Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > Smartwool Microweight Fitted T > Lynne Durham > Field Report

FIELD REPORT Smartwool Microweight T-Shirt

Reviewed by: Lynne Durham
Review date: July 10, 2005

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PRODUCT INFORMATION

More information can be found on the Smartwool Web site.

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FIELD CONDITIONS

Thus far during the test period, the shirt has seen extensive use under a variety of spring and summer conditions. During the test period, the shirt has been subjected to:

• Hot, humid conditions, including temperatures of up to 89 degrees F (32 degrees C)
• Misty-light rain
• Strong, steady rain
• Cool, dry evenings
• Late spring cool, damp weather (50 degrees F [10 degrees C])

FIELD ACTIVITIES

During the testing period to date, this shirt has seen extensive use across a wide variety of activities:

• multi-day backpacking trips
• 69-hour adventure race (mountain biking, hiking, paddling, ropes traverse)
• 8-hour adventure race (mountain biking, hiking/running, paddling)
• road running
• dayhiking

IMPRESSIONS

Comfort:
Overall, this is a very comfortable garment. The sleeves are cut comfortably, and allow for a full range of motion throughout a variety of activities, including paddling. The shirt is long enough to remain in place while I'm wearing a pack - it doesn't ride up. The shirt's back length is sufficient to keep my lower back covered when I'm bent over the handlebars of a bicycle.

The shirt was worn during a 12-hour, 40-mile paddle portion of an adventure race. During the hot day, I wore the shirt as my only upper-body garment and during the much cooler night, I added a lightweight fleece over it. The shirt kept me comfortable throughout the entire paddle.

Performance:
The shirt has been worn both as a first-layer undershirt over my bra (in cooler, damp conditions) and as a sole layer over my bra (in warmer conditions). In both cases, it has been extremely effective at wicking perspiration away from the body, leaving my skin dry and comfortable feeling, even during the sweatiest activities. The flat-stitched seams are smooth against my skin and did not cause rubbing or chafing even through 69 hours of continuous wear.

One point I was interested in testing was how the shirt would handle odor. It is my experience that natural fibers – like wool – handle multi-day “hiker aroma” better than manmade, technical fabrics. In this regard, the Smartwool Microweight Fitted T performed admirably: yes, it was smelly after 69 hours of continuous wear, but nowhere near as bad as it could have been. Overall, the odor was limited to my armpit area, whereas synthetic fabrics tend to pick up an all-over odor when I wear them during intense activity.

The shirt dries very quickly, both on and off the body. It would be difficult for me to accurately estimate drying time on the body, as it is affected by my continuing perspiration. However, on a hot, humid, multi-day backpacking trip, I removed the shirt and hung it over my laundry line. It was dry within a half hour, despite the humidity.

I tend to take the term “stuff sack” seriously and the shirt has spent time shoved into my pack when not in use. Overall, it does retain some wrinkles from this crumpling. The stretchy, slim fit of the shirt helps to pull the wrinkles out relatively quickly.

Durability:
My extensive previous experience with Smartwool socks predicted that I would encounter no shrinkage issues with the Smartwool Microweight Fitted T and that prediction was correct. The shirt has been cleaned according to instructions 6 times now and it fully retains its size and shape, with no shrinkage nor stretching.

Despite bushwhacking forays into thorny brush, I have found no snags yet on the shirt. I was dismayed to find – after the very first washing – loose, fraying threads, especially along the bottom hem seam. 

This fraying has not caused any unraveling, nor has the stitching come undone, despite repeated washings. I will continue to monitor this situation for any new developments.

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SUMMARY

The Smartwool Microweight Fitted T has withstood extensive athletic use thus far during the testing period and has performed very well.

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FOR FURTHER REVIEW

As the test progresses, I’ll be interested in discovering whether the hem fraying affects the shirt – will seams come undone? Will the shirt unravel? I will also be interested to see if it continues to retain its shape and whether any “worn” areas develop on the very thin fabric.

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BENEFITS (so far)

• Very thin fabric allows for easy layering
• Soft and comfortable
• Effective wicking for active pursuits

LIMITATIONS (so far)

• Loose strings started developing after just one washing

Thank you to Smartwool and BackpackGearTest for the opportunity to evaluate this shirt.

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REVIEWER BIO

BACKPACKING EXPERIENCE

My other outdoor experience includes trail running and snowshoeing. I am a novice adventure racer and I have competed in several, including both sprint- and expedition-length races.

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Reviews > Clothing > Shirts > Smartwool Microweight Fitted T > Lynne Durham > Field Report