BackpackGearTest.org Review - /reviews/Clothing/Shirts/Hot Chillys Bio-Silver Bi-Ply Shirt/Will Rietveld/Field Report

Experiences and Impressions Bio-Silver Top Compared to Hot Chillys Original Top—Hot Chillys kindly provided a “Original II” top for comparison with the Bio-Silver top. While the Original Hot Chillys top is more stretchy and snug fitting, the Bio-Silver top is quite different. The Bio-Silver top has a softer hand, is less stretchy, and has a more relaxed fit. I would still describe the fit as trim. Both tops are quite suitable for wear as a baselayer. Casual Wear—When new, the Bio-Silver top was attractive to wear in casual social settings. After 11 days of outdoor use, the top was no longer suitable for social wear because of pilling. Fit and Articulation—Size large fits me quite well. Note that my torso length (20.5 in/52 cm) and arm length (35 in/89 cm) are a bit on the long side compared to a “normal” size large. The sleeves cover my wrists and the body extends 5.5 in (14 cm) below my waist. The shoulder seam is right on. Articulation is very good. When I extend my arms above my head, the sleeves pull down about 2 in (5 cm) below my wrists, but the body does not pull out of my pants at all. When I cross my arms, the sleeves pull up my arms about 1 in (2.5 cm) and the material tightens across the shoulders, but there is very little binding. The material is sufficiently stretchy to accommodate these movements, except for the sleeve pull. Comfort—The Bio-Silver top is very comfortable to wear, even for extended periods. It has a soft hand and relaxed trim fit. The zip-neck can be zipped all the way up without rubbing or scratching the chin. Anti-microbial Function—Ok, here are my results on the anti-stink factor! I wore the Bio-Silver top for 5 extended periods (8, 7, 5, 5, and 4 days) without taking it off. At the end of each extended wearing, my wife and I did a sniff test. We found that the top did have some body odor, but it was not offensive. We rate the odor at a 3 on a scale of 10; 10 being the foul odor that a polypropylene top would take on during the same wear time. While I was wearing the top for these extended periods, I was not aware of any odor (in the top that is), and it remained quite comfortable to wear. Washing—My wife washed the top approximately 10 times during the 3-month test period. She machine-washed it with normal detergent and no fabric softener, then she hung it to dry. Obviously, the top got pretty dirty on several occasions. However, it laundered quite well considering that its color is white. Washing completely removed body odor.
Pilling—The top has a tendency to pill (photo). This is the only negative that I have to report on the Bio-Silver top. The pilling started right away during the first 3 days I wore the top around the house, and continues to increase. The entire garment is pilled, but the pilling is concentrated on the seam side of the arms from the elbows to the wrists, and on the body where the arms rub against it. I would rate the pilling as a 7 on a scale of 10, 10 being badly pilled. The pilling is a significant factor that degrades the top’s appearance. As an experiment, we de-pilled one arm of the shirt after 2 weeks of use. The pilling returned, but not to the level of the other arm that was not de-pilled. Note that most of the pilling occurred because I often wore the top as a single layer (i.e., as a hiking shirt). If it had been worn exclusively as a baselayer, there would probably be much less pilling.
Warmth—The Bio-Silver top has a “Hot Chillys Warmth Factor” of 8 on a scale of 10. This rating system is handy for comparing one Hot Chillys top to another, and gives a general indication of how insulating it is and how it might be used. The level of warmth provided by the top met my expectations. Warmth is a very relative factor. It depends on exertion level, ambient temperature, radiant heat from the sun, and wind. For me, I found that the top worn as a single layer is comfortable down to 50 F (10 C) with no exertion, down to 40 F (4.4 C) with low exertion, down to 35 F (1.7 C) with moderate exertion, and down to about 25 F (-3.9 C) with high exertion. Under cloudy and/or windy conditions, these temperatures should be raised 10 degrees F (5.6 degrees C). At higher temperatures I wore the top comfortably from 55 to 80 F (12.8 to 26.7 C), depending on activity level. This fairly broad comfort range was in part due to its white color. Breathability—Because of its fabric weight, I would rate the Bio-Silver top as moderately breathable, about a 7 on a scale of 10; 10 being maximum breathability. Its 2-ply polyester fabric and finely ribbed construction certainly help with breathability, but it does not have the breathability of a thin highly textured polyester top. At cooler temperatures and low to moderate exertion, I found that the top effectively wicked away moisture and remained dry. Under high exertion hiking at 55 F (12.8 C) or higher, I found that the top would absorb sweat to the point of being wet, especially on my back when I was wearing a pack. Opening the front zipper helped a lot to release moisture and increase comfort. When I stopped or reduced my exertion level, the top took about 30-45 min to dry out under our typical low humidity conditions. Wind Resistance—Owing to its breathability, the top has low wind resistance. At