Featured Brand: Patagonia Ultralight Down Shirt
September 7, 2011
Damn, damn, damn, damn! I have lost my Ultralight Down Shirt on one of the many trips I’ve taken it on. I suspect this is because it packs down so tiny in its little stuff sack that it was somehow easily overlooked and left somewhere. I can’t imagine where I would have left it, as it was such a vital piece of kit for so many of my endeavors this year. It’s the perfect extra layer to throw into your pack even when you think you won’t need it – it takes up almost no room and weighs almost nothing, but can probably save your life if you get caught out in an unexpected cold snap or you get injured and need to bivvy. It’s the lightest-weight insulated layer Patagonia offers, meant to fill that tiny gap between “no insulation” and “down sweater” (which is also a good piece of gear, by the way).
I find that insulated (down or synthetic) layers are the best thing for me to bring along to stay warm. As a smaller person I generate less heat and need insulation to keep it in when I’m not exerting myself. When I get all heated up on a climb and then stop, I get cold within minutes if I don’t throw on an insulated layer. On summer climbs, a full down jacket is overkill, but the down shirt has been great. I’ve even used it on mountain bike descents, which are guaranteed to have me shivering by the end. The down shirt fits in even my smallest mountain bike pack and is thin enough to fit under even my trim-cut bike jackets. It’s even a good layer to sleep in if it’s really cold. Yes, I loved the Ultralight Down Shirt.
How could I lose such a great piece of gear? I’ve torn my house apart several times looking for this thing. I’ve gone through every pack I own (and that’s a lot) multiple times. My other half is sick of me moaning and complaining about my lost down shirt. I figure if I complain loudly enough, the little stuff sack might hear me and come rolling back, like the rocks came to Ludo when he called them. Here’s hoping.
In the meantime you can buy one at patagonia.com – make sure to keep an eye on the web specials!
Earthtec Big Sage Hoodie
September 6, 2011
Earthtec is making me a predictable dresser, because I wear this jacket every single day. It’s the most comfortable, versatile thing I own now, and since it’s fall up here, I need to take a jacket everywhere but it’s not quiiiiittteee chilly enough for that jacket to be insulated or puffy, and sometimes I like to wear things that don’t look quite as outdoorsy as a standard softshell. The Big Sage has fit that niche nicely, and I just love wearing it.
So I just am going to admit up front that I haven’t yet worn this for anything really all that active, just around town and hiking a bit with the dog. It’s a casual piece that has won top billing on the coat rack, though, for being comfortable, versatile, flattering and even a bit swanky. I take it along with me to change into after running or mountain biking in this cool fall weather, and it’s just the thing since it’s so cozy.
As I pointed out in my first Earthtec review, I was surprised by the look and feel of these garments, which are made from recycled plastic. You’d never know they were recycled, as they are super high quality and have a luxurious feel, especially in the cuffs which are just perfectly stretchy. The same material is used on the bottom hem which is great because it stretches so much that the jacket really stays put on your curves, but doesn’t stretch out and get loose and floppy.
While the construction and fabric is awesome, I think the biggest draw of the Earthtec line is the fit. They fit PERFECTLY. Nice and trim in the torso, long enough length so you won’t end up with plumber’s crack or an unpleasant draft, with enough room in the arms for us athletic women, and sleeves that are LONG ENOUGH! I just love that! I’m so tired of having my wrists poke out of sleeves because designers are too lazy to change sleeve lengths when they change sizes. Not so with Earthtec – your wrists will stay nice and cozy warm, and the sleeves will cover up the sleeves of whatever you’re wearing underneath. Don’t you hate when your shirt has longer sleeves than your jacket? I do (obviously). Thank you Earthtec for paying attention!
I hate to fall back on my boyfriend for an endorsement again, but nearly every time I ask him which jacket I should wear, he points to this one. So there you have it. Looks great, feels good, fits perfect, and, like other Earthtec stuff, is ON SALE for Geargals readers at ClimbHighVT.com. Since they sponsored this post they decided to sweeten the pot and provide a 15% discount if you scamper over there, buy anything Earthtec, and enter “geargals” as the discount code. Go forth and purchase!
