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Review: UV Half BUFF®

Posted on July 17, 2016 | 2 comments

Disclaimer: I received a UV Half BUFF® to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

If you’ve seen any of my other reviews, you may have seen me post about the Hoodie Thermal BUFF® in January, and the UV Full BUFF® in May, and you also may know that I love them. I love the colors and the function, but they can be a little bulky for the summer, so I was excited to try out the half version and compare the two!

 

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From Buff, Inc.:

“Shorter than the Original BUFF® , the UV Half BUFF® offers style and sun protection without weighing you down. It wicks away perspiration to keep you comfortable in the gym, on the road, at the yoga studio, or on the trails. Cyclists especially love the way it sits comfortably under a helmet without bunching. “

The Good

I love all of the features that my UV BUFF® offers:

  • 100% Seamless. We can all agree that tags and scratchy seams are the worst.
  • Breathable & moisture-wicking. The Half BUFF® is even lighter than the full.
  • Odor resistant. I’ll be honest. I don’t wash my running accessories as much as I should, so the longer they go stink-free, the better.
  • Stretchy. It’s easy to get over your head, and the Half BUFF® doesn’t scrunch or get bulky.
  • Wind resistant. Not as much of an issue in the summer, but man do I hate wind when it’s cold.
  • UV protection. The UV BUFF® blocks 95% of UV radiation.

I think I’m a bigger fan of the Half BUFF® than the Full BUFF® for the summer. It’s lighter and easier to wear as a headband (my favorite way to wear it). It’s also easier to lose, as I thought I had almost lost my first one!

Even though it’s smaller than a full-size BUFF®, it still stays in place, which is important, too!

The Half on the left and the Full on the right.

The Half on the left and the Full on the right.

The Not-So-Good

Nothing – I love it!

The Bottom Line

I’m already a huge fan of BUFF® products. You can wear them all kinds of ways in any type of weather. The Half is perfect for summer activities because it’s smaller.

Like I said in my Full BUFF® review, living at altitude in Colorado means an increase in the strength of UV rays, so I will take all the protection I can get!

The UV Half BUFF® retails for $15, has a ton of cool designs, and they last for years.

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Review: Hoodie Thermal BUFF

Posted on January 17, 2016 | 5 comments

Disclaimer: I received a Hoodie Thermal BUFF to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

If you saw my post yesterday about winter running, then you know I’m not a huge fan of it, and a big task for me is trying to keep my ears/face/head warm without having to wear a full on balaclava. When I heard of the opportunity to review a BUFF Hoodie as part of the BibRave Pro program, I jumped at the chance.

hoodie spread out

What I received to review

From the website

Hoodie BUFF is a stylish and superbly comfortable hooded garment made for cold weather protection with a double layer of fabric at the neck for extra insulation. Long enough to cover the nose and mouth but a little less technical than its stable mate Hood BUFF Hoodie BUFF is brighter, funkier and very wearable.

The Good

It’s definitely super warm. There is the actual hood part, the buff neck piece, and then another piece of buff fabric that you can pull up over your mouth. The hood is a thick, knitted Polartec Thermal Pro that is soft and warm. The neck and mouth pieces are made from naturally anti-microbial Merino wool, so not as thick, but still soft and warm. The materials wicked sweat without getting wet and kept me warm and dry during my runs.

I really like that there are two Buff pieces in addition to the hood – the one was easy to tuck down into my jacket to keep my neck warm, and the other piece was easy to pull up around my mouth. It was thin enough that I could easily breathe through it, but was enough to keep my breath (and my lungs) warm.

The Hoodie has two drawstring pieces so you can cinch down the hood and make it tighter on your head, which is helpful if you have a smaller head like I do. Making it tight also pulled it around my face to keep my ears warm.

Even though it’s not specifically designed to be windproof, I wore it on a run with the wind was gusting up to 22 mph, and another day when it was a steady 6 mph, and it still kept me warm.

hat and gloves

The Not-So-Good

The Hoodie is a one size fits all, which is great because it will fit anyone, and you can wear it looser if you just need a little protection, but not-so-good if you have a small head like me. Even cinching the hood super tight leaves some space in the back that makes it a little cooler than it would be if it was totally tight against my head. That being said, it wasn’t a huge difference, and I just pulled up my jacket hood to seal everything in.

The Bottom Line

I love this thing and I wear the Hoodie Thermal BUFF pretty much any chance I get. I have worn it just around my neck, as a loose hood, as a tight hood, with the mouth piece up, with the mouth piece down, in windy conditions, and in pretty cold conditions (a 30-degree run). The Hoodie has not let me down. It has kept me warm and wicked sweat without becoming too wet, sweaty, or stinky.

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I highly recommend the Hoodie Thermal BUFF for runner, hikers, snowboarder, bikers, or pretty much anyone who wants to stay warm in the winter. The retail price of $45.99 feels very reasonable to me, considering I will wear it every winter for a variety of activities. There is also another version that isn’t quite as insulated, the AW Hoodie BUFF, for $37.50.

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