I swear I checked the weather while packing for a three-week-long, outdoorsy trip to Europe in November. I looked at the immediate and long-range forecasts as well as the monthly averages for our destinations and read highs in the 70s and lows in the 40s. Despite knowing how to read a forecast, my brain short-circuited, interpreting this as “some days in the 70s, some in the 40s.” We planned a lot of hiking, so I took my error one step further and packed for town temperatures in the 40s and colder temps at elevation. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Thanks to this critical lapse in brainpower, I packed a down vest, an insulated jacket, the fleece I wear to work outside in Montana, two sweaters, and a pile of long-sleeved shirts). Wedged in the corner of my pack was one yellow tank top.
I realized my error as soon as we arrived in Malta. It was sunny and 75 degrees, and I had packed for the Bering Strait, not the Mediterranean. However, if I had to bring only one climate-appropriate shirt, I’m glad it was Smartwool’s Active Ultralite Racerback Tank. This was already one of my favorite shirts — a lightweight merino-blend racerback with a long hemline and deep cutouts under the arms. It’s incredibly comfortable and airy, and I have worn it to do yard work, on extended cycling routes, during multiday backpacking trips, and on countless trail runs.
I wore this bright-yellow tank for every hike of our trip, including cliffside trails, coastal walks, rainforest excursions, and steep routes on Madeira’s intense trail network. One challenging trail ended with a mile of difficult climbing back to the car; the day was in the mid-70s and extremely muggy, and I was pouring sweat. The shirt got wet, but it wicked moisture so effectively I never felt swampy, and 20 minutes after the hike, the shirt and I were both dry.
The long hemline didn’t bunch under my pack, and the blend of merino and Tencel (another natural fiber) did the job with incredible moisture management and odor resistance. The loose cut and minimal underarm material also helped reduce any funk, which was much appreciated as the coastal humidity had me sweating more than normal. This tank top is essentially just comfortable and easy to wear. The fabric never twisted or felt tight, the underarm venting is exceptional, and the top didn’t pill or stretch despite heavy use.
I aired it out on our hotel balcony each night and felt fine wearing it again the next day. It doesn’t hurt that I’m a thru-hiker, so I have a high tolerance for wearing the same workout clothes multiple days in a row. But I maintain that this shirt is so stinkproof, comfortable, and durable that anyone could wear it for a week straight and not want to crawl out of their skin.
The Yellow Tank developed a fan base on my social media. Some people asked why I didn’t just buy more clothes in Europe. I didn’t have room in my pack, plus I couldn’t stomach spending money on shirts when I had a drawer full of workout clothes at home. I had worn this shirt on plenty of multiday hikes and figured it could hold up to extended wear. The Yellow Tank far outdid herself, and when I finally posted a pic wearing a sweater during a cool day in Rome, someone sent a DM that read, “Booooo…. bring back Yellow Tank.” Not to worry: Yellow Tank took a trip through the washing machine upon my return and has a permanent place at the top of my drawer.
This high-neck version of the tank is made from the same comfortable, odor-resistant merino blend fabric and has more availability than the racerback.
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