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You develop an intimate relationship with that piece of gear that lies closest to your skin. This week on The WildeBeat; Base Layer Shirts.

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News from the Wildebeat, the audio journal about getting into the wilderness.

This is program number eighty three.

I'm Steve Sergeant.

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STEVE: A lot of us give careful thought to that expensive outerwear we choose for our outdoor adventures. But then we often give less consideration to the pieces we'll wear the most, and be in the closest contact with -- our base layers. In my own experience, after a few days out, my choice of base layer gear often has the greatest effect on my overall comfort. So I talked to three volunteer testers from Backpack Gear Test dot ORG about the most interesting products in the range of lightweight base-layer shirts they recently tested. Here are their reviews. Our first reviewer is Kevin Hollingsworth, from Virginia. As in all Backpack Gear Test reviews, Kevin starts out by describing his own relevant experience.

KEVIN HOLLINGSWORTH: I started backpacking in Boy Scouts ...[0:34.3]... enjoy going to the mountains. That's my favorite place.

STEVE: Kevin tested the Dri-Move Long Sleeve Top by Go Lite.

KEVIN HOLLINGSWORTH: I had an extra-large, and ...[1:57.8]... something that they can take out for an extende dperiod of time.

STEVE: Our second reviewer is Coy Starnes of Alabama.

COY STARNES: I'm you're typical weekend backpacker ...[0:35.5]... and here in Alabama.

STEVE: Coy Starnes tested the Men's Sequence L-S, for long-sleeved, tee shirt by Outdoor Research.

COY STARNES: It's a blend fabric, part wool, part synthetic... [1:59.6] ...if you were going to experience arctic conditions.

STEVE: Our third reviewer is Kathy Waters of Michigan.

KATHY WATERS: I've been backpacking probably for the past six, seven years. ...[0:30.4]... summer, fall, spring, winter.

STEVE: She tested the Women's version of that same shirt, the Essence L-S, by Outdoor Research.

KATHY WATERS: It comes in three different colors... [1:56.3] ...smell-wise, by the end of the week.

STEVE: My thanks to Kevin Hollingsworth, Coy Starnes, Kathy Waters, and the editors at Backpack Gear Test, for making this edition possible. Please remember that these opinions are those of the individual contributors, and don't necessarily reflect those of Backpack Gear Test, or of The WildeBeat. If you want to read the original text reviews of these products, please follow the links on our web site.

STEVE: We'd like to hear your opinion about these reviews, and about your experience with these and similar products. You can call our toll free comment line at 866-590-7373. Backpack Gear Test is looking for qualified testers. To get qualified, you start out by publishing reviews for gear you already own. After that, you could be chosen to receive free gear to review. Find out more at our web site.

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We're taking a break. We need some time to make some changes in the way we're doing things here. Please watch our web site for news about our future plans.

Our official website is WWW dot WILDEBEAT (that's W-I-L-D-E-B-E-A-T) dot NET. You can help assure future editions of this free service by clicking on the support link. The WildeBeat is produced by Steve Sergeant, with help from Jean Higham, as a public service of Effable Communications.

This has been The WildeBeat, program number eighty three. Thank you for listening.

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