I’m a t-shirt gal, but when I’m traveling in scorching temperature, I like to have a long-sleeved shirt with me. Craghoppers’ Kiwi Long-Sleeved shirt proved to be invaluable during a recent trip to Minnesota.
Anyone living in or traveling to Minnesota in the summer knows two things: how bad the mosquitos are and how much people like to spend time outdoors. Since I don’t like the idea of wearing fabric impregnated with bug-killing chemicals, I chose the Kiwi shirt because its fabric is woven to prevent insect bites and to provide sun protection. I wore this top most nights during my three-week stay, and am happy to report that I didn’t get one bite!
It’s nice that Kiwi shirt is attractive, durable, soft, and designed as much for casual outings as for trail use. I generally don’t pack “nice” clothes, so when I got a few dinner invites at least I had a clean button-down top to wear with my black skort. For a 65% polyester, 35% cotton blend, the top is soft and drapes well. I appreciated the quality construction and the little details that made the Kiwi an ideal travel shirt: a fold-up sun protector on the collar, two drying loops on the inside of the top (for hanging dry), a large zippered hidden pocket (I love having a place to stash my passport and money!), and inner-sleeve tabs that hold my folded back sleeves when I want to convert the long sleeves into 3/4 sleeves. Craghopper even includes two extra replacement buttons!
I wore the Kiwi top in temperates from 90 degrees F down to about 65 F and was comfortable every time. I tested a size 14, bigger than my usual size, and enjoyed a looser fit that still had some shape to it. I liked using the Kiwi as a jacket, too, in air-conditioned settings. As much as I like and appreciate the quality construction, durability, and performance, I’d love it if the shirt were a bit longer and slightly slimmer fitting. I’m 6′ tall and always want more length. I think for mobility I like having some extra room, but the shirt wasn’t as flattering as it could be.
This top is available in green, red, and cream, in sizes 4-16.
$45, available at Amazon