Tag: moisture wicking shirts

Under Armour HeatGear vs Nike Dri-FIT – The Sports Apparel War

Nike vs Under Armour. Technological sounding names dominate the athletic apparel war between Nike and Under Armour, but what do they mean? Comparing Nike’s Dri-Fit and Under Armour’s HeatGear, we are going to review what these technologies do and which one is better for you!

UAVNIKE

Under Armour HeatGear vs Nike Dri-Fit

Technological sounding names dominate the athletic apparel war between Nike and Under Armour, but what do they mean?  Comparing Nike’s Dri-Fit and Under Armour’s HeatGear, we are going to review what these technologies do and which one is better for you!  Finding the right performance shirt, compression pants, running shorts, and compression socks for the summer can be tough, but when you discover the right ones for you, you may never go back to wearing regular clothes while working out.

Under Armour built its company with a foundation in performance apparel and turned into something much more significant.  In 1996 the founder of Under Armour created the first t-shirt made of moisture-wicking synthetic fabric, effectively inventing the industry of ‘Performance Apparel’.   To this day, the company continues to produce and improve upon their signature HeatGear.

Let’s get into the nitty gritty about these sportswear rivals.

Under Armour HeatGear

Basics:

HeatGear uses super lightweight fabrics to keep you cool and dry in warm and hot conditions whether you’re out for a walk, training hard, or dominating the football field. Its exceptional moisture transport systems wick sweat away from your body, while maintaining ventilation. Sounds like any ‘performance apparel’ I’ve ever heard of, so let’s dive a little deeper to get a greater understanding.

What Does Under Armour HeatGear Provide?

UA-performancedna

Moisture Transport Systems: Hydrophobic fabrics wick the moisture from your body and pull it through the material so that it evaporates quickly, keeping your clothes light and your body cool and dry.

Odor Control – Anti-microbial technology resists the growth and spread of bacterial odors within the fabric. The evaporation of sweat quickly and efficiently combined with the anti-microbial technology reduces odors better than any other system.

UPF – Ultra-Violet Protection Factor – UPF protects you from the sun, plain and simple. Extra protection from UV rays is always a good thing for your skin, body, and overall health and Under Armour has added this screen to their impressive arsenal.

Some Under Armour gear is equipped with additional features.  Check the tags for the following!

Strategic Ventilation +  Armour Stretch

Modular Protection Zones + 360 Degree Reflectivity

Wind Resistance + Armour Grip

Those features are the foundation of HeatGear, but HeatGear is separated into different fabrics to help you differentiate what gear you need for what situation. Here is a run-down of Under Armour’s lineup.

FABRICS:
Under Armour Heat Gear Shirt TechUnder Armour Tech –

This is the classic, super-soft, natural feeling material that mimics cotton, but provides the performance benefits of synthetic material. Traditional UA look and feel and is generally the most affordable option.

Underarmour Heat Gear Shirt Charged CottonCharged Cotton –

It’s cotton, but better. With Charged Cotton, you get the feel, weight, and comfort of cotton with the impressive moisture transport system that wicks 5% faster. This cotton dries 5x faster than standard cotton. Perfect for athletic activities or just relaxing, it’s a soft garment with performance tech built in.

Underarmour Heatgear Shirt CatalystUnder Armour Catalyst –

Surprisingly made entirely of recycled plastic bottles, Catalyst is super soft and smooth. Incredibly light with body temperature regulating tech, the best feature of this fabric is how light and smooth it is.

HeatGear coldblackUnder Armour coldblack –

It shocks me how noticeably coldblack affects the temperature of the garment and in turn, your body. The technology makes dark fabrics act more like light fabrics in the sun, retaining less heat during performance. Oh, and it makes light colors act like nothing at all. Providing the best moisture-wicking tech and all other HeatGear benefits with the temperature regulation technology makes athletes flock to coldblack.

Under Armour Flyweight Women's ShirtHeatGear Flyweight –

Ultra-light and smooth fabric with strategically positioned mesh panels to help regulate heat and allow sweat to evaporate faster. Raglan sleeve design and smooth Flatlock Seams do not restrict range of motion. This is lightweight, lightweight, lightweight.

All of these different fabrics are available in multiple fits: Compression, Fitted, Semi-Fitted, and Loose.