Alignmed/Opedix Posture Shirt
March 5, 2011
You may remember I reviewed the Opedix tights last season and was mucho stoked for the good results I got. Opedix saw the review and approached me to try out a few more of their products, including the Posture shirt. As per usual with gear tests, a long process of sizing occurred involving sending shirts back and forth and squeezing my freshly showered torso into various sizes so that I wouldn’t dirty up the shirts that had to go back. Finally we identified the correct sizing scheme, and I was ready to go.
Then I found I have an IT band injury which has caused my knee woes during running. So, most workouts ceased for a good while. So the shirt sat, still in its plastic wrap.
I am almost ready to go running again, but not today. Still, in a flash of brilliance I found a way to test the shirt – an unorthodox way, one might say, for a gear blogger who focuses on the outdoor sports like skiing, running, climbing, and biking.
Yes, it’s time to admit that I live a double life. I am indeed a hard-running, distance-cycling, big-line skiing backcountry badass, but I’m also a prissy, tall-boot wearing, fancy-tight-pants-with-leather-seat-sporting equestrian. I have horses.
My original sporting life was focused on horses. I rode hunter/jumpers as a Young Rider and then switched to dressage. If you don’t know what dressage is, it’s basically a type of training that enhances a horse’s natural movements and ends up being, in a practical sense, a cross between ballet and bodybuilding for the animal. Think of a Mikhail Baryshnikov and Mr. Olympia-era Schwarzenegger love child. Those are some strong horses.
I quit riding for about 9 years while I honed my ski/bike/run/climb skills. Last November I was compelled to purchase another horse, as some of you know. So that’s the backstory. Now, the double life is in full swing.
One of the things I have ALWAYS struggled with while riding is posture. I slouch, I slump, I get lazy, I look down, I just have a hard time with the whole shoulders-back, look-elegant thing. I blame a long line of coaches who never bothered to correct it. Let this be a lesson to you all – if you are paying for your own, or your childrens’ riding lessons, you better be damn sure the coach happily sending you the huge bill every month is actually paying attention to the riding, or your burgeoning Robert Dover will be stuck the rest of his life struggling to hold his shoulders back.
So today, when deciding what snappy little riding outfit to wear, my eye happened upon the Posture Shirt and a cunning plan was born.
I’m a size six, regularly, and I usually go with a small in tops, but the small posture shirt was too much of an exercise in contortionism to get on and off so I settled on a medium. The medium is nicely snug but not tight at all; in fact, at first I thought I had a bit of extra room at the shoulders because there was a little bit of puckering along my traps. However, after wearing the shirt for a bit, the puckering went away and the shirt fit fine. I like that, although it’s a short-sleeve shirt, the designers avoided the temptation to give the shirt those wretched, unflattering cap sleeves. OK, so cap sleeves CAN be cute, but on a shirt designed to be skin-tight? No, no, and NO.
These sleeves, thankfully, are 3/4 bicep length and not super tight. No bulgies! Which is nice, because it was so warm in Durango today that I ended up wearing this shirt with no overshirt while riding. Trust me, you can’t hide stuff in an Opedix product – there’s just no room.
True to my experience with the tights, the benefit of this shirt is noticeable. I didn’t have to tax my rhomboids to keep my shoulders back, and the stabby shoulder pain I awoke with faded as the day went on. I felt as if my ride was one of the more successful ones of the week, in large part because I didn’t slouch and didn’t have to pour tons of energy into my posture. I wore the shirt for most of the day to see if it had the same effect as the pants as far as recovery goes; I don’t have any scientific data at this point but I can say that I was really regretful to have to take it off, because I enjoyed the sensation of being able to relax my shoulders instead of forcing them to behave.
