REASONS TO BUY
Comfortable
Breathable
Well-featured
REASONS TO AVOID
Slightly less versatile
Hoka Performance 3/4 - Women's Review
If you are looking for a running shirt that can take you from summer to fall, this is a great bet
Credit: HOKA ONE ONE
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Our Verdict
We love the intelligent design features and breathability of the Hoka Performance 3/4 Sleeve. From its impressive UPF to its incredibly functional odor control, this shirt has a lot to offer. It is a bit heavier than most, but that's mainly due to the longer sleeves — we tested short sleeve shirts that weigh more. The Performance dries quickly, making it a good choice for cooler days when you need to layer up. If you are in the market for a running shirt with great features and a bit of extra coverage, we think that this one is a great one to consider.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Performance 3/4 is an impressively well-featured running shirt. Its comfortable fit and protective UPF, odor-blocking abilities, and reflective detailing will make this shirt a mainstay in your running wardrobe.
Performance Comparison
The HOKA 3/4 Sleeve is great for fall runs in the mountains.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
Comfort
The Performance is a super comfortable choice for those days when you aren't sure if it is hot or cold. The slightly-heavier weight and longer sleeves offer more coverage, and the shirt's body fits loosely but with the right amount of contour. Though this shirt weighs in at 3.75 ounces for a women's size small, it feels incredibly lightweight when worn. We love the standard neckline and ample underarm space. The raglan style sleeve helps ensure that you stay chafe-free even if you have a hydration pack or other gear on top of it.
The feel and fit of this running shirt have made it one of our new favorites.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
The sleeves are definitely our favorite comfort feature. The elastic cuffs are perfectly soft, so they don't cut in no matter how you choose to wear them. When at full length, the ¾-length sleeves graze the middle of the lower arm comfortably. When pushed up the elbows, the elastic easily holds the sleeves in place. We never had any trouble with the sleeves falling down on our runs, which gave us more time to focus on our pace instead of our clothing.
We never had trouble with the sleeves falling down while we ran with them pushed up above our elbows.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
Breathability
While the Performance didn't score quite as high as others in this metric, it put up a solid fight. Despite its heavier-than-average textile, its Polartec Power Dry 58% recycled polyester allows the breeze to cut right through. Because of the sleeve length, you likely won't reach for this shirt on hot days unless you specifically need the extra sun protection. While we did test it for breathability in the sun, we found that this garment truly shines beneath a hydration vest on fair days. Even with a pack or an outer layer, the fabric of this shirt helped keep us cool as our core temperatures rose.
We think that this shirt offers great breathability for unpredictable fall days.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
Drying Speed
The Performance is pretty average in terms of drying speed. However, it ranked fairly well in this metric because of how heavy it is. Typically, we have seen that heavier shirts take longer to dry. But in the case of this shirt, the drying speed competes with those of thinner, lighter-weight contenders. It impressed us that this shirt can provide a bit of extra coverage while still having great moisture-wicking properties and a good drying speed.
This shirt showed signs of drying almost immediately after we rang it out.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
During our drying speed test, the Performance showed signs of drying within the first four minutes. Though the dampness took a bit longer to fully dissipate when compared to come of the lighter shirts, we still consider this a fast-drying option that's great for backcountry excursions as well as daily trail runs.
Nothing is better than a shirt that helps keep you cool when it's hot out and warm when it's cool out.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
Features & Versatility
Features-wise, we love the reflective logos for added safety in low-light areas. The Performance also has the highest UPF-rating of any shirt we tested — 50+ — making it a great choice for moderate days at high elevations. This shirt has odor control too, which we found to work very well. We especially appreciated how high-functioning the odor-control was when we wore this shirt beneath a less-than-breathable rain shell. Additionally, a small loop at the back of the collar is great for hanging this shirt up to dry after you run. This is a subtle feature, but we love bringing this shirt along when traveling because of it. The loop is small and unintrusive while the shirt is being worn, but it is priceless in terms of speeding up drying and preventing the shirt from drying in the shape of a hanger.
This handy little loop makes all of the difference when traveling or hanging your shirt up in a locker room.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
As far as versatility goes, the Performance is slightly lacking, though this is par for the course when selecting a running shirt with a longer sleeve. And, it did a great job when worn beneath a hydration vest or jacket and on days when the temperature started to drop. That said, when the temps rise, the sleeve length takes away from the overall versatility just a bit.
The fabric of the HOKA Performance shirt is a bit see-through. We didn't mind it, but it is worth noting.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
Value
The Hoka Performance is not the most expensive shirt we tested, but it is pricier than average. Despite it being a bit less versatile in regards to layering, we think that the exceptional features and excellent drying speed make it worth the money.
If you are super tall, you might consider sizing up to ensure you have the appropriate amount of length.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
Conclusion
If you are in the market for a ¾-sleeve running shirt, the Hoka Performance is a great option. This well-featured, comfortable, and somewhat protective shirt will help keep you cool and dry no matter how much you sweat. However, if you spend the majority of your time running in hot weather, you might have better luck looking into a more lightweight option with smaller sleeves.
The HOKA Performance 3/4 Sleeve and fall trail runs go together like macaroni and cheese.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
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Ally Arcuri
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