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Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > Ibex Scout Half-Zip Shirt > Coy Starnes > Initial ReportIBEX
Men’s Scout 1/2 Zip Shirt
Initial Report November 15, 2005  Ibex Scout 1/2 Zip shirt (also pictured: Ibex Fall Line pant)
Tester Bio I live in North East Alabama. I enjoy hunting, fishing, canoeing, and most other outdoor activities but backpacking is my favorite pastime. I enjoy hiking with friends and family or solo. I hike throughout the year and actually hike the least in the hot humid months of summer. My style is slow and steady and my gear is light. However I will sacrifice weight for comfort and durability. A typical 3-season load for me is around 20 lb (9 kg) not counting food or water. I usually sleep in a hammock and cook with an alcohol stove. My backpacking trips are usually 2, 3 or 4 days in length. Product Information
Product Description The Scout 1/2 Zip shirt is more of a sweater or pullover jacket than a shirt to me. Describing a sweater is fairly simple but this one has some nice features. The Marino wool is an excellent material for a sweater for several reasons but warm when wet and low stink factor are two of the most important. It also has a half-zip zipper in the front for ventilation on those warmer days and a generously sized zippered pocket on the left chest side. From the website "A midlayer with a versatile, double knit wool fabric. Flat knit on the inside, lofty boucle knit on the outside, it offers maximum temperature regulation. Clean design suits technical or everyday wear." They go on to mention it is perfect as a midlayer or outerwear for hiking/backpacking, snowshoeing, skiing and everyday wear. Initial Fit and Impressions I received the Scout on 11/8/2005. I chose the XL mainly because every shirt I own is an XL. This Scout fits me a little tighter than most of my XL shirts and sweaters but it does fit well. It is billed as a midlayer but I will mostly use it for my baselayer. It feels good next to my skin but I will need to wear it awhile to make any detailed observations. The sleeves do fit very well coming down to just past the bone in my wrist. I won't need to roll them up any. The Scout is well documented in the website and is what I expected. Test Plan My testing will concentrate on the advertised advantages of wool's performance over down and synthetic insulations. Will the New Zealand Merino Wool Boucle Knit keep me warm on cold/windy wintery days if I get the shirt wet either through perspiration, rain, or walking through wet vegetation? Will the shirt dry out while hiking if favorable conditions permit? Does the shirt cut down on odor often associated with synthetic garments or will the wet wool smell like a wet dog? The listed features of the Scout shirt will be tested. Features that include: . New Zealand Merino Wool Boucle Knit. . Relaxed Fit. . Deep Half Zip / Zip Chest Pocket. . Flatlock Construction. . Easy Care, Machine Washable. I will mainly look at these features with an eye towards how they affect the field performance with the shirt. Just how cold can I use it without additional help from a baselayer? On the warmer days is the shirt cool enough to wear while doing strenuous exercise like a long uphill hike? Does the Scout allow freedom of motion when I scramble over or around big rocks and other obstacles I often encounter? I will report on how the deep half zip helps facilitate ventilation. I will comment on the knit as it relates to wind resistance and at the other end of the spectrum, comfort (breathability) on warmer days. I will see how itchy the wool fabric is. How does the flatlock construction feel under my pack straps? How do I use the zip chest pocket? Ease of care is always a concern when considering wool clothing. Ibex says the shirt is machine washable. I will follow the manufacture's instructions for cleaning and drying the shirt, including buying any special washing detergent (Ivory Snow recommended), and report on my results. I will also note how the shirt looks after washing and drying. If I end up packing the shirt after wearing it on a cool morning, I will report on how small it packs and then what it look like after riding in my pack for a while. I don't mind a few wrinkles but it is a concern for some. It is pretty hard to go in the woods without snagging on a few limbs or scraping across a few rocks. Even without the stresses of hiking clothes eventually wear out. I will report any wear issues I may encounter. Anticipated Testing Locations and Conditions According the Ibex, this half-zip pullover is perfect as a midlayer or outerwear for hiking/backpacking, snowshoeing, skiing and everyday wear. I probably won't be doing any snowshoeing or skiing but I will report on the shirts overall performance and any impressions I draw after using it extensively. I will be testing in the southeaster US with trips into the local mountains of Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina. However, most testing will be done in northeast Alabama where it is handy to camp and day-hike. Elevations will generally be less than 4000 ft (1200 m) and temperatures will be possibly warm but not hot early on but colder as the test progresses. This winter should see temperatures well below freezing even though it doesn't usually stay cold for long. The shirt is advertised as being ideal for a wide range of temperatures. I experience such conditions, often within a few hours. I'm sure I will find a few other things to report in my testing and I will faithfully report all my findings. Stay tuned! Read more reviews of Ibex gear Read more gear reviews by Coy Ray Starnes Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > Ibex Scout Half-Zip Shirt > Coy Starnes > Initial Report | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||