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TNF El Cap II Shirt
(baselayer)
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Price:
£45.00
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Weight: 302g (men's
Large)
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Features: Polartec
Power Dry fabric, VaporWick finish, deep zip front neck,
collar, underarm gusset, loose cut.
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Excellent wicking when new, soft feel, loose cut with good
mobility, doesn't pong overmuch
Performance deteriorates a little with use and
washing.
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Fabric Our baselayer of choice has always been Lowe's Dry Flo
for the way it combines a soft, comfortable feel with excellent
wicking performance and a low pong quotient, but Polartec's Power Dry
fabric, as used in the El Cap II is right up there with it.
Power Dry uses a so-called bi-component knit contruction, which
basically means that the side of the garment next to the skin - it's
a different colour to make the point - is designed to draw moisture
away from the skin while the outer spreads it across the garment's
surface for quick evaporation. In other words, the inner surface
sucks sweat away, the outer spreads it out to help it evaporate. The
inner is also slightly brushed for a comfortable feel.
Polartec claim that the fabric moves 'at least 30 per-cent more
moisture away from the skin than other fabrics'. One plus that they
don't mention is that the properties are due to the structure of the
fabric rather than an added treatment, so it stays that way with use,
which isn't always the case.
Cut The El Cap's slightly unusual for a modern baselayer in
that the fit is actually quite generous. Theoretically that should
work against it, but in practice it makes it a more comfortable
garment especially in warm conditions, where it avoids the awful
clammy feel of some of its rivals. In fact we were happy to use it in
the gym as well as on the hill and in six months or so, it's had an
awful lot of wear. The collar also helps make the top sun
friendly.
The wicking performance is excellent and in a gym situation you
could see the moisture spreading across the surface of the garment.
The fabric is soft and luxurious next to the skin from new and is
still comfortable after numerous trips around the washing machine,
though it has lost a little of that softness. Wicking also remains
good, possibly helped by TNF's VaporWick finish, which is claimed to
last for the life of the garment.
Update Some more washes later
and we'd say that PowerDry, although it still performs well, in a
wicking sense, is more prone to lose softness and elasticity than say
Karrimor's ABL or Lowe's Dryflo. To be fair, we've tended to wash it
at 40 degrees C rather than the recommended 30 degrees, but Scoop
over on sister site BM has made the same observation, so we reckon
it's inherent in the fabric.
If you were going to be ultra-picky - and why change the habit of
a life time? - the zip-neck could be slightly longer for ventilation
and there are seams, though not prominent ones running over the top
of the shoulder, which could cause irritation with pack straps,
though we never had this problem and the seams are flatlocked to
minimise problems.
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Verdict: A really good baselayer -
the loose cut helped up comfort in hot conditions, the
collar kept the backs of our necks from burning and it was
soft and comfortable against the skin as well as looking
smart. The Power Dry fabric performed exceptionally well,
wicks like an ice cold beer in the desert and doesn't smell
too bad either.
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Performance
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Value
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Pushed for
time:
A really good baselayer and right up there with Lowe's
Fry Flo - the realtively loose cut helped up comfort in hot
conditions, the collar kept the backs of our necks from
burning and it was soft and comfortable against the skin as
well as looking smart. The Power Dry fabric performed
exceptionally well - it uses two different knits, one on the
inside to suck sweat, one on the outside to spread it out -
and wicks like an ice cold beer in the desert and doesn't
smell bad either. A definite winner if you're after a new
baselayer and can afford the asking price.
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