Re: Ladies thermals testing
Postby Onestepmore » Sat 22 Jun, 2013 6:42 pm
Initial Impressions
I received the Brubeck ladies thermal top from Globewalker in a jolly lolly pink colour and was pleased by the feel of the fabric and it's defined shape even before I put it on. It's soft and stretchy, has no annoying ridgey seams in the wrong places and no annoying tags to irritate you at the back of the neck. There are stretchy mesh inserts under the arms, the waist fits well due a ribbed area on each side, and there are shaped elasticised sections to help 'lift and define' the bust area. There are no seams in the body of the garment. The raglan sleeves are attached via flatlocked seams. I was pleased by the length - long enough to pull down and stay down, even when bending over and stretching to put on a pack. I am a size 14, 46 year old woman with boobs and a waist.
I had a large size supplied, which was just right.Test conditions
The trip where I wore it was an overnight 28 km round trip walk to the Nattai River to Middle Flat (Nattai NP, south of Sydney, NSW) over the June long weekend with my husband and teenage children aged 12 and 15. Hubby was continuing for another overnighter over Beloon Pass to Yerranderie while myself and the kids walked back up to the top of the escarpment the next day. The weather was fine cool winter weather with a light breeze. Daytime temp at the top according to my car's thermomenter at lunch time was 11 degrees. We estimated it was about 4 or 5 degrees overnight, so fairly mild for winter around here. There was no frost. I wore it under a light satin surfaced fleece hoody with an underwire bra, and was carrying a 14 kg Aarn pack with tent, food and cooking gear for myself and the kids as well as my personal gear and some water. I started off with areosol underarm deodorant, but didn't reapply this for the duration of the trip, nor did I bathe. I tend to be a hot walker and a cold sleeper.
Performance
I was originally concerned I might have been too hot, but was pleasantly surprised by the heat regulation of the garment. I would usually have worn a merino undergarment, which would have become quite wet with sweat. I didn't get hot, and stayed warm even when we stopped for afternoon tea (with a cool breeze blowing). My hoody's back was noticeably wet from sweat when I removed my pack. I had no itching or chafing in any area. The walk down was approx 4.5 hours, and it was getting dark when we made camp. I feel the cold readily, but didn't need to put on a top layer (a light 2 layer goretex shell) until after dark. I was actually waiting to get cold as we were setting up tents, and had assumed I'd need to put on something else earlier. It did however smell more sweaty than a merino base layer would. As part of the test I decided I'd sleep in it, despite smelling sweaty, when normally I'd change into a clean long sleeved merino for overnight and the next day. I slept in this and some merino leggings in a down -5 rated sleeping bag with a silk liner, and felt no cold nor did I overheat.
The next morning was a stready uphill climb for 5.5 hours, with a couple of rest and food stops. I started out with the thermal top on but it was a warmer fine day, and I got too hot. I had to stop and change into a short sleeved synthetic polo top. The temp when we reached our car at 3 pm was 10 degrees, but it would have been warmer earlier. It's not robust to wear as a single layer with a pack - I feel the fabric would wear badly and possibly pill (?) but this is not it's intended use anyway. It's also not designed to be worn with scrub or undergrowth etc - the soft fabric will snag easily. Velcro straps stick to it very readily and leave a fluffy finish after they are pulled off, so beware!
Summary
So, overall I was pleased with the top as a warmer undergarment and will definitely use it again. Main pluses are that it's a great conforming, streamlined, no wrinkle fit. It wicks heat and moisture away for your body very well, so when you stop you don't get cold. I found it warm enough to wear solely as a sleep garment overnight on a mild winter night. It washed well on a normal cycle, it was colourfast, and kept it's shape.
Minuses are that it's a soft delicate fabric that may get snagged easily, like on velcro straps and bushes etc. And, as with all synthetic polyproplylene garments, it smells of sweat and body odour pretty badly once you start exerting yourself
Note - only worn and washed the once
Many thanks to Globewalker who supplied this garment free of charge for me to try.
Cheers
Shelly
