Product Review - Asics Velostretch Shirt

With the hot and humid North Carolina summer quickly approaching, having the right running gear to deal with the heat and the sun is most important. I tend to be a minimalist and often discard a running top in favor of feeling the sun on my back and becoming one with nature. But, with the ever present threat of skin cancer, that's probably not the wisest move.

My biggest knock with most tech shirts is that they tend to be useless when the humidity saturates the air and doesn't allow the shirt to wick (move moisture from your skin to the shirt surface where it can evaporate). You end up with a second skin of polyester stuck to your body like wallpaper.

Asics claims to combat this with their Hydrology fabric products of which I tested the Velostretch V2 shirt. I logged approximately 50 miles in the shirt in all sorts of weather from mild 50's to sunny and humid 80's, and I found it to do an excellent job at moving sweat from my core and keeping me relatively dry, even on the warm humid days. The waffle-like fabric seemed to create air channels which kept my chest and back cooler than even my uncovered arms. Asics also claims that the fabric provides UV protection between 15-40.

As for comfort, I really liked the flatlock stitching. Although the seams looked substantial from the exterior, they were very smooth on the interior and caused no chafing issues. I only wore the shirt during daylight runs, but the grey panels are said to also serve as reflectors.

It was cut just a little larger than I am accustomed to seeing in a medium, but I did not consider it to be too big or mis-sized. It is marketed as semi-fitted, which appears to be midway between fitted and relaxed.

For those of you who are eco-conscious, the Velostretch is also a member of their Ecoline products and is made from 100% recycled polyester.

My only knock was the price. The Asics home site lists the suggested retail at $38, which seems to be a bit high. Then again, most of my running tops came from race goody bags, so I might not be the voice of reason here. Looking around, that price seems to be pretty standard for the high end products of all the major labels. So, if you are looking for a quality, comfortable running top to keep you cool in the summer, I'd certainly recommend the Asics Velostretch.