When I first tried the ECWS my first observation was how tight it was in the sleeves. With actual wear, the tightness eased some, and was also instrumental in keeping me warm, as well as in keeping the material from bunching up. I didn’t think the thumb holes were needed for fit, however, the added warmth across the palms was a bonus.

My first test for this garment was on a 38 degree morning in Park City where I rode uphill on my mountain bike for two hours with the Cabela’s ECWS being my only layer. The cooler than normal fall morning gave me a chill under the arms where the layers are thinner, but my core stayed comfortably warm because of the thicker fabric across the chest, back and forearms. As I continued to sweat during the uphill, my under arms warmed up, and I stayed dry as a result of the superior wicking.

This layer by itself handled the colder temperatures and aerobic sweating since both the high sweat fabric areas under the arms stayed dry and the heavier core areas, while a bit wetter, eventually wicked on the descent to keep me warm. In our moisture wicking test the core areas with the most fabric quickly wicked moisture through the waffle like pattern and dry times were excellent in comparison to others in the test group. In the lighter fabric under the arms and in the sleeves moisture spread out over a wide area making dry times faster.