Simple, light and wind and water resistant to boot - straightforward soft shell shirt from The North Face assessed.
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The North Face Apex Zip Shirt
Tested
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Price: £60.00
(medium)
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Weight: 347 grammes
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Features: Ozo
super ligt Apex stretch fabric, soft brushed back fabric,
highly wind resistant, zip neck with fleecy lining, single
chest pocket with zip, simple non-adjustable elasticated
cuffs
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Very black, nicely wind resistant.
Fat arse cut needs elastic to work properly.
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The Concept The TNF Apex Zip Shirt is the latest in the
company's range of Apex soft shells - the 'Flight Series; logo on the
sleeve hints that it's aimed at lightweight freaks and the 350-gramme
weight tag just backs that up. It's very wind resistant rather than
windproof by the way.
Features Remember TNF's good old microfleece Expedition Shirt,
the Apex Zip is designed along similar lines with just a half length
zip, chest pocket, fleece-lined collar and non-adjustable elasticated
cuffs. There's a hint of drop tail at the back, but nothing
extravagant.
In
Action The North Face favours a generous cut particular in the
lower regions so the scrawny of abdomen may need to look elsewhere.
The wide lower design is more than just a fit issue however, because
the hem has no elastication or shock cord to seal the bottom of the
garment. The result is stray gusts of wind up your abdominals.
TNF tells us that the idea is to tuck the shirt into your pants
like, well, a shirt, but to be brutal, you look a bit of a plank and
the extra material makes it uncomfortable too. You could always add
some shockcord yourself, but as it stands, its absence really does
make the Apex Zip less versatile than it could and should be.
It's a pity as it's otherwise a handy lightweight top with good
wind resistance and reasonable water repellancy. At 350 grammes it's
light enough to stash in your pack without weightly consequences and
the brushed lining makes it feel warmer than a straight windproof
top. The zip's handy for venting as well and we liked the comfort of
the microfleece-lined collar.
We used the Apex Zip for everything from mountain biking to hill
walking and scrambling - the stretch fabric means it feels
unrestrictive - and we liked the wind resistance and simplicity and
lightness. The loose cut though, and in particular the lack of a hem
cord, really undermines its effectiveness unless you're prepared to
tuck it into your pants.
That's a shame because otherwise it's a quiet, non-rustling
reasonably breathable and comfortable alternative to a windproof
top.
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Performance
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Value
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Pushed for time:
Light and simple wind and water resistant softshell zip top
from The North Face. Unfortunately a loose cut around the
waist and the lack of a hem cord means the wind can get up
onto your soft underbelly which severely limits its
effectiveness. Add one yourself or tuck into your pants and
look odd...
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