Price: $78
The Right Shirt For: Runner dudes who want a year-round tee
There are two things all runners should know: Four laps on a standard outdoor track make a little more than a mile, and Fourlaps the brand makes a darn good running shirt. You’ve probably learned the prior firsthand, but if you need more proof for the second, look no further than the Short Sleeve Level Tee.
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Temp-Sensing Tech
Here’s what makes this shirt worth your splurge. Fourlaps calls the Level its most technical tee yet, and uses what the brand calls 37.5 technology. Active particles in the shirt’s fabric detect infrared energy, which is emitted as body heat. So when those first beads of sweat start dripping on your run, the material pulls heat away from your body to keep your core temperature at a comfy 98.6 degrees. And when the sun goes down and you start to shiver on a night run, the opposite happens. The fabric draws heat back in and traps warmth to keep you toasty.
The 37.5 tech fabric also claims to help remove sweat in its vapor stage—meaning that the material is hard at work long before you even start to perspire. While it didn’t stop our testers from sweating, the fabric did remain comfortable and cool on hot lunch runs. Plus, the fabric’s antimicrobial properties gave an extra boost of odor control.
Next Level Comfort
A blend of polyester, wool, and elastane make the Level tee super soft, breathable, and especially swift at knocking out sweat, which immediately won over one of our wear-testers. “The material does wick moisture away nicely, while still having a soft and stretchy feel,” said Kit Fox, Special Projects Editor and 2018’s unofficial RW Taco Mile Champion.
Fox also pointed to the shirt’s longer length at the waist, which he approved for keeping the shirt from riding up on sweaty runs, and small eyelets near the tee’s underarms. The subtle holes provide extra ventilation and breathability, while reflective hems and logos aid visibility in low light. The only caveat? Right now, Fourlaps only makes menswear.
Morgan is a gear editor who has been with Runner’s World since 2017. She started as an intern ghostwriting The Warmup, a bygone version of the daily RW newsletter. Now, she tests and reviews anything you might find on runners’ feet-from crew socks and compression boots to carbon-plated super shoes.
A lifelong runner and shoe geek, Morgan has been chasing the perfect pair of kicks since she joined her grade school cross-country team. Since then, she ran as a Division I walk-on for the cross-country and track & field teams at the University of Delaware, where she studied English and Biology. She has one full marathon under her belt, and has raced more halfs and 5Ks than she can count.
