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Colby Cohen, a former Boston Bruins player, is no stranger to putting workout gear through the ringer. In 2015, he decided to put his knowledge of what makes great workout gear to use by founding Endeavor Athletic, a company gaining traction in the high-performance and boutique worlds of fitness clothing. Its main selling point? A new-to-market material called DryForce.
The Good: In short, DryForce wicks sweat, is comfortable for all-day wear and can actually be seen working. In testing in both 70-degree heat and 55-degree temperate mornings, the DryForce kept me dry — helping me stay at a comfortable temperature. Unlike some sweat-wicking shirts, from the first wear to the fiftieth the DryForce fabric feels like butter when you put it on and it doesn’t deteriorate in the wash. I’m normally uncomfortable in my gear when I first start sweating — that in-between phase of lightly sweating and full-on sweating is awkward — but with this fabric, I felt comfortable from my first pedal stroke to my last all-out sprint thanks to the perforated side panels. Each piece is the perfect amount of stretchy (no tight body-builder fits here) with a Polygiene anti-microbial treatment built-in to prevent stink.
Who It’s For: While the fabric is made for the everyman athlete, it’s been tested by elite athletes and trainers who have long worn products from bigger name brands. Endeavor Athletic’s gear is for the guy who is tired of showing up to the gym looking like everyone else on the treadmill or in the weight room. The understated apparel works well for a variety of activities thanks to all of the built-in performance features. The shirts are slightly heavier-weight than your typical go-to running tee, and will work at the gym, as well as on the trail. If you’re tired of shirts splashed with a large company logo, Endeavor addresses that too with a small logo on the left chest (where a pocket would fall) or in a circle no bigger than your fingernail along the bottom hemline.
Watch Out For: The technology on these shirts is top notch, but the design is pretty basic — there are no patterns, and most of the pieces are simply offered in black or grey. If you’re a snappy dresser and like your gym kit to match your life kit, you might want to step it up and try a variety of other brands.
Also, keep in mind that although the shirt is quick-drying, it doesn’t work instantly when you sweat through it. For workouts like yoga, pilates or light stretching, the minimal amount you sweat will be wicked away while you’re in class. For something like an indoor cycling class, where your back is soaked through with sweat, it can take much longer for the water to evaporate from the outside of the shirt. After a 45-minute indoor cycling class, the shirt feels dry from the inside, but is visibly wet.
