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Initial Report: Macabi Skirt
| Personal Biographical Info: |
| Name: |
Stephanie Martin |
| Age: |
29 |
| Gender: |
Female |
| Height: |
5'5" (1.65 meters) |
| Weight: |
145 lbs (65 kg) |
| Skirt Size: |
US 8-10 |
| Email Address: |
syoong "at" alum "dot" mit
"dot" edu |
| Location: |
Phoenix, AZ USA |
| Date: |
April 25, 2004 |
| Background: |
I've always enjoyed spending
time outdoors since I was a kid. Since 1996, I've been actively playing outside
starting in the Pacific Northwest. I enjoyed day hiking excursions in the
Columbia River Gorge area, followed by some backpacking along the Pacific Crest
Trail. I moved to the desert southwest in 1997 and have been actively day hiking
most weekends, anywhere from low desert to mountain territory (7000+ ft (2100+
meters)). In addition to day hikes, my husband and I generally take a couple of
week long trips to the Grand Canyon annually, in addition to short weekend
backpacking trips. Our backpacking philosophy has been rapidly moving towards
ultra-light gear, with a target base pack weight of 10 lbs (4.5 kg). We have also
been participating in canyoneering since 1997. In general, we average 12 to 15
miles (20 to 24 km) per day. See http://www.ToddsHikingGuide.com
for trip reports and a better sense of our hiking style. |
| Other travel skirts used: |
None - well, none for hiking anyway. I
typically wear shorts while hiking or backpacking. Generally for
business travel, I wear pants or business skirts. For casual wear, I
sometimes have packed a "broomstick" style skirt. |
| Product Information: |
 Billed as the "Original Adventure
Travel Skirt," the Macabi Skirt is a quick drying, wrinkle resistant,
A-line-style ankle length Supplex skirt "for hiking, biking, river running,
fishing, trekking and traveling." |
| Manufacturer: |
Macabi Skirt [http://www.macabiskirt.com] |
| Year of Manufacture: |
2004 |
| Listed Weight: |
No weight listed |
| Weight as Delivered: |
9.0 ounces (255 grams) |
| Size: |
Small (US 6-8) |
| Listed Dimensions: |
Elastic Waist - 24-34" (61-86 cm)
Hip - 52" (132 cm)
Length - 35" (89 cm)
Width at Hem - unlisted
Dimensions when Stowed - unlisted |
| Measured Dimensions: |
Elastic Waist - 24-36" (if you
*really* stretch it! 61-91 cm)
Hip - 46" (116.8 cm)
Length - 35.5" (90.2 cm)
Width at Hem - 42" (107 cm)
Dimensions when Stowed - 5" x 6" x 3" (12.7 x 15.3 x 7.6 cm) |
| Color: |
Stone (now discontinued) |
Contents
-
Product Arrival
-
Product
Features and Construction
-
Initial
Impressions
- Test
Strategy
It's Here! The Macabi Skirt Arrives!
The Macabi Skirt arrived safely via the US Postal Service nicely packaged
inside a thin plastic bag. Attached to the skirt were a product hangtag
and card proclaiming the virtues of DuPont Supplex fabric. Some product
info cards further highlighting and illustrating the features of the Macabi
Skirt were also included - incidentally, these cards are perfect for handing out
to curious individuals who want more information on the product.
[back to Table of Contents]
Product Features and Construction
At first glance, the Macabi Adventure Travel Skirt is an ankle length, four
panel, A-line style skirt. It is made of Supplex fabric - a light weight
nylon made by DuPont that is cotton-like to the touch, but is also quick drying
and breathable, abrasion-, odor-, wind-, water-, stain- and fade-resistant.
In addition to all that, the fabric also provides a Ultraviolet Protection
Factor of 25+. The skirt sports a one-inch elastic waist with a
drawstring, 2 deep side pockets (the bottom inches of which are mesh for easy
drainage) and a zippered security pocket (which can also
be used as a self-stow pouch). The belt loops around the waist can
accommodate a belt width up to 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm). The Macabi Skirt
also includes a removable "Pant Clip" - an adjustable piece of half
inch (1.3 cm)
webbing with 1 1/2 inch (3.8 cm) plastic snap hooks on
either end. The Pant Clip webbing can be adjusted from 7 3/4" to 13 3/4"
(19.7 to 34.9 cm) in length and comes hooked to a small fabric loop on the front
of the skirt. The free end of the Pant Clip can be attached to a one inch
D-ring on the left side of the skirt to keep
it out of the way. Looking more closely at the skirt, I noticed a
half inch (1.2 cm) metal snap on each side of the skirt, along
with matching two inch long tabs with the mating sides of the snaps sewn in two
inches above the hem of the
skirt (these are referred to as Wading Snaps in the product literature).
