This shirt works!
In the world of athletic apparel, new fabrics promise much but only occasionally deliver. In 30+ years of buying, selling, wearing and repairing almost every proprietary fabric from manufacturers big and small, just a few stand out as being truly revolutionary. The skin cooler fabric in this top is one of them. From the moment I put this shirt on, I could feel the cooling effect of the fabric. This was accentuated by the slightest breeze; even from the motion of swinging my arms or walking. The fit of the shirt matches its purpose; there is no billowy excess or saggy gaps. For my slim build (6' tall, 150 lbs) the size small fit snug without pulling or pinching. This was also true at critical areas like the neck opening, armpits, and elbows - the cut of the fabric did not restrict, and had just enough give to allow flexing and bending for comfort in the aero position or for reaching around to the pockets in back. As with all DeSoto garments, construction is top-notch. Significantly, the quality of the fabric, detail of the stitching, and patterning of the shirt are all just as good as the skin cooler tri tank I bought several years ago. To me, this speaks to the consistency of quality control over a span of many years. Sadly, there are a lot of other athletic brands with big names and long pedigrees whose quality has suffered lately. Not sure if this is due to Covid-induced supply line disruptions or labor shortages or a change in business model to maximize profits. Regardless of the reason, having confidence that the product I am investing in, especially when buying sight-unseen online, will be worth the money and the hassle of ordering, is important to me. I have only had this shirt a short time, so durability is untested. The aforementioned tri-top is several years old and still going strong. If you are in the market for a form-fitting performance shirt with sun protection, I can vouch for DeSoto's men's skin cooler long sleeve top.