I’d wear an Opedix shirt every day but for one thing – the length and the accompanying “anchor” hem. I understand that this is one of the features of the shirt and is meant to be functional; the long length and the snug hem are meant to hold the shirt in place. When riding a horse, this actually worked all right and didn’t bother me, but when running, I’m not sure that the hem wouldn’t work it’s way up around the waist anyway. I guess I’ll have to report back on that when I can actually run; however I did notice that it bothered me more on the shirts that were sized a bit too small.
When I got home from riding horses, I hopped on my MTB to take Geardog out for a spin. I wondered how the shirt would work on the MTB; after all, the bike posture pretty much promotes slouching. I didn’t notice anything in particular on the bike but the shirt wasn’t too binding or restricting. It was probably pretty helpful; MTB riding promotes chest muscle tightness and having a little counterpressure can’t be a bad thing.
Just like I said in my Opedix running tights review, I think there is something to this technology. I love the way the support relaxes my tight muscles and gives me a little extra help where I need it. I’m sure it will become a regular part of my prissy-ass riding kit, and most likely a part of my regular day to day clothing as well. The Posture Shirt is not exactly a fashion piece, but it’s easy enough to wear under regular clothes and if you’re working out, there’s no issue. I really can’t wait to try it for running; the snazzy ninja look is all the rage and I am really looking forward to trying the effects of the tights and the shirt at the same time.
Sizing seems to be the biggest issue here. I’d say a size up is safe. If you usually wear a small, go with medium, etc. This might be a comfort issue specific to non-tight-clothes-loving me, but I think it’s a pretty solid recommendation and allows for comfort while still providing the compression effects. I love this stuff. I wish there was some other product they could make – oh I know – gloves! I have a bad hand and would like some supportive gloves. How about it?
Mountain Hardwear Tops
January 14, 2011
When I first started this site, I resisted any reviews on “lifestyle” pieces and in fact I do believe I out and out scoffed at the idea. Why would I want to review lifestyle pieces? I’m a serious outdoorsperson! I don’t need a damn sweater.
Fast forward four years and it occurs to me that it would be nice to not have to use my base layer as my outer shirt when I stop by to get pizza and beer after skiing. It would also be nice to wear normal clothes on some occasions. I’m not a shopper, though, so how was I to know where to even start with figuring out what normal clothes to get? I have a pretty good sense of what looks good on me in business wear and my closet is pretty much limited to the power suit section and the ski/climb/hike section. I needed an in-between, but the racks and racks of lifestyle clothes were too daunting for me to even start.
Mountain Hardwear to the rescue! MHW churns out new lifestyle pieces pretty regularly, and so far they’re all pretty awesome. I thought I’d share with you some of my favorites from recent months. I love them because the fit is always reliable and they have a knack for making attractive pieces that don’t make the more “mature” crowd I belong to look like they’re trying to be 22 again. Attractive AND age-appropriate is a tough line to walk but I think MHW does it well for the most part.
The Pandra Long Sleeve was the first non-tech piece I tried. Interestingly, it’s a wool blend so I suppose it could be used as a moderately technical piece as well, but it’s definitely styled as a fashion piece with its shirt-within-a-shirt design with a peekaboo-style neck. I think it would be extra cool if the inner shirt were a different color than the outer shirt, but it’s still very attractive the way it is. I love this shirt for its form-fitting-yet-not-overly-sexual cut and the lovely soft fabric.
The Vina sweater is new this year and is just lovely. It’s a tightly-woven sweater styled as a hoodie, complete with kangaroo pocket. The sleeves are really cool; cut a little longer on the outside than on the inside, so you get a nice handwarmer effect. There are thumbholes but they aren’t as intrusive as they usually are, you can easily get away without using them. I’d personally prefer the sleeves be a bit shorter and without thumbholes, but that’s just a personal preference. I got this in a rich cranberry color and I love it. Taller ladies might wish it were a little longer, and I think it could use an extra inch in the hem, too, but that’s not an issue if you are 5’5″ or shorter.
