Mountain Hardwear Ravine Shirt: An Ideal Travel to Trail Top

Mountain Hardwear's technical Ravine shirt is a wonderful top that's served me well everywhere where from hip bars in Portland to the dry deserts of eastern Oregon. It's cool looking, cool feeling, stretchy, and super comfy.

The Ravine is a stylish casual top, with lots of technical inspiration from safari-style button-up shirts. First of all, it's really well ventilated; I wish I'd had it last month while I was touring the Australian Outback. The Ravine has massive mesh panels behind the neck and beneath the armpits, so I feel like I've got my own personal air conditioning system on my body. Every time I move my arms, the shirt acts like a bellows, bringing in new air and circulating out old air. I love that the mesh is almost indistinguishable from the rest of the shirt's fabric - the result is that it looks like a normal button-up shirt.

One thing that's always bothered me about heavier nylon hiking shirts is that they don't stretch much - and that tends to restrict my movement when I'm moving around with a waist pack or backpack. Waist belts tend to hold shirts in place, so when I move or twist, the shirts hold me in place. But the Ravine is made of a stretch material that contains a seven percent elastane blend. The bottom line is that I don't feel like I'm stuck in a sardine can when I'm doing active hiking while wearing a pack.  

Of course, the shirt is full of thoughtful, small features, thanks to Mountain Hardwear's legendary attention to detail. The chest pockets zip, so nothing can fall out and so they look invisible - which is great for traveling and hiding money and documents. The left breast pocket is big enough to hold maps. Another detail I like: I was able to flip up a small tab on the back of the collar to get just a little bit more protection from the bright desert sun.

The Ravine is available in five different colors, sizes SM-XXL. It's also available in a short sleeve style.

Bottom Line: A high tech travel and casual shirt that's stretchy and breathable. --N.W. (May '10)

BUY ONLINE : $60 / short sleeve; $70 / long sleeve. Click to shop at REI , click here for SS top at Moosejaw , click to shop at Altrec.

Manufacturer's Site:  www.mountainhardwear.com

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