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Ex Officio BUZZ OFF
Lite LS Shirt
| Initial Report |
May 11, 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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Initial Impression
I first read all I could from the
Ex Officio's website. I found all the information about thier shirt that I could
have asked on the website. They made it clear on the website and with
removable and permanent tags on the shirt, that it should not be dry cleaned.
This removes the active ingredient from the shirt making it ineffective. I also
read on the website, as well as on the tags of the shirt that the BUZZ OFF
technology will last for 25 washes. The active ingredient in the fabric is
Permethrin which is EPA regulated and approved. The shirt also arrived with information
regarding the effectiveness of the shirt and other information.. It claims to repel mosquitoes, ants, chiggers, flies, ticks and
midges.
The shirt is mostly what it looks like on
the webpage. What the webpage
doesn't show, or show clearly, is that the back of the shirt has a flap/vent
that is supposed to supply the back with fresh air. The sleeves are also able to
be rolled up and buttoned up so it doesn't come unrolled.
There are two pockets that can be closed
with a zipper on each side of the shirt in the chest area. The inside of the
pockets are lined with a mesh material. The mesh should be fine enough so that I
will not worry about small objects falling through. The cuffs have two buttons
on them, where buttoned shirts normally have them, so the cuff can be opened up
to roll up the sleeve or just help ventilation.
I cannot smell anything unusual from the shirt that might be caused from the
BUZZ OFF ingredient. The stitching of the shirt seems to be durable. An extra
button was provided with the shirt. The shirt, in my opinion, can definitely be
worn anywhere as a casual button down shirt. It doesn't need to be tucked in but
should be fine tucked in or not tucked in.
The material has a slight rough feel to it. It may get softer after a couple
washes but straight out of the bag it is slightly rough. The roughest isn't
nearly bad enough to make wearing the shirt uncomfortable.
To sum up my initial impressions, the shirt is what I expected. The information
that was available on the website told me what to expect as far as the shirt
looks; however, a couple more pictures of the shirt, such as its backs and
rolled up sleeve, would have been nice.
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Test Plan
Testing
Locations
I will be testing this shirt in Indiana
during the summer and fall. Insects start to come out in May so I should start
being attacked by bugs. The weather is very humid and hot, up to 100 F (38 C). I
will also be testing this shirt on my backpacking and outdoor adventures. This
may include West Virginia, Texas and Colorado. The exact conditions of these
locations will be provided after I have gone there. I will also use this on the
trips I do not have planned yet.
Some of the things I want to test:
The durability of the shirt and the
sewing.
Will the shirt dry quickly?
Is it comfortable after many washes?
Will it repel all the listed insects? and
more?
Will it keep me cool in the summer heat?
Will insects land on my exposed arm when the sleeves
are rolled up?
Will the shirt limit my motion?
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Read more reviews of Ex Officio gear
Read more gear reviews by Michael Herman
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