Had it since it first came out...thought it was a great idea then, and still think it's a great idea now! I'm even wearing it as I sit here. The perfect piece.....

[b]Full Disclosure: The reviewer personaly paid full retail out of pocket for this product. This company does not currently advertise on RC.com.[/b]

This winter in North Carolina has seen the craziest weather. Well, actually, it's been pretty warm. Truthfully, we've enjoyed far more than our share of sunny-and-sixty days. The stone is sticky in the Carolina winter and the sky, she's a-blue. But don't fret, my northern neighbors! Spring is just around the corner! I'm sure many of you are chomping at the bit for the conditions I've enjoyed almost non-stop since November (you poor bastards).

But let's be honest about this... Even perfect conditions present a layering problem. In the morning, when the action is just picking up, temps are far more winter-ish then in the afternoon. In Carolina, it's common to start climbing in toe-numbing, hand-blowing sub-40 temps before the day gradually warms to its pleasant goal. And in between those times, I wear... what? Too little clothing, and I have to climb cold early, which I hate. Too much and all afternoon I have to carry extra layers that I'm not going to wear again until tomorrow.

I'd like to tell you that [i]now[/i] there's a solution, but the fact is, the solution has been around for years. It's Marmot's DriClime Windshirt and if you haven't ever worn one, you ought to discover it for yourself. If you long since moved on to bigger and [i]Gorier[/i] jackets and still haven't found your perfect layer, come on back to an old favorite. It's been here all along... pining for your love and attention.

[img]http://photos.rockclimbing.com/photos//496/49614.jpg[/img]

[size=8]It sure was windy, but thanks to Marmot, I was snug as a bug in a rug. Hand in the corner? What hand in the corner?[/size]

Equipped with Marmot's DriClime on the inside and ripstop nylon out, the Windshirt is just beefy enough to keep you warm when temps are cool and thin enough not to switch your sweat glands into overdrive when the sun shines and your activity level kicks up. Designed with people who actually move in mind, the Windshirt truly shines when its wearer is working. The extended tail tucks away neatly under a harness and
[i]stays there[/i] even during full-extension moves - a feature that I have found to be sorely lacking in the Windshirt's higher-tech brethren.

Most importantly, the Windshirt does keep out wind. I’ve tested mine at Whitesides and Rumbling Bald, Looking Glass, the New and many other crags and the whole time, nary a cubic meter of Jack Frost’s icy breath has blown through it.

A bevy of traditional features round out the Windshirt's list of goodies. Elastic cuffs keep wind out of the sleeves and keep them up when the temps creep higher or your hands creep deeper into the jams. Perpetually open pit vents assist in cooling and moisture evaporation. A brushed inner lining helps wick moisture away from your skin/base and the next layer out helps to spread it for quicker evaporation. Of course, none of this is new. None of it is ultra-radical or, these days, innovative. But in the Windshirt, all of it comes together for a remarkably thoughtful, tried and true and most importantly, [i]versatile[/i] layer that you can't find anyplace else.

Yet another task the Windshirt accomplishes with aplomb is combining with complementary layers. On extra-cold mornings, I slip a poly-pro base underneath or a down vest over top. On wet wintry days, I use the Windshirt (or Windshirt/down vest combo) under a rain shell and I'm good to go. There's almost nothing the Windshirt can't do, except...

I can’t stand putting it on! Oh, I love wearing it, but the act of donning it is torture. The brushed lining snags every little boo boo on my hands and tears at my wounded flesh like a school of starving piranhas. The friction-hating DriClime removes my Velcro-strapped wrist watch almost every time and if I could store up all the static electricity I’ve generated since buying it, I could power freaking Vegas. The Windshirt ought to thank its lucky stars that it works so damn well, because if it didn't, I wouldn't even use it to wipe my dog's butt.

That one spanner-in-the-works is the only thing keeping the Windshirt from perfection. It also doesn't stop as much wind as something called
"Windstopper," but it certainly does a satisfactory job. Add in everything else it has going for it aaaaaand a $99 price tag that doesn't bust as much bank as the latest and greatest and you get a piece of weather protection that, frankly, I don't know how you live without.

I give it four-and-a-half ‘biners, but since that isn't technically possible in this Gear Guide, I'll round up to five.