I prefer to use clothes instead of sunscreen when I can and on those body parts I can since clothes can’t sweat off or wear off in the middle of a ride. I had some good long-sleeve shirts from REI the last couple of years but they were hard to keep clean and were beginning to wear out. Although I would have liked to have replaced them with long-sleeve hot-weather shirts with front pockets (for use while cycling on recumbent bikes), I can’t seem to find any even from manufacturers that specialize in recumbent gear. So I decided to try these.
I usually wear L or XL shirts. I bought these in L and they fit me perfectly (5’10”/200lbs). I think the XL would have been a little loose and blousey on me, the L isn’t snug it just fits right.
The colors I chose are white, yellow, and orange. All three are bright and reflect enough light to be very visible and not get too hot when under direct sunlight. I like the yellow and orange more than the white which is borderline translucent. I have received several compliments on the yellow and orange shirts in the couple of weeks I’ve been using them.
It’s been darn hot and humid here in NYC the last couple of weeks and these shirts have done their job: I’m not getting any UV exposure through the material, they feel nice on my skin, and the sweat is wicked away very efficiently. I wash them in cold water with other clothes using normal laundry detergent with no softeners, then 20 minutes in the dryer with the other clothes, then I pull them out of the dryer (leaving the other clothes in the dryer) and hang them to finish drying.
I hope they don’t stretch out at the cuffs and neck over time, and last as long as the REI shirts did.
I wish Vapor would make long pants using this material!
edit: I've had my three Vapor shirts for 6 weeks now and still really like them. I've had to snip a few threads here and there but even though they look cheaply made they're holding together pretty well under almost daily use. Two issues: 1- If the slightest bit of bike schmutz makes contact with the shirt it becomes a permanent stain – nothing I've tried will get it out. 2- The shirts are a little delicate: I stumbled into a concrete wall when dismounting from my bike making contact with my shoulder and the shirt developed a (small) hole in that shoulder. I sewed it up and it's still usable but I don't think any other shirt I've ever owned would have shown damage that that insignificant incident.
I'd still buy more, I do plan to buy more next year. I like the yellow and orange a lot more than the white (which as I stated above is a little translucent and also shows off the unwashable dirt more clearly). At this price I think I have to accept that they are going to last me only one or two warm seasons of near-daily use rather than three to five years as I became accustomed to with my previous long-sleeve sun-protection cycling shirts that cost 4x as much.
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