OWNER’S REVIEW: DUOFOLD VARITHERM™ LIGHTWEIGHT SHIRT – WOMEN’S

 

Background Information:

Name:  Karen Ross
Age:  23          
Gender: Female
Height:  5'0" (1.5 meters)
Weight: 103 lbs.  (47 kilos)      
Email address: kr128@columbia.edu
City, State, Country: New York, NY, USA
Date:  March 14, 2003
Backpacking Background

I'm 23 and have been hiking and camping for as long as I can remember.  I'm an avid runner and day hiker, ski occasionally, kayak, car camp, and generally like to spend as much time outdoors as possible.  I've spent time hiking and orienteering with scout groups, as well as while doing my military service in Israel.  I travel frequently and try to use every opportunity to explore. I started backpacking a few years ago and my trips have been limited so far to shorter ones: day hikes and overnight or 3 day trips.  However, I'm hoping to take a couple of longer hikes this spring and summer and work my way up to a section or thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in the next year or two.  Since my trips have been fairly short up until this point, I can't really say I've "embraced ultralightweight culture," however, I'm hoping to launch my long-distance career with as little as possible on my back!

 

Product Information:

 

A.  Manufacturer: Duofold

B.  Year of Manufacture: 2002 (I'm not certain about this, as this particular item was bought for me by someone else)

C.  Manufacturer URL:  www.duofold.com

D.  Listed weight: N/A

E.  Weight as delivered: 4.4 oz (125 grams) – women’s size small

F.  Product description:  White, long-sleeved crewneck shirt made of 100% polyester, from Duofold's Varitherm line.  This is the lightweight single layer shirt, described on the manufacturer's website as "Modified Rib Knit fabric of 100% Varitherm™ Polyester. Provides ultimate moisture movement for cold weather, high activity situations."

 

 

Performance

This shirt was sent to me while I was doing my military service in Israel and needed something warm to wear under my uniform in the winter.  I now wear it as a base layer while running or hiking, or even just around the house in cold weather.  I've worn this shirt in temperatures ranging from 25 through 60 degrees F (-4 through 15.6 degrees C).  It’s a versatile shirt and I’ve worn it in all conditions. 

 

I am most definitely a warm weather person and do not enjoy being cold in the least.  While the temperatures in Israel don’t get as cold as they do here in New York, I certainly felt extraordinarily chilly at times.  Thus, of primary importance to me was finding a shirt that could be worn as a single layer under cotton military fatigues and still keep me warm.  To that end, all expectations were met.  I used the shirt as my only shirt during PT (physical training) exercises and found it to be sufficiently warm for active wear – even too warm at times when I really worked up a sweat.  I also stayed quite warm wearing just this shirt as a base/camp shirt even when sleeping outside in a sleeping bag or in similar non-insulated conditions. 

 

As I said previously, I now wear the shirt as a base layer while engaged in cold-weather outdoor activity.  Since it is white (I had to get a white shirt as only white or black shirts were acceptable in the military), I find that I can wear the shirt even in warmer weather and not get too hot if I wear it as a single layer and roll my sleeves up when it gets exceptionally warm.  Likewise, during the winter it’s great while skiing or spending long periods of time outside, even when the temperature is below freezing. 

 

The shirt does an adequate job of wicking moisture from my body when I sweat.  However, the fit on the shirt is slightly loose.  I believe the shirt would wick moisture better if it were more form-fitting.  Alas, my size means that finding truly well-fitting garments (i.e. items that are not too big) is rather difficult. Nonetheless, I don’t really have any complaints on the moisture-wicking front.  A bigger problem with the looseness of the shirt is that it makes layering more difficult.  I tend to wear items that fit snugly and having a loose shirt as my base layer means that outer layering garments don’t sit as well.  I don’t think this is a problem in general with the shirt though – just an issue due to my small stature.  If Duofold made an extra-small version of this shirt, it would probably fit me perfectly.

 

An important characteristic of base layers is how well they absorb (and do not emit) odor.  The Duofold performs respectably with regards to odor control, even when worn for extended periods of high activity.  Additionally, I have yet to see sweat stains on this white shirt – even after a year of use.

 

The Duofold Varitherm™ has proved to be durable and shows no fraying or loose threads despite numerous washings.  [I might add that I don’t take extraordinary measures to keep clothing in good condition when I wash it – everything just gets tossed into the washer and dryer.]  However, there is significant pilling on the shirt at this point.  Also, the hemming at the waistline is minimal and I always feel as though it is going to unravel at any moment.  This hasn’t happened yet, but I would suggest to the manufacturer that a more thorough hemline might be in order.  In fact, I would probably suggest stronger seams overall. While as I said the shirt is quite durable, it is made in a way that looks like it won’t take much abuse.  Luckily I’ve found that this is only cosmetic.