Sherpa Adventure Gear specialise in making outdoor clothing for extreme conditions. The Rinchen short and long-sleeved tops for men and women are meant to be worn in “high heat situations”. Apparently, Rinchen is a Tibetan name, which means “treasure”.
Features include:
- Lightweight
- Breathable
- Odour free thanks to Polygiene, a technology that uses silver salts to fight odour.
- Sleeve construction keeps seams away from the shoulders to prevent chafing under pack straps
- The fit of the Rinchen tops is slim and bulk free.
- Flat seams.
- Fabric: 100% polyester.
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On test: Sherpa Rinchen tops
I have been wearing the Sherpa Rinchen short and long-sleeved tops. The first thing to note is the rather unusual design. The neck is open at the front and back in a curved v-shape but held together at the back of the neck with a slim strip of fabric.
At first I wasn’t sure about this because most of my sports bras can be seen at the back of the neck because it is open. However, when wearing a more traditional bra the top made better sense.
It looks different and quite funky. I am not sure if this would mean you would be more vulnerable to sunburn in the back of the neck area (certainly you might end up with strange tan lines) but if you want a useful top that has an interesting design it could well appeal to you.
Aside from the neck, the fit is lovely. The small fits neatly but not in an overly clingy way. It is really flattering actually.
The fabric feels like a real joy on the skin. It’s light, silky and not at all itchy. I really like both the short and long sleeve versions.
What was most amazing was that even when I sweated through an entire day of wear the underarm area did not smell at all. Normally with polyester fabrics I would suffer underarm body odour within hours of wear but not this top. It was pretty magical.
I would probably keep this top for “smarter” evening style wear while on a holiday in a hot country. You could wear if for backpacking style trips, too, where you want a top that is nice looking but also highly practical.
In fact, it would make a great top to wear for all kinds of travelling trips.
Sherpa Rinchen L/S Tee is at a discount price of £17.50
Sherpa Men’s Rinchen L/S Tee is £17.50