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Long Term Report
Ex Officio Micro Stretch Fleece Skivvy Zip Pullover
May 15, 2005
Tester Information
Name: Joe Martinez
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Height: 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Torso: 19 in (48 cm)
Sleeve Length: 29 in (74 cm)
Neck: 16 in (41 cm)
Chest: 43 in (109 cm)
Weight: 180 lbs (82 kg)
Email address: joe AT jmmsoftware DOT COM
City,State,Country: San Jose, California, U.S.A |
Tester wearing the
Ex Officio Micro Stretch Fleece Skivvy Zip Pullover |
Backpacking Background and Style:
Although I have been hiking for a few years, and camping since I was a child,
I am fairly new to backpacking. My first trip was 16 months ago, but I have
gone on a total of 7 trips in that time, anywhere from 2-4 days in duration,
some solo, and some with a child. I hope to take some longer trips in the
future. My backpacking trips so far have been in Henry Coe State Park, in
the Diablo Range in California, and in the Sierra Nevada. I also hike in
the Santa Cruz Mountains (a coastal range in California). I have always
been careful about weight. I try to eliminate unnecessary items and buy
the lightest items possible, but not at a major sacrifice to comfort. I
am still learning what I need to carry to be comfortable, and what can be
left at home. I always carry a journal, and write in it daily, keeping
detailed notes about what techniques have been successful, and what pieces
of gear have performed well in the conditions that I am in.
Information About Item from Manufacturer's Web Site:
Web Site: http://www.exoffico.com/
Colors available: Navy and Black
Sizes available: S, M, L, XL, XXL
Item Weight: Not Listed
My Measured Weight (not from web site): 10.0 oz (283 g)
Fabric Weight: 7 oz/sq yd (237 g/sq m)
MSRP: $58.00 US
FEATURES
- Soft, stretchable Micro Stretch Fleece — 97% Polyester/3% Spandex
- A cozy layer of insulation for cold-weather adventure
- Mock neck zips open for more ventilation; protective zipper neck
guard
- Moisture wicking with an odor-resistant finish to keep you feeling
fresh
- Flat lock stitching reduces bulk; raglan shoulder seams for comfort
- Thumb slot with extended sleeves to make layering easier
IDEAL USES
Hiking/Camping, Urban Travel, Resort Travel
Pre-Test Info
I have used a thinner, lighter weight long-sleeve base garment for almost
a year now, and have found it comfortable, but was very interested in trying
a heavier base garment for colder weather. I saw the test call for the Ex
Officio Micro Stretch Fleece Skivvy as a great opportunity to do so.
Test Environment
Between the time I wrote the Field Report and now, I was able to get out
on two actual backpacking trips. Both trips were in Henry Coe State
Park in California. I also wore it on a snowshoeing day trip to Calaveras
Big Trees State Park in California. I have also worn the shirt many
times, on day hikes, around the house, around town, at the gym, and playing
tennis.
Additional Test Results Since Field Report
Backpacking Trip #1: Henry Coe State Park, Late January, 2005
The weather was pretty cool on this trip. The lows were in the low
30's, and the highs in the low 70's. I found the skivvy with a waterproof/breathable
shell over it to be very comfortable while hiking to our first night's site.
The weather was nice, and the breathability of the two garments allowed
me to stay cool while hiking. That first night, we camped at a site
up on a ridge. The site was pretty exposed, and fairly windy. We
were definitly cold that night. My 2-year-old son was comfortable sleeping
in a heavy fleece sleeper, inside a +15 degree bag. I attempted to
sleep in my +20 degree bag, in nothing but the skivvy on top, but I was too
cold, and ended up having to put on my fleece jacket in order to get to sleep.
The second day was even warmer than the first, and I was a bit warm wearing
both the skivvy and the shell. Removing the shell worked well, and
the skivvy by itself allowed the slight breeze to cool me off. The
second night, we camped at a more protected camp site, and we were quite
a bit warmer. That night, I was able to sleep commfortably with only
the skivvy on top.
Backpacking Trip #2: Henry Coe State Park, Mid April, 2005
Being spring, the weather was warmer on this trip than on the previous trip.
Lows were in the mid 40's, with the highs in the mid to upper 70's.
I definitely found the skivvy a bit too warm to use for hiking in these
daytime temperatures, so I switched to a t-shirt, which was much more comfortable.
As the sun went down, however, I found the skivvy perfect for both
sleeping and hanging around camp in the evening.
Snowshoeing Day Trip: Calaveras Big Trees State Park, Mid January, 2005
I thought that this trip would give me the opportunity to test the skivvy
in cold winter temperatures in snow country. Unfortunately (for the
test, anyway), the weather was unseasonably warm when I went. Although
I didn't record the temperature, I couldn't really rate the weather any worse
than "cool". However, I have recorded my observations nonetheless.
