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Long Term Report: IBEX Women's Qu T
| Personal Biographical Info: |
| Name: |
Stephanie Martin |
| Age: |
31 |
| Gender: |
Female |
| Height: |
5'5" (1.65 meters) |
| Bust: |
37" (94 cm) - measured over a sportsbra |
| Weight: |
145 lbs (65 kg) |
| Email Address: |
syoong "at" alum "dot" mit
"dot" edu |
| Location: |
Phoenix, AZ USA |
| Date: |
September 4, 2006 |
| Background: |
Having always enjoyed spending time outdoors,
I got serious about it in 1996. Since then, I've been actively day hiking
most weekends. In addition to day hikes, my husband and I generally take a
couple of week long trips to the Grand Canyon annually, in addition to short
weekend backpacking trips. Our backpacking philosophy has been rapidly
moving towards ultra-light gear. My target base pack weight is 10 lbs (4.5
kg), and my typical shelter is a single wall tarp/tent. In general, we
average 12 to 15 miles (20 to 24 km) per day. See
http://www.ToddsHikingGuide.com
for trip reports and a better sense of our hiking style. |
| Other technical tops worn: |
I've used everything from the old tee shirts to some of the newer synthetics from
Moving Comfort's mini-mesh to GoLite's C-Thru. I have never worn a
wool shirt for hiking. |
|
|
| Product Information: |
 |
| Manufacturer: |
IBEX Outdoor Clothing, Inc. [http://www.ibexwear.com] |
| Year of Manufacture: |
2006 |
| Listed Weight: |
3.5 ounces (99.2 grams), size
reference unknown |
| Weight as Delivered: |
4.1 ounces (116.2 grams) |
| Color: |
Mulberry |
| Size: |
Women's Large |
| MSRP: |
USD$79 |
| Style of Product: |
Lightweight, crew neck tee shirt. |
Contents
-
Product Use and Performance
- Summary
| Field and Test Information: |
| Location(s) of test: |
Various locations in the deserts and mountains
and canyons of Arizona and the high mountains of Colorado. |
| Terrain: |
The majority of the terrain has been open desert
environments with few shade trees present. High elevations in
Arizona and Colorado include pine forests and open meadows. Canyon trips
involved submersion in water. |
| Weather Conditions: |
Mostly sunny with a few overcast days. Outside
daytime temperatures during the test period have ranged from nighttime
lows near freezing to daytime highs in the low 100s F (low 40s
C). Monsoon weather was experienced daily while in the mountains. |
Details in this Long Term Report are intended to be taken in addition to findings
as listed in my
Initial Report
and
Field Report.
Product Use and Performance
As with the initial two month field testing period, the
IBEX Qu T has seen plenty of use during the remaining long term test period.
I wore the Qu T exclusively while on a backpacking trip to the mountains of
Colorado and also continued to wear it both
around town as well as to the gym for urban use. Activity levels have ranged from lounging
around camp trying to sit still while still dripping sweat to highly aerobic
activities.
During the long term test period, the Ibex Qu T continued to perform as
expected as based on my previous field experience. The Qu T kept me
comfortable, and dried reasonably quickly while not gaining any "off" odor as
some of my synthetic "performance" tops tend to after days of continuous wear. The mulberry hue
of the fabric still seems to be as it was when I first received the Qu T, and
the shirt still remains to be stain-free.
 In
terms of its ability to remain true to size and shape, the Qu T does not seem to
have had any changes during the two months of long term testing and still fits
as it did when it was first received. Durability-wise, neither the minor
pilling that was observed during the field testing period nor the damaged
decorative neck seaming appear to have gotten any worse with further
backpacking, or wear. Unfortunately, the fabric has developed a pair of
small pinholes during the course of the last two months, the origins of which I
cannot decipher. The good news is that the pinholes appear to be contained
and the fabric seems to be stable and not prone to running.
 If,
in the future, I do notice the pinholes growing bigger or the fabric develop a
run, I will mend the shirt accordingly. I will admit that I was a bit
surprised and disappointed to observe these holes appear. I was very much
enjoying the lightness and fineness of the fabric. I am typically not hard
on my clothing and rare has been the occurrence of self-imposed damage to my
clothes - especially to an item that I am fond of. I can only presume that
the fabric of the Qu T isn't perhaps as durable as that of some of my other
clothing.
[back to Table of Contents]
Summary: Woo Hoo's and Boo Hoo's
I really am glad to have had the opportunity to test the Ibex Qu T. I
normally wouldn't associate wool with warm weather wear, and this
shirt has proven to be a very pleasant surprise. With that said, here
are my "Woo Hoo's" (likes) and my "Boo Hoo's" (some room
for improvement).
- Woo Hoo: Nice cut and plenty of stretch - the shirt is flattering in design
and doesn't bind or restrict movement
- Woo Hoo: Great wicking power and quick drying
- Woo Hoo: Easy to care for
- Woo Hoo: Fabric continues to be wonderfully soft, even when air dried after
being soaked in hard water
- General Comment: As with most knits, lay flat and reshape to dry or a slight
twist may develop
- Boo Hoo: I was disappointed to find the two pinholes in the fabric at the
conclusion of long term testing
[back to Table of Contents]
My thanks to BackpackGearTest.org and IBEX for this testing opportunity.
Read more reviews of Ibex gear
Read more gear reviews by Stephanie Martin
|
