Outdoor gear lab shirt. May 11, 2021 · Weighing just 6.
Outdoor gear lab shirt May 11, 2021 · Clever features, such as the tight-fitting hooded and brimmed skull cap with chin cinch, back zippered pocket for keys and accessories, as well as loops at the bottom of the shirt to attach the shirt tight against board shorts, help round out the R0 towards being a very functional piece of gear for any outing on or near the water. As a Jun 4, 2015 · The Patagonia Capilene Lightweight T-Shirt is a streamlined and exceedingly simple running shirt that nevertheless does an extremely good job. The PFG Terminal Tackle does as it should in terms of general sun protection. May 4, 2023 · The Baleaf UPF 50 Hoody is an inexpensive, no-nonsense sun shirt that's made with comfortable and durable polyester fabric strongly stitched together. 0 Short Sleeve Shirt, ASICS Lite-Show Short Sleeve Top, New Balance Accelerate Short Sleeve Shirt, Brooks Distance Short Sleeve Shirt, and Salomon Agile Short Sleeve Tee, offer a range of options to suit different preferences and running Apr 2, 2025 · Most of the shirts in our test dried equally quickly when left to the sun after a soaking. Jul 3, 2020 · That said, this shirt isn't severely less breathable than other tested shirts, and it dries as quickly as all others when pulled from the washing machine and left outside. Jan 24, 2024 · Very few things can make it comfortable to wear a long-sleeved shirt under the blazing sun, and the breathability of the Baleaf isn't astounding. On the other hand, it's thinner than most sweatshirt-style fleeces, so it's easier to layer under an outer jacket or shell. They are well-tailored and comfortable, thanks to their thin and breathable fabric. The Norvan provides impressive weather protection in an ultralight package but lacks the breathability provided by other models. The best pairs offer the warmth, breathability, and mobility you need with the comfort you desire for all your outdoor activities. The tradeoff with breathability and stretch is that these pants don't hold up in the rain as well as some others. Nov 20, 2024 · Now living in Santa Fe, NM, Aaron wears many professional hats, dividing his work seasonally between farming and writing in the summers and ski patrol and avalanche education in the winters. May 29, 2025 · Why Trust GearLab. But one standout, the Outdoor Research Echo, dried far more rapidly thanks to its very thin, lightweight fabric and minimalist design. We even slept in the darn thing. This shirt does not fall into either of these categories. One strategy is to use sunscreen. Testing sun shirts requires a lot of careful consideration, active adventuring, and the willingness to have your friends ask you if you only own these few shirts. May 28, 2020 · While most sunscreens block only UVB rays, UPF clothing blocks both UVA and UVB rays, keeping your skin much safer — and younger-looking. Aug 9, 2022 · They have the mobility of jersey knit lounge pants with a style at the intersection of athletic and dressy casual. Read on as we expand on these different characteristics. We noticed these seams every time we wore the shirt and the more intense the run, the more aggravating the Jun 25, 2020 · The Nike Miler performs well and offers a great value for the price. Conclusion The NB Mesh Ice 2. . This could be a more versatile shirt for those that do not have sensitive skin, or if the mesh fabric were a bit less coarse and softer to the touch. Our hiking and running experts take the top shirts on the trails, and in the sun, to help you find what gives the best protection and performance. Editor's Note: We updated our insulated jacket review on March 7, 2025, to include newly tested products to our lineup. 3 days ago · Ultralight Backpacks Ultralight backpacks are for experienced hikers that want to reduce weight and carry only the bare essentials. Features. When tackling big adventures, your clothing needs to be adaptable. Apr 10, 2025 · Getting out on the trails can be a lot easier with the right hiking gear. Our main sun shirt tester and lover of all things high alpine (and high exposure to UV) uses sunscreen as a religion, being a fair-skinned, red-headed half-Viking, who also tragically lost a parent to skin cancer. This jacket is well-mapped and fits like an athletic layer, but still affords ample room for movement in the arms and Jan 28, 2025 · Blended