Adidas Transition Clima Crew – A worthy substitute for Under Armour?
Written: Apr 05 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Looks a little better than Under Armour as outer-wear
Cons: Too many seams & heavy fabric make it less comfortable than Under Armour
The Bottom Line: Even though you might be able to find the Clima Crew at a lower price than Under Armour, it doesn't stand up to a comparison. I prefer Under Armour.
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| puckmugger's Full Review: adidas Transition Clima Crew Mens 268209 |
The Cotton Dilema
Let’s face it, Under Armour isn’t cheap. It took me a long time to realize that it was a valuable product simply because it was a pretty hefty expenditure for something I didn’t think that I needed. My theory was that I had plenty of tee shirts that were almost worn out, why not use them under my hockey gear? They were already paid for and even if I had to buy new ones, they were a lot cheaper than this newfangled performance underwear anyway. I figured cotton was just fine – it had worked for years.
Eventually I gave in to the pressure to modernize my sports wardrobe and picked up some Under Armour. It didn’t revolutionize my life, but it sure made me a lot more comfortable on the ice. Even so, I began to wonder if some of the cheaper options weren’t just as good. I am ashamed to admit it now, but I began to experiment with other sorts of alternative, performance underwear.
The Adidas Transition Clima Crew
First off the name certainly isn’t as catchy or easy to remember. While Under Armour is confusing with all the heat gear, cold gear, loose gear and about half a dozen other options, once explained it starts to make some sense. But Adidas Transition Clima Crew is a pretty easy name to forget and frankly it doesn’t mean a thing to me either.
The name might be silly, but the price was certainly right with a typical Under Armour shirt going for closer to $30 locally. I figured for $19.99, I would try one.
Game use
One of the first things that I noticed with the Clima Crew was that there are a lot more seams in it than in the Under Armour tees. Adidas has this thing with stripes. It makes sense and I don’t blame them for it. The Adidas stripe is almost as recognizable as the Nike swoosh. However, it makes for a lot of extra sewing when you’re making a shirt. The stripes on the sleeves are actually sewn in strips of different colors.
The problem with this is that it makes the Clima Crew quite a bit less comfortable than its Under Armour counterpart. Both of these shirts fit very tight, like a second skin. The comfort in them comes from the fact that they quickly absorb moisture from the skin and keep you much drier than cotton can. In a tight fitting shirt, seams are not comfortable. Under Armour’s performance Tees have a single seam up each side and in the arm-pit. The Adidas shirt has these seams, sewn on arms and the stripes on the sleeves. I would estimate this as a 159% increase in seamage.
Another slight comfort issue is in the material. The Clima Crew’s fabric seems much more polyester in nature. It isn’t as thin or nearly as smooth as that in the Under Armour. In comparison to Under Armour, it feels downright coarse and heavy.
All of this said the wicking properties are on par with that of the Under Armour. It does just as well at keeping me feeling dry and comfortable in a game. Honestly, once it is on for a while, the seams aren’t that big of a deal either. Certainly the Clima Crew isn’t as comfortable, but once you’re in the game it isn’t like you are thinking, “Man my performance tee is really chaffing me!”
Durability
Another impressive feature of Under Armour is its incredible longevity. I have several pieces of Under Armour that are a few years old and as good as new. Remember that I’m a goalie, nothing else that I have lasts a few years and looks as good as new.
The Adidas Clima Crew hasn’t fared nearly as well to the rigors of goalie testing. I purchased this shirt in early November and have managed to blow out the seams in both armpits already. As a goalie I am pretty handy with a needle and thread. You have to be either wealthy or capable of making your own repairs as a goalie. However, I draw the line somewhere short of fixing performance underwear. Most of what I’m willing to sew is made out of leather and has a price of well over $200.
Colors
The Clima Crew that I picked up is grey with black stripes. I have also seen blue with white stripes, red with white stripes and white with blue stripes. Rumors abound that there is a camouflage version available with lavender and pink stripes, however I chalk this up to urban legend.
Sizes
The Clima Crew comes in the typical sizes of Small through Double Extra Large. They fit like a tee shirt and should be tight. I purchased a large although I usually wear an XL in tee shirts. I don’t know what size will fit you.
Final Thoughts
The Clima Crew isn’t as good as Under Armour for my purposes, however as outerwear, the Clima Crew would probably fare a little bit better. Those who don’t mind wearing something as tight fitting as this in public will find the Clima Crew a little more stylish.
All in all, I will stick with Under Armour for now.
Under Armour Heat Gear T-Shirt
Recommended:
No
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puckmugger
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