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Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > Hot Chillys Bio-Silver Bi-Ply Shirt > Leesa Joiner > Field ReportHot Chillys Bio-Silver Bi-Ply Top
Field Report 1/7/04 Personal Information: Leesa Joiner ljoATmidmaine(dot)com Southwestern Maine 41 years old Female 5'7" (1.7 M) 150 lb (68 kg) Background: My camping, hiking and backpacking experience has included trips varying in length from one day hikes, to 2-week trips. My experience hiking began with my father, when I was about 6 years old. We hiked along the river pathways in northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. During cold weather, I backpack, hike, snow shoe, cross-country ski, go ice fishing and winter camp with friends and family. Although I am not a lightweight backpacker, I am trying to ‘lighten up’ and even have converted to using a hammock while camping. I find that I spend almost as much time outside during the long Maine winters as I do during the summers. Product Information: Manufacturer: Hot Chillys Item: Bio-Silver zip neck, white, long sleeve shirt Size: Medium Year of Manufacture: 2003 Weight: 10 oz (289 g) (both actual and delivered weight) URL: www.hotchillys.com Field Testing: The Hot Chillys Bio-Silver top has traveled with me on 4 backpacking trips- 2 overnighters and 2 day trips. It has also been worn while traveling and around the house. The Bio-Silver top is close fitting, without restricting movement in any way. Trip one: I accompanied 6 Webelos along with their parents on an overnight backpacking campout. It was fairly warm during the day- about 50 F (10 C), the night temperature fell to 35 F (1 C). The skies were clear with minimal wind. The trail consisted of some gradual, rolling hills. Most were less than 500 ft. (150 M). We did have to climb over a few fallen trees. We hiked to a cabin and spent the evening practicing some skills. On this first overnight trip, I wore the bio-silver shirt the whole weekend. It was comfortable, allowing free range of movement. While worn under a fleece or cotton sweatshirt, it was easy for me to forget I had it on. During a daytime hike, I did become warm enough to take off my jacket and hike in just the bio-silver top and a fleece vest. I think I was warmer than the rest of the group because I kept walking back and forth on the trail to check on everyone. I don't know how much I actually hiked, but the rest of the group hiked three miles (3 K). The Hot Chillys shirt kept my body temperature at a comfortable level and allowed any perspiration to wick away from my skin and evaporate. I was concerned about odor after the hike, but was determined to keep it on for the weekend. Nobody complained and I didn't notice any offensive smells. One unusual thing I noticed after returning home, there was a smoky aroma from the campfire on most of my clothes except for the bio-silver top. Trip two: My kids and I traveled to a 'rustic' cabin to spend the night. The cabin had only a fireplace, picnic table and a built up area for sleeping. We had to carry in everything we needed for the weekend. When we arrived late Friday afternoon, we immediately started to heat water using my Brasslite stove. This trip was a little cooler, 42 F (5 C) during the day and 30 F (-1 C) at night. Again on this trip we had clear sunny skies and little wind. I again wore the bio-silver top the whole weekend. It provided a comfortable insulating layer, while helping to maintain a consistent body temperature. Day trips: Two day trips involved climbing local mountains in search of Geocaches. The average temperature on the day trips had been 22 F (-5 C). One of the trips included climbing to an elevation of about 2500 ft (762 m), it was more strenuous than the other. There was some wind as we reached the top, but it was below 10 mph (16 kph). I did notice some perspiring as we climbed. One of my concerns with this shirt was whether perspiring and then cooling off would lead me to be chilled. I am thrilled that this has not been a problem. I believe the shirt's ability to wick the moisture away from the skin prevents chilling. The second trip was not as strenuous. The Bio-silver shirt helped to maintain a comfortable body temperature, even though there was some gusty winds that day of approximately 20 mph (32 kph). On both hikes I wore the Bio-Silver top, a denim shirt and fleece vest. On the descent, I put on my Integral Designs Dolomitti jacket because the temperature was dropping. Our temperatures have dropped to -20 F (-29 C) in the last week, with the wind-chill factor dropping the temperatures even lower. I have worn the bio-silver shirt under my work clothes and find that I am much more comfortable when wearing it. In the past, if I dressed warm enough for the time I spend outside before and during work, I would be uncomfortably warm during work. Wearing the Hot Chillys shirt helps keep me comfortable all day. The Bio-Silver top fits close to my body, allowing other clothing to be worn comfortably over it. My work clothes tend to be somewhat loose fitting- along the lines of corduroy pants and sweaters. I will continue to wear the Bio-silver top watching for signs of wear. At this point it looks new, there are no signs of wear. The shirt has been hand washed numerous times and hung to dry. It dries in approximately an hour. The seams and zipper have held up well to the continuous use!
Continuing Test Plan: I have a couple more weekend snowshoeing trips planned, as well as a weekend trip camping with my two sons' Boy Scout troop during their Klondike Derby. I will also be going to Vermont for a long weekend mid-January. Our temperatures will fluctuate between -10 and 30 F (-23 and -1 C) over the next few months. So far I have enjoyed testing this shirt and look forward to the rest of the test. Read more reviews of Hot Chillys gear Read more gear reviews by Leesa Joiner Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > Hot Chillys Bio-Silver Bi-Ply Shirt > Leesa Joiner > Field Report | |||||||||