Field Report

SmartWool Microweight Fitted Tee Field Report

Personal Information:
Name: Christine Korhonen
Age: 31
Gender: female
Height: 5'4" (1.6 m)
Weight: 150 lb (68 kg)
E-mail: chris@wormguy.com
Location: Western Montana
Date: July 16, 2005

Backpacking Background:
I'm in Montana enjoying the summers and becoming re-acquainted with winter. I'm a lightweight backpacker mentally, if not always in practice. My winter pack hovers around 25 lb (11 kg). My summer pack weight is around 19 lb (9 kg) with a tent and 17 lb (8 kg) with my new hammock.

Product Information:
Manufacturer: SmartWool
URL: www.smartwool.com
Item: Microweight Fitted Tee
MSRP: US $44.95
Color: Steel Blue
Size: Women's Large
Listed Weight: None Given
Measured Weight: 3.6 oz (100 g)

SmartWool T Description:
SmartWool's Microweight Fitted Tee is made of superfine Merino wool. Microweight is the lightest weight wool in the SmartWool line of clothing and is intended as a base layer.

Field conditions:
I've worn the SmartWool T on four backpacking trips and as many car camping excursions. I've also worn the shirt on day hikes, out jogging, to the gym, around town and to work. My backpacking trips took place in Montana, Wyoming, Georgia, and California at temperatures from 27 F to 90 F (-3 C to 32 C) and elevations from 1000' to 8000' (300 m to 2400 m). I experienced mostly sunny conditions with blustery winds and some light rain and snow. Humidity was relatively low, not exceeding 30%.

Field use:
On my backpacking trips I wore the SmartWool T either on its own or as a base layer. For some trips I wore the shirt while hiking and then never took it off. As it got cooler I just added layers over it. On other trips I changed into a different shirt to sleep and returned to the SmartWool in the morning. I didn't wear other shirts under the T.

Comfort:
So far I've found the SmartWool T extremely comfortable.

Feel
The wool is soft and warm to the touch, almost fuzzy. It's not itchy in the least. Because this shirt doesn't hold the cold it's easy to put on during cool mornings. I haven't had that "plunging into cold water" feeling that I've had putting on some other shirts after they spent the night sitting out.

Fit
In addition to being soft, the SmartWool T is stretchy. Because it's stretchy, the shirt is easy to get into and out of. It's also form fitting. The T is nice and long and doesn't ride up on me. When I wear my backpack, I can pull the shirt down and it stays underneath the backpack's hip belt. Some shorter shirts I have tend to ride up and become uncomfortable when I wear a pack.

The shirt has a wide scoop neckline. When I put on my pack, I have to arrange the neck so that the fabric is underneath the shoulder straps. Once I do that, the shirt stays, but every time I take off my pack I have to re-arrange the neckline to stop the straps from rubbing.

I have more problems with the sleeves. They just barely cover the side of my arm where my shoulder strap hits. When I hike, the sleeves ride up. The sleeves bunch up, and the pack's shoulder straps start to rub on my arms. I found myself constantly pulling at the sleeves while I hiked to keep my arms protected. If the sleeves were 1" (2.5 cm) longer, my arms would be more protected from the straps.

Keeping cool
I wore the SmartWool T on the hottest days because it's so good at regulating temperature. Even when I was in the sun, I didn't get too hot. Wearing the shirt wasn't like wearing a wool sweater. The material is very thin and seems to dissipate heat easily. When I put the shirt up to my eyes, I can see through it. There are little holes between each stitch in the wool's knit.

Wicking
The SmartWool T is pretty good at wicking moisture. My back sweats quite a bit under my pack. When I took the pack off, the shirt felt wet but didn't feel soggy. My back felt cooler, but the shirt quickly dried. When I got caught in a slight shower the shirt didn't wet-out right away, but seemed to repel the initial drops. In my opinion, the ability of this shirt to wick moisture is one of its main selling points.

Odor
It is really surprising to me how well this shirt repels odor. I wore it for four days straight, day and night without taking it off, and I didn't notice any odor. Even after my nose adapted to non-backpacking life, when I got the shirt out of the laundry and sniffed it there was barely any odor.

Bugs
All of the small holes in the knit of this shirt may help to dissipate heat, but they don't keep out the bugs. On one hike, the mosquitoes were everywhere. I got bit quite a few times through the shirt. The material didn't seem to stop me from being bitten.

Tags/seams
I haven't felt any discomfort from either the tags or the seams. The tags are all soft, and haven't poked me or felt itchy. The seams and bottom hem are stretchy like the rest of the shirt. The flatlock seams along the sides of the shirt are nice and flat. They haven't rubbed me the wrong way yet.

Washing:
I washed the shirt in cold water with like colors several times. I used the normal washing cycle, not on the gentle cycle. I have not used bleach or dried the shirt in the dryer. The shirt doesn't appear to have shrunk any. It seems to fit just the same as when I got it.

Durability:
So far I can't see any pills or frays on the shirt. The seams are all intact and the shirt doesn't show any signs of wear.

Impressions:
So far the SmartWool T has been soft, warm, wicks moisture, doesn't smell, keeps me cool, doesn't ride up and is nice and stretchy. I would prefer if the sleeves were a little longer.

Test Plan:
I will test the SmartWool Microfiber T along more trails of Montana, Wyoming, and California. During the Long Term testing phase, I will pay particular attention to the shirt's durability.

Read more reviews of Smartwool gear
Read more gear reviews by Christine Korhonen

Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > Smartwool Microweight Fitted T > Christine Korhonen > Field Report

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