Why Under Armor

[Dogabutila]

UA is great with a few exceptions. If you're into sports or outdooring then it's fine. Any sort of tactical stuff is a no-go at least with their fabric that they came out with.

The original fabric itself was a thing out of UMD and he gave it to the football team. Turned big. Very good sporting applications. The cold line is very good at keeping cold out without overheating you.

The problem with the tactical applications is that the material with melt and fuse to you. There are other cool stretch // moisture wicking stuff out there now that doesn't, but UA was the first to bring that stuff to market and got popular because of it.

Used to run UA balaclavas but not anymore.

The football gloves are amazing according to my brother. Some of my athletic friends swear by UA underwear as well.

Sorry, post was all over the place.

 

[IndispensableDestiny]

IMHO, it is well designed, fits well, and lasts. Yes, it is expensive and is never on sale. I wear their base layers and overgarments while hunting. Between the two, I use other random brands I have.

 

[CroftonBilly]

FYI, the Target brand C9 Power Core, compression, and base layer pieces are very affordable alternatives to the pricier UA winter-wear. I've happily and comfortably used C9 stuff hiking, camping, at the range, shoveling snow/ice, and when motorcycling in temps below 40.

The standard C9 athletic wear is also nice (and affordable) for running and active clothing the rest of the year.

UA is great stuff, but if price is the driver, there are almost-as-good and cheaper alternatives out there.

 

[Name Taken]

I'm a fan of UA and there are some good imitations out there as well.

There are some "deals" to be had at the outlets in Gettysburg sometimes and then you save on sales tax.

 

[DC-W]

The only trouble I've had with UA stuff is with their shoes. The running shoes either don't fit my arches well or are too stiff. I had to cast brand loyalty aside and switched to nike free 4.0s... Love these things.

 

[OrbitalEllipses]

A friend of mines son was sitting next to a bonfire when an ember floated up in the air and drifted onto the back of his UA shirt. At first he thought it was a bee sting, then the flame spread. He dropped and rolled and the fire continued.

He was medivaced to the hospital where he spent three months.

3rd degree burns from shoulder to shoulder down to his lower waist. Hideously disfigured.

I like the look, I like the brand and I like the story of how the business started. I don't like the lack of flammability warnings.

Pretty much all synthetic fibers will do this to you.

 

[photoracer]

Some fire departments and police agencies abandoned UA because both crews run into burning buildings occasionally and the flame/melt issue was big.

They now have a "tactical" line for first responders that is considered fireproof, but in legal terms is" fire resistant".

There is no such thing as a fireproof garment. All of them have a finite amount of time before they either burn or melt. Everything made to spec has a rating based on testing to indicate how long it protects in the presence of extreme heat. Even if something did not burn or melt the heat transfer alone would fry anything inside it unless there are multiple layers under it to reduce the thermal transfer.

 

[INMY01TA]

It must be great stuff because it's

Waaaaay Over Priced & still sells like SnowBalls in August...

Kinda like North Face stuff.

 

[rico903]

Merino wool from Smartwool & Icebreaker kicks under armours ass. Nearly soft as silk, can wear it for a WEEKS and not stink, warmer (esp when wet!), and fire resistant. Only downside it you need to wash it like wool (gentle/delicate cycle w/ woolite & no dryer.) No comparison to synthetics. When on sale its cheaper than UA type stuff too.

I've had a campfire ember burn a ~1" hole in my poly fleece jacket and thought: "Hmm, why is my arm getting really hot... Oh crap Im on fire!". Knocked the glowing ember off, patted out the fire from the sleeve, took off jacket to see the damage to my shirt and NOT A MARK! IIRC, I have a new-with-tags XL sized shirt I need to sell. Wife ordered me both sizes (L & XL) last year and we never got around to returning the one that didn't fit.

http://www.smartwool.com
http://us.icebreaker.com/en/home

+1 on Smartwool and Ice Breaker. I'll add that I was my Smartwool on gentle cycle and dry it on low and have no problems. The only UA I own is a hoodie and I don't find it all that warm.
And hell yes, I wish I had bought some of their stock at $25(price fluctuated a lot the first day as usual) when first IPO came out. Has split since then and is about $70 or so. Ex financial advisor talked me out of paying more than $20.

 

[Blaster229]

I like it because my friend who works there gets me 50% off.

 

[sailskidrive]

For thermal underwear I prefer Paradox. The UA stuff fits way too tight and gets me really hot; and not in a good way. ;-)

 

[HokieKev]

For thermal underwear I prefer Paradox. The UA stuff fits way too tight and gets me really hot; and not in a good way. ;-)

I have those as well - bought them from Costco for a relatively low price. I am wearing the bottoms from Paradox but the tops from Under Armour Cold Gear. The Paradox stuff is pretty thin and not hugely warm but seems very comfortable.

On the coldest days I have some REI fleece pants I wear as a middle layer and then some relatively thin camo hunting pants for the top layer. Seems to be working well down to about 20 degrees. I've about decided that I am a wimp as far as the cold - if I see planned temps in the teens or below I'll likely take the day off. ;-)

 

[jrumann59]

For cold weather gear I like Nike's Combat line using microfleece. I have used UA/Nike/Champion and really I put UA performance wise down near Champion. UA and Nike are expensive but in my experience Nike is worth it, UA not so much.

 

[TxAggie]

For wearing under a uniform and body armor during an Iraqi August, their heat gear can't be beat. Works just as well in a suit in DC during the steamy summer months.

That being said, UA was banned by many military units because of the fire hazard. Not only does it erupt into a fireball, but the melted polymer then melts onto your skin. Not fun.

I like their stuff, but I'm careful about when/how I wear it.

 

[llkoolkeg]

+1 on Smartwool and Ice Breaker. I'll add that I was my Smartwool on gentle cycle and dry it on low and have no problems.

I haven't heard of Ice Breaker(besides the mints) but love my Smartwool socks, especially on wet winter days.