Intro
Quickly becoming a training essential for fitness-lovers across the country, the Nike Dri-FIT range have been designed for high performance whilst simultaneously offering premium comfort.
And with the ever-growing popularity of the Dri-FIT range, Nike are now upgrading the Dri-FIT collection through their Academy range, Stride range, and their Dri-Fit sets.
This guide aims to equip you with everything you need to know about the Dri-FIT collection so you can pick the right items for you!
What Is Nike Dri-FIT Technology?
As you're probably aware, the Nike Dri-FIT range is centred around Nike's patented Dri-FIT technology. This new technology is an upgrade on their previous polyester fabric and is designed to keep you as dry as possible through your workouts.
They do this through the unique construction of their fabrics (more on this in the next section). And not only does the Dri-FIT range manage your sweat but it acts to keep you cool throughout your runs by being super lightweight.
How Does Nike's Dri-FIT Technology Work?
Whilst most clothing traps sweat within the fabric, Nike's Dri-FIT technology works to push the sweat away from the body and on to the fabric's surface. Once the sweat is on the surface of the fabric, it rapidly evaporates to keep you both dry and light throughout your workout.
Furthermore, Nike's Dri-FIT range features ventilation zones throughout the clothing for breathability. This allows for increased air flow when working out to help you to stay cooler for longer.
And lastly, each Dri-FIT product features built in UPF 30 protection for extra coverage against the sun. The goal with this inclusion is to help you train throughout the hotter seasons without burning up.
Why Is Nike's Dri-FIT Technology Different?
Before the Dri-FIT range, the world of sports performance clothing was dominated by cotton fabrics. Nike realised that these fabrics significantly slowed down their athletes.
This was because sweat was being trapped within these fabrics - increasing the weight of the fabric and making it stick to the wearer.
Sweat Evaporation
The Nike Dri-FIT range is not only light due to the fabric used but wicks away the sweat from the body ensuring that every athlete can truly perform at their best without anything holding them back.
Ventilation Zones
And as we mentioned, the majority of the Nike Dri-FIT range features ventilation zones. Again, these are not cotton made either; they're comprised of an engineered mesh material to ensure that heat and sweat can escape the inner clothing.
Versatility
Because of this unique design, you'll often find athletes wearing long sleeve Dri-FIT garments during the hotter seasons to wick away the constant sweat. Not to mention, the UPF protection is useful for extra coverage against the sun.
Ultra Thin
By design, Nike’s Dri-FIT fabric is as thin as it could possibly be. This range is designed for high-performance so Nike have worked to take as much weight as possible out of the clothing.
Absorbent
To ensure that as much sweat as possible is taken from your skin and pushed to the fabric’s surface for evaporation, Nike have made the fabric highly absorbent.
As much as 7 times of the fabric’s own weight can be held in sweat. Whilst this would be a problem for most high-performance training gear, it works perfectly for this range due to the ability to push the sweat to the surface and encourage evaporation.
When To Wear Nike's Dri-FIT Technology?
One of the reasons why Nike's Dri-FIT range is so popular is because of it's versatility.
The only rule Nike has is they recommend you wear the Dri-FIT range as a base layer so that it can absorb the sweat from your skin and encourage it to evaporate.
But from there, you can either wear the Dri-FIT range as a single outer layer or as a base layer under other clothing. This ensures that you can wear each piece of clothing regardless of whether it's hot or cold; it doubles as a great baselayer or the perfect solo layer depending on your body's temperature
And because of the minamilst, trendy designs these garments aren't limited to the gym or running tracks; you'll often see the Dri-FIT range being worn as streetwear throughout the country. There are plenty of matching sets, along with mix and match ranges so that you can pick the style for you.
Products That Use Nike's Dri-Fit Technology
The Dri-FIT range comes in a variety of different garments. You'll find the Dri-FIT technology in: hoodies, tops, shorts, vests, tracksuit bottoms, and sports bras.
