Mountain Hardwear Chiller LS Shirt Review
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Everyone needs a go to hiking/camping/outdoor shirt for the summer months. You know exactly what I’m talking about. Whether you’re headed to the mountains to fly fish, camp, do a little day hiking, or just hang out, you always reach for that one shirt. The Mountain Hardwear Chiller LS Shirt is seeking to become that favorite shirt.
First Impressions
To begin with, the folks at MH made the Mountain Hardwear Chiller LS Shirt with a specific goal in mind – they were attempting to engineer a fabric which would not only keep you cool during those hot summer months, but also dry out quickly, and as an added bonus, block UV Rays. Mountain Hardwear generally puts their money where their mouth is, so it’s no surprise that the Mountain Hardwear Chiller LS Shirt lived up to all of these claims during testing period this summer.
The Chiller L/S Shirt, a bit roomy, but comfortable.
Testing the Mountain Hardwear Chiller LS Shirt
Throughout the testing period, I was able to wear the Mountain Hardwear Chiller LS Shirt for a few short hikes (in the heat of the day), a quick overnight camping trip (the sole purpose of which may or may not have been to wear this shirt – but really, do I need an excuse to camp?), and even wore it all day to work one day, as it’s a button down, has a collar, and I live in Colorado – business here is transacted everyday in hiking boots, shorts, and a quality hiking shirt such as this one.
My first impressions were highly favorable, as the fabric feels cool, soft to the touch, and when slipped on is extremely comfortable. Putting it on led to my first (and only) beef with the shirt – it runs fairly big. I wear (and test) Mountain Hardwear coats all the time, and have a pretty good feel for their sizing range. This shirt just ran a tad big. Even if you like the loose and flowing hiking shirt look, try a size down in the Chiller LS Shirt. I tested out a size medium and I am 163lbs and 6’0 tall.
The ventilated side panels help shed excess heat.
On the trail, the performance of the shirt was excellent. I began all of my excursions with the sleeves rolled up and securely buttoned in place. However, as the sun began to heat up, I actually rolled down the sleeves. In even direct sunlight, I was more comfortable with the sleeves on the Chiller LS Shirt rolled down then up, as the shirt blocked the UV rays, thus keeping me from burning up. I burn fairly easily, so this feature is great. As for the claim that the fabric actually cools down when drying? This I couldn’t prove or disprove. I will say that it wicked away sweat fairly quickly, and did appear to dry as fast or faster then comparable products.
The collar has an extra panel which flips up to provide additional sun protection.
Pricing/Options
The Mountain Hardwear Chiller LS Shirt does run a bit more than the average hiking shirt, but for the price, the build appears to be of excellent quality, and the comfort factor is exceptional. I like the fact that I could even wear it over the weekend, sans showers, and not become overly fragrant like other tech/hiking shirt tend to become. For more info on the Chiller Shirt and other Mountain Hardwear gear, visit www.mountainhardwear.com or www.amazon.com/mountainhardwear.
