Description of Backcountry.com Prime Agnello Top - Long-Sleeve - Men's:
Ask any backcountry traveler—layering is a science. That said, the Merino wool and Powerdry-blend Backcountry.com Men’s Prime Agnello Top is the mad scientist aiming to flip your whole worldview. The Prime Agnello Top’s Merino wool exterior holds warmth close, fending off light wind and moisture, while the Polartec PowerDry lining keeps the sauna effect to an absolute minimum when your heart picks up the pace. Wear this ¼ zip mid layer alone during trail runs or under a shell while you stomp out a skin track. The Prime Agnello’s naturally anti-microbial merino makes your polypro mid-layers seem more like the ever-stinky kid in class who can’t seem to figure out how to work a bar of soap—nobody wants to play with the stinky kid. Thumbholes in the Agnello Top’s cuffs take the bunch out of layering and the underarm and forearm stretch panels make for easy movement.
Umm.. can anyone think of a better way to support our own economy? If you're looking to buy a base/mid/wooly/techy top, i'd say that this is the one to buy. Made in USA, it was definitely a HUGE plus and point of excitement when i opened the bag!
I was really pumped when I bought this piece - but several complaints now that I have it. Don't get me wrong...it's ok, and pretty comfortable despite the following complaints:
1. It's very short in the torso. I even sized up (as I do in many things) due to broad shoulders, but it's surprisingly short. I'm not sure why it would be designed that way.
2. The stitching looks rather cheap. There are loose threads in several places and while there are no holes, I wouldn't be surprised if some developed sooner rather than later.
3. The zipper guard (or whatever they are called) at the top of the neck is really big - to the point that when you unzip the neck it looks silly. Strange that in the pic this isn't obvious, but I found it true. Maybe it sounds silly, but aesthetically, I think this is the biggest drawback.
Some PROs: the material combination used is wonderful, and despite not looking as great as I hoped (due to neck and short torso) it is extremely comfortable. Really nice that it has thumb holes...wish more shirts like this started making these standard.
I've never bought a backcountry.com brand piece that wasn't 5 stars until this, so I imagine the next generation of this will be sweet. Maybe wait for that. They are certainly on the right track for a great shirt.
I really wanted to like this shirt. It looks cool, it's pretty warm for how thin it is, it beats odor, and it's really comfy; but the shirt is a bit too short in length. Worst of all was the stitching. I first noticed lots of loose strings around the stretchy forearms and then noticed a small hole where the stretch material meets the wool/poly material. I really like the shirt initially, but I don't see this it holding up well when I go hiking.
