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Hot Chillys Bio-Silver Bi-Ply Top
Initial Report - October 21, 2003
Contents
Reviewer Information [return to top]
Name: Chuck Kime
Nickname: Fuzzy
Age: 37
Gender: Male
Height: 5'8" (1.72 m)
Weight: 229 lb (104 kg)
Chest: 46” (117 cm)
Waist: 40” (102 cm)
Hips: 46” (117 cm)
Email address: ckime AT nelsononline DOT com
City, State, Country: Norwood (Philadelphia suburb), PA, U.S.A.
Date: October 21, 2003
Product Information [return to top]
Manufacturer: Hot Chillys
Model: Bio-Silver Bi-Ply Top – Item #2233, Men's Zip-T
Year of Manufacture: 2003
URL: http://www.hotchillys.com
Listed weight: None Listed
Measured weight (size XL): 12.2 oz (346 g), scale accurate to 0.1 oz
Color: Black
Other colors available: White
MSRP: None Listed
Features (from web site) [return to top]
- FABRIC
- OUTER LAYER-100% MTF Microfiber Polyester
- INNER LAYER-75% MTF Polyester with 25% Bio-Silver
- Bi-ply knit places Bio-Silver combined with MTF Polyester next to the skin to conduct heat and rapidly transport moisture
- Inherent anti-microbial silver yarns fight bacteria and odor
- CONSTRUCTION
- Tri-component bi-ply knit for warmth and comfort
- Soft feel knit with performance features
- Anatomical cut for relaxed fit allowing freedom of movement without bagging
- Flat seam construction for seam strength and to eliminate abrasion
- IDEAL FOR...
- Mountaineering, Climbing
- Cross Country Skiing
- Back Country Expeditions
- Skating, Cycling, Running, Hunting, Fishing, Camping
Arrival [return to top]
The package arrived on my desk in a plain brown shipping box, with a packing slip on the outside. Inside, I found the Bio-Silver top in a paperboard hang-to-display box approximately 3¾ in square x 9¾ in high (9.5 cm x 24.5 cm). Printed on the box is some basic information about the Bio-Silver fabric, along with washing instructions (“MACHINE WASH & MACHINE DRY” – yippee!), a mention of Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) 20+, and a thermometer-based graphic indicating an 8 out of 10 on the Hot Chillys Warmth Factor scale – a scale for which I have not yet found an explanation on the Hot Chillys website. One side of the box also has the word “BASELAYER” in bold letters. I will be investigating the usability of this top as an outer/only garment, not just a base layer, so this concept will definitely be tested. Upon opening the box, I found only the top, rolled neatly. My description of the top may be found below.
Description [return to top]
The Hot Chillys Bio-Silver Bi-Ply Zip-T is a long-sleeve model made from a somewhat stretchy knit, with a hemmed bottom, 1¼ in (3 cm) banded cuffs, 1¾ in (4.5 cm) mock turtleneck, and a zipper about 8½ in (22 cm) long. The zipper tab has a small plastic red pepper about 1¼ in (3 cm) long clipped to it, and the Hot Chillys logo is appliquéd above the hem in front of the left hip. Other than the pepper zipper pull and the logo, all components of the top are black.
The fabric used in the top, as listed in the Features section above, is MTF (see Note, below) polyester knit with a small amount of stretch. It feels, to me, like a soft cotton – not slick or shiny, and fairly warm to the touch. The fit is what I would term ‘active’, meaning not snug but not blousy. There is room to move in any way I wish, but there is no significant amount of extra material anywhere. If worn under a tight-fitting shell, like my home-made Gore-Tex rain suit, there would not be a problem with excessive wrinkling.
Note: MTF stands for "Moisture Transfer Fibers", although this information is only available on the website. In my opinion, portions of the information included on the package could be a bit more robust – I have the answers because I knew about the product before receiving it, while I may not have grasped the significance of some of the features if I were to have encountered the package in a retail setting.
First Impressions [return to top]
The top is not nearly as thick as I expected, taking up significantly less space than a military-issue polypropylene top I have worn for years. I can actually see light through the weave of the fabric, especially if I hold it up to my face. The top feels light and comfortable when worn in the house.
