By Jenn K.

The Columbia Silver Ridge Stretch S/S Shirt is a nice looking shirt. It is casual enough for outdoor hiking and backpacking; and in my opinion, nice enough to be worn around town or for a casual day at work.

It is a collared, button down, short sleeve shirt with a left sided chest pocket that has a hidden zipper. The chest pocket has a mesh lining on the inside closest to the skin. The sides of the shirt have a different type of fabric blend that gives the shirt “stretch”. The shirt is also designed with some sun protection in mind. The fabric has Omni-Shade Sun Protection properties and has a UPF of 30. It protects against both Ultraviolet A and B rays, and has the Skin Cancer Foundation’s Seal of Recommendation.

There is also some ventilation and moisture wicking properties with this shirt. The Silver Ridge is in the Omni-Dry Advanced Evaporation product line. The clothing in this line is designed to transfer moisture and disperse sweat away from the body. The moisture is spread out on the surface of the fabric and evaporates. A ventilation property of this shirt is a mesh lining inside the shirt below the rear collar. This mesh lining is covered by the main shirt fabric by a tacked flap.

I have the Silver Ridge shirt in a size large and in the color Patina. The Patina color is a pretty bluish-green color. I love the color! I selected the size large for two reasons: I did not want the shirt to be snug, and I wanted to be able to put a silk layer underneath it. I also love the polyester fabric of this shirt! It is lightweight, feels airy, and has a soft/silky feeling. The short sleeves seem to be a perfect length; they are not annoyingly too short.

Now it is time to wash the shirt. The tag inside the shirt says to machine wash cold gentle, wash separately, do not bleach, tumble dry low, remove promptly, iron low, do not use fabric softener, and do not dry clean.

The Silver Ridge Stretch S/S Shirt retails for $40.00 and comes in sizes extra-small through extra-large. It also comes in some awesome female friendly colors: Patina, Seminole, White, Lemongrass, Fossil, and Melon.

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Columbia Silver Ridge Stretch S/S Shirt Update March 28, 2010

During the past month I wore the Silver Ridge Shirt on four day hikes in Southern California and around Boulder City, Nevada while touring Hoover Dam. The shirt was worn in temperatures in the upper 50’s to the high 70’s. At times I layered while wearing the shirt. One time I wore a light moisture wicking hoodie over it, and two other times I wore a silk baselayer underneath.

I have gotten so many complements on this shirt. I think the color rocks and it is a nice flattering hiking shirt.

Usually while hiking I wear a moisture wicking crew or T-shirt. I have never worn a button down shirt until recently. At my volunteer job as a trail guide for Irvine Ranch Conservancy we wear button down moisture wicking shirts as our uniform. But, this is the first moisture wicking button down shirt I have owned that I could wear everyday on the trail.

I really love the Silver Ridge Shirt! It dresses up my hiking attire. Meaning I do not look like a slob when I go to the store after hiking, and I have a little bit of style on the trail. Plus I can wear it all day for a casual day at work and afterwards go on a stress relieving hike at nearby Peter’s Canyon without having to change my shirt.

The first time I wore the shirt I felt the inside tag (care instructions/fabric content) sticking out of the shirt, or so I thought. Anyway it was irritating me thinking that it was sticking out. So, I cut it off; and it was a very long tag. Attached to the tag is an extra button that I will have to add to my button collection (the one will all the extra buttons that I have no idea what they belong to).

The back of the shirt has a hidden vent that mostly gets covered when I wear a backpack. I really do not think it helps much with venting when it is covered. I still get a damp spot on the back of the shirt when I wear some of my day packs. I also get some wet areas near the shoulder straps. I like to wear a small waist pack that holds just a water bottle and has a single storage pocket for my after work hikes. The shirt seems to be generally wicking moisture well, because when I am not wearing a pack it is just the slightest bit damp in the areas I sweat the most.

So far the shirt is washing nicely and none of the treads have become undone. I usually hang the shirt to dry. I am finding that if I do this, I have to iron it on a low setting to get out the large wrinkles.

I think the sun protection properties of the Silver Ridge are working since I have yet to get sunburned while wearing it. My shoulders are very sensitive to sunlight since they have been burned in the past. Even while wearing light weight shirts my shoulders will show more freckles when I am out in the sun for any prolonged period of time.

The only use for the pocket I found is to store lightweight items; such as tissues, papers, or small maps. Heavier and larger items weigh down the pocket and make the shirt hang odd; plus it creates a bulge on my chest.  I think I could do without the pocket on this shirt.

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Columbia Silver Ridge Stretch S/S Shirt Final Update May 3, 2010

 

Since my update in March I have worn the Silver Ridge on day hikes in Peter’s Canyon and Crystal Cove State Park. Both of these locations are in Southern California. I also wore the shirt while camping and exploring Death Valley, California.

During the past month the temperatures did not break 80 degrees while I was wearing the Silver Ridge. The temperatures have been on the cooler side and we continued to see rain. Because of the cooler temperatures, many times during the past few weeks I layered the Silver Ridge under a lightweight shell or my sun protection hoodie. Still, I have not sunburned under the shirt and it seems to wick away moisture well. Even after breaking a sweat the shirt feels damp, but it is not soaked.

I would rather see a small pocket on the side seam of the shirt near the bottom hem, rather than the chest pocket. To me the one sided chest pocket with the side opening give the shirt an imbalanced look. Plus it looks odd when I put items in it because it is so deep. It is so deep that it almost goes down parallel to my belly button.

The button closest to the hem lost some of its threading. I noticed this on my last day-hike and I am going to have to mend it. I also noticed that some of the knitting is no longer tightly woven, which has resulted in what I would call pulleys in the fabric. These pulleys are where my hip belt or shoulder straps of my packs rub the fabric. The shirt is still washing well with no stains that I can see and the material still has a soft, silky feel.

I still enjoy wearing the Silver Ridge Shirt. I like to wear it on day-hikes and at camp more so than backpacking. I think this is more of a style preference. I especially like that it is dressy enough to wear to work and then I can hit the trails after work for a day-hike.

If you are interested in this shirt visit the Columbia website at www.columbia.com.