Long Term Report

Shak Jersey
Ibex Outdoor Clothing, LLC
Long Term Report
May 1, 2005

Personal Information:

Leesa Joiner
leesaj@gmail.com
Southwestern Maine
43 years old
Female
5'7" (1.7 m)
150 lb (68 kg)

Background:

   My camping, hiking and backpacking experience has included trips varying in length from one-day hikes to two-week trips. My experience hiking began with my father when I was about six years old. We hiked along the river pathways in northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. While enjoying the outdoors with friends and family, I spend time hiking, geocaching, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and camping. Although I am not a lightweight backpacker, I am trying to 'lighten up' and primarily use a hammock for sleeping.

      I received a black, Shak Jersey, size women’s medium on October 20th.   The jersey is a soft, merino wool, that has a contoured fit, that is neither snug, nor binding. The sleeves are long enough and allow for free movement of my arms. I must have long arms, as most pullover type tops I have tried have sleeves that are about 2 inches (5 cm) short. All seams have a secure binding stitch and the zipper is well constructed.

Product Information:

IBEX Outdoor Clothing, LLC
2800 Westerdale Cut-Off Rd.
Woodstock, Vermont 05091
(800) 773-9647
http://www.ibexwear.com

Shak Jersey
Size: Medium
Color: Black
Weight- Actual: 13 oz (369 g)
            Advertised: 13.4 oz (380 g)(Average)

MSRP: $125.00

The following is the description from the web site-
The ultimate performance mid layer. Dense knit breathable Merino sheds water, snow and wind. Flatlock construction. Deep zip for ventilation. Durable stretch. Semi fit.

Test Locations and Conditions:
   During the last six months, I have camped and/or backpacked at least one weekend a month in western Maine and northeastern New Hampshire, in the White Mountain National Forest and surrounding areas. In November, I went on a 3 day outdoor Girl Scout training in central Maine.   In February I went be going with some friends on a snowshoe overnighter in southern Vermont. March will hold two trips, one to Ohio for 4-6 days and one to western Massachusetts to hike the Isaac Davis Trail for 3 days.   On these trips and other day trips I wore the Ibex Shak Jersey. On the coldest trips, I wore the jersey as an undergarment and over garment - over cotton turtlenecks, over my Hot Chillys Bio-silver shirt ( a little too bulky) under fleece pullovers and an Integral Designs Dolmitti Jacket and with all these layers while out ice fishing in - 2 F (-19 C) temperatures (can you say crazy?)

Test Impressions:
    The Shak Jersey has really proven itself! I've worn it in extremely cold temperatures, such as -22 F (-30 C) while shoveling snow and traipsing out to the chicken coop at 5 a.m.   It has worked very well at providing insulation against extremely cold weather. The fabric has a warm feel to it, even after being packed in a pack during cold weather.    I am impressed with how well the jersey has held its shape, the zipper works smoothly and there has been only minimal pilling.   The pilling has occurred mostly in the underarm area. It is most likely caused by rubbing of the fabric on itself and other fabrics.
    I have only two issues with the jersey. One is that I had to really make sure to keep it dry. Once wet, it took a long time to dry and was uncomfortable to wear wet. The fabric seemed to wick water from the original wet area. In other words, if the collar area got wet, the wet area soon spread down the back or over my shoulder.   This was not a problem once I noticed it and made sure that I kept a waterproof layer over the jersey.   I found that my skin would chill somewhat in the wet area, but the dry parts of the jersey retained the insulating value. This only occurred when rain came in contact with the jersey, snow could easily be brushed off, or would just fall off. The other issue is the jersey's ability to block the wind, during winds above 20 mph (32 kpm) the wind was very noticeable against my skin. When worn with another layer, such as a cotton turtleneck, there was considerable improvement in insulation.   The jersey did not seem to cause excessive perspiration. While snowshoeing, I did perspire (especially early in the season) but the fabric continued to feel dry next to my skin. This really cuts down on the chilling that occures during rest breaks.

    The jersey has proven itself as a very versatile garment, whether worn as an under, mid, outer or only layer.   It provides a comfortable, warm fit. I plan on wearing the jersey for a long time to come.   Thanks to Ibex and BGT.org for the opportunity to test the Shak Jersey.

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