Back to the shirt-within-a-shirt theme: the Butter Button Up has similar styling as the Pandra, but with a few extra contrasting details. I suspect the “butter” in the name has to do with the fabric, which is so soft it feels like bunny fur. This one is also new this season and it appears to be pretty much sold out everywhere so you know it must be good. Like the Pandra, it has technical aspects including a wicking finish, so it could reasonably be worn hiking or climbing if you were so inclined.
Once again – thumbholes – okay, kind of sick of the thumbholes now. For a tech piece they have occasional merit, but on a fashion piece I think they are just pointless and, honestly, kind of annoying. They always end up cutting into the meat of my palm and getting in my way. I also want to eat my burger without dripping aioli all over the ends of the sleeves because they are so long. So, although I love this shirt, I could do without thumbholes on every single shirt. Thumbholes are supposed to be for keeping your sleeves in place while you pull gloves on, but on shirts like this it’s obvious they are just supposed to be “cute” and I’m in my late 30s. I do not want to be “cute.” I’m no Rory Gilmore and I’ll keep it that way. Sitting in a restaurant with your sleeves pulled down over your hands is an affectation that I’ll leave to the 12 year olds. When every damn thing has thumbholes you end up with an insane bunch of fabric at your wrists when you layer.
I’m not afraid to restyle, though, so I’ve taken to cutting the thumbholes off most shirts that come with them and just hemming the sleeves up to a more reasonable length. I’ll likely do that with the Butter Button Up but I’ll leave the ones on the Vila. The difference? The Vila sleeves are long enough that the thumbholes don’t cut into my hands and they’re easy to push out of the way. The sleeves are loose so they don’t bunch at my wrists if I don’t use the thumbholes. I do notice that many people love the thumbholes, so make up your own mind on that one.
Does anyone else buy the same shirt or dress in multiple colors? Just me? Oh.
Rapha Long Sleeve Jersey
January 12, 2011
I’m not one of those girls with weird body image issues. I don’t blame spindly supermodels for all of my woes and I couldn’t care less whether Glamour uses “real women” in their photo shoots or not. God, what the hell do I care? And what is a “real woman”? I’m a size 4, am I not real? Do I need a certain hip/waist ratio to be real, or do I need to top some number on a scale to be real? If I’m not a real woman will I dissipate, or does that mean I’m actually a man? Or a fake woman? Someone help, I’m lost.
See, I’m trying to pretend I’m all dismissive about the body image thing, but really I’m not; I’m quite annoyed about it. Quite annoyed that an entire nation full of women can’t get it through their heads that they and they alone are responsible for what they eat and how much they exercise. Damn, people. If those stupid magazines bother you that much, DON’T LOOK AT THEM. If you are unhappy with how you look, do something about it. If you are happy with how you look then for god’s sake don’t decide that you have to find something to feel bad about. And whatever the hell you do, never make my ears bleed with that “real woman” garbage again.
Um, so the reason I was thinking about this while deciding what to write about this jersey is that I fully expected the arms not to fit. After all, this is a euro brand, and euros are really really into cycling, which means that arms only exist to keep one’s face off one’s handlebar stem, not for wielding things like muscles. Not that women’s cycling is at all a big deal in Europe; I’ve heard it said more than once that women in Europe aren’t big into cycling. I’ve no idea if that’s true or not, but I figured they’d make this jersey for pipe-cleaner-arm people just to be safe.
As soon as I pulled it out of the box, though, I resolved that if it was indeed cut for pipe-cleaner people, I would become a pipe cleaner person just to make this jersey fit. Not having body issues means that you can change your body if you feel like it without making a federal case out of it, hiring a trainer, keeping a weight journal, and going on Oprah to express how it all made you feel and claim you loved your body the way it was all along. No, dammit, I wanted to wear this jersey and if that meant having skinny arms then so be it. To my delight, I was spared any such effort because the jersey seems very reasonably sized. The arms are not roomy, but they fit my climber’s guns just fine. Whew! Take that, Oprah. The size small fits pretty much like a regular North American size small which shocks the hell out of me, but I’ll take it.