And that's not all, Nike's Dri-FIT technology can be found in their socks, sweatbands, and even underwear; the name of the product will always help you identify whether they are a part of the Nike Dri-FIT range.
How to wash NIke's Dri-Fit Technology
Nike have suggested that the Dri-FIT technology can work as advertised for multiple years so long as you follow Nike's guidelines for looking after the Dri-FIT range.
Nike advise that you do put them in the washing machine and wash them on a cold cycle. It is essential that you do wash them inside out to protect the Dri-FIT technology and not wring out any of the wetness.
As for drying Nike do advise that you stick to air drying when dealing with the Dri-FIT range. If you do need to use the dryer, you'll need to tumble dry them on as low a heat as possible; any high heat level could permanently ruin the clothing.
If you stick to these rules, Nike state that you shouldn't see any shrinkage or wrinkles in the Dri-FIT range for years to come.
What Is The Nike Dri-FIT Aesthetic?
As you’ll quickly come to realise, the majority of the Dri-FIT range follows a certain aesthetic. Everything from the baselayers to the tech tops adhere to a minimalist design.
The majority of designs feature a trademark Nike Swoosh and come in a low-key colour combination of black, gray, and white.
As we mentioned, most of the range incorporate mesh material along high-sweat zones; these also blend in with the overall design by following the same colour scheme.
Nike Dri-Fit Sets
As previously discussed, the Dri-FIT range often doubles as streetwear due to the contemporary design. Realising this, Nike have produced matching Dri-FIT sets to offer more individual expression and variation.
These Nike Dri-FIT sets consist of matching tops and shorts. The tops are designed to wick away sweat and keep you as cool as possible whilst the high-rise shorts make sure there's no pull when working out. You can check out one of our sets here.
Nike Dri-Fit T-Shirts
The Nike Dri-FIT range started off as just a range of high performance t-shirts. Each top features a mesh panels to keep you cool and are made from a knit fabric to feel smooth against your skin.
Not to mention each top provides extra coverage against the sun through the fabric’s UVC protection.
You’ll find the Dri-FIT tops in a range of colours; whether you’re looking for a low-key or a vivid colourway, Nike have over 20 different colour combinations.
Nike Dri-Fit Academy
The Nike Dri-FIT academy range has been designed solely for football training sessions. Nike looked at what the world of football wanted in terms of being able to perform whilst wearing a favorable aesthetic.
The Nike Academy range consists of midlayers, training tops, polos, tech tops, shorts, and tech pants. Whether you’re looking to train in the summer or winter, this range has got you covered.
As you would expect, each item consists of Nike’s Dri-FIT material and their ventilation zones to keep you cool and dry.
Best Nike Dri-Fit Shorts (Stride)
Made for runners, the Nike Dri-FIT Stride range offer more flexibility than the usual range. The Stride range are designed with over 75% recycled polyester fibres for maximum light-ness and feature a high-rise to ensure that there’s no pull when running.
It’s worth noting that the Stride range comes in different variations. Firstly, you have the 7 inch and 5 inch options; the 7 inch offering more coverage whilst the 5 inch allowing for more flexibility. Then you have the standard shorts and the 2-in-1 versions for individual preference.
Nike Dri-FIT Base Layers
Whilst nearly all of the Dri-FIT range can act as a base layer due to how thin and light the material is, Nike have released a range of base layers centred around the Dri-FIT technology. They act to soak up moisture and encourage evaporation whilst also allowing you to cover up with extra layers.
One reason why these are so popular is each base layer possesses a hidden thumb loop so that you can extend the coverage of the garment for increased warmth. Incremental improvements like these are found throughout the Dri-FIT design.
Conclusion
Hopefully that article has been helpful with regards to making sure you pick the right Nike Dri-FIT range for you.
As we’ve covered, the Dri-FIT range comes in a variety of shapes and sizes but all act to keep you dry and cool throughout your workouts. We truly believe that there is no better training gear than the Nike Dri-FIT range.