Product Testing: Patagonia Merino 1 Silkweight T-Shirt. And Another Amazing Day Out - Hazel Mountain/Buck Hollow Link Up

Patagonia product testing day - Patagonia Merino 1 Silkweight T-Shirt

IT'S THE BEST

(I am on the right)

                PRO:  Wicks and dries better than anything I have ever used!

                           Super soft, and very lightweight

               CON:   It pilled against my hydration pack!! BUMMER!  

                           (Keep in mind we "trot" so perhaps that helped to speed the pilling process along).
                           Wish they had better color choices (not bad, but not great).

               OVERALL:  I have officially recycled all of my lightweight capilene, and have ordered all new
                                    Merino 1 in every color -- short sleeve and long sleeve.

It is always this big debate at Patagonia on fabric base-layer choices -- capilene versus wool.  Capilene is  cheaper, synthetic, and sometimes people have an odor issue with the fabric (although Patagonia has made a lot of progress with this issue over the last couple of years).  Wool is more expensive, a natural fiber, and some say it feels itchy (Patagonia wool is no longer 100% wool.  They have added a small amount of spandex into the fabric to prevent it from running).  

Rule of thumb, natural fibers do a better job???  My take is the wool keeps me warmer, but doesn't keep me dry like the capilene.  I find that my heavier wools stay pretty wet and take a longer time to dry.  Not so great for stop and go travel. Perhaps the system of choice is a wool base layer with a capilene layer on top.....A system that would keep you warm as well as pull the moisture off of you. (But you should try it out yourself, others may have varying opinions)

But now....the Merino 1 has finally entered my life!!!  When I first saw the Merino 1, I was a little hesitant (see paragraph above), but loved the way it felt and knew I needed to try it.  And I'm sooooo glad I did!!  I fell in love with the product in the first 10 minutes!!  It did an amazing job pulling sweat from my body when we were charging up hill, but as we neared the top and began heading down, within minutes the sweat seemed to have disappeared.....magic!

I am bummed about the pilling, and not sure what to do about that, as I almost always run with some sorta pack.  Regardless, I like the way the fabric works way too much to worry about the pilling!  So, enough on the Patagonia Merino 1.  Check it out for yourself and let me know your thoughts!!  And now a quick re-cap of the day out!

 

Well, the photo above says it all!  An amazing day out, as my recovery beverages (water w/Cytomax, and a Natural Light) cool in a nearby river....I leave feeling exhausted after the super-steep ups and downs.....Warmer temps threw in a new challenge....and a reminder that summer temps are not too far way.   Once again, the beautiful scenery made the two-hour drive worthy....not to mention yet another stop at The Griffin Tavern in Flint Hill, VA!   The best burgers ever!!  Kira, as always, rocked it and made the adventure that much more fun!!!  Check out the GPS map below for more info!!  

Overall Loop and Some Product Testing - Patagonia Super Cell

Story in short.  I like gear, and I like to know how well it works.  So when my new Patagonia Super Cell arrived I had to give it a test run, literally!  This jacket is new in the Patagonia spring line and is their lightest weight (12.8 oz) hardshell Gore-tex jacket.

But, for those who are short on time, and most likely won't make it through the whole post,
here is my quick 5 star rating scores with comments:
(If I could figure out how to make a star in blogger, I would have....!)

FIT/COLOR:  5 STARS (Note: I ordered the M, then downsized to a S.  I'm 5'8, 150/155.) 

BREATHABILITY:  2 STARS (It's waterproof.)

WATERPROOFNESS:  5 STARS (It's Gore-tex.)

WHEN WOULD THIS JACKET ROCK:  I think this jacket would be a great piece for Colorado/Wyoming, etc peak bagging.  I think it would be a great piece for more mellow international trips (ie hiking Annapurna, Kilimanjaro, Inca Trail, etc).  Also, I would certainly throw it in my pack on rock climbing trips and any sort of easy trail backpacking trips.

WHEN WOULDN'T THIS JACKET ROCK:  It is certainly lightweight, and not sure how to test its durablity.  Some heavy Alaska bush wacking, I think, would tear it to shreds.  Too light for any really wet ice climbing.  And a D.C. hot humid day....well, I would rather be naked!

I learned the last time I went out to the Shendandoah's to give a shout ahead of time to make sure the road is open.....and sure enough, even on a 50 degree calm day, the road was closed!  I had done the 9.0 mile Overall Loop last year, and with great views and access outside of the park it was the pick of the day.

I left the car with the jacket on, a merino 2 crew neck, and began my "trot".  (Trotting = something between a walk and a jog.)  I warmed up pretty quickly.  The front waterproof zipper was easy to zip and with the larger plastic it was easy to use with cold fingers and gloves (see above).  The underarm zips, as usual, were a bit of a struggle.....The touch point system that lock in the cord at the waist and the hood seem to work a little better than the Patagonia Super Alpine....the waist seems to be ok, but the hood still seems to come loose with movement.  The hood never bothered me, never was floppy or blowing in the wind.  There is no hood tie down if that's that's your thing.  

By mile four, as expected, I was completely overheated and the coat came off. I don't think most people would choose to run in Gore-Tex, but what a great way to test its breathabilityt!  It packed easily in my running pack, and then it was time to bust out the Patagonia Houdini, the best jacket on EARTH!!!!! (see above).

Ok, these photos don't have anything to do with product testing I just liked them!!  Lower photo is the view from the top.

As I reached the top, temps dropped and clouds moved in.....the trail was snow packed and the unexpected  hail began.....Ok, i'll quit my bitching about the road being closed, I get it!! However, I was very happy to have the Super Cell with me!!  Water beaded, as I would have expected.  And with the cooler temps the jacket felt great.

I also was very happy when I turned the next corner and saw this!!!! (SEE BELOW!). It is still running pretty good, but I bet with cooler temps it will form up pretty quickly  Looks like there is great top access with solid trees, so it is probably even top ropeable!  Let me know when you are ready to go exploring.  I got a rack and ropes!!

In the end, I think the jacket is great and I would certainly recommend it.  The color was great and looks awesome in photos!!!  It fit me perfectly, but like I said I downsized.  I am in agreement with some others, that perhaps the inside of the jacket, on a hot day, won't feel so great against skin.  But if you are looking for something light weight and something to keep you dry, the Super Cell is  not a bad choice.  

PS. I used it the next day on my bike....once again I warmed up pretty well, but the hood fit great over my helmet!!

PSS.  Feel free to comment, disagree, or ask many questions!