Background:
I grew up in the piney woods of Southeast Texas. Camping was a quick trip into the mosquito-infested woods behind the house. I started hiking in my college years and my style has evolved over the past 17 years - from my discovery, heavy gear, period (internal frame packs, sleeping bags and tents) to - believe it or not - heavier, more expensive gear. Over the last 3 or 4 years, I have begun to take a lighter weight approach to hiking gear (I still use sleeping bags and tents, just lighter versions) and I have rediscovered the pleasure that can be involved in being outdoors with your gear. While I have flirted with lightweight hiking, I feel that I am more of a mid -weight hiker now. My philosophy is one of comfort, while carrying the lightest load possible

Manufacterer's Details
Website: www.hotchillys.com
Style: 2233
Weight: NA
Sizes: S, M, L, XL
Year of Manufacture: 2003
Colors:White and Black

Tester's Details
Style: Long sleeve, zip neck, crew collared shirt
Weight: 10 oz (289 g)
Size: Medium
Color: White

Initial Impressions:
I had visited the Hot Chillys website to investigate the Bio-Silver Bi-Ply shirts and I came away with an idea of what was coming in the mail. The antimicrobial silver yarns are supposed to keep this shirt from smelling too poorly after prolonged use. Being a synthetic fiber, I was expecting a fairly light weight shirt, similar to my other polyester-based synthetic hiking clothes. One thing that I did not have any success with, was finding available colors for the Hot Chillys' products on their website.

Arrival:
On my day off, I wandered into the garage and found a package that the UPS person had left for me. I ripped the thing open and found a colorful box. Inside the box was a white, bio-silver bi-ply shirt. The Bio-Silver box was very colorful and entertaining. The Bio-Silver Bi-Ply shirt was a lot more than I had expected. The neck zipper has a zipper pull attached that is shaped like a red chili pepper and there is a Hot Chillys logo on the lower left hand side, near the bottom of the shirt. I figured this company at least has a good sense of humor, but as I inspected the shirt, I realized they also have a well made product.

This was not the single layer, lightweight shirt that I had expected. There is a perforated inner layer and a smooth, slick outer layer. The Bio-Silver Bi-Ply shirt does not have a tag in the neck (which I like). Instead, it is located inside the shirt along one of the seams, near the bottom of the shirt. This will more than likely keep me from the "itchy" tag on the neck syndrome that leads to my cutting the tags out of most of my hiking shirts. It was much heavier than I imagined, but that is not a problem.

The "cut" of the shirt is also nice. It fit me without being too tight or too baggy. It was comfortable to wear around the house and had a stylish look that often escapes my other hiking outer wear.

Testing Plan:
My testing will take place exclusively in the piney woods of Southeast Texas. The temperatures are rather unpredictable so the shirt will see temperatures from the Mid 40 degrees F to the low 80 degrees F (7 degrees C to 27 degrees C). There will be overnight camping trips as well as at least one 4 day trip during the test period. I will also be using the Hot Chillys Bio-Silver Bi-Ply shirt for any outside activities during the test period.

My plan is simple, wear the shirt for at least seven days with minimal deodorant protection (just like any hiking trip) and then see how smelly the shirt is. After seven days of use I will wash and wear the shirt again to see if the Bio-Silver antimicrobial properties hold up to extended wash and wear cycles. I will also be testing to see how well the shirt resists pilling (from pack wear) and snags from the brush I encounter on my trips.

Read more reviews of Hot Chillys gear
Read more gear reviews by Thomas Vickers

Initial Report

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