Berghaus LS Zip Tech T

What's It For?

The Tech T got its name when Berghaus found a high per-centage of walkers were still wearing cotton tees on the hill just a few years back. Essentially it's a looser-fitting, all-round alternative which is designed to wick well - keeping you more comfortable - dry fast and resist the evil forces of pong.

The Techy Bits

The Tec T uses exclusive to Berghaus fabric called Argentium. It's a bi-component polyester, which means the structure of the fabric moves moisture outwards before spreading it across the surface of the fabric for rapid evaporation. The idea is that your skin stays dry and comfortable and you don't chill out as soon as you stop.

That's all par for the course, but Argentium also uses 'silver ion technology' to reduce odour issues. It's a permanent treatment with anti-microbial silver ions impregnating the fabric evenly. It also uses less silver than treatments which use silver threads and has a more even coverage.

How It Performed

The Tech T has a nice medium loose fit, so you don't feel like some sort of lycra-type outdoors fashion victim and feels soft and comfortable against the skin, flat-locked seams help too. We like long-sleeved, zip-neck designs for all-round use as they give sun protection from collar and sleeves, but also have venting options thanks to the zip-neck opening.

The fabric's medium thick and wicks pretty well, though not as fast as thinner materials. It did seem to hold a little wetness when working hard, but also dried reasonably quickly. We did notice a bit of wet dog odour after a hard day's use, but it's not offensive and didn't seem to get worsen.

In pure wicking terms, a close, skin-hugging fit would work better, but actually for normal walking and climbing use, we liked the slightly looser cut. It seems well finished too with a YKK zip and those flat seams. We also really like the bright green colour scheme which stands out without doing a dayglo horror show job.

Verdict

Good all-round baselayer top with a nice relaxed cut. Wicking isn't quite as good as thinner fabrics as the moisture has further to move, but it's still pretty good and drying times are also decent. The silver ions minimise odour too. We like the long-sleeved, zip-necked design for its versatility.

Buy if you're looking for a well-made, effective all-round base-layer for general outdoors use and particularly if you have a thing about bright green tops.