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Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > Ex Officio Micro Stretch Tops > Paul Schilke > Field ReportEx Officio Micro Stretch
Fleece Skivvy Zip Pullover
Field Test Report,
1/12/05
Personal
Information
Name: Paul
Schilke
Age: 31
Gender: Male
Height: 5 ft
7.5 in (1.7 m)
Weight: 165
lb (75 kg)
Chest Size:
39.5 in (100 cm)
Neck: 15.5 in
(39 cm)
Sleeve: 31.5
in (80 cm)
Email:
schilkepaul AT yahoo dot com
Location:
Laramie, Wyoming, USA
Backpacking
Background
As a
resident of Wyoming, I go on day trips at altitudes ranging from 7,000 ft (2100
m) to 12,000 ft (3700 m). Except for the severest conditions, I enjoy
hiking in most types of weather. I can only use one hand, so I prefer
gear that is light and fairly easy to use. I've hiked 9% of the North
Country Trail and 92% of the Appalachian Trail. I've bicycled 50
miles (81 km) to Lake Michigan on back roads through vineyards and
farmlands; and have canoed through Canyonlands National Park to the
confluence of the Colorado and Green Rivers.
Product and Manufacturer
Details
Ex Officio Website: http://www.exofficio.com
Model: Ex Officio
Micro Stretch Fleece Skivvy Zip Pullover
Stated Weight: 7 oz (198
g)
Actual Weight: 9 oz (255
g)
Material: 96% polyester,
4% spandex
Size: Men's Medium
Color: Black
Year of Manufacture:
2004
MSRP: NA
Features
Field Conditions
The Micro Stretch
Fleece Skivvy was worn on numerous hikes in the Medicine Bow National
Forest and in Rocky Mountain National Park. The Fleece
Skivvy was worn on a hike to the top of Estes Cone, 11,000 ft (3400
m), the highest altitude at which the Fleece Skivvy was used by me.
On this trip, snow fell gently, steadily and thickly to the ground. Wind
speeds were gentle but the occasional gust of strong wind blew snow down from
tree limbs; briefly creating blizzard-like conditions. For most of this
strenuous snowshoe climb, the Fleece Skivvy was worn as a base layer underneath
a non-insulated water and wind proof Red Ledge jacket. The
hike/climb/snowshoe trip was 3.2 miles (5 km) one way and the starting altitude
was 9400 feet (2900 m.) The average temperature that day was 28
°F (-2 °C.) I also wore the Fleece Skivvy while cross-country skiing
in the Medicine Bow Forest. On these trips, the shirt was worn
as a base layer with a Polartec 300 vest - sometimes underneath the
Red Ledge, sometime without.
Field Report
At first on the hike up
Estes Cone, I wore the Fleece Skivvy as a base layer beneath a Columbia
microfleece jacket in addition to the Red Ledge, but soon found the
combination too hot even with the zippers of all three layers undone.
So I stripped to my Fleece Skivvy and found the inside of my jacket coated in
sweat. Both the Skivvy and the Columbia were damp but not
soaked. I put the Red Ledge jacket back on top of the Skivvy. Now it
was chilly enough that I had to zip up all the zippers. Once I got moving
again, I was warm enough for the trip to the top of the cone. When we
neared the top of the rocky crag, we removed our snowshoes and scrambled to the
peak. Here my torso was quite a bit colder as I
finished most of a bittersweet chocolate bar. I was on the peak
for about 20 minutes including the scramble along the short rocky ridge leading
to the peak. I was only at rest on the peak for about 5 minutes.
Then we headed back to where we had left our snowshoes and I stood as the
other two ate their lunches of Pop Tarts and convenience
store sandwiches. At this point I did not feel a bit cold even though
I was standing at rest for another 10 minutes cracking jokes about exploding
whales and the intergenerational aspects of Saturday Night Live.
I did not use hiking
sticks on this trip but whenever I reached out to a branch to arrest a fall, my
movement was not constricted in any way. I did use one ski pole when
wearing the Fleece Skivvy while cross-country skiing in Medicine Bow
National Forest. Here also I never felt in way like my movement was
constricted by the Fleece Skivvy. After several washings the shirt
retained its shape. Also, after 4 or 5 days of non-sweating wear as a base
layer around the house and on my daily walk to campus and back, the Fleece
Skivvy never acquired a smell (at least to me.)
The
first strenuous snowshoe trip during which I used the Fleece
Skivvy, I wore it as a base layer with a Polartec 300 vest as the top
layer. At the end of the trip I found the only place where sweat was
noticeable was in the armpits of the shirt. It seemed to be otherwise dry,
but on the car ride home and the one from Estes Cone I found myself developing
quite a chill. Winter campers on overnight trips might want to
take to carry an extra base layer for use in camp and layer up during
sedentary activities
My favorite
feature is the turtle-like neck. The neck's zipper runs from
the top of my neck down to the middle of my chest. The zipper
allows venting while climbing serious hills and building serious
heat. Additionally, I never felt like I was going to choke and the
neck, with the zipper up, was just tight enough to make me feel
warm. The neck of the Fleece Skivvy truly allowed a full range of
motion for all activities I encountered. The zipper also has worked
flawlessly so far.
I was happy with the
size of the Fleece Skivvy I ordered. It was never too bulky and worked
well with a Kelty day pack weighing in under 15 pounds (7
kg.) The Peach finish continued to be a lint magnet even after a trip
through the dryer with it's lint screen clean. I
never noticed any wrinkling, but this shirt was generally worn as a base layer;
so I didn't spend as much time contemplating it's looks as discussed in my
initial report. I did notice some piling around the neck. The thumb
slots worked well at their job of ensuring that the shirt was
always pulled up over my hands and tucked into my gloves. I forgot to
use the slots on the trip up Estes Cone. Perhaps my hands would have
stayed warmer if I'd used the thumb slots on that trip but over all they were
pretty warm despite the outsides of my windblocker gloves developing a crust of
ice.
Things I like
Things I didn't like
Summary
I liked the Micro
Stretch Fleece Skivvy. Overall I found the fit, finish and
usefulness was
excellent. Read more reviews of Ex Officio gear Read more gear reviews by Paul Schilke Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > Ex Officio Micro Stretch Tops > Paul Schilke > Field Report | |||