Personal Biographical Information

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

Introduction

Not only do I enjoy wearing tights for much of my outdoor activities, I also really appreciate the feel of wool. Itchy or not, I simply like all the characteristics wool has to offer: all-condition insulation, durability, antimicrobial, soft, renewable and natural, high wicking throughput and a nice touch of by-the-fire comfort. Obviously, wool has some drawbacks as well: heavy (particularly when wet), sometimes itchy, troublesome maintenance.

How does Ibex's wool perform? I will try to find out.

General Information

The Ibex Approach Tights are packaged in a simple plastic bag along with a very well designed hang tag which provides some generic information about Ibex wool along with product information and warranty. The given warranty slightly differs from the one that can be found on the manufacturer's website and goes as follow:

The actual product looks like what was expected while initially inspecting the manufacturer's website although I first thought it would be lighter, thinner, and without this long grayish thread. It is also worth mentioning that, at the time of writing, product images have disappeared from the website. I have notified the manufacturer without any response by now.

Product Description

The Ibex Approach Tights are made of 89% Merino Wool, 7% Polyester, and a mere 4% Spandex. It is worth mentioning that the manufacturer's website uses Invista's brand name Lycra instead of spandex, which is in fact the generic term.

Merino:

Despite the fact that merino wool traditionally originates from Spain, there exist actually a handful of production countries. Unfortunately, I could not determine the source of Ibex wool.

Beside fabric proportion, the following washing information may be observed on the clothing label:

A simple drawcord is present around the elastic waistband along with a 4 in x 4 in (10 cm x 10 cm) mesh pocket on the inside. No mechanism is provided to lock the drawcord in position. A light-color thread is stitched from the cuff up to the waist giving an athletic look.

Unlike many other tights that I have worn, the Approach Tights go down slightly above the ankle, where a small logo is present.

Initial Impressions & Considerations

Initially, I was generally impressed with the overall construction, fabrics, and design of the Ibex Approach Tights: the construction remains well made, the fabric seems of undeniable quality, while the design shows some innovations.

Fit

Having waist and inseam of 84 cm (33 in), I could have hesitated between a size medium and a size large as I was in between those two according to the manufacturer's recommendations, which are clearly available on their website. However, I did not vacillate a second and requested a size large, considering that I was more subject to waist size enlargement than inseam one. Nevertheless, the tights fit perfectly my shapes, with the waistband running just under my belly button and the stretchy fabric performing as expected all over my legs. However, I have to admit that I was a bit concerned with the fact that the legs seemed a tidy bit too short, with the cuff running just over my ankle and was very pleased having not picked up the medium one. Only time will tell if this may become a source for problems.

Fabric & Construction

Despite the fact that the blend is made with a small amount of Spandex, the tights feel extremely stretchable, somewhere between "conventional" tights and underwear in this regard.

The wool is very soft on the inside while being a bit rugged on the outside, remaining very rich still. Like many long underwear but unlike traditional Spandex tights, Ibex has assembled the tight with several material sections, where the main point of junction being the crotch area. All stitching threads, except for one, lay nicely flat, potentially limiting chafing. The remaining one thread is located around the waist where the fabric wraps around the drawcord: it does not look to bad but it is definitely not as flat as the other ones and I will keep an eye open for it.

One thing that was not as expected is the elastic waistband, which is simply made from the same fabric blend rather then a real elastic band. However, it is way too late in this test series to determine if this is really substantial. For now, the waistband definitely performs its intended job, that is, keep the top section from sagging.

Testing Location and Weather

I'll be testing mostly in Western Quebec with peregrinations into my near-by national parks and reserves. However, I plan to take a few weeklong trips to the Laurentian Trail or the International Appalachian Trail (Gaspésie) as well as a few-days hikes into the White Mountains or Adirondacks. During winter trips, the expected temperature will be ranging from -20 C (-4 F) to 0 C (32 F) with lots of snow while during spring outings the temperature gets milder but lots of snow remains. Because of a late test start for the winter season, I really plan on using these woolen tights during the warmer days of June and September as well, following the path of the African Tuaregs. During those outings, temperature is expected to be ranging between 10 C (50 F) and 25 C (75 F).

Test Plan

I plan to test these tights in various terrains and conditions. The manufacturer's website is particularly clear regarding the best uses: Climbing mountaineering, Nordic Skiing, Ski Touring, Snowshoeing and winter running. Fortunately, I am one of those winter freaks that perform every such activities (to be honest, I will trade winter running for winter bikingJ which comes with its load of snow mud).

Having tested several other brands of underwear in the past, I consider myself as a "power-user" and have several criteria that need to be fulfilled. In particular,

Warmth and Moisture transport

Does the fabric composition (Merino Wool and Lycra blend) provide an adequate moisture wicking? Once completely soaked, how fast do these tights dry out? According to Ibex's website, these tights are classified as expedition weight underwear and I would like to see if this claim stands Quebec's cold winters.

Fit

Because fitting is crucial, are the tights ready to endure my treatment kilometers after kilometers (miles after miles), days after days, through several washing cycles? Or will they loose their tightness? Does the cuff tend to move up while performing certain activities (I am thinking about snowshoeing here)? How do these tights fit into my backcountry ski boots?

Maintenance

Will I receive full benefit of the Ibex tights if I follow the manufacturer's care and washing instructions? Any deterioration during the washing process? According to the manufacturer's website, these tights are "Easy Care" and I want to verify such claim.

Construction

How well seams resist to wear and tear? Are the waist elastic band and drawcord durable? Does the fabric provide anti-microbial protection? What about chafing? Is the interior envelope pocket worth noting?

I would like to thank Ibex and BackpackGearTest for the opportunity to participate in this test.