Gear Review: Ibex OD Solo Shirt
Trail to Town
Gear Review: Ibex OD Solo Shirt
Written by: Bryan Wolf
In the backcountry I could care less what I look like. You can bet that on this year’s trip to Gates of The Arctic NP I will have some Ibex Woolies and Rab MeCo long sleeve available for their unbeatable function. It is not that they look bad, but I don’t typically wear skin tight shirts when I go out on the town. What about the trip that ends with a cold beer at a local eatery or takes you back through town for errands before heading to your cabin rental, hostel, or B&B? There are a million trips that run on this schedule; a perfect example is my recent trip to Bar Harbor, ME inside Acadia NP. Queue the OD L/S or OD Solo.
Bar Harbor is a perfect outdoor mecca. If you have not been to Maine this is a hell of a spot to start. Packed full of cycling, hiking, boating, birding, sightseeing, camping, climbing, and kayaking the National Park can fulfill your nature needs. A cozy small town feel can be found inside any of the Harbor towns. Due to its unique creation, Bar Harbor is one of the only cities you’ll find inside a National Park, although not technically part of it. So when you are done with a morning trail run to Bar Island during low tide you can run back through town and stop at the local café. When you return from a mid-day hike and take main street just a few minutes back into town you can stop at any one of the fresh lobster seaside restaurants and tip back one of their many local beers. Like I said, it’s a pretty awesome place.
So, when you don’t want to be camp gritty or if you don’t want to smell stronger than the lobster house Ibex has the fix. With every wonderful property you have already found in merino wool, Ibex delivers it with a style and casual look. Merino is wicking, quick drying, odor resistant, insulating when wet, soft and comfortable. Offered in long sleeve or short, it is a casual fit collared button up made with 18.5 micron merino, which is the measure of how fine a wool fiber is. It is a lot to pack into one shirt but I had the confidence to scale the Beehive Trail (amazing) and head straight to town with my mountain swagger. Simply said it feels good and it looks good.
As you can expect, the OD Shirt by Ibex is proudly hung at Roads Rivers and Trails in Milford, OH. If you need that cross functioning piece for an upcoming trip this is it.
