|
| Home | Guest - Not logged in | |||
|
» Register
» Login
Gear Reviews
Documents
Tools
» Contact
|
Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > Ibex Qu T > Heather Oakes Palmer > Long Term ReportLong Term Report for the Ibex Qu T Shirt September 7, 2006 Tester Information:
Name: Heather Oakes Palmer Backpacking Background: I consider myself an intermediate hiker and beginning backpacker for over five years; my longest backpacking trip being only three nights. Day hiking and weekend backpacking comprise most of my weekend warrior experience averaging one backpacking trip per month and two day hikes per month averaging between 10-15 miles (16.1- 24.2 km) per day. I tend to backpack in warm, humid climates, with a good amount of hiking in the southern Appalachian Mountains and I have rarely hiked in below freezing or snowy conditions yet. I am a lightweight backpacker and buy my gear accordingly, often splitting various objects and amounts of weight with my husband. Product Information:
Manufacturer: Ibex Outdoor Clothing Product Description: The Qu T is a relaxed fit, crew-neck, lightweight wool t-shirt. Featuring contrasting seams, a feminine fit, and temperature regulation, the Qu T is advertised as being for outdoor activities and everyday wear. From the website: the shirt is described as “Entirely new and exceptional, the Qu T is silky, unbelievably light 17.5 micron New Zealand Merino.” Field Conditions: In the mountains of Georgia and North Carolina, the average elevations I have hiked in range from 2000 – 5500 ft (610-1676 m) and trails close to Atlanta average around 1500 ft (457 km). The day temperatures have been anywhere from 70 F (21 C) to a horrible day of 96 F (35 C) and has dropped to 40 F (4 C) at night but night temperatures actually average in the 65 F (18 C). I have tested the shirt in increasingly high relative humidity at 80% or higher on many day hikes. Given the time of year of this test, I have mostly hiking in heavily forested areas with lots of stray brush. I have tested the shirt in Florida while traveling and doing some town walking. The temperature was between about 98 F and 80 F (36 - 27 C) during the day and only became slightly cooler at night, and the relative humidity has been over 100% in low lying areas or during rain. Also testing the shirt during travel in Baltimore, the summer temperature was around 93 F (34 C) with rain and high humidity for that fun weekend. Finally, I have tested the shirt while running around in my neighborhood some mornings with temperatures around 85 F (29 C) and of course, lots of humidity. Summary: The Qu T scores its highest marks for comfort. This shirt is softer than my oldest and most used band t-shirt (Jane’s Addiction circa 1990, rawr!!) but with less holes and tears. The arms are perfect; no rubbing, chaffing, or strangling of my upper arms even while paddling. The shirt dries quickly; as fast as 30 minutes if flattened out and allowed to bake in the heat and sun, or overnight if left in a dark bathroom. The Qu T is ahead of the class with its moisture wicking capabilities. Baptized by massive amounts of sweat during ill-fated day hikes much too low in elevation and much too high in heat, this shirt is heads above any other I’ve ever worn in the ‘making me feel less sticky and gross’ category. I’ve noticed a couple more places where the stitching has disappeared, but overall the shirt is still in one piece and has not shrunk or bled in the wash. I have also noticed slight discoloration under the armpits, and large areas of fuzzy pilling where packs have repeatedly rubbed the fabric. Sadly these durability issues with the Qu T have now relegated what was initially a super comfortable hiking shirt that looked nice enough to wear in public; to a hiking shirt that is still the most comfortable thing I can wear, but only on the trail. Report: For more product information, please see my initial report . For further anecdotal information, please read my field report . During the testing period after my field report I used the shirt often on day hikes, city walking, and travel. While not much of my information has changed for the long Term Report, this past testing period has allowed me to test the Qu T in some of the worst heat and humidity I’ve ever been stupid enough to be outdoors in. In spite of its proximity to a large body of water, Baltimore in July is still very hot. Two days spent wandering around the harbor area and downtown during a heat wave, and I seriously appreciated the Qu T. Between the sporadic rain and temperatures up to 97 F (36 C), I felt as comfortable as I possibly could have with sweaty back and armpits even when walking into frigid air conditioning. The shirt would dry out a bit while I wallowed in A/C, then soak up more moisture as soon as I walked back outside. I had washed the shirt with hotel soap twice to get the odors out and while the shirt was ready to be punished the next day, I decided to wear something else on the plane trip back to spare my fellow passengers. Since early July, pretty much every day hike I’ve been on has been very close to metro Atlanta because I have had very little time to travel further. Each hike left me drenched in sweat and an indescribable extra level of stickiness that I equate with metro Atlanta’s pollution and bad air quality. Again, it is very hard for me to say that I was ever feeling fresh and dry, but the Qu T felt much more comfortable than any other shirt I have worn in similar conditions. The shirt did not shrink from washings, but I think it stretched out a bit from use as it is no longer quite as form fitting as it was initially. The neck and arm areas continued to allow for plenty of freedom of movement. No problems getting in and out of packs, dodging brush, climbing over large rocks, or paddling down some wimpy whitewater. I could get the shirt to dry off in about 30 minutes to an hour by laying it on the dashboard of my car where the sun could bake it dry. Of course, this did not work on overcast days. After hand-washing, I would leave the shirt to dry over a chair in any room but the humid bathroom. The shirt would be dry by the time I awoke in the morning or by the time I came home from work. Allowing the shirt to lay in direct sunlight also sped up the drying time even in my house. Depending on how the Qu T was washed, there were a range of odors left in the shirt once dry. Dr. Brommers seemed to kill almost all smells but often the machine detergent and bar soap did not, necessitating multiple washings especially in the underarms. The Qu T does as advertised with the quick drying and moisture wicking, but I was also carefully watching the durability as I had seen signs of poor durability at the field report phase. While no serious damage occurred in the past few months; the shirt has acquired more missing stitches around the collar and the bottom hem.
I also noticed loose seams and dangling threads on the underside.
Almost my entire back area is fuzzy from repeated contact and rubbing of backpacks, and all areas where the pack straps rubbed the shirt such as the shoulders and the top of the shoulders are also fuzzy with some actual pulls from rubbing. I have also noticed very slight underarm discoloration. I did not expect the shirt to be bomb-proof and perhaps it would have fared better under less hot and humid circumstances; but the amount of fuzzy fabric pilling and pulling from pack contact has ruined the shirt for most public wear. Thank you to Backpackgeartest.org and Ibex for letting me test the Qu T.
Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > Ibex Qu T > Heather Oakes Palmer > Long Term Report | |||
