ATAYNE clothing: A great combination of quality and mission

ATAYNE's clothing carries the message of their mission

ATAYNE: http://www.atayne.com/

Last December, Runner's Tech Review received two technical shirts from ATAYNE, a clothing company that produces high quality, environmentally sustainable athletic apparel. These shirts were created with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from recycled plastic bottles or as ATAYNE likes to say--trash. According to the ATAYNE website, these shirts use 2/3rds of the energy and only 10% of the water required to produce equivalent shirts of virgin PET. Runner's Tech Review loves sustainably produced products but we also have high expectations for performance. The ATAYNE shirts we received are well made, substantial, and look attractive. Many of their offerings are printed with words and pictures that convey a positive environmental message.

Receiving our short sleeved shirts in early winter limited our ability to test them outdoors except on unseasonably warm days. As mentioned above, the shirts are substantial and heavier than most other technical jerseys. Fittingly, my first experience with my ATAYNE shirt was on a run at Stillwell Woods in Syosset, NY. I went out on a chilly, 25 degree day using the ATAYNE jersey as a bottom layer with a long sleeved tech shirt on top. This combination provided warmth, but I did find myself sweating within the first mile of my run. The ATAYNE shirt did a very good job of absorbing sweat but the second layer trapped the moisture and inhibited its evaporation. I did notice that even after drying, the shirt carried little or no sweat odor, making it possible to wear more than once between washes. The next couple of times I wore this shirt I was indoors on the treadmill. In both cases heat was a factor and I again experienced good absorption, but the material did collect a lot of moisture.

I refrained from using this shirt through the rest of the winter months but resumed wearing it during my 4:00 AM weekday runs in early spring. Running in temperatures between 35 and 45 degrees, the ATAYNE shirt yielded an excellent combination of sweat wicking and evaporation. I appreciated the shirt's thicker and heavier material that kept me warmer at the start of a cold morning run than my other short sleeve technical shirts. My two most recent experiences running with this shirt reinforced its relative effectiveness in different weather conditions. A late April run under partly cloudy skies with temperatures below 50 degrees proved just perfect for the capabilities of the jersey. Even after covering five miles with many hills the shirt kept up with me. However, a more recent run in 76 degree heat, with sun and humidity, seemed to overwhelm its wicking properties.

Adventure Girl found that the woman's cut was flattering, although the sizes run on the small side. The weight of the fabric was less of an issue during her trial runs, but she agrees that it won't be a go-to item in mid-summer heat. Given that the shirt performed well, AG is excited about the prospect of supporting a company with strong environmental ethics and practices. ATAYNE is a B Corporation, which means it is legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on the long-term interests of their employees, suppliers, community, consumers, and the environment. It's also based in Maine, a state for which AG has a soft spot. Although it's product line is more limited, ATAYNE's mission and approach to manufacturing clothing makes it something of an east coast version of the venerable Patagonia.

What's good:

High quality construction
Substantial feel
Thermal
Moisture absorption
Better than average odor resistance

Price (check out the outlet for lots of options under $20!)
Style
Company ethics and mission

What can be improved:
Moisture evaporation

Website

Both The Emerging Runner and Adventure Girl are keen to add more ATAYNE products to their running gear collections.

This review by the Emerging Runner and Adventure Girl