Fabrics. Jul 1, 2019 · The pockets are subtle, and the left-side zipper matches the shirt color. For the sake of generalization, consider that these blended knits will have a blend of the positives and negatives related to each of the full-fiber options. This shirt can look with jeans or even chill dress pants. Like others in our test, this shirt was subjected to a number of controlled tests for smell and drying time and generally put through whatever paces are typical for a garment in the travel and hiking sect From jackets to pants, shorts to shirts, our experts test the top brands: The North Face, Patagonia, REI, Outdoor Research, Arc'teryx, Prana, among a host of others Credit: Jenna Ammerman Gone are the days of just buying and hoping for the best. Oct 9, 2024 · The Canyon held on for many a trip, stroll, hike, dinner, and more. Nov 9, 2021 · When you're buying a running shirt, especially if you're spending a significant bit of money on what seems like “just a t-shirt,” you want to make sure that you're getting exactly what you need — whether that's a highly specialized shirt or a more versatile one. You can look at this detailed review from Outdoor Gear Lab for similar shirts. It was easily one of the most comfortable shirts in the review, and was the fastest shirt to dry in our drying test, making it a great choice for hot, sweaty days, or as a base layer for other outdoor Apr 16, 2025 · An avid rock climber, trail runner, and splitboarder, she wears base layers frequently while exploring the Sierra Nevada Mountains and beyond. Related: Best Insulated Jackets for Women Apr 23, 2025 · On longer runs, storage becomes a necessity to carry things like nutrition, energy gels, and water. Jul 3, 2020 · Work, play, and all the time in between, we've worn the Patagonia Tropic Comfort Hoody II through sweltering days down low in town and lofty days in the mountains. Then, we compared each shirt's dry time to metrics like dry weight, type of material, etc. The Eddie Bauer Atlas Exploration shirt boasts a couple of lay-flat breast pockets with mesh May 10, 2023 · There are shirts that feature strategic mesh paneling to promote ventilation, and there are shirts that use a uniform polyester blend to capitalize on evaporative cooling. Apr 23, 2025 · During the cold weather months, long underwear is essential. It packs well and seems to look good no matter what it's paired with. Nov 7, 2022 · Our head tester is often on the edge of sizing in Patagonia clothing. The Alpenglow Pro has a simple front zipper for essentials like keys, or even a phone. A hooded sun shirt with simple, indispensable features, the Tropic Comfort looks good both hanging up in our closet, waiting for a sunny day, as well as when worn outside, which is what it almost craves. We are happy we did, as the large afforded a nearly perfect fit. We provide details and examples on common layer combinations for different types of activities. It's versatile across many activities, more accommodating of diverse body shapes, and breathable enough for even the hottest days. 6 oz/186 grams for a men's medium, the Montbell Cool Hoodie is a light and simple hooded sun shirt. It is stylish and as breathable as some of the higher-end shirts in our review. Ben Applebaum-Bauch is an avid thru-hiker and has traversed the Long, Pacific Crest, Oregon Coast, and Colorado trails, to name a few. The trim fit doesn't feel too restrictive, and it has anatomical panels that conform to the body. Mar 15, 2017 · In the last part of our three-part series on layering clothing we explain how to layer for winter and different outdoor conditions. There wasn't an area where this shirt didn't shine, and with a more relaxed fit, it offers the added versatility of looking good. Jun 28, 2021 · Nathan implemented a ventilation panel the full length of the Rise shirt, designed to dump heat where it builds up the most. Although the 250 g/m² fabric weight puts the Merino 250 at the heavier end of our midweight selection, actually wearing this top suggests otherwise. These packs are best suited for light pack loads of 10-25 pounds but can work reasonably well for heavier loads too. Featuring a half zip and kangaroo pockets up front, and thumb loops on the sleeves, this hooded layer keeps all other frills to a minimum. Over the last decade, our team of experts has purchased and evaluated hundreds of best-selling