Being my first time snowshoeing, I kept the trip pretty short and mostly
flat. I wore the skivvy as my base layer, with a fleece jacket as my
mid layer, and my waterproof/breathable shell on top. I only snowshoed
about 1-mile loop, which, as I said, was mostly flat. The skivvy worked
very well as a base layer with this moderate level of exertion. It
wicked my perspiration away very well, and I was very comfortable during
the trip.
Updated Comfort Chart
In my Field Report, I made a chart of my comfort levels in the skivvy at
varying ambient temperatures and activity levels. As I said before,
I didn't really expect to test the shirt in "hot" temperatures, due to the
seasons in which the test took place. I had hoped to test the skivvy
in "cold" temperatures, but as stated above, the snowshoeing trip turned
out to be not so cold. I was, however, able to fill in the Warm/Moderate
space during my backpacking trips, so here is the updated chart. As
before, zero represents perfect comfort. Negative numbers mean that I was
too cold, and positive numbers mean that I was too warm. The scale goes
from -5 to +5, corresponding to me feeling freezing cold to sweltering. The
question marks represent untested situations.
Ambient
Temperature
|
No Activity
|
Moderate
|
Strenuous
|
Cold
|
?
|
?
|
?
|
Cool
|
-2
|
0*
|
+1
|
Warm
|
0
|
+1
|
+3
|
Hot
|
?
|
?
|
?
|
* In all cases, the Skivvy shirt was my only layer, with the exception of
the Cool/Moderate spot, when I was wearing a waterproof/breathable shell
jacket over it, and sometimes a fleece jacket as a mid layer.
Answers to Test Plan Questions
In my Initial Report, I posed a set of questions that I wanted to answer
during my testing. Here are the answers, based on my experience with
the garment:
- How comfortable is it to sleep in?
Answer: Very comfortable, as long as the temperatures are right, or if I
wear something else over it.
- In what range of temperatures is it effective as my only layer?
Answer: I found the skivvy to be comfortable as my only layer in warm temperatures
with no activity, or very low activity. In cool temperatures, it was
comfortable by itself with moderate activity if it wasn't windy, in which
case it worked much better with a windproof shell over it.
- How well does it wick moisture away from my body?
Answer: Excellent. It is probably the best wicking garment that I've
ever worn.
- Does it cause any discomfort while wearing a pack?
Answer: No. It was very comfortable under my pack.
- If the pullover is my outer garment, and my hipbelt goes directly over
it, does the hipbelt tend to slide down over the fabric?
Answer: No more than any other garment that I have worn under a hipbelt.
- How useful do I find the thumb slots when using the pullover in a layered
system?
Answer: I found them somewhat useful. They work well, but holding on
to the end of the sleeve works almost as well. Since that is what I'm
used to doing, I forgot to use the thumb slots most of the time anyway.
- How long does it take to dry?
Answer: Since the skivvy resists odor so well, I never had the need to wash
it on the trail. At home, I mostly dryed it in the clothes dryer. The
one time that I did hang it to dry, it dried very quickly (about 2-3 hours,
hanging in a doorway with good ventilation.
- How well does it hold up to washing? Does it still feel good next
to my skin after being washed a number of times?
Answer: The skivvy seemed to hold up to washing very well. I never noticed
any damage or wear from the times that I washed it. Since Ex-Officio
sent me two of the shirts, and because it resisted odor so well, I probably
didn't wash either of them more than about 5 times. Both shirts still
feel great next to my skin.
- How well does the zipper work? Does the fabric ever get caught in
the zipper?
Answer: The zipper works very well, and I have never had any problems with
the fabric getting caught.
- How bulky is it? (How much room does it take up when I have to put
it in my pack)?
Answer: It is not very bulky at all. Although I didn't carry it in
my pack much, it was small enough that I could always find a place for it.
- How resistant is the fabric to picking up burrs and other stickery plant
particles if it rubs against (or gets laid down on) dry vegetation?
Answer: I never did get the chance to answer this question. The vegetation
on the ground where I hiked/backpacked was always green during the seasons
of the test, so it was a moot point.
Conclusion
The Ex Officio Micro Stretch Fleece Skivvy is a great garment when used at
the correct times. It is great as a base layer while hiking in cool
weather, and is also great in warmer weather while mostly inactive. The
anti-odor properties work excellent, as expected. The wicking ability
is excellent as well.
I highly recommend the Ex Officio Micro Stretch Fleece Skivvy Zip Pullover
to anyone hiking in cool conditions. It will be my base layer of choice
next winter and spring.
Read more reviews of Ex Officio gear
Read more gear reviews by Joseph Martinez
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