Posts Tagged ExOfficio
ExOfficio Nio Amphi Convertible Pants
Yeah, I know, I’ve heard all the reasons why these travel pants that convert to shorts are not for cool people. If you’re part of the fashion police brigade, you can ignore this review of ExOfficio’s version.
For everyone else—and judging by what I see on the road “everyone else” is a whole lot of people—these Nio Amphi ones are the top shelf version of this adventure travel staple. But first, if these convertible pants are so dorky, why are they so popular?
There’s one primary reason: one less item to pack. Here at Practical Travel Gear we believe in packing light and one of the best ways to pull that off is by choosing a lot of double-duty gear. These pants are exhibit A in that strategy. They’re pants when you need pants, but the legs zip off and they’re shorts when you need shorts. Handy on a hike or when you’re a man in a country where men don’t wear shorts (which is, unfortunately, most of the world). Pants by day, shorts by night in the hostel or guesthouse.
The ExOfficio Nio Amphi ones make the packing even easier by being super-light and wrinkle free. They weigh about half what a couple cheaper pairs I have weigh and they feel nicer on the skin as well. Their tag line says they “dry faster than you can say ‘amphibious’” and while that may be stretching it, I’ve repeatedly found them to dry in less than an hour on an outdoor clothesline—impressive.
These travel pants are water resistant and stain resistant and in my experience they still look like new after multiple trips and washings—both in the sink and in a machine. They’re light and wispy, but still pack a 30SPF sun protection.
As with most ExOfficio products, there are a lot of little details that set these apart. There’s a nice built-in woven nylon belt that can be removed, there are flaps covering the zippers on the legs when the bottom parts are removed, and there’s a soft liner around the waist to make them more comfortable. You want pockets? These pants have so many pockets you could stash your money in seven different places if you wanted, including two zippered back pockets, a couple that close with Velcro, and some secret stash pockets for change or bills.
The ExOfficio Nio Amphi pants come in three colors and multiple sizes for men and two colors for women. The list price is $75, but less popular colors and sizes sometimes get discounted to move them out the door.
Free Shipping On Orders Over $50 at ExOfficio.com
See the ExOfficio Nio Amphi Women’s version at Backcountry.com
Posted by Tim in Adventure Gear, Travel Light on September 1st, 2010
ExOfficio Insect Shield Halo Shirt Keeps the Mozzies Away
Mozzies? Well if you travel internationally in the tropics, you hear that word a lot—a slang term for mosquitoes—often accompanied by some kind of swear word. When you’re in a place with hungry mosquitoes it’s always annoying, but when those bugs carry malaria or dengue fever, you need an arsenal of weapons to stay healthy.
This Halo Check shirt with Insect Shield takes ExOfficio’s usual double-duty usefulness to a higher level, hitting all the right points for active travelers and keeping the bugs away as well. This fabric treatment is a no-brainer really once you get past the cost: there’s no odor, no harm to your skin, and no change to the feel of the fabric. Yet it holds up for 70 washings or so. I don’t know about you, but there are very few items of travel clothing I own that have been washed that many times.
The shirt itself has most of the attributes I love from ExOfficio . It’s lightweight nylon that doesn’t wrinkle, it dries quickly after a sink washing, it’s ventilated, and there’s a 30+ SPF sun protection. Provided you’re not in a place that’s super hot and humid, it’ll wick away the sweat. With the color I tried out—the khaki checked one—it doesn’t show sweaty areas too badly either.
As usual, there are lots of nice thoughtful extra features built in as well. It has snaps instead of buttons, which I really like. A mesh liner extends much of the way down the inside. There’s a 
fabric hook on the back for hanging it up and a flap and snap system to hold the sleeves up when you roll them up. (Rolled up during the day when the mosquitoes aren’t around, down at night to protect the arms.) Each breast pocket has a regular pocket and a handy zippered hidden pocket for stashing some cash or a credit card.
