I should preface this with a few things about me:
- I’m a competitive paddler in Rochester NY, USA.
- I’m a big guy for a paddler, although I recently lost a lot of weight, I’m still on the upper range for what you’d normally see in a surf ski.
- Companies that sell gear for competitive paddling are few and far between in the USA, and most of what I have experience with is NRS.
Since it’s getting on for fall here in the north country, I have been wearing my Vaikobi V Cold Short Sleeve top a lot. In the cold early mornings, I add the V Cold Warm Up Sleeves for the warm up, and then strip them off for the actual work-out. The top gives a great combination of warmth, sweat evaporation and wind resistance that makes it great when you get in the boat and it’s 56°F and by the time you get out it’s 72°F. There are no rub points or irritations. It moves well with you.
I love the cut of this top, and I love the look. The zip is good for temperature regulation, and they’ve put a little flap over the top of the zip track so it doesn’t rub against your neck. It appears extremely well made with good attention to detail.
I’ve paddled two recent races in this top – the first one it was 52°F and I kept the sleeves on (and wore my Vaikobi V Cold Paddling Pant), and the second one was 66°F and I took the sleeves off after doing my warm up. In both cases, I was comfortable and wasn’t either too warm or too cold.
And keeping in mind that I’m not as athletic as most people you see on product reviews, here’s a picture of me paddling in the top:
If the top makes me look this good, imagine what it can do for you.
I should add a bit of a caveat here. I had a huge sticker shock three weeks after receiving my order. You can find the whole story in my review of the Vaikobi V Heat short down towards the bottom. If it wasn’t for this factor, I’d want at least one more of these tops, and maybe the long sleeve one as well. But now they have a US distributor so that’s no longer a factor. So I’m going to be ordering some more.