Today I wanted to do a review on the short post on the Berghaus Tech Tee LS Zip Men’s Base Layer. It’s  a new piece of hiking kit I purchased a couple of weeks back. I took it for a test drive last Saturday and so wanted give my thoughts on it and show you where you can get it.

Summary

Average Customer Rating: 4 stars out of 5 (1 Review) 

Available Colors: Black, Grey, Blue

Where to Buy: Amazon

Review

I needed to get some new base layers and so I got to doing some research on what was available. Generally speaking there are lot’s of good options available in this space from many well known brands. Over the last year or so, I’ve bought a few bits and pieces from Berghaus like my rain pants and I have to say I’ve been very pleased with the quality of their stuff.

I wouldn’t describe myself as brand ‘centric’ as such. I buy gear across the board from all the various brands. It really comes down to the quality and specifications of the individual item for me. However, my experience with Berghaus to date has been a very good one so I do look twice if I see their offerings for something I’m looking for.

The LS Zip tee is made using the Berghaus Argentium Baselayer Technology, yet another hiking gear ‘technology’ I hear you cry ;-), which maximizes breathability and keeps your skin dry by wicking any moisture away from it.

The optimized denier gradient knit structure also means that it can both absorb and block harmful UV rays out. This initially confused me a bit as when I thought of a base layer I immediately thought of it as an under garment. However, base layers are perfect to wear on the outside too when you need to wrap up tight but stay protected. For example, if you’re hiking in a desert, you need to wrap up for protection from the sun, rather than to keep warm, while being able to stay as cool as possible at the same time.

Next thing to mention about this tee is its odor resistant properties through the use of silver ion technology. This works by using ‘polygiene’ which is a permanent odor control technology for the treatment of high performance fabrics. It uses a low concentration of natural silver salt to inhibit growth of odor causing bacteria. In short, it helps keep it fresh as it will likely have a lot of moisture and sweat passing through it’s fibers, from the rigors of the trail, throughout it’s lifetime.

Finally, I always like when hiking gear looks the part in a casual setting and in that regard, the Berghaus Tech Tee LS Zip fits the bill. It looks great with a pair of jeans so it’s practical for day-to-day use as well as for when you’re out on the trail.

My Experience

As mentioned at the start of this post, I wore this tee out on the trail for the first time last weekend. I choose the grey option, pictured, as I liked the red underarms with it. I wore it on a 15 mile hike last weekend and it was great. It was comfortable and kept me dry when I was exerting myself. The zip is a bit longer on it than you would normally expect on a tee but I found this to be very useful for quick ventilation.

It worked well with my other gear and so was great for layering. Another thing that was great about it was that after the hike I took it off, crumpled it up and put it into my day pack, it’s light and easy to stow away. When I took it out later after being crumpled up for a few hours, it looked as good as new!

Pros:

• Lightweight
• Odor resistant
• Breathable

Cons:

• Zip on the front Goes down a bit far ( That was my first impression but I actually got used to this and quite like it now, great for quick ventilation)

Conclusion

The Berghaus Tech Tee LS Zip Men’s Base Layer  is a good buy. It does what it promises in a functional capacity but it is also pretty sharp looking. It can be worn as a base layer or as a tee in it’s own right and is perfect for casual use as well as on the trail.

Have you used any Berghaus kit? Do you like their hiking gear? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below.