I wanted to wear this jersey so badly because everything about it is just QUALITY. Everything. I’m not a big wool jersey person, but this jersey is a merino (WOOL. It’s WOOL, just say it) and poly blend that somehow does not produce that itchy, heavy, venty feeling that most wool products do. Well, let me take that back – it IS a tad venty, but that’s the nature of natural fiber and I’m slowly getting used to it. In the right temperature range it keeps you nicely thermoregulated for the most part. I do find that my arms get chilled so I usually opt for a windblock layer over any wool jersey, but when I tried it with this one, I got way too hot. I still stuff an ultralight windblock layer in the back pocket when I ride, though. I’m working on it, Rapha, I’m working on it.
I can’t emphasize enough the luxe feel of this jersey. It makes me feel like a Cat Whatever racer (which is the best, the five or the one? I, er, don’t race, nor do I follow racing. I don’t know if Rapha fully understood this….) and I wear it whenever possible, hoping that passing riders are serious enough to be impressed and intimidated that I’m wearing Rapha. Of course they ARE passing me so they are probably not that impressed. I like to imagine that anyone that passes me ends up practically killing themselves with effort lest I chase them down with my Rapha power.
I’m sorry, this review is really taking a turn for the silly. I love the jersey. It’s amazing. Soft, very very very high quality, excellent fit even in the arms, reasonable amount of pockets including one welcome zippered pocket…I love it. Although Rapha is expensive, the increase in quality is undeniable. I’ve never been able to wear any wool jersey before; I’ve just found them too uncomfortable and ill-fitting, but not so with my new Rapha baby. It’s the one I reach for when there’s a chill in the air. I strongly desire to have this jersey in red in addition to the black that Rapha sent (they sent everything in black…I think it’s a “thing”). The jersey is expensive. It goes for about $200 (too steep for me) retail, but you can find it on sale for $150 or so which is completely worth it if you consider that a far inferior wool jersey will cost you over $100 anyway. You will pay dearly to have Rapha but once you have it you will love it to death and wear it all the time. You will cry if you fall and rip it, so don’t fall and rip it.
To Rapha: I’m sure you wanted a serious review and for my failure I am sorry. But I love the jersey and I hope that is apparent. I’m about to review the hat you sent and I’ll be more techy about that, I promise.*
Specialized Cold Weather Kit
December 13, 2010
It’s not often (ever) that I put two items in the same review. I feel obligated to, this time, because after going through the outtakes from yet another bike-related product photo shoot in which I am wearing these two pieces, I realize that when it’s time to ride bikes and it’s not summer, I reach for these.
You have to understand – when Specialized gave me these to try out, it was at Crankworx last summer when temps were into the ’90s. The very sage Rachael Lambert told me she’d brought me cold weather gear because I was living in the northwest. It was a real scorcher that day so I was just kind of, “mmmhmmm….?” but I have to give props to Rachael and to Specialized for knowing what they are talking about. I’ve never once been uncomfortable in this gear, with the exception of a few days that got a tad bit warm. Going through my photo album, there is me in my Specialized gear, on a bike shoot, on a bike food shoot, on a bike TRAIL shoot…it’s starting to look like all my pictures were taken on the same day. My blog page looks really damn boring because I wear the same thing on every bike trip. So after seeing the hundreds of pictures I’ve got of me in this getup I have to share the joy with the readers. So I highly recommend to you the following:
Specialized Activate Jersey
My current jersey of choice (as I’ve made pretty clear). Light yet warm, full-zippered for versatility, and very sharp looking, the Activate Jersey accommodates temps from the mid-fifties way down into the thirties. Put a lightweight jacket on top and you’re good into the teens.
