Mountain Hardwear Passage Tech Tee : Soft as Cotton, Trail Tough

For the last week I've been putting my new Mountain Hardwear Passage Tech tee through the ringer in Southern California, doing everything from long hikes to trail runs to epic climbs - and even spending long nights in bed.

You may think it's weird that I consider sleeping a form of product testing, so please let me explain. When I travel, I usually bring along two or three tech tees, which I wear during the days, and then a single cotton t-shirt to wear to bed. I hate the feel of tech tees at night - because of their smooth fabric, they cling to my skin and make me feel greasy.

What's so cool about the Passage Tech tee is that it actually feels like cotton or merino wool, even though it's 100 percent polyester. It's got texture, but it's incredibly soft and comfortable. That means I won't be bringing cotton with me next time I'm living out of a backpack for months. A pack full of Passage Tech tee shirts is all I need -- they're smaller, lighter, and they pack down way better than cotton.

When I'm doing something active, I'm equally thrilled to be wearing the Passage Tech tee. It's stretchy, so I've got great freedom of movement while I'm running or climbing. I've never felt bound in this shirt. It's great to wear under a pack, too, because the shoulder seams are not on top of the shoulder, but instead are a little further toward my back. The raglan sleeve design means that my pack straps push down against flat fabric instead of pinching me with a seam. But no matter - it's not like the seams of this top would cause problems anyway: they're totally flat.  

California weather has been on the hot side in the last week, so it's been great that the Passage Tech tee breaths and wicks moisture so well. Of course I sweat while I'm wearing it, but it never feels that way and I never have to contend with a dripping wet shirt. No matter how hard I push it, or how much I sweat, the shirt stays dry and I feel well ventilated. Somehow, Mountain Hardwear's proprietary Chitosan antimicrobial fabric treatment - extracted from the shells of sea creatures - keeps the shirt from smelling rank.

The Passage Tech tee shirt is the best of all worlds. It's available in short sleeve, long sleep (a zip tee) and a polo tee, and in women's sizes and styles. Men's tees are available in a variety of colors, including green, rust, gray and blue, sizes S-XXL. Women's tees (Passage Point SS tee and Passage Point LS tee) are available in XS-XL, in kiwi, pansy, air, and casper (ie, white!).

Bottom Line : Lightweight, stretchy, wicking tech tee that looks and feels like cotton. --N.W. (May 10)

BUY ONLINE : $45 (SS), $60 (LS), $55 (polo), click to shop at moosejaw , click to shop for women's tops , click for women's tops at altrec , click for men's tops at altrec

Manufacturer's Site: www.mountainhardwear.com

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