As many of you are aware, I am off to climb Mt Kilimanjaro in October and I’m currently in training for this… as much as I can be in the Great British outdoors… so with no hesitation I decided to head to Dartmoor this weekend. What better place to put this new t shirt through its paces?!

I dragged my mum along for the trip, as she is also a fan of Dartmoor and we set off from the Meldon Reservoir Car Park (armed with my trusty Ordnance Survey OL28 map) and followed a track up and around to Black Tor. From Black Tor we hiked up to a military observation post for lunch, as we were on the Okehampton Ranges (if you’re planning to hike, always check the MoD live firing times first) before heading up to Yes Tor, Dinger Tor and High Willhayes.

Yes Tor and High Willhayes are the two highest points on Dartmoor, separated a massive 2m! I believe they’re technically classed as mountains as they are over 2000 feet, but when you compare it to Kilimanjaro, standing at 19,341 feet, it pales into insignificance rather quickly. That being said it is all good training and I rediscovered my love of Dartmoor, a place I spent most weekends as a teenage Sea Cadet, whether it was training for Ten Tors or D of E.

We stopped for lunch before following the route back to Black Tor (across some questionably marshy segments)

​Top Tip: Stand on the tufts… and make sure your walking boots are Gore-Tex 🙂

Firstly, it’s important to note the material of this item. When hiking or exercising I always want clothes which will keep me dry, along with warm/cool based on the time of year, so Icebreaker gear is always a great choice. Merino wool is known for being really gentle on your skin, very breathable and as an active fibre it reacts to the change in your body temperature, keeping you warm when the breeze picks up and cool when the sun decides to come out. This is very important on Dartmoor as the weather is known for being extremely changeable. The remainder of the fabric is made up of Tencel, which is a sustainable fabric.

This t-shirt was amazing, and I don’t say that lightly. It wicked away all moisture and kept me both warm and cool when required. I’m also a sucker for the colour (Tasman), so thanks Icebreaker (are you psychic?!)

Unfortunately, as I said the weather on Dartmoor is changeable so at one point at the top of High Willhayes I did have to stick on another layer!  As well as being a fantastic base, it did layer really well and it was just so, so comfortable. Based on the time of year I will generally alternate between base layer materials, but in the summer I go for more breathable clothing. This t-shirt does more than deliver on all of the above, and it will definitely be coming up Mt Kilimanjaro with me!

I’d like to give you a negative of this t-shirt for it to be a more rounded review, but I just couldn’t find any. The label didn’t even scratch. I have zero negatives from this, or from my hike (except making the rookie error of being somewhat wind burnt)