Specialized Therminal RBX Knicker
You WILL be warm in these. And they look great, feel great, and are just plain awesome. The entire front panel is made of some miracle fleece that is smooth and silky on the outside and fuzzy, cozy and warm on the inside. Quite by accident I wore these on the Mt. Baker Ride 542 Hill Climb this year – I say by accident because I’ve never done that kind of race so I had no idea what to wear. It was miserable, horrible, lousy terrible rainy weather – just a deluge – and freezing cold. But I had to ride 25 miles up a mountain so I knew I’d have some serious exertion to contend with. What to wear? “Oh what the heck, these are the only knickers I have that don’t have holes in them,” was my logic. Good thing for me I’m such a ragamuffin or I’d not ever realized how great these knicks are. They didn’t exactly keep my dry (NOTHING could have kept me dry) but they were perfectly warm. I got done with the race in AWE of these knickers. Ever since then they’ve been my default. Oh, and the chamois is good, but a little squirrely if you know what I mean. This problem might be alleviated with proper sizing – I always go a size up in bike pants – so perhaps they’re just a little big, hence the shifting. Honestly? The problem is this weird ridge that runs right down the middle of the chamois. I don’t like this ridge so much. It goes where it shouldn’t go. It’s tolerable, but sometimes I’m just left going….”er…?” after a ride. Interpret that how you will. I’m sure that chamois(es?) are personal so I’ll leave that final decision up to you. It never stops me from wearing my favorite knicks though.
So there you have it. My bike outfit. Forever and ever. Or at least until it gets hot again.
Lole Feel Sweater
December 12, 2010
I couldn’t pass up featuring this sweater because it is the first item of clothing that my other half actually verbally admired. He’s not really one for telling me I look nice. I know, I know, you either think he’s a jerk for leaving me hanging or you think I should just deal because that’s how men are. Whatever.
Whichever doctrine you subscribe to, it always feels good to get a compliment. So when I donned the sweater, made my appearance, and was greeted with “wow, that looks good!” I mentally filed this sweater in my “look like a hottie” pile. I loved this sweater anyway – it’s warm, soft, comfy, versatile, and evidently looks really really good. I’ve never been a sweater person but I’ve worn the Feel at least three times this week already. I love the collar; you can unzip for a nice draft or zip it on up for a cozy warm guarantee against the cold. It’s classy enough to wear to the office and flattering enough to wear on a night out on the town, assuming that you live in a casual place or that “night on the town” isn’t synonymous with “show as much of one’s boobs as possible while still technically remaining clothed.” What can I say, I’m closing in on 40 here. But being almost 40 doesn’t exclude me from tasteless jokes, so I’ll remind you that this sweater is called the “Feel,” heh heh heh heh.
Back to the point: this sweater kicks ass. Lole is a new client for me, or I’d shamelessly claim that I need to review one in every color. How can I be sure if I REALLY like it if I haven’t worn all of the colors?!? Hey, someday that might work.
Craft PXC Thermal Top
October 15, 2010
I really enjoy getting certain samples, because the Gearguy gets all jealous and, since he’s about twice my size, has no chance of bogarting any of the shipments. This top was no exception. I’ll go ahead and call this a “top” even though it really has bike jersey styling, complete with silicone gripper stuff on the hem and pockets on the small of the back. You could use it for running or XC skiing (if you really must), though, your call. The important thing is that this is really a completely kick-ass product for chilly conditions, which most of us start to experience this time of year. I got this product sample before the weather turned so cold that I really need it, but it’s such a great piece that I’m looking forward to the frost now.
