Supertest: Technical Training Tees

Tees Tested

What you wear while training can have a big impact on your performance. To get the most out of a session at the gym, you need to be cool and comfortable. That is where Technical Tees excel. Compared to regular nylon or cotton t-shirts, technical tees use advanced technologies to help your body regulate your temperature. But when so many are available, what one should you go for?

For this edition of rugbystore’s SuperTest, we hand-picked three super-testers who could put three of the most popular technical tees at rugbystore.co.uk through rigorous testing:

adidas Climachill Teeadi – Tested By: Pip (PC), 24, Keen Mountain Biker and Gym Enthusiast) 

See more: A wide of Climachill gear is available at rugbystore.


UAUnder Armour Heatgear Armour Mesh Tee – Tested By: Lynn (LM), 27, Avid Gymgoer and Runner 

See more: Check out the Heat Gear Range at rugbystore.


cant Canterbury Vapodri Elite Tee – Tested By: James (JP), 21, Athlete and Amateur Rugby player 

See More: The Canterbury Summer Training Range


Armed with their Technical Tees, we gave our testers a few weeks and asked them to consider these 4 key areas when they wore their technical tees.

Technology: What technology is in the tee and did it work.

Comfort: How it was to wear the tee before, during and after training.

Durability: How the tee held up to the rigours it was put through.

Design: How does the tee look on and off the wearer.

After a few weeks with their top, we can now find out how our Testers got on and which Technical Tee performed the best.


Technology

adidas Climachill Tee – PC

There is no arguing that adidas have packed plenty of technology into their Climachill tees. The aluminium dots make for a cool surprise every time you put the tee on, even if you are expecting it, but become unnoticeable after a few seconds. The material does a great job of wicking moisture away and letting heat escape through its wide mesh.

With all this tech, the tee does a great job of keeping you cool and comfortable during a hard workout.

Pip

Under Armour Heatgear Mesh Tee – LM

Under Armour designed this ‘Heatgear’ tee by creating a pinhole mesh fabric as the main selling point. This material is designed to keep the wearer cool and comfortable during any activity.  In true Under Armour fashion, although be it unwittingly, I took this tee out for quite the literal test run on possibly one of the warmest days of the year!

On arrival back from the obligatory 5k, I was surprised to find that the shirt did in fact help to keep me reasonably cool during the run. If I’m being perfectly honest, I wasn’t expecting much from a tee that boasts about keeping you cool during a workout but to be fair, it really did.  What I was most impressed with was how the tee kept sweat and moisture away from my skin. The last thing I want to feel is a horrible damp tee clinging to me during a workout. This tee not only wicked the moisture away from my skin but also dried really quickly and, all in all, kept me cool and comfortable during my workout.

Canterbury Vapodri Elite Tee – JP

The Nine Iron Canterbury Elite Tee Shirt has Vapodri technology which wicks away moisture and is meant to be quick drying. It did appear to do this during my time wearing it for training sessions.  I didn’t feel the tee become noticeably heavier like I have with other training tops. It’s certainly a lot better than other cotton tee shirts as that I’ve found to quickly become uncomfortable to wear.

total-sc-technology


Comfort

adidas Climachill Tee – PC

The 2-way stretch material allows the tee to hug your body shape and has plenty of room for you to bulk up into, if that’s your training goal. The elastic panel on the neck keeps the aluminium dots in contact with the skin, further allowing heat to escape.

The sleeves tend to ride up and get bunched up around the armpit area during a workout. After a while of un-bunching them, it becomes a little annoying, especially during an tough HIIT workout.

Under Armour Heatgear Mesh Tee – LM

The Pinhole style fabric is designed to make this tee feel super lightweight and therefore comfortable to wear. I’m pleased to say that the tee did indeed live up to those expectations. Being super lightweight made it feel a lot more comfortable to wear during long runs.

Even though the tee itself is quite tight, it didn’t feel constrictive in anyway. The fabric is designed to ensure there is a fair amount of stretch and allows for a full range of motion during workouts that may require a bit more movement.

Lynn

Canterbury Vapodri Elite Tee – JP

The Canterbury Tee was very comfortable to wear during workouts or just as a regular tee.  It’s very light and thanks to the Vapodri, it stays comfortable even after long training sessions.

total-sc-comfort


Durability

adidas Climachill Tee – PC

After several washes the tee has kept it’s shape and the material has remained stretchy. The heavy duty overlocked seams have allowed the tee to resist the abuse it has been given (mainly through my carelessness).

All the aluminium dots have stayed attached and the large adidas logo on the left sleeve shows no sign of cracking or peeling.

The tee looks as good now as it did when it came out of the packaging.

Under Armour Heatgear Mesh Tee – LM

The material may be designed to be lightweight but that doesn’t mean it looks or feels fragile. There is a certain amount of give in the fabric and despite the material being a ‘pin hole mesh’ it doesn’t feel like the tee would tear easily if pulled.

A big plus for me was how the tee preformed after a few washes. Previously I have found that after bunging a tee in the wash a few times, you’re left with something that doesn’t resemble a what first went in the wash!  I’m pleased to report that after being man handled, washed and dried numerous times, what I have still resembles the tee that I took out the packet.

James-CCC

Canterbury Vapodri Elite Tee – JP

Just from the feel of it, I can tell that the Elite Tee is only  really suitable for off field training. If you wore it for contact drills for example, it feels as though it was would easily rip due to the light materials. However, after wearing it to the gym a number of times, the seams are still neat and haven’t come loose. The sleeves are stretchy but remain tight fitting after quite a few workouts. I’d just like it to feel a bit tougher so I could wear it with confidence to contact training sessions.

total-sc-durability


Design

adidas Climachill Tee – PC

The fitted cut of the tee is flattering and the stretchy material keeps it from becoming restrictive.

The large silver adidas looks great on the marbled blue material and I like the brighter blue on the inside of the shirt. But for a £30 tee shirt I would expect a few more visual features. You are getting plenty technology for that price which I suppose is a good trade off.

Under Armour Heatgear Mesh Tee – LM

Overall I was very pleased with the design of the tee. The design is fitted, creating a nice silhouette, without feeling boxy or clingy. It’s also a V-Neck, which I find more appealing than a round-necked tee. As with most Under Armour products, the colours can range from the more loud pinks and lime greens to the more toned down blacks and blues. Under Armour has ensured there is something that suits everyone. This tee is functional but does have a bit of style thrown in and that’s what I love about it.

Canterbury Vapodri Elite Tee – JP

The tee looks good and simple when you put it on which suits me. It’s available in ‘Nine Iron’ (grey) or ‘Eclipse’ (blue). There is a small pattern with stripes across the body of the tee, which is consisted of dots and the sleeves are just one solid colour. The tee is designed to be loose fitting on the body but it’s not so loose that it gets in the way of any exercises. The sleeves are tight fitting as well so they feel secure. They only change I would make is on the Eclipse version there is are highlights on the collar and I think on the Nine Iron tee would benefit from a similar highlight.

total-sc-design


The Final Verdict

total-sc

Under Armour have come out just ahead of the competition, beating the adidas Climachill top by just half a point, with Canterbury coming a very close 3rd.

Our testers were all impressed at the difference a technical tee made to their workout and how cool they kept them. Find out for yourself what a technical tee can do for your workout.  If you have any product ideas for the next edition of rugbystore’s SuperTest, let us know in the comments and we’ll consider getting it tested!


 Check out more SuperTests: Running Shoes, Kit Bags, Compression Leggings.

Enjoy this article? Then share it!

Comments

comments

Rugbystore Blog