Gear review - Alpine Fit Men’s Treeline long sleeve

Alpine Fit is an Alaska-owned business with truly-premium products.

The world of marketing sometimes feels like a giant page of Mad Libs where companies select words from the 8 parts of marketing speech and fit them into blanks to attract customers. This is why words like Game Changer, Bomb Proof and Premium have no meaning except to validate an expensive price tag. The problem with this is that when something truly is premium, and premium is the best word to articulate a product, it’s been overused to the point of being ineffectual.

I had Alpine Fit owner Jen Loofbourrow on my podcast a few months ago and was impressed by what she had to say about the technology and journey behind creating her line. I bought a long sleeve in Anchorage a few weeks ago and before I wrote anything, I wanted to test it.

Scenario 1 - Four-mile hike to an alpine ridge, 57-degrees, foggy, Northwest wind 10-15 knots.
Gaining altitude produces sweat. But what often happens when you get to the alpine and want to look around, snack or take photos, the cool wind turns your sweat into a warmth liability. You were hot, now you’re cold. Not the case with this long sleeve. It breathes enough you don’t roast on the way up, but not so much you can’t enjoy the summit if you didn’t pack a jacket. This will likely be all I need when doing any hike this summer, which is exactly what I have been looking for in a base layer, but also the cool shoulder seasons when it can be chilly or downright cold on a hike or run.

Scenario 2 - Back from the hike getting lunch.
Going to your favorite lunch spot in a base layer can look like going into public in underwear. This long sleeve is comfortable and more fashionable than merely acceptable for public use. I will hike, run, walk, fish, hunt and teach high school English in this shirt.

I don’t throw it around the word premium around casually or to validate purchases, so when I say this shirt is premium, I mean premium. The best base layer I have ever purchased. Yes, it is expensive, but the cost of this long sleeve reflects engineering and materials, not margin, marketing or a big-brand tax. It is as comfortable as it is functional without sacrifice. There are even different fits within each size to better match body type.

I don’t believe in “buy once, cry once” because if you truly are buying something of top tier quality, then there should be no crying. You are buying something that is worth that amount of cash. Crying likely happens when you know there’s a markup because the brand can get an extra 40% out of you. Expense should match value so the customer gets a quality product and the creator can maintain a healthy business. This is the case with Alpine Fit products.

I recommend without hesitation.