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Lowe Alpine Dryflo Zone
Top
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Price: £35.00
(also available as T @ £30)
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Weight: 140 grammes (men's
L)
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Features:Features:
Shortsleeved, deep zip-neck, Dryflo ZoneTech fabric, low
profile collar for easy layering, differential hem (slight
drop tail), enhanced moisture vapour areas corresponding to
body 'hot spots' and seamlessly integrated with main body of
fabric.
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Good in hot conditions
Hard to judge how much better it is than standard Light
Weight Dryflo
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Dryflo is one of our base layer fabrics of choice, but when we first
got hold of Lowe's Zone top we were slightly skeptical - the fabric
uses two different Dryflo weaves joined seamlessly. The idea, based
on thermal-imaging research, is that a more open knit using finer
yarn and offering 'enhanced moisture vapour transfer' is positioned
over the areas which get hottest and produce most moisture during
exercise.
For blokes that's apparently a broad strip down the centre of the
back, under the arms and down the side of the trunk and across the
chest. Women's versions have frontal hot spots under the breasts, so
that's where the high wicking stuff goes. This
page on the Lowe site has more detail. The effect's visual quite
subtle and appealing, but hard to photgraph, so you'll have to take
our word for it.
Of course the £35 question is 'does it work or is it just a
gimmick?' And after extensive use in the hottest conditions so far
available to us, the answer is that it's probably the best warm
environment, active base layer we've tried. What we really noticed is
that the looser weave sections simply don't hold moisture in the way
that the denser areas do. That's particularly noticeable from gym
treadmill testing where you can spend hours simply watching sweat
patch distribution...
It's a subtle improvement, but we reckon it's a small but definite
advance on Light Weight Dry Flo and a big improvement on standard
weight base layers we've used. The wide back stripe's not going to do
much under a sac, of course, but the rest of it's still able to do
its stuff.
The rest of the basic design is fine. A deep neck zip allows some
ventilation, the collar provides a little protection from the sun and
who needs long sleeves in hot weather? As a bonus, it also looks
quite trick once you get close up, not that that matters of
course.
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Verdict: The best hot weather base
layer we've used, though it's a subjective judgement. The
looser weave sections seem to hold less moisture and dry
faster than the denser parts, though even those are pretty
light weight. We're not sure why a whole garment made from
the high wicking weave wouldn't do an even better job though
it might just be less comfortable. If you're after a summer
/ hot conditions base layer, this is the best we've
used.
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Performance
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Value
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Pushed for time:
Pretty much the industry standard for base layer
material, Lowe's Dryflo scores by wicking well, fitting
close and keeping performance due to the wicking being a
property of the fabric rather than a bolt-on coating, which
can be eroded by washing. Also comfortable against the skin
and under pack straps. The long-sleeved zip-neck is our
favourite format for baselayer use. Top choice.
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