I bought this during the launch day promo, which as someone on a budget was still a stretch for me. Before I even opened the package, I had already practically talked myself into returning this...with the upcoming holidays, I told myself I couldn't justify spending $$$ on myself. Then when I did open it, I fell in love instantly with the color...the mallard blue was a beautiful shade and reminded me of being outside in nature. I am typically between sizes, so the next test was to try it on and see if I "guessed" correctly. Part of me was hoping it didn't fit, as that would give me an excuse to return it. However, it fit like a glove (I went with the larger of two sizes I usually wear for reference). It was comfortable to wear, and I liked that it had some stretch to it, but I was skeptical about warmth/quality bc it seemed "thinner" than I had pictured in my head. I honestly spent an entire night going back and forth on whether I should return it or not. Did I really NEED it? My husband who always recognizes the value of quality pieces told me I should keep it, but I was still undecided when I went to bed. I woke up early the next morning to meet some friends for a hike. I had already planned what I was going to wear, but the wind was RAGING outside, taking the temps down into the teens with the wind chill. Scrambling to find something to block the wind, without being too warm (I am a heavy sweater), I saw this Chinook and threw it on as I ran out the door. WOW! This product was amazing for hiking in the wind of the White Mountains! I NEVER got cold, even in the super exposed areas where the wind was so strong, you literally had to fight to stay upright, and on the reverse side even though I was sweating at times, I never FELT hot nor did I have the problem when I finished of freezing on the ride home from all the sweat. I was comfortably warm and even able to do some shopping in town bc you couldn't even tell on the outside I had been sweating. Honestly, this shirt was the perfect balance of blocking the wind and keeping you warm and absorbing sweat to keep you dry. I know this is a super long winded review, but I wanted to give others the full picture that I am not just blowing smoke about how great this product is. I am SOOOO glad the wind was so brutal that morning, otherwise I might have returned this and never realized its amazing potential. Trust me, if you live in an area with unpredictable, ever changing weather like we do here in NH mountains, trust me this is a must have piece. And on top of the high performance value it looks flattering on, so it can be worn day to day without looking like a "performance" piece of clothing. While this was my first purchase from Mountain Standard, I'm confident it wont be my last.
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