Inside the skirt, on the back hem, an inch and a half (3.8 cm) above a sewn in tag with the Macabi
logo, is another D-ring. There is also a small webbing loop sewn on the
inside of the skirt opposite the D-ring eight inches above the front hem, the
purpose of which is yet to be discovered.
Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that this is a versatile skirt that can be worn
in a variety of styles. It can be worn as an ankle length skirt, clipped
into a pair of "pants" using the Pant Clip, or snapped up at the sides and
further shortened using the Pant Clip into a pair of "shorts."
Transformation is quick and easy. To switch the skirt into pants that are rather MC
Hammer-esque, I simply connected the end of the Pant Clip to the D-ring sewn in
above the back hem of the skirt. From there, I was able to convert the
Macabi Skirt into a pair of "shorts" by shortening the Pant Clip to its minimum
length and snapping up either side using the conveniently located Wading Snaps.
The Macabi skirt has easy care instructions, which can be found on the back side
of one of the labels sewn to the waistband: Machine Wash Cold, Tumble Dry Cool,
Wash Darks Separately, Remove Immediately, Do Not Bleach. The Macabi Skirt
is fully guaranteed - and according to the information on the product
hangtag, can be returned for replacement, repair or refund. The Macabi Adventure Travel Skirt comes in various colors: Charcoal (dark grey),
Bark (dark brown), Caribbean (blue) and Claret (burgundy) and is available in
both men's and women's sizes in three lengths.
[back to Table of Contents]
Initial Impressions
I've found the Macabi Skirt to be as expected based on my numerous visits to
their website. The skirt is sewn well, is flattering in style and the
material is soft and flows and drapes nicely. The skirt didn't seem to
hinder my movement at all, and the length was perfect - and didn't trip me up as
I went up and down stairs. The first time I tried on the skirt I noticed a
rather heavy and bulky feeling on the right hand side - it turned out to be the
zipper pulls for the security pocket. The zipper used is a rather
heavy-weight one, with double sided zipper pulls (which I couldn't figure out
the reasoning for, until I discovered that the security pocket doubles as a self
stow pocket). Stowing the skirt in the self stow pocket is a bit of a
tight fit, but is easy enough to accomplish. I'm not sure how the skirt
will fare when stowed this way for a long time period. I found the transformation of the skirt into pants and shorts to
be intuitive and easy. I will admit I am curious to see how well the snaps
hold up over time, as I've had bad luck with metal snaps getting jammed after
exposure to the sand and grit of the southwest. I'm looking forward to the
addition of the Macabi Skirt to my wardrobe.
[back to Table of Contents]
Testing Strategy
I'll be taking the Macabi Adventure Travel Skirt with me on the majority of my adventures in the
desert southwest - including trips to the Grand Canyon, Southern Utah and any
other trips I happen to avail myself of. In addition, I will be taking an
extended holiday to Europe which will include two weeks of trekking in the
Spanish Pyrenees - instead of packing pants, I plan on taking the Macabi Skirt
instead. Last year I was outdoors half of the
weekends of the year - and the trend continues :)
I will admit, I've never considered wearing a skirt on the trail - it would
seem to me that a skirt would be prone to tangling and snagging on things, or
just getting in the way. I'm looking forward to seeing if the Macabi Skirt
fares better, with its unique design and abrasion and snag-resistant fabric.
As I'll be on the road with the Macabi Skirt for six weeks straight, I'll be
testing it for how well it wears - I'll be curious to see how wrinkle resistant
it is - can I just upack and go and look presentable, or will I have to go
hunting for an iron of sorts? It's stain resistance will also be put to
the test, in addition to how fast it dries, as I imagine I'll have to hand wash
it while in the field. Some characteristics that I'll be evaluating during
the test period include: ease of use and care, durability, comfort and style.
I'll be seeing lots of miles on this skirt, and I'm looking forward to the
testing.
[back to Table of Contents]
My thanks to BackpackGearTest.org and Macabi Skirt for this testing opportunity.
Read more reviews of Macabi Skirt gear
Read more gear reviews by Stephanie Martin
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