Friends who know me well know that I am crazy about the Cap shirts from Patagonia. How are they so good? Well, I love them for their packability, durability, and wick-ability. On long trips, I only needed to bring an assortment of 2-3 short and long sleeve Cap 2 and 3’s. That will cover me for a wide range of conditions. Cleaning is easy since the drying process take no time. Heck, I don’t even usually wash until at least 4-5 days into wearing one, since it doesn’t tend to smell (at least I think so…friends, please verify).

There are other quick-drying shirts that feel better on the skin (the Mountainhardwear Wicked-T comes to mind) but when you consider all the factors, I think the Cap is the best option. They recently changed the cut, and now feature a closer/tighter fit. Looks like sizing may be different as well, as I went from a L to a M. Make sure you try them on.

Another thing to watch out for. These shirts shrink (in length) if you put them in the dryer. I had 2 that shrunk so much that I can’t even tuck them inside my harness. Thanks to Don Yvon for the life-time warranty, I only had to show up at the store to exchange for new ones. I just picked up 2 long-sleeve Cap-2’s today. Pure awesomeness :-)