As soon as I opened the packaging and removed the top I was pleasantly surprised with how soft it was. I was expecting it to feel itchy or uncomfortable, but it was a pleasure to wear and comfortable straight away. I had a medium size which is my normal sizing for T-shirts and tops. The top was a little on the snug side but not enough that it bothered me or wanted to send it back to size up.
There is plenty of stretch to the material in all directions, so no restriction in movement at all. The zip works well, easy to use with no struggling as the toggle is large enough to use even with sweaty hands. On the inside of the zip there is a soft flap to stop the zip rubbing against the skin which is comfortable and not irritating, in fact you don’t even notice it.
One of the big plus points is the thumb loops which are perfectly placed, I have used tops before with thumb loops and found that they are in an odd position which results in the sleeves having to twist to use the loops. When using the thumb loops the hand is well covered, covering the palm and back of the hand to pretty much the fingers – a big bonus in colder weather.
It is a lightweight top yet I still found it to be warm when needed, but never to the point of feeling I was overheating. If I did get too warm I just opened the zip and pulled the sleeves up. I ran a lot in training with this top on and a pack over the top. Plus I also did a 40 mile ultra marathon and it performed brilliantly, not once did I have any signs of chafing or rubbing even with the fulled loaded pack.
I find it difficult to fault the Novea top at all and could be a Bamboo clothing convert, however there are a couple of small niggles.
The first is the colour ways of the tops as I personally find them very “retro” looking.
The second thing was that I found the top tends to hold onto sweat and moisture a bit more than the usual Tech T-shirts and layers I wear for running in. This never caused an issue but just something worth noting.
All in all the Novea Quarter Zip is a great all-round top, ideal for training on cooler days, as part of a layering system or even in the gym. Plenty of great features and comfortable enough to wear on day long adventures in the hills.
Review by Jim Painter
BAM
Novea Zip Neck Training Top
Indigo Blue
£55