This is a great all-around, double-duty travel shirt that should keep looking good for years and keep the mosquitoes away for however long it takes you to wear it enough to need to wash it 70 times. It lists for $90, but prices will vary depending on who is selling it and what colors aren’t moving. As I wrote this, some colors were selling for around $50, so shop around.
There’s a version for women and a version for men, some in solid colors, others in checked patterns.
See more at the source, ExOfficio.com: Halo Check Shirt for Men and Halo Check Shirt for Women
Get the ExOfficio Halo shirt at Amazon.
ExOfficio Insect Shield Halo Check Shirt – Men’s or Women’s at REI.
Check prices at Magellan’s – Halo ExOfficio shirt
Posted by Tim in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on July 15th, 2010
ExOfficio Geo Trek’r Shirt Review
Unless I’m going somewhere cold, one staple of my wardrobe is always a wrinkle-free, quick-dry short sleeve shirt with a collar that will look decent in multiple situations. This Geo Trek’r one from ExOfficio is a great choice. Think of it as the more stylish younger brother to the Air Strip Lite shirt, a staple of adventure travelers hitting every continent.
Every time I read a “backpacking around the world” article that mentions 90-liter backpacks, I cringe. There’s no way any casual traveler should be hauling that much gear on their back, especially when the wardrobe could have a few ExOfficio outfits that stuff tight and weigh next to nothing. Toss in some good travel shoes, travel underwear, a lightweight jacket, and gear that performs double duty and you should be well shy of 70 liters—even if you’ve loaded up with way too many gadgets.
Like most ExOfficio warm weather clothing, this Geo Trek’r shirt feels wispy light but is as strong as a space suit. It’s made of nylon, like most other travel shirts out there, but if you look closely you see reinforcement threads running in a checkerboard pattern within the fabric. Look at all the seams and you’ll see double-stitching on the main stress points.
Then there are all the little touches that make it more comfortable, like mesh webbing instead of solid fabric inside the breast pocket and the same mesh along the shoulders. This model doesn’t have the back vents to let out heat though, so if you want that go for the Air Strip Lite. This one is meant to say “I’m ready for a sundowner” instead of “Hand me a machete.”
I’ve worn and washed this shirt a dozen times now and it still looks like it just 
came off the hanger. Judging by how my other ExOfficio clothing has held up, it’ll still look good two years from now too.
The Geo Trek’r comes in five colors, but I personally prefer the bone color pictured at the bottom because it doesn’t show sweat stains as easily as the darker versions. There’s also a long-sleeve version. The short-sleeve one lists for $49, the long-sleeve one for $59. Less popular colors and sizes tend to go on sale regularly. See the links below to buy direct or check prices at Backcountry.
Geo Trek’r Shirt at ExOfficio.com
Search at Backcountry.com
Posted by Tim in Adventure Gear, Travel Light on May 20th, 2010
Ex Officio Skirt from the Women’s Go-To Collection
Here’s a skirt that I know will make its way into my luggage for lots of future trips. It’s the black, women’s “Go-To” skirt by ExOfficio, a manufacturer that specializes in travel clothing (and a company that we love here at Practical Travel Gear). Here are just a few highlights:
Comfy, practical fabric: It’s made with Dri-Release jersey, a “microblend performance fabric,” that is not only super soft, but it also dries four times faster than cotton, it’s odor resistant, it wicks away moisture and it won’t shrink. Specifically, it’s 81% polyester, 14% cotton and 5% Spandex
Flattering style: The skirt has a drop-waist silhouette, which means it doesn’t hug your tummy at all; there’s a seam that sits below your hips. It’s falls below the knee (on my 5-foot, 9-inch frame).
Doesn’t weigh much: It’s lightweight and can be easily rolled down tight to fit into a carry-on bag.
Security pocket: The tagless skirt has just one small, hidden zippered pocket at the side of the waist — big enough to fit a set of keys, lipstick and ID with room to spare. (I wore the skirt for a night and didn’t even realize it was there! It’s that subtle.)
