ExOfficio Terma 1/4 Zip

This is a great cool-season hiking shirt. It's breathable, warm, and feels great against the skin.

The ExOfficio Terma 1/4 zip, long-sleeved shirt has been my favorite hiking shirt this winter. I love the Brandy Heather color, a deep wine color that goes nicely with any of my standard hiking pants in varying shades of khaki, tan and gray.

On chilly mornings, the quarter-zipper gets zipped all the way up and I layer on all of my other shields against the admittedly wimpy California cold: fleece jacket, beanie cap and light gloves. As I chug up the steep hills of Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, where I hike 4-6 days a week as a volunteer patroller, I heat up. The extra layers come off and the zipper comes down a bit, thankfully releasing some warmth.

The fabric is lightweight and feels nice against my skin. The fabric is a proprietary ExOffcio product called So Warm, which uses hollow core fibers blended with rayon and spandex to trap heat. It’s breathable and doesn’t have that sticky, plastic-like feeling that I get from other synthetic shirts.

Another nice thing is the longer length. When I bend over to pick up litter in the park, I never get that blast of cold air up my back that you can get when the shirt is too short. It looks nice with leggings, hiking pants, or jeans. Two curved vertical seams down the front and back provide styling that prevents a boxy look.

I like the thumb-hole that allows me to slide into my fleece without the sleeves getting jumbled up around my elbows. There is a small zippered side pocket that fits a key or credit card. On the same side, but inside the shirt, is a larger un-zippered pocket that can easily hold a passport or slim wallet. This is a nice safety feature when traveling.

I’ve been wearing the shirt a couple of times a week for several months and have not noticed any odor buildup. The shirt is treated with silver ion technology to reduce odor buildup. After many washings, the shirt still looks good with no frayed seams or stray threads. I’ve hand washed it and it dries completely overnight.

The sizing is a little more generous than other ExOfficio shirts I’ve worn in the past. I wear a medium and it’s a little loose on me. For winter wear I don’t mind, but I might have been able to get away with a small size.

I’ve enjoyed the ExOfficio Term 1/4 Zip shirt this winter. It is functional and sturdy enough for hiking and working out, and looks good around town with jeans or leggings. It would make a good travel shirt with the built-in passport pocket and the ability to dry quickly.