| |
Gear Reviews
Documents
Tools
|
SMARTWOOL
WOMEN'S SPORT NTS TEE
Tester
Information:
Name: Pam Wyant
Age: 52
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Weight: 170 lb (77 kg)
E-mail
address: pamwyant(at)yahoo(dot)com
Location: Western West Virginia, U.S.A.
Backpacking Background:
I enjoy a variety of outdoor activities, including backpacking,
day-hiking, car camping, and canoeing. Most of my excursions
are confined to weekends, although I try to fit in at least one
longer backpacking trip each year, and have started section
hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT), accruing a little over 300 mi
(483 km) so far. My style varies with the activity, but since
becoming a lightweight backpacker, I've noticed I tend to pack
somewhat minimally even on trips where I have more space.
Still, I don't like to sacrifice warmth, comfort, or safety.
|
|
Initial Report - September 16, 2009
|
Product Information:
Manufacturer: SmartWool
Year of manufacture: 2009
Model: Women's Sport NTS Tee
Fabric: Merino wool
Color: Black
Size: XL
|
Advertised
Weight: 8.11 oz (230 g)
Measured Weight: 5.86 oz (166 g)
MSRP: $70 US
Website: www.smartwool.com
|
Product
Description:
 The SmartWool Sport NTS Tee shirt is a 100% merino wool
short-sleeved top that is meant to be worn "Next-To-Skin", thus the
NTS, either as a stand alone piece or as a base layer under another
shirt. It is constructed to be formfitting, with princess style
seams down the front and back sides, raglan sleeves, and a crew
neck. The shirt is relatively long, extending about 2" (5 cm)
below the bend where my legs meet my torso. It is cut so the back
is slightly longer than the front, which results in a more even looking
hem when the shirt is worn as the fabric flares over the hips.
All seams are sewn in flatlock style with dark grey thread, which
provides a contrast look to the stitching. The neck binding is
made of fabric similar in appearance to the shirt fabric, and is about
0.5" (1.3 cm) wide and finished with thin flatlock stitching. The
hem is a simple fold over hem about 0.5" (1.3 cm) wide, finished with
the same wide flatlock stitching as the seams.
The SmartWool name and logo are screen-printed fairly prominently onto
the lower left side of the shirt about 1.5" (3.8 cm) above the hem,
with the design running diagonally upward toward the side. The
company name and logo are also screen printed on the inside of the neck
about 2" (5 cm) below the edge. A small tag that feels like thin
suede leather is sewn into the neck binding at the rear. The
size, country of manufacture (Vietnam), and female symbol are printed
on the neck tag. A white tag on the inside of the lower left seam
lists the fabric as 100% merino wool and gives care instructions.
SmartWool lists the fabric weight as 220 g/m2. It feels a little
thicker than I expected, with about the same feel as a good quality
cotton or cotton blend tee shirt that one might wear for an outer
layer. It has a soft hand and does not feel scratchy. The
fabric appears to be woven with a very fine and small rib knit,
although from a distance it appears smooth and flat. It can be
machine washed on cold, gentle cycle and tumble dried on low, or dry
cleaned. The care instructions also indicate non-chlorine bleach
can be used and the shirt can be ironed on a low setting.
Some interesting information is available on SmartWool's website about
the wool they use, including that they regularly visit their growers in
New Zealand and pay close attention to the breeding lines of their
sheep. They select low micron wool from free range sheep living
in an earth-friendly environment, which they say helps insure the
quality of their wool and keeps it from being itchy. The wool is
also naturally bacteria resistant, and therefore, odor-resistant.
And, according to SmartWool, unlike synthetic materials that only move
moisture when it condenses to a liquid, merino wool can move moisture
away from the body as a vapor, resulting in superior moisture
management that helps keep people warm in the winter and cool in the
summer.
Preliminary Impressions:
When I first unpacked the shirt, I noticed two things right away.
The first was that the shirt had an odd, almost plastic smell, which
seemed highly unusual for a wool shirt. The second was that the
shirt looked very narrow around the waist and hips. Fortunately,
neither of these items turned out to be anything to be concerned
about. The plastic smell left about a day after I unwrapped
the shirt, so I can only assume it came from the packaging.
Even though it looks narrow, the shirt is stretchy in the right places,
and fits very well. Although it is form-fitting, the combination
of the black color and princess seams gives it a flattering fit.
The sleeves are a nice length, and are close fitting without being too
snug or binding. The wool fabric is soft and non-itchy, with a
nice drape.
Summary:
The SmartWool Sport NTS Tee Shirt appears to be of high quality in
materials and workmanship, with even stitching and no apparent
flaws. The design and fit of the shirt are flattering. The
odor-resistant properties of the wool fabric are a plus that combined
with the form-fitting design should make this a good shirt for active
outdoor pursuits.
Things I like:
Nice fit
Non-itchy feel
Natural odor resistance
Things I don't like:
Nothing so far
More to come:
This concludes my Initial Report. Please check back in
mid-November for field testing results.
Thanks to SmartWool and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity
to
test the Sport NTS Tee Shirt.
Read more reviews of Smartwool gear
Read more gear reviews by Pamela Wyant
|