I have worn the top for an entire day at this point, as an outer (only) layer, both indoors and outdoors. My activities that day consisted of attending my son’s outdoor soccer game and moving furniture and other personal effects from one house to another, followed by dinner and a movie with my girlfriend and our carload of children (3 boys – 12, 13 & 14 – between us… aaaaahhh!!). The weather throughout the day was sunny, with a pretty steady breeze blowing. Game-time temperatures in the morning ranged from 48 to 51 °F (9 to 11 °C). I found the top kept me comfortable in these conditions while seated, although I could tell that moderately lower temperatures and/or higher winds would likely have started to chill me slightly in an inactive situation. The slightest activity, however, seemed to negate the effects of the wind and I found myself to be quite comfortable simply walking during a break in the game. As a point of comparison, my cousin was also in attendance at the game (her son is on the team with mine), wearing a heavy sweater and long leather coat, trying (unsuccessfully) to keep warm. During the moving process over the next several hours, I would notice that I began to sweat every time I went indoors, with no noticeable dampening of the shirt. Changing the position of the zipper did provide some temperature adjustment in these situations. I did not feel at any time as though I was overheating, nor was I cold at any time, even while moving between different temperatures. Any dust that the top managed to pick up from rubbing against furniture or boxes brushed right off. As the day progressed toward evening, the top, with its little pepper zipper pull, was deemed fashionable enough for the others to be seen with me in public. I do not have enough time with the top yet to address the anti-stink qualities, although I will have plenty by the time I post my field report.
Field Information [return to top]
My son plays on a traveling soccer team, with games every Saturday thru mid-November. I have been known to run up and down the sidelines during these games. I will determine if the top could keep me warm and dry during one of these games should the weather be cold, and if it can at least keep me dry and not too warm if it happens to be a warm day.
Our Boy Scout troop camps monthly. Almost all of these outings include a minimum of 2 nights of camping, with temperatures expected to be from lows around 25 to 30 ºF (-4 to –1 ºC) to highs around 95 to 100 ºF (35 to 38 ºC), although I don’t expect it to be this warm during the testing period for this top. Elevations will range from sea level to approximately 2,000 ft (610 m). We have two cold-weather trips definitely on our schedule so far for this winter: Thanksgiving weekend, and a Winter Survival campout that is usually held the first weekend in January. Temperatures last year for these events were perfect for testing insulated clothing, with Thanksgiving weekend ranging from a low of 23 °F to a high of about 43 °F (-5 to 6 °C) outside – maxing out at 50 °F (10 °C) indoors – and Winter Survival ranging from a low of 21 °F to a high of about 31 °F (-6 to 0 °C). Temps this year should be comparable. I am also trying to talk the troop into attending the Valley Forge Pilgrimage and Encampment in February, where conditions are historically (pun only slightly intended) as bad as when Washington was there over 200 years ago, generally with a fair amount of snow on the ground, if not actually falling during the event. All of these events will likely involve a significant amount of time spent just standing around, watching and/or supervising the boys.
Things I will be looking for:
- Durability. Does it stand up to wear and washing? Does it pill, pull, or otherwise abrade significantly under normal circumstances? If not, how long does it take for this to happen?
- Ease of washing. The package indicates machine wash and machine dry. How well does it hand-wash if necessary? Does it dry quickly?
- Wicking. I tend to generate a lot of heat when moving, due both to large muscle mass and plenty of – ahem – ‘natural insulation’, so I will be especially interested in the capability of the top to keep me dry. Where does the moisture go? Can it escape if I wear a wind layer over the top? If it gets wet, will it dry on my body?
- Looks/fit. Does the top retain its shape when worn for consecutive days without washing? Does it fit under my normal cold-weather layers?
- Wind. Does the top protect from the wind at all, or do I need a shell on windy days? The weave suggests I will need a shell.
- Last, but not least – smell. Does it stink? Can anybody besides me smell it? Do I… gasp… offend?
Let’s face it… the only way to test this is to wear it for multiple days without washing, and, for maximum effect, without deodorant. I will do my best to truly determine the accuracy of the manufacturer’s claims.
Things I like [return to top]
- Lightweight.
- Compact.
- Comfortable.
Things I don't like [return to top]
- The zipper pull, which is easily removable, may rattle around more than I care to deal with. I may remove it and file it away for safekeeping, although those who have seen it think it’s "adorable".
Backpacking Background [return to top]
I started car/trailer camping with the family when I was about 5. I enlisted in the Army Reserve during my first year of college and spent 17 years fine-tuning my packing methodology - by the time I separated from the service, I was down to what I thought was a respectable 75-80 lb (34-36 kg) load. When my son started Cub Scouts, I brought my 60 lb (27 kg) ALICE pack (review may be found here) for a weekend. We got to Boy Scouts in the Spring of 2002. We camp, monthly, in locations ranging from the Chesapeake Bay area (flat and lightly wooded), to the Pocono Mtns (flat spots hard to find and very wooded), and in all seasons.
Lightweight (and ultralightweight) sites have led me to seriously rethink my gear choices. I plan to start doing more hiking/backpacking on our monthly scout trips, taking along as many scouts as are willing, to a) get in shape (yeah, yeah, I know... round IS a shape), and b) determine what I really need to take along. I am relatively confident that I will be able to reduce my 3-season pack to 20 lb (9 kg), before food, fuel and water, by the time this season is over.
Thank you for your time.
Chuck Kime
a.k.a. Fuzzy
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