base layers for men and women, putting them through their paces from Yosemite Valley Our women's clothing experts test all the top brands: Patagonia, Canada Goose, The North Face, Arc'teryx, Prana, among a host of others Apr 24, 2024 · The Astroman features many of the accouterments we expect to find in high-quality offerings: a half-zip opening, a zippered chest pocket designed to pack the shirt up when not in use, a comfy and over-the-helmet-compatible hood, thumb loops, and a high UPF 50 stretchy fabric that has one of the fastest dry times of any of the shirts we've tested. On most outdoor runs, people will likely want to have at least a few essentials on them, like keys, identification, and a phone. See our favorite men's hiking boots and which daypacks we rated best. After testing a size medium Houdini in the past, we decided to try out the large instead. Dry time was tested by recording each sun shirt's dry weight, washing them all together, and hanging them up to dry. On the Nov 9, 2021 · Unlike many shirts that offer UPF or odor resistance, this shirt lacks those extra but somewhat necessary features. Because it provides a more contoured fit, we found that we loved using this tank beneath other layers for runs in unpredictable weather. We'd take each shirt off at given intervals and weigh them to record the weight and time throughout the drying process. This ventilation chimney works, but the seams that connect it to the body of the shirt are thick and bothersome. Jan 24, 2024 · The Outdoor Research Echo Hoodie is an impressively lightweight, breathable sun shirt. The durability of this thick fabric is high, although when the sun gets strong, you may wish you had something a little more breathable. This Bass Pro T-shirt showcases a full-width screen-printed back graphic with a Embrace Comfort and Performance with Icebreaker Clothing The 8 Best Hiking Boots for Men of 2024: Step Into Adventure with Confidence The 6 Best Down Jackets of 2024: Exceptional Warmth and Style for Outdoor Enthusiasts The long sleeve shirt is only 170g and is very breathable. Mar 7, 2025 · We've put a variety of apparel for men through the wringer and have thoroughly analyzed clothing, including the best down jackets, the top-rated fleece jackets, and warm winter jackets. The UPF 20-rated fabric is one of the lowest in terms of sun protection, so it's not what you want to rely on solely if Nov 7, 2023 · The Black Diamond Rhythm Tee is the best-performing running shirt we've ever tested. Jan 24, 2024 · The price of this shirt is about in the middle of the pack of our tested shirts. From stand-up paddle boards and kayaks, to fishing gear and sun shirts, our team of experts has spent hundreds of hours putting the latest and greatest gear to the test. Our testers loved this model as a heavier-weight softshell with a fleece-lined inner, gifting incredible comfort against our skin and effective heat retention. The flatlock seams are smooth, and the gentle V-neck provides great cleavage coverage, a flattering fit, and an athletic range of motion. Mar 30, 2025 · A well-designed base layer can also become a trusted companion once spring hits, offering thermoregulation when outdoor pursuits take you high and nights remain cold. May 11, 2021 · A Word or Two on Sunscreen. With stretchy fabric, wind and mild weather protection, abrasion resistance, and a lightweight and breathable shell, the Ferrosi has become everything that we hope for in a light softshell jacket. Our team has tested over 50 pairs of long underwear for women over the last eight years, including nearly two dozen in our latest review. 6 days ago · As an outdoor professional with a IFMGA guide certification, Ryan spends 200+ days of the year hiking, either for work or for play, which has cemented the importance of having good quality and reliable gear. Reply reply GearLab provides the world's best reviews of outdoors gear based on in-depth side-by-side comparison and written by outdoor professionals. Jan 5, 2020 · The 6 best running shirts mentioned above, including the Nike Dri-FIT Miler T-Shirt, Under Armour Tech™ 2. They can just as easily go with a collared shirt as they can with a hiking tee. Nov 15, 2019 · The Icebreaker 200 Oasis didn't necessarily wow us with any fancy bells, whistles, or tricks, but proved itself as a consistent and dependable workhorse. At Outdoor Gear Lab, we've