Field Report

Field Report: IBEX Outback Long Sleeve Jersey

Reviewer Information
Name: Chad Fike
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Height: 5’ 10” (1.77 m)
Weight: 150 lb (68 kg)
Email address: abnersdonkey@hotmail.com
City, State, Country: Oakland, Maryland, USA
Date: July 19, 2006

Backpacking Background
      I have gone camping, usually very close to home, for over 15 years, but only started seriously backpacking about 3 years ago. I do mostly weekend trips and often take day hikes. My backpacking experience has been mostly in West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia, including parts of the Appalachian Trail. Each trip has been a learning experience about techniques and equipment. I try to balance weight, durability, and cost with my gear choices.

Product Information
Manufacturer - IBEX Outdoor Clothing, Inc.
Year of manufacture - 2006
Website - www.ibexwear.com
MSRP - $79.00 US
Average listed weight (no size stated) - 6.9 oz (196 g)
Weight as delivered (size medium) - 6.6 oz (187 g)
Lifetime warranty

Product Description
        The IBEX Outback is a long sleeve jersey made of New Zealand Merino wool fiber. The color of the shirt is described as Stone/Kona, and is one solid bluish-gray color except for a brown racing stripe running vertically the entire length of the rear of the shirt. The shirt is advertised as having “…superior temperature regulation, quick-drying comfort and second skin softness”, as well as “Supersoft Comfort; Unmatched Temperature Regulation; All Natural Stretch; Naturally Anti-Microbial (No Stink); and Machine Washable”.

Field information
        Testing has taken place mostly in forested terrain of the Appalachian Mountains of western Maryland and West Virginia. The elevation ranges from around 2500 to 4800 ft (762 to 1463 m). Temperatures have ranged from around 32 to 95 F (0 to 35 C) during the test period. The shirt was also briefly tested during a vacation in New Mexico, Utah and Colorado at elevations as high as 10,500 ft (3200 m). I have used the shirt hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, and for casual wear.
        So far I have had no problems with durability. I do not see any stains, loose stitches, or other signs of wear. I have not really done much off-trail hiking that would subject the shirt to lots of snags or abuse. A few walks through brush did not cause any problems, but most of my time was spent on trail. In warmer months such as during this test period I most often use a long sleeve shirt in the mornings and evenings around camp or at the end or beginning of a hike. This has been true of this shirt also, so it has probably seen somewhat “gentler” use than a shirt I might wear all day long.
      The shirt seems to have retained its original fit. The ribbed cuffs and crew neck have not stretched out. The shirt fits me very well with just the right amount of stretch. I do not find the wool itchy, but I usually layer the shirt over a short sleeved tee shirt so only my arms really touch the fabric. I have worn it without a shirt underneath it and did not find the wool fabric uncomfortable, but rather similar to cotton. In terms of the casual appearance of the shirt, I like the more natural look of the merino wool as compared to synthetics. I have washed the shirt several times. The care instructions are “machine wash gentle cold with mild detergent“, and “lay flat to dry”. Most of the time I have followed these instructions, but the shirt went half way through a dryer cycle before I realized it was inside. I imagined a worst case scenario of finding a tiny little Mini-Outback, but I found no shrinkage. This is good since I am sure this will not be the last time the shirt gets tossed in the dryer.
        The Outback seems lightweight and breathable. This has been a benefit during high energy pursuits such as mountain biking in temperatures around 55 F (13 C). Layered over top a synthetic tee, the shirt breathed well and only the part of my back in contact with my hydration pack got sweaty.   I wore the shirt on a backpack trip in temperatures around 65 F (18 C). It was not really cold enough to need a long sleeve shirt, but I never overheated. The downside to this light construction is that it did not provide much wind protection on a cloudy, windy day with temperatures around 57 F (14 C) when my wife and I were out for a casual bird-watching hike. We were not hiking very strenuously and often stopped to watch wildlife. I was wearing the shirt with nothing underneath and became rather chilled from the wind and had to put on a wind shirt. As with most clothing, my comfort range depends upon the weather and my rate of activity.
       While backpacking, the part of my back in contact with my backpack became rather sweaty. I was wearing the Outback over top a synthetic tee shirt and both became wet in that area. This was my best opportunity to see how quick-drying the shirt was. I find this rather hard to quantify with much precision, but the Outback seemed to dry at about the same rate as most other synthetic shirts I have used. By the time camp was set up both shirts were dry.
        For the purposes of comparison I picked out three 100% polyester long sleeve jerseys I own that each have a similar fit to the Outback. I weighed them and found that all three were slightly heavier than the Outback by between ½ to 1 oz (14 to 28 g ). This is a nice benefit since I am trying to be more weight conscious when backpacking.
        One of the longest continuous tests of the shirt came when my wife and I drove cross country to the American Southwest on an eleven day vacation in May of this year. We did not backpack, but we did “camp out” every night in the back of our truck and hike almost every day. The Outback was the only long sleeved shirt I used for this trip, including sleeping in it one cool evening. I found it to be just right to knock the chill off of several cool mornings with temperatures around 55 F (13 C). A clear, crisp, 44 F (7 C) morning at Chaco Canyon New Mexico was a little too cold and I needed a jacket until temperatures rose above 50 F (10 C). We did many hikes, but by the time we hit the trail it was usually much too warm for anything more than a tee shirt. In Slickhorn Canyon Utah it was still cool when we began our hike so I started out with the Outback over a tee shirt. As we hiked, there was quite a contrast between the powerful warmth of the rising sun and the relative cool that remained in the shade of the canyon walls. The shirt seemed to be a nice thickness for both these extremes. My arms were already a little sunburned from the previous days in the desert sun, so as it grew warmer I wore the shirt a little longer to provide some sun protection.   When the temperature reached about 70 F (21 C) it was finally too warm and I removed the shirt. This was a little longer than I really felt the need for the shirt, but it is light enough that it remained comfortable.
        At the end of the trip the shirt did not smell, but I really did not sweat in it very much since I usually wore it in the cooler mornings. The only real stains were from where I accidentally drooled toothpaste all over myself. When not in use the shirt was usually stuffed haphazardly into a pack or duffel bag. This caused it to look pretty wrinkly towards the end of the trip. I like the casual look of the shirt and would have liked to have worn it one day when we were being tourists and exploring the shops in town, but it was too wrinkled to wear. This minor inconvenience was my only real disappointment with the shirt on this trip.
        In conclusion I have had no real problems with the IBEX Outback so far. It has been durable and fits me comfortably. It is lightweight and breathable for use in warmer weather or layered under other clothes. The downside is that it did not offer much wind protection or warmth in cool temperatures if I was not active. I like the look and feel of the shirt more than synthetics in casual situations, but it does seem to wrinkle easy. I look forward to continuing to wear the Outback.
        Thanks to IBEX and BackpackGearTest.Org for the opportunity to test this shirt.

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