By: Matt Setlack
This review will cover my thoughts on the Ronhill Infinity Merino L/S (long sleeve) 1/2 Zip Tee. This Ronhill top is hands down the best long sleeve running top I have ever worn.
I have been running in this top for about 1.5 years, mostly while running outdoors in the winter and while running/climbing in the Canadian Rocky mountains in the summer. The top is made of merino wool and is very lightweight yet warm at the same time. The merino wool is very soft and comfortable and does not make your skin itch. I typically use it as a base layer and even wear it by itself sometimes.
Please note that this top may be discontinued but I believe that you can still purchase it online from various websites such as amazon.
The two photos below are of the top after wearing it for about a year. It has held up incredibly well and shows very little signs of wear. Note that the thread stitching is different in the top below compared to the top above (from the Ronhill website).
The 1/2 zip is a nice touch because it allows you to unzip if you are getting a little too warm and also allows you to easily put the top on even while wearing a helmet or ball cap. The zipper pull is small/unobtrusive and flicks/locks down so that it does not bounce around while you are running. I wear a size medium and the neck is the perfect snugness around my neck when fully zipped up. I believe my neck circumference is around 15" to 16".
There is a small triangle of fabric at the very top of the zipper that covers up the zipper. This also ensures that your lips/face do not stick to the metal zipper. There is a long tab of fabric between the back of the zipper and your skin, which prevents wind from blowing through the zipper and also makes it very comfortable (there is not rubbing or chaffing).
I wore this Ronhill top a lot while running in Washington State. The tuque (beanie) I am wearing in the photos is also made of the same merino wool material.
There is a reflective triangle on the upper back, which allows you to be a little more visible to motorists.
The multi-coloured stitching reminds me of the crayon art (scratch art) that I used to do as a child. I would first use wax crayons to draw vibrant colours on a page, cover it all up with black paint and then scratch part of the black paint away to reveal the vibrant colours beneath.
The photo below is an example of scratch art.
The BASELAYER THERMO-SYSTEM logo on one arm is reflective.
The quality of construction of the Ronhill top is exceptional. There is not a stitch out of place even after wearing it for about 1.5 years. There are little thumb holes in each of the wrists. This is a nice touch.
You can see in the photo below the high level of craftsmanship that went into making this top. The backing of the Ronhill logo has been carefully trimmed away. This is the typical high quality that you can expect from Ronhill products.
A size medium in the Ronhill Infinity Merino L/S 1/2 Zip Tee weighs only 183g.
The Ronhill Infinity Merino L/S 1/2 Zip Tee is the first top I bring whenever I am planning a climbing trip to the mountains. This is my friend, Scott (left in photo below) and I (right in photo below) before heading up past the Abbot Pass Hut (the oldest Alpine Club of Canada Hut, built in 1922, in the Canadian Rockies). We then continued to climb the South Summit of Mount Victoria.
I also wore this top while skiing/climbing up Mount Columbia on the Columbia Glacier with my friend Josh. I wore it for three days straight (I even slept in it) and it was a perfect base layer. The nice thing about the lightweight fabric was that when we were skiing on the glacier during the day, the ambient temperature was quite warm (esp. with the sun reflecting up from the snow) but the merino wool material dried very quickly and did not make me overheat. The long sleeves were nice to have to prevent my arms from getting burned from the sun.
I wore this Ronhill top while running in Washington State, USA during one of the biggest snowstorms they have had in recent years (photo below). I also wore this top while run commuting to and from work everyday in Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada.
I hope you have found these photos and brief commentary on the Ronhill Infinity Merino L/S 1/2 Zip Tee useful. This top is extremely high quality, warm, lightweight, it dries fast and I think the fit is perfect for me. This is the best running top I have ever worn and I highly recommend it.