been testing the best water gear on the market for over a decade. As soon as I lifted it from the box, I had a hunch that this was a base layer able to stand up to even the best of the competition. May 21, 2025 · The Patagonia R1 Air is also stretchy enough to wear over clothing, but its slimmer cut won't fit as comfortably over bulkier base layers. While sun shirts have UPF ratings ranging from a low of about 25 to a high of 50+, an average t-shirt (especially those thin ones that are so comfortable to wear when it's hot) only has a UPF rating of about 5. Its bright colors do a solid job of not contributing to the problem, and the thickness of this shirt is on par with many other similar construction shirts we tested. Apr 25, 2025 · But our gear experts also have you covered with our picks for the best sunglasses on the market, as well as in-depth reviews covering the top-rated sun hats. Whether you are looking for the best sun shirts or a top running shirt , our outdoor and fitness test team has recommendations based on detailed side-by-side tests to help you find the perfect shirt Proudly wear your outdoor style with the Bass Pro Shops® Premium Outdoor Gear Lab Short-Sleeve T-Shirt for Men. And for what it brings to the table, we think it's a fantastic value. A snug and traditional base layer fit paired with comfortable and stretchy Merino wool regulates body temp well, wicks and dries quickly, and is a perfect weight to provide versatility through the changing seasons. Related: Best Sun Shirts for Men Oct 9, 2024 · Fabric as soft as your favorite lived-in t-shirt is not a trick so easily pulled off by a technical piece of gear –- the REI Co-op Sahara Shade Hoodie must then be magic. Jun 2, 2020 · Compared to a lot of the outdoor gear we review on this site, choosing a running shirt is relatively easy. The Rhythm Tee is made with Nuyarn, a fabric that uses Merino wool drafted over a synthetic nylon core. Jun 2, 2025 · The right jacket can turn freezing temps and biting winds into an open invitation to get outside and stay comfortable. In fact, this hoodie received a nearly perfect score for breathability and remains our favorite option to wear during high-output activities. Built with the company's 50+ UPF Omni-Shade 100% polyester, this shirt is designed for mid to extreme sun exposure and will repel both UVA (more prevalent, causes photoaging) and UVB (surface level, sunburn-causing) rays. 0 is an incredibly fast drying and breathable shirt suited well for high output short-duration activities. Body odor specifically never became an issue, but campfire smoke lingered for a couple of wash cycles, as to be expected, given the similar performance of the others in the Nov 5, 2024 · The REI Co-op Trailmade performs well across the board, making it one of the best hiking pants for users on a budget. All of the shirts in this review are comfortable, fit great, do an effective job of keeping one cool while working hard, and have appropriate running-related features. Jul 3, 2020 · Sun Protection. From hiking shorts, to biking and running, GearLab has reviewed them all and can help you pick the right one for you! The Arc'teryx Cormac Crew is wonderfully comfortable, loose enough that it breathes well, and light enough that it gently bounces in perfect unison with the body. The linear weave of the 100% bicomponent polyester fabric is breathable, quick-drying, and lightweight. Jan 28, 2025 · Warmth. The Outdoor Research Vigor is supremely stretchy yet thin, making it easy to layer Oct 9, 2024 · The fabric's UPF 50+ rating reflects some of the best technology currently available and this shirt is durable enough to withstand many seasons of open-water fishing. The extensive testing by our running experts can help you pick the best running shoes, shirts, shorts, jackets, and more to meet your specific needs. These features don't add up to make it the most versatile or breathable of shirts, nor is it a fashion pick, but for top-notch sun protection, you've found it. Of course, all storage needs could be met by a secondary piece of gear like a running vest, belt, or backpack Nov 9, 2021 · Though a few other shirts outshined this tank in the drying speed and features metrics, we grew to love this tank's slender countenance, cute and creative breathability, and overall comfort. This slightly boxy tee has some style elements, such as the