Patagonia Capilene 1 Silkweight T-Shirt Review

Traveling requires travel gear to be lightweight, compact and versatile, which is exactly what the Patagonia Capilene 1 Silkweight T-Shirt is like. After wearing the Patagonia Capilene 1 Silkweight T-Shirt for around 6 months I decided to write a review about it.

Capilene refers to a material made by Patagonia, an outdoor gear company. According to Patagonia.com, “Capilene 1 Silkweight is the silkiest and can be worn alone or as a baselayer”.

It is really lightweight and weights around 5 ounces. The lightweight-ness and compact-ness makes it perfect for long term traveling. It barely takes up space in my backpack when rolled up or folded.

The Patagonia Capilene 1 Silkweight t-shirt is also moisture wicking. I’ve been wearing the t-shirt for just about everything, ranging from touring a city, to while running.

One of my favorite features is that it is quick drying. While traveling long term, my main way of washing clothes is by hand. It is time consuming and also leaves a need for clothes to be air-dried. After trying it several times, I’ve noticed that the Patagonia Capilene t-shirt dries super fast, but never timed it exactly.

I am about 5’6, and weigh around 105 pounds, and the size extra small fits me perfectly. The slim fit is really nice if you prefer clothes that are less baggy. A lot of my clothes are large widthwise on me, but not lengthwise, so this shirt fits just right without restraining me. The material is also really soft and comfortable.

The shirt apparently features a Gladiodor natural odor control thing which is supposed to keep the shirt smelling fresh after a few wears when on the trail or doing other active things. I don’t really know how well the feature works, because I prefer to wash my clothes after each wear.

It is rated UPF 15, which isn’t amazing, but is still really helpful when in direct sunlight.

The Patagonia t-shirt costs $45, but I got it for $16 (life hack) 🙂 on REI.com. It comes in several colors, and some with graphics on the front and others without. The shirts without graphics tend to be cheaper. You can also get it on Patagonia’s actual website.

The t-shirt isn’t warm at all, but it wasn’t made to be warm.

There’s nothing really bad with this t-shirt, except for the price. For $16 the t-shirt was definitely worth it, but I wouldn’t pay $45 for it. A lot of times you can just find it on sale when it is an older model.

In the end you get what you pay for. (Except for when you find a great deal.)