cooler temperatures, a stiff breeze around 10 mph (16 kph) is enough to feel chilled. However, the top works very well under a highly breathable EPIC wind shell. Single Layer Performance—I wore the Bio-Silver top as a single layer, i.e., as a hiking top, about half the time. Note that it was my decision to wear it as a hiking top, and that Hot Chillys does not necessarily promote it for that type of use. As a hiking top, it performed very well and easily met my expectations. For comparison, I would say that its performance as a hiking shirt is equivalent to a mid-weight Patagonia Capeline zip-neck top, which I own. The material is equally durable. The fit of both garments is excellent. The Bio-Silver top has much less odor after extended wear. However, the Bio-Silver top pills while the Capeline top does not. Baselayer Performance—The Bio-Silver top is an excellent baselayer, and that apparently is its intended use since the packaging calls it a baselayer. Used as a baselayer under other clothing in cold weather, the Bio-Silver top is very comfortable and transmits moisture very well under low or moderate exertion. An especially good combination was to wear the Bio-Silver top as a baselayer under a highly breathable EPIC softshell while hiking or snowshoeing at moderate or high exertion under cooler conditions (20-40 F/-6.7-4.4 C). In the 5 extended wear tests, I found it very convenient and effective to wear the Bio-Silver top as a hiking shirt during the day and as a baselayer the rest of the time. The top never came off; I simply layered clothing over it as needed. There was no problem with wearing it continuously for a week or more. Durability—Except for pilling, the top is holding up very well so far. There is no unraveling of seams, stretching of cuffs, snagging, etc. Continued Testing During the next 3 months I will continue to test the Bio-Silver top under the same locations, conditions, and activities summarized above under “Test Locations and Conditions.” We de-pilled one side of the top (the same one as before), and will again determine how much the pilling returns. I will continue to record observations and data in regard to the factors listed in my Initial Report. Expectations for the Hot Chillys Bio-Silver Top Following is a list of expectations I proposed to evaluate in my original Test Application and Initial Report. I have coded the status of these as follows: two stars (*) means that the factor has been adequately evaluated, and one star () means that more evaluation is needed. I inserted a comment after each factor to give my findings so far. By the end of the 6-month test, I should have plenty of data to provide a good assessment of all factors. ** The top will be comfortable to wear in terms of being non-binding and non-abrasive. (True, the top is very comfortable and has good articulation.) * The top will be sufficiently durable as a single-layer hiking and backpacking top and will require little or no maintenance or repair, i.e. minimal snags, no need for de-pilling, and no seams unraveling. (True so far, except for the pilling problem.) The top will be odor-free or low odor, thanks to the silver strands embedded in the fabric. (True, the top had low-odor after 5 extended wearings.) The white color (my choice) and zip neck will allow it to function as a hiking top under a fairly broad temperature range. (True. The Bio-Silver top is a very functional hiking shirt, except for the pilling problem.) ** The top by itself will have a significant amount of wind resistance. (False, the top has low wind resistance.) * The top as a single layer or base layer will effectively wick away moisture and dry quickly, to avoid chilling. (Mostly true. The top effectively wicks moisture under low or moderate exertion conditions, but builds up moisture under high exertion. It dries out moderately fast.) * The top as a single layer will retain body heat and have a significant warmth level. (Somewhat true, but this is relative and there are definite limits. Because of its breathability, considerable heat is lost by conduction.) Tester Information Tester Name: Will Rietveld E-mail: mailto:willjanet@sisna.com Gender: M Age: 61 Height: 6' (183 cm) Weight: 170 lbs (77.3 kg) Torso Length: 20.5 in (52 cm) Shirt Size: Large (16 in/41 cm neck, 35 in/89 cm sleeve length) Location: Durango, Colorado, USA Backpacking Background: 46 years of hiking and backpacking in the mountains and deserts of southwest Colorado, southeast Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. I have also made numerous trips in Wyoming, Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and upper Michigan. I have been a lightweight backpacker for many years, and an ultralight backpacker for 4 years. I have been retired for 6 years and backpack frequently. My wife and I present workshops on ultralight backpacking in the local area and have developed a website called “Southwest Ultralight Backpacking.” The URL is: http://users.sisna.com/swultralight/. Acknowledgements I would like to thank Hot Chillys and the BackpackGearTest group for selecting me to participate in this test. Will Rietveld

Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > Hot Chillys Bio-Silver Bi-Ply Shirt > Will Rietveld > Field Report

Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > Hot Chillys Bio-Silver Bi-Ply Shirt > Will Rietveld > Field Report