Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > Ex Officio Give-n-Go Skivvy Top > Anthony Smith > Field Report

Tester Bio
Name: Anthony (TJ) Smith
Age: 29 years old
Gender: Male
Height: 5’10” (1.78 meters)
Weight: 165 lbs (75 kg)
Neck: 15.5 in (39.5 cm)
Chest: 42 in (106 cm)
Arm Length: 34 in (86.5 cm)
Email address: tj@leaess.com
City, State, Country: Pensacola, FL USA
Date: January 9, 2005

Backpacking Background: I have been camping regularly for a little over 5 years now, mostly car camping. I have recently begun backpacking, and I am constantly adding new gear to my “collection” in an effort to get my gear list tailored more towards backpacking, specifically lightweight backpacking. Most of my backpacking trips are short duration, not more than one or two nights. However, I am planning some longer trips in the near future.

Product Information
Year of Manufacture – 2004
Manufacturer URL – http://www.exofficio.com/
Stated Weight – 4 oz/sq yd fabric (no other weight listed)
Weight as Delivered – 6.3 oz (179 g)
Size – Men’s Medium
Color - Charcoal

For more product information, please see my initial report.

Testing
Date: November 19-21, 2004
Location: Karick Lake Campground, Holt, FL
Conditions: Overcast to heavy rain, temperatures ranged from a high of 79 F (26 C) to a low of 61 F (16 C).
During this trip, I used the Ex-Officio top as the only shirt I wore. The top was used as both a shirt during the day and as my clothing at night. The Ex-Officio Give-N-Go was very comfortable in the temperature range experienced on this trip. I did not have a chance to use it in a layering system as the temperatures did not warrant layering. Using the top the entire weekend, it did not develop any odors or odd smells. During the course of the weekend, I traveled a 5 mile (8 km) day hike, at a pace to develop some sweating. The Ex-Officio top dried out within a matter of approximately 15 minutes after completing the hike, during which time I was still wearing the top. Also during this weekend,we experienced a heavy downpour which flooded us out of the campground for the 2nd night of the weekend. Before I was able to get any rain gear on, the top was completely soaked. After placing my rain jacket on, I began some packing up of equipment. Within less than 2 hours of the top being soaked, it felt dry against me.
As a part of my sleeping system, the Ex-Officio Give-N-Go was quite comfortable on this trip. I used it in conjunction with my Hennessy Hammock and Big Agnes Horse Thief sleeping bag. The Ex-Officio was actually warm enough that I did not use my sleeping bag during most of the night. One issue that did present itself for me on this trip is that the fabric of the top tends to snag a bit on the Velcro closure of my Hennessy Hammock. So far, this appears to be just a cosmetic problem and has not caused any major issues with the top.
The last day of the weekend was a day trip to finish packing up equipment left at the campground. Throughout the time spent that afternoon, the top remained comfortable. If I get too warm, simply rolling the sleeves up to my elbows adapts the top for me to be comfortable in the warmer conditions.

Date: November 26-27, 2004
Location: Blackwater State Forest, Munson, FL
Conditions: Mostly sunny to overcast skies, temperatures ranged from a high of 70 F (21 C) to a low of 37 F (3 C).
During this weekend, I had an opportunity to use the Give-N-Go as both an outer layer and a base layer as the temperature dropped during the weekend. During the hike in to the camping area, my pack caused some sweating along my back, which was dry by the time I had camp set up (about 15 minutes.) As the temperature began to drop during the early evening, I placed a short-sleeve top on over the Give-N-Go, which enabled me to stay warm. I did not experience any chilling during the night, even as temperatures reached the rated temperature of my sleeping bag.

Date: December 12, 2004
Location: Downtown Pensacola, FL, evening hike
Conditions: Partly cloudy, temperature started at 55 F (C) and dropped to 40 F (C) during the hike.
On this 2 hour hike, temperatures dropped fairly rapidly. The Ex-Officio Give-N-Go, used as a base layer, kept me very comfortable even in the changing temperature.

I have also used the Give-N-Go quite frequently around the house as well as around town. I have not yet had any issues with the top developing any odors, or retaining any body odors from continued wearing. I have washed the top twice so far, and dried following the instructions of rolling in a towel, stomping, and then hanging to dry. My top dries completely within 3 hours, even in high humidity conditions.

Overall Impressions
Overall, I have been extremely pleased with the Ex-Officio Give-N-Go Skivvy Top. I find it very comfortable, used both as a stand-alone top and as a base layer. The top so far has maintained its non-odor developing abilities. My top has also met or exceeded my expectations for drying abilities. My only complaint with the top is the small snags that have developed from coming in contact with the Velcro closure on my hammock. However, other clothing I have that is made of similar construction has developed similar snags, so the manufacturer can’t be faulted for this.

Continued Testing Plan
I intend to use this top for continued hiking/camping trips in (hopefully) progressively colder weather as the season progresses. I intend to more thoroughly explore the abilities of the top as not just a stand-alone shirt but as a base layer in a layering system. I also intend to explore the abilities of the top to retain its drying ability and odor-resisting features throughout the duration of testing. I will plan on utilizing the top on several longer duration backpacking trips, and exploring how well the seam placement prevents rubbing of the shoulder seams from my pack straps.

I would like to express my thanks to Ex-Officio and Backpackgeartest for being able to test this piece of clothing.

Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > Ex Officio Give-n-Go Skivvy Top > Anthony Smith > Field Report