REVIEW: Under Armor Heat Gear Compression Shirt

When it gets hot and temperatures rise, functional underwear shows what it can do. Here we want to introduce you to the Under Armor Heat Gear Compression Shirt in "short" version.

The shirt itself is made of 82% polyester and 18% elastane and weighs just under 120g in size "L". This already shows that it is very thinly woven, the light version in beige is almost transparent. The material makes the shirt extremely comfortable to wear, but it is not fire-resistant, which is not an advantage in areas where attacks by explosives are to be expected, in this case, something fire-resistant would be preferable for safety reasons.

The seams are well made and flat. Although they protrude about 7mm inwards, there are hardly any pressure marks when wearing it throughout the day. High-tech weave variations - such as those found in Adidas Tri-Star or X-Bionic shirts - are not to be found here. The entire shirt is made in a single type of weave.

As the name "Heat Gear Compression" suggests, it is designed for hot/warm temperatures and developed as a compression shirt. In contrast to the "loose fit" version, this variant fits tightly and stretches elastically to the body. While the "Cold Gear" version was developed to keep warm, here the exact opposite is true: sweat is quickly absorbed and transported to the outside, and the shirt dries extremely quickly. This evaporation also provides cooling, without the "wet" feeling of a cotton t-shirt. In addition, the compression shirt is supposed to lightly support the upper body muscles and thus delay fatigue.

In addition to the nearly invisible UA logo on the left chest, the shirt also has a small field for names/IDs for identification, which are designed differently depending on the production series. Speaking of design... minimal differences in cut and seam technology can also be found at the collar between production series.

Size "L" fits at 1.84m, 84kg in the pictures without feeling like a "sausage", there can still be a bit more muscle mass underneath (or even somewhat stockier individuals).

CONCLUSION: Developed for endurance athletes all over the world, this shirt is highly recommended for athletes and outdoor enthusiasts in the summer. Sweat is immediately transported away from the skin and evaporates on the surface. The shirt is comfortable to wear both dry and wet, and does not restrict movement in any way. Due to the thin fabric, one should not wear a backpack or similar directly on the shirt, as it can chafe quite quickly; however, if worn under a shirt or jacket, this is not the case. Likewise, one should be careful in bushes, etc., as the fabric is not the most robust.

A small "trick" for quick drying: Rinse the shirt in water, wring it out, then wrap it in a towel and wring both out together, this will dry it very quickly, although this method of drying is not particularly gentle on the material!

Available in beige, olive, and black e.g. at ASMC for 39.95€. For those who like colorful options, it is also available in red, yellow, pink, blue, green, and other colors at outdoor retailers.