Under Armour Running ShortsHeatGear Sonic –

The newest innovation from Under Armour, Sonic is a compression material that increases muscle power through ultra-tight fit. They call it a “second skin” because it provides the benefits of compression technology without sacrificing comfort so that you can wear it all day.  Shirts, tanks, pants, shorts, they have it all.

Shop Men’s and Women’s HeatGear

This isn’t all about Under Armour. It’s Under Armour vs Nike, so let’s get to Nike!

Nike Dri-FitNike Dri-FIT graphic

Basics:

Dri-Fit uses microfiber, polyester fabric to wick moisture from your body to the outer surface of the fabric so that it can evaporate quickly to keep you cool for a… dry fit. This sounds mighty similar to Under Armour’s signature moisture transport system.

What Does Nike Dri-Fit Provide?

Moisture Wicking – It does that whole ‘wick moisture from your body’ thing. This allows sweat to evaporate to keep you light and dry.

Dri-Fit UV – Provides minimum of 30 SPF to protect you from ultraviolet rays. This is only in certain Dri-Fit products so make sure you look for it on the label or tags!

LINES:
Drifit Shirt For WomenNike Pro Dri-Fit –

Mesh panels and flat seams are featured in the Nike Pro Combat line to fit smoothly to the body for a close and comfortable fit. Different Pro products can be made of different materials so be sure to take closer looks at these.

Nike Drifit Legend ShirtNike Legend Dri-Fit –

Crew neck and inside taping bring comfort through mesh design. Made of 100% recycled polyester and is constructed with flat-seam to reduce chafing.

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Nike Drifit Miler ShirtNike Miler Dri-Fit –

Basically the same as the Legend, but with added panels in the side improve mobility. 100% recycled polyester.

–

Nike Drifit Tailwind SleevelessNike Tailwind Dri-Fit –

This line features a mesh fabric panel and three eyelets in the underarm to provide air flow and reduce chafing. Nike designs this with flat seams to improve range of motion as well. Body is made of Dri-FIT 85% polyester/15% cotton. Side panel constructed of Dri-FIT 86% polyester/14% cotton. Also this line has a cool zip pocket at the waist/back for easily securing valuables when running.

Nike Drifit Knit WomensNike Knit Dri-Fit –

56% polyester and 44% nylon, the knit line is a soft touch Dri-FIT moisture-wicking fabric.   Knit fabric is designed with mesh panels for lightweight ventilation.

The Conclusion:

We can breathe easy, the information dump is over.

The major benefit that these workout clothes provide is their moisture wicking/transportation systems. If you have never tried these products before, it is amazing how different a run, a game, or a workout can feel when wearing clothes that are specifically designed to improve your performance rather than simply not get in the way.

Both brands of performance apparel are great choices for your athletic activities, but there are so many fabrics and so many lines just within the HeatGear and Dri-FIT names. In my years of using these fabrics and diving deeper into their technology and construction, it seems as though any of the Nike products would work for me and feel great, but I can find the proper sportswear specific to my needs through the fabrics and fits that Under Armour provides.

Nike has proven that people love their comfortable, performance fabric, but it seems as though Under Armour, the originator of performance apparel, may have a multitude of additional benefits and defined options.

Making informed decisions is the best way to choose between Nike and Under Armour, but sometimes it takes trying both to truly understand!

What do you think?


What’s New with Hoodies These Days?

Check out the latest performance and athlete-inspired hoodies from Nike, Under Armour, and Burton, to make your fall and winter more comfortable, and more active!

Not just for teenagers anymore, hooded sweatshirts (or hoodies, as anyone besides my Mom calls them), have quickly become an essential in just about everyone’s closet. The reason? They’re flat out comfortable! Made of cozy, warm, and soft cotton fleece, most people laze around in a hoody on chilly Sundays, grab one before they head out on a fall afternoon, keep one in the car or the office in case the temperature drops, or use them as a layer under a jacket when shoveling snow off the driveway. They’re as comfy as they are versatile…but at the same time, haven’t they become a little stagnant? In this new age of performance wear; moisture wicking shirts, waterproof/breathable shells, quick-drying fleece, electronically heated jackets, and alike…why are our hoodies still the same old, same old? If you read this blog often, you see where I’m going with this.

