My first elk trip was out west a few years ago, a few too many since I’ve returned! That trip was a glorified backpacking trip, but hey we saw one cow elk! Overall the trip was an eye-opening trip for me, learning a lot about where elk are not. Yes! Moreover, I learned a lot about gear systems. Backpack and camping gear, water systems, food, and a whole lot about layering systems with clothing. Good thing I learned from what I think is a great resource GoHunt.com. I remember Brady and Trail in a discussion saying to prepare for the worst… and as a newbie midwesterner, boy I’m sure glad I listened.
At 9,500 -10,000 feet it was dropping inches of snow and dropped into the twenties or just below. It was intense for the first few days in September. I counted on my layering system a lot…from the wild temp swings, and the mostly sweat-filled days of hiking. Besides my packable down jackets and other First Lite hunting clothing items I carried into the mountains, one of these crucial pieces I wish I was still carrying today is the First Lite Wick Quarter Zip.
First Lite Quarter Zip
Ultralight 150 Aerowool construction combines the finest, 17.5-micron merino wool available with 37.5-activated nylon fibers to create a super-charged fabric with incredible performance benefits. Our Wick styles also integrate 125-gram Aerowool mesh to targeted hot zones. that also utilizes 17.5-micron merino and 37.5-activated nylon fibers.
Price: $105
- Fit: True to size
- Exclusive 37.5 Active Particle Technology
- Exhausts moisture and maintains core body temperature
- Traps odors (human signature) and releases them when laundered
- 17.5 micron, ultrafine, Merino wool
- 65% Merino / 33% 37.5 Nylon / 2% Spandex
- Ultralight 150gsm jersey knit fabric for hot weather
First Lite Wick Quarter Zip – An Early Season Essential
The First Lite Wick Quarter Zip was an essential and my base shirt I only ever swapped out with an Aerwool Tech shirt. When we were doing 7+ Miles a day getting to base camp I’d usually opt for the Aerowool, then switch to Quarter Zip. There was something about the comfortable, breathable, moisture-wicking yet concealing factors that came together in a great storm that made me love that piece of clothing. I also found I used it even more in the Early Season of Indiana and Kentucky…and that is where it met its ultimate demise.
I shot a pretty giant Kentucky buck (my guess was 165+ with a small drop tine) I had been hunting for nearly 6+ consecutive days and had 100-yard or closer encounters each time. It finally came together when I buried myself hip-deep in a muddy drainage ditch and shot him, he jumped the string and what ensued was a nightmare of a track job and grid search. It all took place in a giant CRP/Early Successional Field filled with stickers, brambles, blackberry, multiflora, or whatever else you want to call the hellish plants that somehow came to be in the Midwest here. The result besides no buck was a twisted and wrecked Wick Quarter Zip… The sticklers were so thick that it bunched the entire shirt up and rolled it into itself. I was pushing some insanely thick and sharp brush. I was bloody, and had should of just opted for thicker clothes in general so It was totally my fault. My pants got wrecked too, but I had to part ways with the quarter zip.
First Lite Wick Quarter Zip Specs
First Lite wick is the epidemy of early season, it has to be in your kit if you hunt in September.
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Features
- True to size: Purchase your normal size to wear over or under other layers
- Exclusive 37.5 Active Particle Technology
- Exhausts moisture and maintains core body temperature
- Traps odors (human signature) and releases them when laundered
- 17.5 micron, ultrafine, Merino wool
- 65% Merino / 33% 37.5 Nylon / 2% Spandex
- Ultralight 150gsm jersey knit fabric for hot weather
- Mesh vent panels to maximize ventilation
- Quarter-zip neck for strategic ventilation
- Modified raglan sleeve moves seams out from under backpack shoulder straps
- Ergonomic cuff with thumb loops
- Flatlock seams for next-to-skin comfort
- Machine wash, line dry
- Naturally UV absorbent to eliminate shine
PROS:
CONS:
Nowadays I swapped my Wick Quarter Zip for a KILN 250-gram hoody from First Lite. It’s a great multitool, but is a touch warm for those days filled with sweat in Kentucky and out west. The wick was a different animal. It was something I was more comfortable with directly on my skin, whereas the Kiln hoody I wear with the Aerowool tech shirt. The wick hoodie is a more comfortable and more concealing option for the early season no doubt than the aero + kiln option, but it can easily be done via both options.
If you are looking for a First Lite Early/Mid Season pickup, I’d strongly recommend the Wick Quarter Zip, or at least combining the Aerowool Tech Shirt with a Kiln Quarter Zip or Hoody to give you a span of hot early hours and layering when the sun dips off. Check out all of our First Lite Reviews and Blogs to learn more.
Ready to buy? First Lite Wick Quarter Zip is only sold on FirstLite.com and Scheel’s.
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AUTHOR BIO
Weston Schrank is a hunting industry professional with years of whitetail management and hunting experience in the Midwest. He is currently expanding that experience in the mobile hunting world, and the world of western hunting.
Instagram- @wes.schrank