I think my only caveat in recommending this skirt is that it seems to run big. I have a medium, but I’m pretty sure I could fit into a small (and I rarely fit anything that says “small”). It gaps a little on my waist and slips down to my hips a bit. Still, I wore it on a trip to Wildcatter Ranch, a guest ranch just outside of Graham, Texas, last month — paired with cowboy boots (when in Rome!) and a patterned, sleeveless jersey top. That was for a dinner out at the ranch’s steakhouse; but I’d wear it with a cotton tank top and flip flops to the beach, or even a fancier top and pumps for a more formal affair. It’s definitely a versatile garment that travels well — it remained wrinkle free after being squished into my carry on bag during a day of travel.
Purchase the Go-To skirt in black or port (deep wine purple) for $60 at the Ex Officio website; other items from the Go-To collection that are made from the same Dri-Release material include a Go To short-sleeve T-shirt ($40) and a Sleeveless Dress ($65).
Related post: Ex Officio Savvy Skirt
Posted by Kara in Travel Light on May 7th, 2010
Air Strip Lite Shirt – a Travel Clothing Classic
ExOfficio’s Air Strip Lite shirt was a revolution when it first came out and it was embraced by frequent travelers like geeks embraced the iPhone. OK, so maybe nobody lined up at stores to get the 2.0 version, but now it’s hard to go anywhere that attracts adventure travelers and not see at least one person wearing one of these shirts around. Considering how much travel apparel there is for sale in your average outdoor gear and clothing store, that’s an impressive feat.
There are a lot of good reasons for this fandom so devoted that people write whole magazine articles about traveling with this one shirt, write about it in their books, or do blog posts gushing about how much they love it. For one thing, these Air Strip Lite shirts still look great after multiple sink washings, days of hacking through the jungle, and rafting down rivers in the sun. I bought one back in 2008 and reviewed it on the old version of this blog a few months later. About 20 trips later, it still looks as good as the new model ExOfficio sent me lately to check out, the one pictured here.
Lots of cool features make this shirt worth the money, the first one being that it’s super-light and dries quickly. It’s moisture wicking, it protects you from the sun, and the Dryflylite fabric’s claim says, “So light you might forget you’re wearing it!” You also might forget because it’s comfortable. This is not some clingy fabric that sticks to your skin and makes you sweat even harder.
But then you start really looking at this shirt and realizing how many thoughtful designs are built into it. There’s a ventilation system that does a surprisingly good job of letting body heat and moisture out through the hidden mesh along the sides and the back in line with the shoulders. Two gusseted chest pockets have Velcro flaps to keep your sunglasses from falling out and one has a hidden zipper pocket for cash or a credit card. There’s a little loop above one pocket, also with Velcro, for securing a tool, glasses, or a pen. The sleeves can be rolled up and then buttoned above the elbow as the day gets hotter and a loop on the back is handy for hanging it to dry after a washing.
What’s new about this year’s model? Not much, which is a good thing. Don’t tinker with what’s working well. The only noticeable difference is the new one I’ve been wearing is slightly lighter than the one I bought a few years ago. The long-sleeve men’s version weighs all of six ounces. The thinner fabric seems to breathe a bit better too, but that could be my imagination. 
The ExOfficio Air Strip Lite shirt has spawned a hundred imitators, some of them probably now its equal, but if you want to make the no-brainer choice and be sure it’ll work out well, get one or two of these shirts and you’ll find yourself packing them over and over again. They come in 12 different colors and several patterns too, so you don’t have to dress just in “I’m on safari” khaki. The women’s version is naturally trimmer, with smaller pockets.
You can get all varieties of the Air Strip Lite shirt for men and women at the ExOfficio site, where list price is $85 but slow-moving colors are frequently discounted. You’ll get Free Shipping On Orders Over $50.
Or check prices at REI, Backcountry.com and Rock Creek.
Posted by Tim in Adventure Gear, Travel Light on April 15th, 2010
