The Best Running Shirts
When most runners talk about running gear, shoes, fueling items and hydration packs will come to mind. Rarely will runners discuss clothing such as shirts and shorts, however these items are just as important. Companies will invest a lot of resources behind clothing design and finding the best materials for technical running clothing. Cotton for example, is one of the worst fabrics a runner can wear. Cotton absorbs moisture and takes extremely long to dry, meaning once you sweat you stay wet. This causes issues in both hot and cool weather. Choosing clothing that can wick moisture away from your skin while evaporating that moisture is key: enter polyester.
We focused our test on shirts made with a polyester blend, the gold standard of technical fabrics. Polyester is essentially plastic cloth and is the most common fabric found in technical clothing. It’s lightweight, allows airflow through the material (which helps with moisture removal and evaporation from the skin) and is highly durable, perfect for high output activates such as running. Companies will often times blend two or three materials (For example wool, polypropylene or spandex maybe woven into the clothing) into an article of clothing to take advantage of the benefits of other fabrics. This blending of materials, along with thoughtful and functional design is the art of technical clothing design.
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