings in Mont-Orford, and one strenuous snowshoeing trip in Mont-Megantic, where temperature ranged between -10 C (15 F) and 0 C (32 F) in all occasions.

Moreover, I have been wearing the tights late in the spring season during several day hikes in the Laurentiens or the Monteregiens with an even mixture of bright sunshine, overcast sky, and nasty rainstorm. In those occasions, temperature ranged between 5 C (40 F) and 15 C (60 F).

Field Testing Impressions & Considerations

Warmth and Moisture transport

Even though I did not have any chances of wearing the Ibex tights during the colder days of the Great White North's winters, I can nevertheless confirm that this Merino Wool and Lycra blend holds high marks in terms of warmth and hence, comfort. In fact, the garment has proven to be warm enough to wear on its own without any layer on. However, I look forward to test such aspects in the upcoming colder November days.

On several occasions where strenuous efforts were required, I have found the fabric composition (Merino Wool and Lycra blend) to provide adequate moisture wicking. However, I have a small concern about the waistband region, which is, as one may probably expect, not as efficient in terms of moisture transport.

Once completely soaked, these tights take age to dry out completely. But again, we are talking about wool here, which has never proven to be the fastest wicking fabric.

Fit

For the time being, the tights have endured each kilometers (miles) and washing cycles without any lost in terms of tightness.

As mentioned in my Initial Report, I have found the tights to be short in length and was a bit concerned about the possibility for the cuff to move up while performing certain activities such as snowshoeing. It is with great satisfaction that such concern has vanished during the field-testing period: the cuffs stay right into place.

For now, I will not venture in determining whether the cuffs fit into my backcountry ski boots as I have not performed any substantial outing in this regard. I look forward in commenting on such matter for the Long Term Report.

Maintenance

According to the manufacturer's website, it claims these tights are "Easy Care", which I was anxious to verify. In fact, I love wool for most of its properties but don't like wool once it needs to be washed. But that's just me.

I have been thoughtfully following manufacturer's recommendation regarding care and washing instructions for the first few washing cycles.

"Wash gentle cold (40 F). Separate. With a mild detergent (ivory snow). Do not bleach. Lay flat to dry."

However, either through laziness or test commitment, I decided to break the rules and washed the garment with other color-like clothes. The result was a bit disappointing: the fabric seems to have lost a bit of its snugly feeling. I can obviously not determine if it is either just the nature of the fabric or the fact that I have broken the rules. Nevertheless, this is not a big deal: the tights remain comfy.

Construction

Despite the fact that I have not faced any problem with the elastic waistband, I don't see any particular use for the closing cord. Obviously I could simply perform a quick knot to secure the closing but it is cumbersome, so I always ended up leaving the cord untied and loose.

Because my legs tend to bend inward a bit while I walk (or run), whatever bottom clothes I am wearing have a tendency to exhaust in the long run (no pun intended) around the inner thigh region. The Ibex tight looks for now a promising tough garment in that regards as it has yet to show any sign of wear and tear in that sensible area.

Moreover, the quality of workmanship is definitely undisputable: all seams remain tightly stitched.

So far, I have made no use of the interior pocket but on the other hand has not come to be a nuisance.

Areas of improvement

• Replace the waist cord mechanism.

Summary

Pro

• Warmth
• Fit

Con

• Long dry-out period
• Waist cord closing mechanism