It was hot this summer. Brutally searing hot, like scorched earth, drought-inducing, go to the ER with heat stroke hot. If you want to get out and do anything in weather like this, what do you do?
First of all, you drink plenty of liquids. But second, you wear the lightest, most ventilated clothing you have (if you want to keep from scorching yourself with sunburn within minutes topless). Our friends at Mountain Hardwear sent their Way2Cool S/S T (short sleeve tee), and it delivered amazing results all summer.
The Way2Cool is Mountain Hardwear’s lightest weight wicking tee—ever. It is ventilated and features MicroClimate Zoning—mesh in certain areas, where you sweat the most, to give you the most possible breathability. It wicks moisture away quickly and efficiently, even in the Midwest’s humidity.
The Way2Cool is purpose built for running, and though we didn’t notice any wear issues, I would not expect it to handle backpacking well—straps would probably wear it quickly. However, it does the job it’s designed for very well, with subtle reflective highlights that are perfect for being seen when running at night (which is when you should be, when it’s 110 during the day).
You can run in anything. But not everything feels good. The Way2Cool’s light fabric doesn’t chafe my tender man nipples (not sure I ever thought I’d write that…), and the flat-lock seams feel great everywhere else. Check it out, and then decide if the nearly $60 asking price is worth the protection, ventilation, and wicking that Mountain Hardwear built into this shirt. If it’s 100+ and you still want to get out, dropping the cash is better than a greater chance of overheating.