Womens HoodiesNow, thanks to the same companies (Nike and Under Armour, I’m looking at you) that updated our wardrobe with those high-performance shirts, jackets, socks, pants, and yes, even underwear, we at SU, have in stock, the latest in hoody technology! High-performance, moisture-wicking, weather-resistant, lightweight, athletically-inspired, and still super cozy women’s and mens hoodies are here, and let me tell you, they are some of the best hoodies I’ve ever worn!

Nike

KO Hoody / All Time Hoody

Nike HoodiesAvailable as pullover hoodies for men, girls, and boys, in a variety of colors and styles, the Nike KO Hoodie has been around for a few seasons, and was one of the first true “performance hoodies” on the market. The All Time Hoody and All Time Swoosh are similar performance hoodies for women, specifically designed with more feminine seams and styles.

Every Nike KO and All Time Hoody is made with their proprietary Therma-FIT microfiber fleece fabric, a combination of cotton and polyester that is lightweight, breathable, insulated, and wind-blocking, keeping you warm and protected from the elements, without weighing you down.Nike Therma-FIT The material is really comfortable and smooth to the touch, noticeably different than traditional, rougher and natural-feeling cotton fleece.

Other important features include:

  • Dri-FIT moisture wicking mesh-lined hood, perfect for regulating temperature when you get active
  • Flat-lock stitching that prevents chafing when moving
  • Athletic design and fit that is more tapered than generously cut, for a great and flattering look

Nike KO Hoodies go well with Nike KO Fleece Pants, available for girls and boys, and made of the same performance Therma-FIT and Dri-FIT materials.

Under Armour

Team Fleece Hoodies

UA Charged Storm Youth HoodieA classically styled pullover hoodie, the popular Under Armour Team Fleece Hoodie may look basic, but like every piece of Under Armour ColdGear, its design is anything but! Made of proprietary 2-Layer ArmourFleece polyester material, these sweatshirts are made to seal in heat and seal out the elements, while breathing, wicking moisture, and leaving you feeling comfortable and cozy.

  • An inner layer of brushed, soft, and comfortable polyester fleece fabric feels great against the skin and pulls sweat off the body.
  • A smooth outer layer is quick-drying and water-resistant, for a unique feel, and incredible performance.

Perfect for running, practicing, or training in cold, light rain, or snow, these loosely fit, minimally styled pullover hoodies are as comfortable as your favorite traditional cotton sweatshirt, but do so much more. Available for adults and youth.

Charged Cotton Storm Hoody

The latest and greatest addition to the world of performance hoodies, and possibly one of the best hoodies I’ve ever worn, the Under Armour Charged Cotton Storm is the first high-performance cotton hoodie that also slices through water, rain, snow, sleet, and hail like a samurai sword!

UA Charged Cotton Storm HoodieUtilizing Under Armour’s now-famous Charged Cotton material, which dries faster and wicks more moisture than any other cotton fabric out there, the Storm hoody takes it one step further, adding a DWR (that’s Durable, Water-Repellent) finish, to keep moisture out of the fabric. That means you can throw this baby on in the rain, sleet, or snow, and jog to the gym, bike to the store, or just run to the car, and come out safe (and dry) on the other side. It also means you can get as active as you want on chilly or cold days, and this hoody will wick that sweat off you, and keep you warm and dry…all with the look, the touch, the feel of cotton.

Available as a pullover or zip up hoodie, in dozens of colors, with Under Armour Charged Cotton Storm Fleece Pants to match, these water-resistant hoodies will blow you away!

Burton

Bonded Fleece Hoodie

If you’re looking for a sick snowboarding or skater hoodie to keep you warm and dry on the mountain this year, the fine people over at Burton have something really special for you. The unique and best-selling Burton Bonded Hoodie is the perfect combination of rider-inspired comfort and performance, designed with a brushed and soft interior, and a harder “shell-like” smooth outer. Performance-ready, the DryRide Thermex fleece fabric is incredibly breathable, quick-drying, and warm, with a really cool feel. That means while the rest of your friends are trying to shred powder, freezing and soaked through in their old (and quite lame) cotton sweatshirts, you’ll be cutting them up in something way above their heads.
By Brandon Porter.Brandon is a product specialist at Sports Unlimited.