The Craghoppers’ Nosilife shirt has been around for some time now and it’s become somewhat of an icon, especially within the UK’s shores. Pass 10 hikers in one of our national parks and there’s a very high chance that at least one of them will be wearing one of these.
Just this year, the British brand released its latest iteration of one of the flagship items in the Nosilife collection, the Nosilife Adventure Shirt – and we’ve deemed it fit for inclusion in our gear of the year list for 2024.
As well as tweaking the fit (to our eyes, it’s just ever so slightly longer and looser) Craghoppers have added their newly updated version of their Nosilife treatment. In case you don’t know what Nosilife is, it’s essentially a repellent for biting insects, including mozzies, midges and ticks. This isn’t a solution that’s added to the top of a garment, but it’s instead embedded within its fabric in a way that prevents it from being washed out – so it will last the lifetime of the product.
The Nosilife anti-insect solution is plant-based and from a renewable source, using Eucalyptus Citriodora Oil as the active repellent ingredient. Craghoppers state that this technology is currently ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) Level 1 certified and they are working towards Level 3 approval.
Performance
On top of helping to repel insects, Nosilife is also designed to be anti-odour too, with the treatment designed to inhibit the growth of smell-bringing bacteria – the kind that usually develops when we sweat.
Does all of this work then? From my experience, yes. I’ve noticed Nosilife doing its job for me in previous garments I’ve used and this new shirt doesn’t disappoint either. In fact, it ticks all the right boxes for me. I’ll be honest, I’m a bit of a dirtbag; that’s in general life, yes, but particularly so when it comes to trekking. I’ve been known to wear the same shirt on a multi-day hike for weeks straight without any washing (Cambrian Way, 2018) and therefore for my own sake and for the sake of everyone around me, it really helps to have a shirt like this that can keep me feeling fresh day-after-day.
Details
Alongside the anti-insect and anti-odour properties, the Craghoppers Nosilife Adventure III shirt also has a few other useful traits to support life on the trail. Its polyester and polyamide fabrics dry quickly and they wick away sweat well too. The weave also offers good sun protection that’s rated as UPF 50+, while a clever collar extension gives excellent coverage of the back of your neck, covering right up to the nape.
The sleeves can be rolled up and secured by little buttoned tabs and there’s a big vent across the shoulder blades to help cool you down on warm days.
