scope100109218

Fleece is thin and light, less bulk than others, but performs well. Sheds light to moderate wind - has waist cinch not shown in pic. Has a little more style than standard fleece, with the exception of the colors offered. My large seemed right on for size as listed in the chart except for sleeves which felt shorter than what was listed (which was perfect for me).

Seemed itchy/scratchy when I first put it on, but after a washing and shrinking in the dryer, its a lot softer. Much heavier weight than a lot of the other wool T's I've seen, plus it has this dual hem along the bottom that seems to make it feel heavier. Not something I would pack, but will definitely wear it as my base for several days.

The sizing is for someone tall with a thick neck and short arms. I'm pretty average size with perhaps short arms and the large I ordered fit perfectly in the arms (I wear 33" dress shirts) but was huge in the neck and length. Was loose fitting which I liked and probably would have kept it had the neck been anywhere near normal as I was looking for a warm mock base layer.

I bought primarily to have as a summit sack, hoping it could replace my compression sack and perhaps also do well as a daypack. Two out of three ain't bad and I would add that it seems substantial enough for a summer overnighter bag. The cons are that its really too big to be effective as a compression sack except for shrinking large bulky sleeping bags to put in large expedition packs and even then its really only capable of minor compression due to the way the straps are setup. Would also be nice if it had a bladder sleeve. As others have said, it really could use a chest strap, but I found this to be a relatively easy fix with a Velcro strap. The good is that the material is pretty substantial (not sil) and it seems to sit pretty well on my back whether its a small or large load. The shoulder pads are more substantial than I expected and the side pockets are plenty large - enough for a 32oz Nalgene to sit down in it well. The side pockets are what sold me as most day/summit packs are either pocketless or would not roll up to pack in a larger pack as this one does. Its a bummer having to make room in my pack for it as that is not what I had planned, but it seems to be my best choice given function and value.