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Ex Officio BUZZ OFF Lite LS Shirt
| Field Report |
July 13, 2004 |
Personal Biographical Information
Name:
Michael Herman
Age: 20
Gender:
Male
Height:
5' 11'' (1.8 m)
Weight:
195 lb (89 kg)
Email: Backpackman (at) mailbolt (dot) com
Location:
Northwest, Indiana
Backpacking
Background
I stated camping with my family in the car and the RV when I was real young. I did a lot of camping with the Boy Scouts and then did my first
backpacking trip (three days) with my dad when I as 13. From then on I took a
backpacking trip once a year until high school where I started going more often.
Now in college I do many outdoor activities with the outing club. I backpack
often as well as participate in other activities such as caving, adventure racing, kayaking and
climbing; however, backpacking is my primary activity.
My backpacking style is packing light
but not ultralight (yet); however, I do not skimp on eating well. I continually
want to find ways to get better meals on the trail while not adding much weight.
I also don't want to shortchange myself with low living conditions just to save
a couple of ounces (grams). I want to find other ways to reduce weight while
staying comfortable.
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Product Information
Product: BUZZ OFF Lite LS shirt
Manufacture: Ex Officio
Year of
Manufacturer: 2004
URL: http://www.ExOfficio.com
Listed Weight: Not Listed
Sizes: S to XXL (I have Large)
Material: 65% polyester and 35% Cotton (3.0 oz/square yard 101 g/square
meter)
Description: A button down long sleeve shirt that has BUZZ OFF technology
applied to the shirt so that bugs will not be attracted to you. Can be used
instead of bug spray. Also gives SPF 30 protection.
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Field Report
I wore this shirt during 4 backpack trips
with a total of 14 days plus a couple of day hikes and around the town. These
hikes were in Indiana and one trip to the Rockies. The temps got up to 92F
(33C). The shirt still looks new after six washes and comes out of the wash
smelling like new. The only sign of wear is that the white lining inside
the shirt has yellowed in the past couple of months. The stitching nor the
fabric show any sign of wear and tear. All the buttons are still firmly attached
to the shirt. After two months of wearing and being washed the shirt seems to
have
gotten softer.
The bug protection of this shirt is top notch. I have seen mosquitoes,
gnats and no-see-ums mostly and they stay away from me for the most part. I do
not apply extra bug repellent. The shirt is long sleeved and in the heat (up to
92 F or 33 C) and humidity of the summer it does
get hot wearing this shirt. The shirt does allow you to roll up the sleeves
though (this feature works nicely). Most of the time my sleeves are rolled up.
Bugs will still stay away from my exposed arms while the sleeves are rolled up.
Bugs will also stay away from my face (for the most part) while I wear the
shirt. A bandana with BUZZ OFF technology would be great. While hiking in
Southern Indiana I encountered mosquitoes and gnats with out a single bite. In
the Rockies I only got a couple of bites on the back of my hand. Over-all I am
very impressed with the bug repellency of this shirt. It works nicely and still
works nicely after 6 washes.
The comfort of this shirt is rather nice; however, I think ventilation is a
problem. I sweat like crazy while hiking in this shirt even with the sleeves
rolled up. I have to leave the top few buttons unbuttoned to feel
comfortable. The back of the shirt has a ventilation flap that allows air into
the shirt, but when you wear a pack
it is completely useless and the back of the shirt will be soaked in sweat. When
I take the pack off the shirt does seem to dry up in a decent amount of time. If
I am not exerting myself the ventilation of the shirt doesn't seem to be a
problem, I am able to wear the shirt in 90F (32C) or warmer weather and not be
extremely hot (with the sleeves rolled up). Other than the ventilation this
shirt is nice to wear, and looks nice. I wear this shirt as a
casual-business attire. I feel awkward backpacking in a shirt that looks like I
should be at work; however, this is good for a business bar-b-que or picnic
where looking halfway decent but still outdoors it required. It will also keep
the bugs away from you. There are two
chest pockets, which I haven't found a good use for yet, although has come in
handy while backpacking a couple times to store some gum or tic-tacs in. Overall
this shirt has great bug repellent features, but I do not like the shirts
comfort to hike in, because of the ventilation. I also feel weird hiking in it
due to it being buttoned down. After the
testing period I will probably buy another BUZZ OFF shirt that is not buttoned
down and is short sleeved and use that for backpacking while I will continue to
use this shirt to go to the park or bar-b-ques.
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Likes and Dislikes
What I like
What I dislike
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Read more gear reviews by Michael Herman
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