Article by Matt Kolat
Introduction
Arksen is a brand specialising in making yachts, adventure vehicles and other mega - tech. Really cool stuff.
Last year they decided to venture into the clothing and gear business - enter Arksen Apparel. Earlier this year I had the pleasure of testing Arksen’s colder weather hiking gear (RTR Review).
Will their summer collection turn out to be as good? I tested the Virga Tech T-shirt and Staran Tech Shorts. Let’s find out!
Virga Tech T-shirt - £160
Fit
When I review tops, be it running or hiking, the fit is always the trickiest segment for me. This is because everyone is shaped a little differently and also sizing differs vastly between brands. For instance in brands that offer a more tapered fit, such as SOAR Running I am typically an X Large and sometimes an XX Large. However in brands that offer a more regular fit, for example Patagonia I am either a Medium or Large. Go figure. So please treat this recommendation with a pinch of salt. Arksen sent me this shirt in size Large and honestly it fits very well, neither loose nor tapered. I am 6 foot tall and weigh 80 kg/12.96 stone/ 176 pounds. Hope this helps you pick the right size!
What I liked
Honestly I love this shirt. Listed below are some of the features that stand out the most.
Fit
A bit of an unorthodox feature that I enjoyed but I do really love the fit of the Virga. It’s neither loose nor body fitting which is useful in an adventure geared product. Very often shirts get in the way when they are too loose, especially on windy days that can feel like sails on a ship, increasing the drag of the wind on your body.
Materials
In terms of tech specificities the shirt is made of a luxury Italian jersey in the front which feels very soft and in the back laser cut stretch woven fabric.
When I first got the shirt I thought that it maybe felt a little bit heavy and would run hot but that was not the case at all.
It’s one of the quickest drying fabrics I have experienced in a shirt and that is particularly useful during hiking adventures. We tend to sweat the most when climbing uphill but when reaching the top of a mountain we want our garments to dry quickly to stay warm.
Abrasion resistance
Many times in the past I’ve worn super soft t-shirts on hikes and trail runs only to return home with cuts and holes in them after an incident free adventure. In most cases this is because of the chest straps of a backpack or a hydration vest digging into the shirt and leaving marks or going as far as cutting holes in the chest area. Happy to report that despite the softness of fabrics they are highly abrasion resistant and should last a very long time.
Breathibitly
Due to the unseasonably cold weather (even for Scotland!) I did not manage to take too many pictures showing the breathability of the shirt but on the few runs where the sun was out I could experience how well the shirt breathes especially in the back through the multiple perforations. Please see the Arksen picture below for greater detail.
Ninja factor
Finally - the looks! Virga looks really awesome in my humble opinion. I know to some people it is secondary how a product looks while performing a sport but there is a large group of consumers to whom this matters a great deal. I felt like a real ninja running in the Virga and as the saying goes: ‘Look good, feel good, run good’.
What I did not like
There are no flaws in this product apart from the one tiny elephant in the room - the price. At £160 it is at the very top end of the market. But this is a luxury item and those simply have to cost more than most products - otherwise where is the luxury?
Staran Tech Shorts - £220
Fit
I would describe the fit as somewhat generous. Arksen sent me a size Large as per my request as this is my size of choice for all bottoms, regardless of the brand.
The Starrans fit me very well albeit I could probably pull off a size Medium for a more performance fit. In summary I would recommend ordering your usual size unless you are gunning for a more precise technical fit, then size down.
What I did not like
Pockets
This is a part-like-part-dislike really. The two zip secure pockets are really useful. One is located on the right hand side of the back and one one the left hip. They offer a good amount of storage, fitting multiple gels, keys, smartphones etc, really handy when going on a shorter adventure.
That said however the front pockets are largely purposeless. You can stick your hands in them but they don’t offer any safety mechanisms so storage options here are quite limited. For a version 2.0 of Staran, I would recommend getting rid of the front pockets and instead develop stash pockets in the waist belt. The waist belt is very sturdy and would be an ideal option for a place to hold extra gels or loop stow a wind breaker into.
Price
Absolutely top of the top of the market. However, the same thoughts come to my mind as in the case of the Virga t-shirt, this is a luxury item and it has to cost a lot.
What I liked
Materials
Exactly like the Virga top, the shorts are made from the same two types of materials - Italian recycled jersey and laser cut (for extra ventilation) 4-way stretch woven material. The feel you get when first putting them on is excellent, you can tell the product is a premium one and the feeling remains on the run. Despite the fit being quite relaxed I thought the shorts never got in the way on the run or while hiking.
Technical details
A couple of technical features really stand out in the Staran.The first one is pictured below.
Can you guess what it is? First I thought it was a technical item which my simpleton mind could not identify, but then it dawned on me. This be a bottle opener! Yes you read that right, and I am pretty sure this must be a first ever pair of running / hiking shorts with a built-in bottle opener.
When I first thought about my little discovery I thought this was hilarious and almost like an Easter Egg but then it dawned on me.
So many people nowadays belong to run clubs, where after the running is done beer flows freely and a bottle opener can be actually quite useful. If you are worried that it somehow gets in the way of running - happy to report that it doesn’t.
Also worth mentioning that the waistband is controlled via an elastic Cohaesive® Hem adjuster. So in other words if you get a size that’s slightly too loose, it is easily adjustable.
Maciej 'Matt' Kolat- 39 years old, hailing from Poland but pounding Scottish pavements and trails since 2007. Mainly runs shorter distances on pavement 5-10 km and reserves longer runs and hikes for beautiful Scottish Glens. Matt’s opinion sometimes may differ from other RTR testers as he is the slowest of the bunch (5k at 25:38). Matt also uses running as a way to stay healthy having shed 105 lbs so far (and counting).
No comments:
Post a Comment