The top has a great combination of fabrics; a smooth, water repellent and wind-dampening outer finish fused to a bunny-soft wicking fleece inner layer, with nicely designed articulated cut pieces at the joints. That is a kind of made-up way of saying that where your body needs to bend, like at shoulders and elbows, the top is cut so that your range of motion is never compromised. Someone made this just for me, because there is also a zippered chest pocket. Call me picky, but I think every top needs a zippered pocket SOMEWHERE. I almost don’t care where it is, as long as there is one. Where do designers think we are going to keep our car keys while we run or ride? I know that a lumpy car key in your pocket can ruin your silhouette, but I prefer my car to be at the trailhead where I left it when I get back. So I, for one, appreciate the pocket. I also appreciate that the zipper for that pocket as well as the vent zipper and logo are reflective for riding along the road if you forget to put your key in the zipper pocket. Ha! Just kidding, but not about the reflective zippers.
Another feature that stands out is the vent zipper. It’s nice and long – I only believe in long vent zippers; 1/4 length doesn’t cut it. This one is nicely deep, which I like. One different thing about this vent is that it’s lined – when you unzip it, it exposes a mesh liner instead of just a view of your, uh, base layer. I have mixed feelings about this. I understand that it’s meant to vent you without giving you a blast of freezing air down your cleavage, but there are a few drawbacks to this design. Sometimes when you need venting, you REALLY need venting. Also, the mesh interferes with the best thing about 1/2 length vent zippers; they’re easy to get on and off over your helmet. This makes me suspect that this top is designed more for the XC ski set which feels somewhat like a betrayal to my more rough and tumble MTB/trail runner sensibilities, and kind of limits my use of this top to conditions cold enough to warrant not having to put it on and take it off, because it’s just irritating to have to take off my helmet to thermoregulate. But I’ll save my final word on this feature for the really cold weather. Who knows, I will probably appreciate the extra frostbite protection.
The most original part of this piece, though, is the two way zipper on the vent. That’s right – you can unzip it from the bottom, leaving the neck piece nice and snug, or just unzip from the top as normal. This gives quite a range of vent options, and given the kind of interesting keyhole effect you get from unzipping from the bottom, I can appreciate the mesh liner because it prevents the too-flirty peek-a-boo look. If you really want that look you can cut the mesh out, okay?
Sizing is for once, really nicely done. I’m a size small in most bike/run tops, which are usually the very worst offenders in regards to the Law of Similitude. Haven’t heard of that? It refers to manufacturer’s idea that the proportions of a size small woman are the same as a size large woman, so they just have to cut down all the measurements by a given amount and will have a garment that fits. As anyone that has ever shopped knows, this is not true. So when I find size small jerseys, I usually find that they fit fine but for the length, which is almost always too short. You see, I’m a size small but I’m also 5’5″, and it seems that most small sizes are cut for women who are not only small, but short as well. Let’s face it, the average size these days is not as small as it used to be, so manufacturers usually just go with the assumption that a size small woman is a size small because she’s short. I think this is weird, considering these are brands making clothes for women who are into fitness and usually are smaller than the nationwide average. I really think it’s time for some sort of sizing revolution, considering that now we’re dealing with vanity sizing, euro sizing, “average” sizes that balloon every year, the Law of Similitude, and various other influences which naturally differ with each given brand and make it really hard to find the right size.
So it’s hard to find well cut small size jerseys. Not the case with the PXC top (see, I was going somewhere with this). The size small fits me really nicely. The cut is slimmer than most for a nice aerodynamic feel, but the arms are blessedly long enough (with no irritating thumbholes! Yes!) and roomy enough for athletic women to flex their developed biceps (something other shirts have a hard time with. See above re: Law of Similitude). The length is really nice, too, hitting my hipbones in front and cut on the bias to drop lower in the back, lending a little extra coverage when you’re hunched over your road bike.
All in all, this top is a winner and I look forward to seeing more of what Craft has to offer female athletes.
Columbia Jammin’ Journey Fleece
February 6, 2010
Could the name for this fleece be any dorkier? Here we go on a jammin’ journey! Good thing I love this top so much or I might not be able to get past the name. Ironically I wore this fleece every day on my own jammin’ journey to Canada – it was my trip staple because of its comfort, warmth, and, yes, cute looks. Wrinkle free and comfy, it didn’t even get too stinky on the five day trip, which I’m so sure is more due to the miracle nonstink fabric than the fact that I was basically just sitting still in a car for hours upon end. Plus, I don’t stink. Right?
