OWNER REVIEW

Ibex Outback Long Sleeve Jersey
Richard Lyon
February 27, 2006

 

 

Personal Details and Backpacking Background

Male, 59 years old
Height: 6' 4" (1.93 m)
Weight: 200 lb (91 kg)
Email address: rlyon AT gibsondunn DOT com
Home: Dallas, Texas USA

I've been backpacking for 45 years on and off, and regularly in the Rockies since 1986.  I do a weeklong trip every summer, and often take three-day trips.  I'm usually camping in alpine terrain, at altitudes 5000 to 13000 ft (1500 - 4000 m).  I prefer base camp backpacking, a long hike in with day trips from camp, but I do my share of forced marches too.  Though always looking for ways to reduce weight, I'm not yet a lightweight hiker and I usually choose an extra pound or two over foregoing camp conveniences I've come to expect.

Product: Details

The Outback is a featherweight merino wool long sleeve collarless shirt with a very tight weave.

Manufacturer: Ibex Outdoor Clothing, LLC (www.ibex.com)
Year of manufacture: 2004
Year of Purchase: 2005
MSRP: USD 79
Weight, per Ibex website (size not specified): 6.9 oz (196 g)
Measured weight, size XL: 8.0 oz (227 g)
Material: 18.5 micron New Zealand merino wool
Color: Stone/kona [In plain English, blue-grey with a full-length, one-and one-eighth inch (2.9 cm) wide coffee-colored horizontal "racing stripe" (Ibex's term) down the middle of the back.  Both sides of the stripe are stitched to the shirt body.]   Men's version is also available in terracotta/faded blue and red pepper/kona.   The Ibex logo is stitched on at the top of the stripe.
Features: Ribbed crewneck and cuffs; raglan sleeves; something Ibex calls "flintlock seams"

Ibex markets this as "Year-round, lightweight, temperature regulating performance for:
- Running
- Skiing
- Hiking/Backpacking
- Travel
- Everyday "

Evaluation

Since buying the Outback early last year I have in fact worn it – in comfort, happily, and often – for all five intended uses:

• For running and other exercise: As my sole upper garment in my air-conditioned health club and outdoor exercise in the spring and winter, temperatures approximately 50 – 90 F (10 – 32 C), and as a second layer when the temperature dropped below that range.  Occasionally I've used it as a light sweater (second layer) in the gym. 
• For skiing: As a base layer, under a fleece or wool sweater and ski suit, in Wyoming and Utah ski areas and backcountry, temperatures – 10 to +40 F (-23 to +5 C).
• For hiking and backpacking: As my sole work shirt while performing trail maintenance in Montana, temperatures 80 – 90 F (27 – 32 C), as a cover-up at rest stops on day hikes and other backpacks with temperatures in the same general range, and around camp and as sleepwear on backpack trips, with temperatures near freezing or just below.
• For travel: I tend to be cold prone on airplanes, and the Outback is a perfect sweater (over business attire or casual clothing) when I want to take a nap and not wake up chilly.  Folded or rolled up it easily fits into my briefcase.
• Everyday: As on airplanes, it's a great lightweight cover-up for an early morning walk with the dogs or on the deck when the summer sun goes down in the mountains.

I first wore the Outback while skiing last winter and discovered its remarkable thermal capabilities.  As a base layer for in-bounds skiing, it kept me as warm as a considerably heavier midweight capilene top.  On a sunny day in the backcountry it's an ideal top when hiking uphill or kicking and gliding, as it wicks sweat away and keeps me warm all by itself.  When I stop for lunch or to ski downhill, it again becomes a base layer under a sweater or parka. 

The Outback is one of my most versatile shirts for summer hiking and backpacking.  On three-day or longer backpacks it's my habit to bring along a t-shirt or long underwear top so that I have something clean to wear as sleepwear or around camp after the day's heavy lifting is finished.  After my favorable experience with the Outback while skiing, I selected it for these purposes.  I wore it on trips where evening temperatures dipped to 25 F (-4 C).  I wasn't disappointed; it kept me warm, just as it had when skiing.  There was no scratchiness at all, nor the slickness or chilliness I often find with synthetics.  The high quality merino wool and tight weave mean it's like soft cotton or even silk against my skin. 

Last summer on a weeklong trip as a Forest Service volunteer I really put the Outback to work.  I'd been wearing a polyester button-up work shirt for trail work, but when the temperature remained in the high 80s F (30 C) I decided to try something lighter.  The Outback was like wearing nothing, yet I still had a wicking, long-sleeved shirt for sun protection and to keep off the dirt.  Though lightweight the Outback is tough.  Two days of hauling rocks, swinging a pulaski, brushing, digging, and plunging through overgrown branches on the trail and nary a tear or loose thread.   Here the tight weave (and perhaps the flintlock seams, whatever they are) mean no tiny loops to catch on the briars or a zipper. 

In my opinion, wool wicks better than any other fabric, and is better at keeping me warm when wet (from either perspiration or water) than any man-made fabric.  Certainly the Outback performs these tasks better than any of the many different polyester fabrics I've worn.  And unlike polyester there's no stink, even after those two tough days on the road gang or several full days of backcountry hiking and skiing.

The Outback is advertised as "machine washable," and at home I wash it in the machine in cold water, gentle cycle, using Woolite, Sports Wash, Ivory Snow, or other non-detergent soap intended for use with wool. In the field I wash it as I would any other garment, with stream water and an all-natural soap such as Dr. Bronner's Castile.   Unlike polyester, the Outback must be air-dried.  At home it dries overnight when laid flat on a towel.  A couple of hours in the sun does the trick in dry mountain air.  After a year of regular use it looks as good as new – no shrinkage, stretching, fading, or discoloration.

I'm a big guy and size extra large isn't always big enough, particularly in the sleeves or shirt body.  The Outback is one inch (2.5 cm) longer in the back than in the front, and at 28 inches (71 cm) from collar to bottom in back it rarely comes out of my trousers.  At 33 inches (84 cm) from neck to cuff the sleeve comes almost to my wrist, which is rare for an athletic shirt. 

As is true of all Ibex garments that I own, the Outback's soft colors and natural-shoulder styling complement my "civilian" wardrobe.  I often wear fleece and capilene around the house for comfort and functionality; now I can wear my Outback and look fashionable too.

What I Like

Temperature regulation when it's hot or cold
Versatility as an athletic garment
Long length keeps it tucked in when I want it tucked in
Lightweight
Durability that's downright amazing for such a lightweight shirt
Soft natural fiber
Stylish in the backcountry and on the street

Possible Improvement

If it were available with a hood, it'd be the perfect backcountry nightshirt and cross-country ski top. 
I wish I could toss it in the dryer like fleece, but that's not possible with an all-wool product.  But that's a trade-off I'll make anytime for the comfort and superior performance of fine merino wool.