Owner Information:
Name: Jason Boyle
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 6"/ 1.68 m
Weight: 170 lb/ 77 kg
Email address: c4jc "at" hotmail "dot" com
City, State, Country: Waldorf, Maryland, U.S.
Date: October 19, 2004

Backpacking Background
I have been camping and backpacking for about 16 years. My introduction to the outdoors started with the BSA and has continued as an adult. I have hiked mostly in the Southeastern and Northeastern United States. I currently live near Washington D.C. and have made the mid-Atlantic mountains my playground. I am an aspiring lightweight hiker, but I just can't seem to leave behind all of my gadgets.

Product Information:
Manufacturer: Duofold
Model: Short Sleeve Tee Shirt
Size: Large
Year of Manufacture: 2002
URL:www.duofold.com
Listed weight: none given
Measured weight: 5.5 oz (156 g)
MSRP: none listed on manufacturer's website
Colors available: Royal, Silver, White, Atomic Red, and Black
Material: 100% Polyester
Country of Manufacture: Imported to the United States

I have been using Duofold shirts since my first real backpacking trip when I was 13 and I am now on my 4th generation of their tee shirts. Duofold shirts do a great job at wicking away moisture, are relatively durable, and come in cool colors. They do have a tendency to retain smell, but that's just bear repellent right?

Field Information:

The specific shirt that I am reviewing has been worn in all seasons. I have worn it during summer hikes when temperatures topped 90 F (32 C) and during winter hikes when night time temperatures were 0 F (-17 C). I have also worn the shirts in downpours, windy conditions, and on the occasional beautiful day.

Review:

When I was a wee lad and new to backpacking I wore whatever I had around, mostly cotton tee shirts. When I went on my first real backpacking trip, an adult leader had this cool catalog of camping equipment and recommended a wicking tee shirt made of synthetic materials. Being the impressionable young lad that I was I said ok, thus began my relationship with Duofold.

This tee shirt is a lightweight wicking tee shirt with a normal loose tee shirt fit. It is very comfortable to wear and requires no maintenance or babying. It has a seamless body with flat seams around the neck and on the shoulders. It has normal seams on the sleeves were they attach to the body of the shirt and under the arms. The shirt is fairly compressable and I generally stuff my extra shirt anywhere I can find room, unless it is going to rain then I make sure it is in a waterproof bag.

The shirt has been durable in the two years that I have been wearing it. There are no rips or gashes in the body of the sleeves even though I have bushwhacked through numerous forests. The shirt also shows no signs of wear in the shoulders or lower body areas where my shoulder and hip straps rest. The shirt has minor pilling, but is not noticeable unless I examine the shirt closely. There are no permanent sweat stains in the arm pits or on the back as some other shirts develop over time. One of the great features of the shirt is the lack of a inner collar neck tag. The normal tag information is screened directly on the inside collar of the shirt.

The wicking ability of the shirt is great. On a Dolly Sods, WV trip this summer, I was able to soak out the shirt with sweat, wash it, and hang it up in 75 F (24 C) weather and it was dry in three hours. I have also put on the shirt damp in the morning and had it dried out in less than an hour by my body heat. This shirt is also used on my long distance runs during the summer because of the great wicking ability.

One of the drawbacks of the great wicking and breatheability of this shirt is the lack wind resistance; there is none! In cold, windy, or rainy weather the shirt will not provide much protection by itself. A windproof/waterproof layer is needed for protection in this type of weather. However the shirt does make a great base layer.

Another drawback of this shirt is that it tends to trap odors and smell. After two plus days of wearing this shirt even I begin to smell myself. This is easily remedied in warm weather by trail washing the shirt. In colder weather, I just deal with it if I am on the trail for extended periods of time.

I do not take any special care of the shirt when laundering it. I normally toss it in with other color clothes and wash on the cold setting and then dry it with the other clothes. Laundering seems to remove the funky smell of the shirt. At home laundering usually does a better job than trail laundering.

Overall this is a great basic wicking tee shirt. It is well constructed, durable, and cheap. (I cannot tell you the retailer I bought it from, but a quick Internet search will reveal a list of suppliers). It does trap smells, but I think that is a small trade off for this great shirt.


Read more reviews of Duofold gear
Read more gear reviews by Jason Boyle

Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > Duofold Tee Shirt > Owner Review by Jason Boyle