mesh panel on the lower back and a slightly cropped body, that make it effortlessly cool and a great transition piece from the gym to daily life. May 29, 2025 · Essential Running Clothing. He spends much of his time outside and draws on his experience as a retail buyer to dissect and discuss the nuances of technical gear. May 11, 2021 · Despite the name, “technical” is not the first thing that comes to mind for us when describing the Patagonia Sunshade Technical Hoody. Jan 24, 2024 · The features of the Sahara are understated and blend into the shirt's design better than so many similar shirts with gaudy pockets, tabs, snaps, and zippers sticking out everywhere. The cuffs end at the wrist, aren't too wide, and the shorter hemline contributes to the more casual appearance. That said, this shirt is priced significantly lower than its higher-scoring competition, so it makes sense that it doesn't offer the high-tech features of pricier options. Rather, the heathered-patterned fabric on this well-designed shirt simply looks good, and useful features abound: you'll find a zippered chest pocket, thumb loops at the end of the sleeve, and a button at the top of the neck to help the hood from blowing May 11, 2021 · A very relaxed shirt with excellent coverage that capitalizes on breezes while still keeping your hood in place: This excellent rash guard provides comfortable protection in the water: Breezy, lightweight, and inexpensive, this top has tons of pockets but its thin fabric catches easily: A decent shirt for casual wear that won't break the bank May 24, 2022 · The Outdoor Research Ferrosi Hoodie has seen minor changes over the years but has remained a staple of the softshell jacket world. Nov 12, 2024 · The Patagonia R2 TechFace Hoody is an excellent option for cooler temperatures and conditions, with great ventilation keeping you on the go even for big days. Editor's Note: Our sun shirt review was updated on April 25, 2025, to share more info from our testers about their favorite shirts. As a seasoned gear reviewer, Amber spends her time backpacking into remote places, canyoneering through slot canyons, and finding cool trails to run worldwide. There's no such thing as bad weather — only bad clothes. It has less obtrusive chest pockets, with small velcro strips that keep weight down and don't catch our long hair. Why You Get Cold in the Mountains - Provides background information on exactly how and why you lose (and gain) heat during outdoor activities, and how Oct 27, 2023 · While the Outdoor Research Echo is slightly shorter, the body of this shirt, combined with the cool, soft touch of the fabric, allows it to stand leagues above most of our other shirts in the comfort department. Aug 22, 2023 · How to Layer Clothing to Keep Warm - (this article you are reading) Covers how modern technical clothing is designed to work as a layered system and explains each layer from base to outer shell. This shirt's unique blend of nylon and wool creates a light and airy garment with excellent temperature regulation. Oct 9, 2024 · Any sun shirt with a front zip means it's easier to thermoregulate without needing to remove the shirt -– just unzip it to dump extra heat out –- making it a multi-season layer. May 11, 2021 · Weighing just 6. We were impressed from the first time we wore this shirt at just how comfy it is and delighted by the fabric's superbly high UPF 50+ sun protection rating. Most die-hard runners will go out in just about any conditions, and it is essential to have the proper attire to keep you cool (or warm) no matter where you live or what time of year it is. Jun 2, 2020 · The Arc'teryx Motus Crew is an excellent running shirt or base layer. Add in trekking poles, a lightweight water bottles, a pair of sunglasses, and a sun shirt to offer some UV protection, and you'll be set to reach some amazing places! Oct 25, 2019 · As it stands now, this shirt doesn't seem like good value. Since 2012, we've bought over 160 top-rated winter jackets, tested them to sub-zero temperatures, hiked around town in whipping winter winds, and shoveled small mountains of snow. We hope that our intensive testing process helps you to find the perfect sun shirt for your skin and your life. Many tops, including a number in our review, are made of a Merino wool/polyester blend. Weather Resistance. qkjwxp xavgexs phenv prd ira njenkk xupgy vuazk oqcfbj nhe