Smartwool Women's Active Ultralite High Neck Tank review: stay fresh and dry all day

Meet the reviewer

Julia Clarke

Julia Clarke is a staff writer for Advnture.com and the author of the book Restorative Yoga for Beginners. She loves to explore mountains on foot, bike, skis and belay and then recover on the the yoga mat. Julia graduated with a degree in journalism in 2004 and spent eight years working as a radio presenter in Kansas City, Vermont, Boston and New York City before discovering the joys of the Rocky Mountains. She then detoured west to Colorado and enjoyed 11 years teaching yoga in Vail before returning to her hometown of Glasgow, Scotland in 2020 to focus on family and writing.  

Smartwool Women's Active Ultralite High Neck Tank: first impressions 

This women's running top is designed for those of you looking to stay cool and dry even on warm weather runs (and hikes). A blend of merino wool and lyocell feels soft against your skin and wicks sweat away as you warm up, drying quickly so you don't get chilled when you stop for a drink of water.

The relaxed fit of this tank might not be to everyone's taste, but we found that it helps to keep us cool on hot days, and it's quite flattering. The high neck and back also offers more sun protection across your back and shoulders than your average racerback for running in.

With flatlock seams and a looser fit, we have yet to experience any chafing with this design and the wool properties mean we've been able to put quite a few hours in it without it getting stinky. This is a big plus, especially because wool is known to degrade faster than synthetic materials, and fewer washes equals more wears in the long run.

We love this top for active travel, because it regulates our temperature and it's stylish enough to wear off the trail with a pair of leggings or joggers, which means we can pack lighter and avoid checking a bag.

Smartwool Women's Active Ultralite High Neck Tank: in the field

This winter, like most, hasn't exactly brought a lot of tank top weather to Scotland, so I've been biding my time until I can test this top out. Smartwool is based in Colorado, the state I called home for many years, so it's near and dear to my heart and I hoped it would be a great addition to my running wardrobe. Finally, it warmed up here and I got it out on a few warm park runs before taking it to Gran Canaria recently on a hiking adventure.

Here’s how it performed:

Sizing and fit

I tested this top in a small, which is my usual size and I'd say it's perfect, given that it's meant to have more of a drapey fit. That said, the design probably allows for you to size down if you don't like things too loose, or size up for more room.

As for the fit, I owned a yoga studio with a boutique for long enough to know that not everyone loves this style of top, but those who love it really love it. I personally don't love the way it looks on me when it's not tucked in, but quickly realized I like it tucked, and this helps avoid any potential chafing from my shorts. 

The high neck and drop tail means it offers about as much sun protection as a tank top possibly can, and I think it's versatile enough to work for lots of people.

Comfort, breathability and moisture control

This top instantly felt really comfortable compared to my synthetic tops. I'm certainly predisposed to prefer natural fibers, but it's soft, light, loose, stretchy and comfortable, even when I wore it all day long in Gran Canaria where a typical day included a long hike and a car journey to another part of the island.

I wore this top for hiking and running in temperatures in the upper 70s and was really comfortable. The breathable fabric combined with the loose fit means it's perfect for warmer weather.

In general, merino is good at wicking sweat, though you'd normally want the material to lie closer to your skin to be the most effective. This is a little looser, and I'm not a huge sweater, but I didn't have any issues witch clamminess even when hiking in the warm weather wearing a backpack.

Durability and odor control

I haven't been wearing this for long enough to know how durable it is, but what I do know is that merino wool in general isn't as long lasting as synthetic material. On the other hand, I currently own base layers from Smartwool that are 15 years old and they're still going strong. 

Only time will tell, but I do know that I've been wearing this across multiple sweaty activities for about a month, I've yet to wash it and it's yet to get stinky. That means I can get away with washing it minimally, and if I follow the care instructions I hope it will last a few years at least.

Smartwool Women's Active Ultralite High Neck Tank: the bottom line

In terms of performance, this running top will stay fresh and keep you cool and dry, so the only reason we can think of to not choose it is if you don't like the cut and style of it. It's great for running, hiking and can be worn with regular clothing too if you're on an active vacation. If you're more of a synthetic racerback type of runner, check out the totally different Flight Series Weightless Tank Top from The North Face instead.

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