Every few years I come across a half-zip fleece that sparks a sort of obsession. When I find a fleece that I like, I have been known to buy several of varying colors just to make sure that I’m never without. I still have a stockpile of past favorites in the closet that I just can’t let go of. What’s more versatile than a good fleece? The “Jammin’ Journey” (yeesh, do I have to keep typing that over and over?) is more versatile than most, with a superlong zipper that fits over a helmet or opens to allow airflow in those in-between temperatures. Best of all, this fleece has a really great cut. It’s longish but not ridiculously so and trim without being supertight. To my endless delight, it also has perfectly cut sleeves that accommodate actual muscles, and are long enough to actually cover my wrists and stay put when my arms are bent. Best of all, NO THUMBHOLES. I used to love thumbholes, but recently it seems that every single top out there has thumbholes and the accompanying superlong sleeves. Agh! Enough! I feel an editorial coming on.
So, no thumbholes on the JJ. Excellent! How many colors does it come in?
Buy ‘em all up before I clean them out.
Columbia PFG Eddyline Shirt
October 16, 2009
I worked hard to not judge this shirt by its color as I am extremely not a fan of pink. Luckily I was saved by the tag, which indicated the color to be ‘melon’. Whatever happened to a good blue or purple? I don’t think the fish care what color the shirt is. Sorry, I’m a little sensitive about the color thing. I must admit that I was told I was easy to spot in the woods by a friend traveling with me while I was wearing this shirt. Which would make me feel better, but at the time I was following a side trail to a toilet.
I’m not sure what makes a shirt ‘performance fishing gear’ and I decided to not research that aspect of the shirt. I went on a twelve day backpacking trip instead. I wore this shirt all day every day for hiking with a 50 pound pack. The weather was mostly sunny with some rain. Which made me really appreciate that the sleeves rolled up. Normally I make fun of shirts with sleeves that roll up and have a little loop to hold the cuffs in place. I think I will have to stop doing that now. At several points I even rolled them up higher than the cuff straps allowed. In the end I needed the sleeves down to protect my sunburn when I ran out of sunscreen, very effective.
The brand label was on a little Velcro tab on the left upper front of the shirt. I have no idea what the intended purpose of this is, but I found it useful for keeping my hydration tube near my thirsty mouth. Eventually it got saturated from my leaky bite valve and wouldn’t stick as well in the afternoon as in the morning.
On about the fifth or sixth day I discovered an amazing feature; this shirt has pockets! I had need to walk a few miles without my pack and was delighted to discover the pockets. Tiny seam zippers hide the mesh lined slits and they are roomy enough for my whole hands or wallet and cell phone.
As you can imagine a person gets to being a little stinky after sweating all day while hiking. After day two I was requested by others in my party to see if I couldn’t get some of the stink out of my shirt by washing it in the creek by camp. Their wool shirts didn’t stink at all, but mine had a greater versatility. I did rinse the shirt out every couple nights in a creek and it helped considerably with the smell. I can’t say it was exactly dry in the morning, but it wasn’t soaking wet either and some evenings were fairly chilly, so I don’t know that is a reflection of the fabric really. The fabric itself seemed to take the abuse of a pack and hiking alright, but I did notice some strange wear spots or pilling that didn’t seem at all related to the pack strap locations. It looked kind of like it had been washed with Velcro and gotten snagged, but I know this didn’t happen.
Overall I was pleased with the performance of the shirt and it will very likely make an appearance on my next hiking trip for its versatility. I suspect the vented back would be pretty effective if I didn’t have a back pack on, so I may try it with a waist pack next just to see. If I was buying it just to look pretty I might be a bit concerned about the unusual wear spots on the fabric, but it didn’t seem to affect the performance.
