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Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > Ibex Shak Hoody > Jennifer Williams > Long Term ReportLong Term Report: Ibex Shak HoodyTESTER BIO
Backpacking Background: I grew up horseback riding, skiing, camping, and hiking, but I just started backpacking about three years ago. All of my trips have been one or two night stays. My trips normally range from coastal trails in the redwoods to mountainous terrain in the Sierra Nevada. I tend to hike where I encounter rain and dampness. This year I am looking forward to making some longer trips in northern California and gaining more experience. I am not a lightweight backpacker yet, but would like to reduce my current pack weight significantly. PRODUCT INFORMATION Manufacturer: Ibex Outdoor Clothing LLC
Product Description:
FIELD INFORMATION Central and Northern California Coasts:
Sierra Nevada Range/Lake Tahoe Basin:
LONG TERM TEST The Shak Hoody performed well on all of my hiking trips. The weather was very rainy at the beginning and end of this test phase, but in February it was unusually dry and warm, so I took the Shak Hoody on two day hikes while enjoying the nice weather. Given the warm weather, I wore the Hoody as an outer layer over a tank top on both hikes and stayed very comfortable. As before, the Shak Hoody kept me warm without making me overheat. I started both hikes in the morning fog with the front zipped up and as the sun came out and I worked up a sweat, I would unzip the hoody to cool off a bit. Because it was so warm, I had to take the hoody off when I was hiking up a hill or if the sun was directly on me. However, I tried to leave it on as long as I could handle it and during those times the hoody wicked the sweat away very well. Once I took it off, it dried quickly and was not soggy when I put it back on. I also used the hood for a short time at the beginning of one hike before I warmed up and found it very short again. Wearing it while resting was fine, but when I was moving it would shift back and would end up not covering hardly any of my forehead. I didn't use the thumbholes much while hiking because it was so warm. During the snowboarding trips the Shak Hoody performed well as a mid-layer. I used it over two different base layers and it worked well with both the silk-weight and the light-weight tops. During the first trip the weather was cold and the wind increased throughout the weekend. I am not sure what the temperature was when incorporating the wind chill factor, but I was definitely at my limit for wearing a mid-weight layer. When the wind was mild, the Shak Hoody kept me warm, but with the higher winds I found myself wishing I had an expedition-weight fleece on (I should note that I am cold by nature and definitely wear warmer layers than the men I snowboard with). I don't think the Shak Hoody performed any worse than other mid-weight layers I have used; I was just at my limit for mid-weight layers in general. The next trip was a gorgeous weekend of sun and mild temperatures that came right after a huge storm that dumped about 5 ft (1.5 m) of fresh powder. I spent the whole day hiking out to the edges of the resort to get fresh tracks and worked up a sweat doing it. The Shak Hoody was a perfect mid-layer for me that weekend. It kept me warm on the chairlifts, where I would zip up to conserve heat. I would then unzip the front of the hoody and the vents on my shell and start hiking. By the time I would get back to the bottom of the mountain I would be pretty warm and sweaty but the hoody wicked it away very quickly and I forgot all about it by the time I got to the top again. My only complaint was that it was pretty hard to grab the zipper attachment, so I had to attach some string to it so that I could at least grab it with my mittens on. I did not use the hood at all while snowboarding because it felt too short and shifted back when I would turn my head to look down the mountain. I did use the thumbholes every day that I was snowboarding and they were great when taking my mittens off to get sunscreen or lip balm. My hands didn't get as cold as they normally do. The thumbholes were always comfortable when taking my mittens on and off and didn't chafe or cause any tender areas. One thing I was also pleasantly surprised to discover was that even though my hands got sweaty many times over the weekends, the thumbholes did not get smelly like my old wrist guards used to. Actually, the hoody in general stayed very non-stinky during both weekends despite three straight days of activity without washing. The Shak Hoody is pretty easy to care for. I have washed it on the gently cycle many times with no problems. The instructions recommend laying the hoody flat to dry, but during the beginning of the test I felt that it took too long to dry that way. So, I tried putting it in the dryer on low for just a few minutes before letting it air dry and to my horror I forgot about it and let it run through the entire drying cycle. Luckily, it did not shrink at all! However, I don't plan to dry it again because it is wool and it would not fit very well if it shrank at all. The hoody has held up well and looks new, although it does seem to attract lint a bit more than my other sweaters. SUMMARY Overall, the Shak Hoody is comfortable to wear and I will continue to use it as a mid-weight layer for snowboarding when temperatures are above 20 F (-7 C) . I will also use it while hiking and backpacking as both a mid-layer and an outer-layer as long as it isn't windy. I do find the Shak Hoody a little heavier than my other mid-weight layers, but I don't think it would prevent me from taking it backpacking again. With the exception of the hood being a little too short, the Shak Hoody fits very well. It is a little less stretchy than my synthetic mid-layers, but it is not restrictive either. The fabric still appears new after many washing and wearing cycles and doesn't seem to shrink as easily as other wool garments that I have owned. Likes:
Dislikes:
Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > Ibex Shak Hoody > Jennifer Williams > Long Term Report | |||