Ortovox 120 Cool Tech Fast Upward Shirt

Review by Erin Trail

Initial Thoughts

Ortovox is well known for it’s innovative ski apparel line that uses wool as it’s insulating layer.  They also have a full line of summer active wear, also featuring wool, that highlights wool’s natural wicking and durability.

Detailed Review

I received an Ortovox 120 Cool Tech Fast Upward long sleeve shirt and t-shirt for reviewing. The 120 Cool Tech shirt lineup is made from 52% virgin wool, 33% Tencel™, and 15% polyamide.  Tencel™ is made from cellulose fibers, which has evaporative properties and the merino wool comes from Tasmanian ethical sheep farms. The yarn is 17.5 microns in diameter, utilizing corespun technology, creating a lightweight, durable and breathable fabric. 

Testing Conditions:

Multiple runs (60-90 minutes, always with a hydration vest).  Long sleeve was tested in temperatures as low as 45 degrees and as warm as 75 degrees.  The short sleeve was tested in 65-75 degree temperatures.

The fabric of the Ortovox 120 Cool Tech Fast Upward shirts is very soft but is also a bit on the thin side.  On both shirts, I was able to make out the pattern of my sports bra beneath the shirt. The color block design is similar in style to Ortovox’s outerwear, with asymmetrical lines at angles.  The color blocking of the Ortovox 120 Cool Tech Fast Upward Shirts places contrasting colors at vertical asymmetrical angle, which kind of looked like my shirt was crooked or twisted until my brain adjusted to the shirt design.  If you are someone who likes symmetry, this design may throw you off. Or some might think that the design is a nice change from a solid colored shirt; it just depends on user preference. The seams are flatlock stitched and don’t chafe or irritate.

I’ve worn the long sleeve Ortovox 120 Cool Tech Fast Upward Shirt the most, wanting to test out it’s durability, odor resistance, and to see how I feel across multiple temperatures.  I always run in a hydration vest, which can sometimes be hard on shirts worn beneath the vest.  The Ortovox 120 Cool Tech Fast Upward Shirts still look new, despite being abused for the past month, with no pilling or fabric pulls. I also wore the long sleeve shirt on multiple runs without washing it;  the shirt continued to feel soft and remained odor free, even with multiple runs between washing. 

Sizing of the Ortovox 120 Cool Tech Fast Upward Shirts is true to size, with the hem length being slightly longer than other technical shirts that I own. The hem length is intentional, allowing the shirt room to stay put during harder efforts.  The sleeves do not have thumbholes, but I found the length to be long enough to mostly protect my hands when balled up into fists on colder days.

Both the long sleeve and t-shirt versions of the Ortovox 120 Cool Tech Fast Upward Shirts are intended to keep you cool on warm days.  For me, I prefer running in a tank top or t-shirt when it’s warmer out.  On the 65 degree day that I wore the Ortovox 120 Cool Tech Fast Upward long sleeve shirt, I did feel a bit warm (my internal temperature runs warm).  For me, I wouldn’t wear the long sleeve shirt on warmer summer days for runs.  I see the long sleeve shirt really shining on long hiking (single day or multi day) trips where you want wicking, comfort, and odor control. I think the t-shirt version is best in warmer temperatures or as a base layer for other activities in colder temperatures. 

Erin Trail

Erin Trail’s hobby is collecting hobbies. She’s a 5th Generation Coloradan and grew up exploring the outdoors on family camping trips and hikes.  Her first backpacking trip was at eight years old to Grizzly Reservoir – she proudly carried all of her own gear those 3 miles from the main parking lot to the Reservoir.

Erin is an adult-onset athlete who started as a Masters Swimmer and then developed into a triathlete.  She completed 5 Ironman races and nearly 20 x 70.3 distance Ironman races, including the World Championship in Lahti, Finland, in 2023.  Somewhere along her triathlon journey, she picked up a deep love of cycling.

Cycling encouraged her to see landscapes in a new way, learn new skills and to develop self reliance; now she often goes and does Type 2 rides just to see if she can do it.  She’s got all the bikes: gravel, mountain, fat bike, time trial and road.

She is even known to combine her love of camping and cycling and go off on solo 24 hour overnight bikepacking trips in the mountains of Colorado. In addition to bikes, she teaches yoga, lifts weights, skis, SUPs and has recently purchased a campervan.

Erin is a former Montana park ranger with a degree in environmental engineering.  She loves getting into technical details while putting her gear (and herself) through the paces. She shares her home in Colorado with her husband, Will, and her 3 cats (Zipper, Brewtus, and Simcoe).

2025 brings some exciting things.  Erin has qualified to be on Team USA for USA Triathlon and will be competing in a World Championship off-road triathlon in Pontevedra, Spain in June. To prepare for this event, she’s got several mountain bike races and training weekends planned in the months leading up to the big day.  Additionally, she’s racing Ironman Boise 70.3 in July.  Once her race schedule closes out in July, she’ll be moving to more adventure based activities (bikepacking, vanlife, and mountain bike festivals).

When not adventuring, she can be found on a sunny patio somewhere, drinking beers with her husband.