Summer Riding Shirts

[TequilaMockingbird]

I’ve been tempted several times to buy those riding shirts with the venting but I hate the way the fabric feels, like it will cling to you the second you start to sweat. They’re also very expensive, though I love some of the colors they come in.

Humidity is a way of life here, even in the winter. Long sleeve anything is not going to happen unless I can shove ice cubes in the sleeves. Which is what I thought Ice Fil meant, silly me.

Whenever I go to Academy, REI and other similar stores I always browse the clearance racks for good riding shirts. Any light weight, breathable shirt will do. Many of my shirts are just basic Nike or Adidas shirts that are almost see-thru, like these:

http://www.amazon.com/adidas-Performance-Womens-Ultimate-Short-Sleeve/dp/B00OM6VKHK/ref=cts_ap_2_fbt

I’ve bought 3 of these sleeveless polo shirts off Amazon. They’re less than $15/each with shipping and they come in lots of different colors. They look like a nice shirt in person, really comfortable and made out of jersey material. They are the most comfortable shirts I have for riding. I think they’ve stopped making them though as the different colors and sizes available have dropped quite a bit.

http://www.amazon.com/Augusta-Sportswear-Womens-Sleeveless-V-Neck/dp/B00FGUOOT2/ref=pd_sim_a_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0MNZVX1Z7TEN3PC3TF1C

I also love the button up Columbia shirts that most people use for fishing or hiking. They come in tons of colors and you can also sometimes find them on clearance. They’re usually sold at sporting goods stores.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C40W3F4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=14OD80YE2445R&coliid=I25BUJEPSITX52&psc=1

I’ve been wearing these Adidas golf polos on the warmer days this spring (already in the low 80s!).

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007LCPXO8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I don’t see any point in wearing expensive shirts for riding when they’re just going to get stained the first time I wear them. The only time I’d buy a nice shirt for riding is for use during a show.

[piedmontfields]

I just got a couple of these from Bean on sale:

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/64106?feat=502477-GN3&page=women-s-tropicwear-shirt-short-sleeve

I don’t know if it’s age or humidity, but I am done with riding in non-technical t-shirts or polos!

[Libby2563]

[QUOTE=TequilaMockingbird;8075937]
I don’t see any point in wearing expensive shirts for riding when they’re just going to get stained the first time I wear them. The only time I’d buy a nice shirt for riding is for use during a show.[/QUOTE]

I was tempted by all of your links (thanks for the good, specific info!) but then I remembered all the 10-year-old T-shirts I own that are already stained. Maybe when I can lay some of those to rest I can justify buying nice new things. (Which I would probably think were too nice to ride in anyway!) I’ve tried to “dress better” a few times but I guess it’s just not my thing.

Bookmarking those Adidas ones for later though.

[poltroon]

The nice thing about these synthetics is that they tend to be more stain resistant than the old cotton ones we wear. Also, having just one has served me well for a time - I save it for the times when I am riding in the heat of the day.

I tend to like to buy them a little large. (This seems especially necessary if you’re not admirably shaped, because the fabric is often thin and/or sheer.)

These days, I find I don’t like to wear sunscreen and I need to choose between long sleeves and sunscreen. Most often, I’m liking the loose long sleeved sunshirts as the more comfortable choice. I find they also are comfortable at a wide range of temperatures on the low end, to my surprise.

I personally find the white ones to be a lot less useful.

Ones with buttons in the front scrape the saddle when I dismount if I’m not careful, possibly damaging the saddle and popping a button off the shirt.

I have bought several of these in the last couple years, and I find that there are some I really like and some I really really don’t, so I’d encourage experimentation and buying on clearance.

Some are knit and some are woven, and they all fit and are cut differently.

The ones that didn’t work out for me are ones I use as overshirts in the summer, when I need to go outside and do animal chores without getting my clothes too dusty and grimy.

[Dewey]

Just ordered an Ovation Cool Rider shirt to try out. Great price. I will report back.