The Endurance Tee from Gramicci offers outdoor performance that doesn’t make you look like you walked out of the gym.
By Dan Sanchez
Performance shirts are typically great for working out, playing basketball, running, or any other sport or activity where you need quick drying and moisture wicking technology. For the most part, polyester and nylon performance shirts work well but often leave you looking like you just walked out of the gym. For active outdoor enthusiasts, however, synthetic materials don’t always fit the lifestyle. That’s why we were happy when Gramicci came out with its Endurance Tee. Made from hemp and organic cotton, the Endurance Tee is part of the company’s Natural Performance Technology line, NPT, that utilizes natural moisture wicking and quick drying technologies rather than chemically treated methods.
So trying out the Endurance Tee for the first time was exciting. According to Gramicci, the shirt uses these organic materials with their proprietary weaving technology to create a shirt that has anti-microbial, quick drying, no-odor, and absorbs five times more moisture than synthetic materials. Because the shirt is made from 45 percent cotton and 55 percent hemp, it feels a little heavy at first. Nevertheless, it also felt soft against your skin. After a few hikes, we were satisfied it kept us relatively dry and cool.
Gramicci uses what they call a Double Traverse knit that allows the shirt to be porous and thus wicks and dries quickly. Because hemp is a natural anti-microbial, it can eliminate the the bacteria that causes body odor. We found that although the shirt remained odor free, it isn’t supposed to replace the deodorant in your medicine cabinet.
Gramicci started out making rock climbing apparel, and over the years, they’ve infused some of their near 30 years of experience in the small details, like an athletic fit, so that the shirt looks much better on big shouldered rock jocks. The shirt also retains it’s shape, meaning it doesn’t twist or pile up when you’re reaching for a hand-hold at the climbing wall, or when scrambling over large rocks on the trail.
After its first wash, the Endurance Tee maintained its shape and resisted shrinking. Gramicci says that their apparel with NPT shrinks less than four percent. The standard for cotton is six to eight percent shrinkage.
One of the other benefits of the Endurance Tee was that it is rated with a UPF of 20. We also liked the reinforced double seam stitching (not really sure what you call it), across the shoulders and around the sleeve. This adds some extra strength for climbing and when you’re wearing a heavy daypack. The bottom of the shirt also has a larger than normal hem that gives the shirt a little more of an upscale appearance over a standard cotton shirt hem.
We found the Gramicci Endurance Tee as a great piece of performance apparel that works well outdoors. But more importantly, it also fits the outdoor lifestyle with a slightly weathered appearance that’s always in style. The Endurance Tee retails around $38 and is available in a wide variety of bright colors, (shown in Butter Cup yellow). For more information, visit www.gramicci.com.