Lowe Alpine Dryflo Zone Top Tested

Lowe Alpine Dryflo Zone Top

Price: £35.00 (also available as T @ £30)

Weight: 140 grammes (men's L)

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.

Good in hot conditions Hard to judge how much better it is than standard Light Weight Dryflo

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.

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.

Performance
Value

Lowe Alpine web site

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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