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: May 16, 2005

Backpacking Background:
I'm in Montana enjoying the summers and becoming re-acquainted with winter. Now that I'm back above the snow line, I'm attempting some winter camping and snowshoeing. I'm a lightweight backpacker mentally, if not always in practice. My summer pack weight is around 19 lb (9 kg) with a tent, but my winter pack hovers around 25 lb (11 kg).

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 the base layer.

Initial Impressions:
The Microweight Tee was folded into a tiny package when it arrived. It came with a typed letter from SmartWool apologizing for not sending the color I requested. Instead I received a pretty blue Tee. I didn't even know that they came in blue since this color wasn't listed on the SmartWool website. The shirt is extremely lightweight and soft. The neckline is a fairly large scoop, while the sleeves are short and fitted. The shirt is constructed with flatlock seams. The cuffs and bottom edge have a simple rolled hem. The Tee is quite long and has the SmartWool cowboy embossed above the hem. There is a large, 2½" x 1" (6 x 3 cm) tag made out of a suede-like material with the SmartWool logo stamped on it at the back of the neck, and a silky, screen-printed tag sewn into the bottom of one of the side seams.

The Tee came with a colorful hangtag describing the SmartWool material, guarantee, a description of available clothing weights, and washing instructions in English, French, and German.

First Try:
The shirt is advertised to be form-fitting, and this claim was accurate for me. It fits quite well. It's a little more fitted than I'm used to in a T-shirt. The material is extremely comfortable, nice and thin, but not flimsy or see-through. The material stretches side-to-side but not up-and-down. The sleeves seem to be just the right size, not too long and not too tight. When I first tried the shirt on, I thought the body of the shirt might be too long. It's a little longer than T-shirts I'm used to wearing and kind of bunched up some around my middle. After having the Tee on for a while around the house, I was won over. The shirt is just the right length. I can put my hands above my head, and my belly is still covered. The shirt seemed to move with me, but didn't ride up. The neckline is a little different than I'm used to. I normally go for V-necks. Crew necks tend to feel like they're cutting off my circulation. The scoop neck on this shirt is quite flattering. I like it. Overall, the shirt made a good impression.

Expectations from Website:
Aside from the color difference, the shirt looks just like the one pictured on the website. It's thinner than I had expected, and the material is more finely knit. It reminds me more of cotton than of wool material I'm used to.

Test Plan:
I will test the Microfiber T along the trails of Montana, Wyoming, and California. I will pay particular attention to comfort: how the shirt feels, if it gets itchy, if it starts to smell, how well it wicks sweat and rain, and how well it regulates temperature.

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

Initial Report

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