VOORMI River Run Hoody - Women's Review

The River Run is a 52% wool, 48% polyester blended shirt with a UPF rating of 30. It features thumb loops and a hood with a button.

Performance Comparison

Comfort and Fit

Right off the bat, this mostly wool shirt is significantly scratchier than the majority of the others we tested. This scratchiness — particularly in the seams — does abate after a few washes, but it just can't compare to most of its polyester competitors. Its women's athletic fit is less baggy than many others we tested, but the fabric is quite stretchy. Our 5'4", 120 lb main tester wore the XS. While it fit perfectly at first, after a single wash in cold water followed by air drying, it was significantly smaller, shorter, and tighter. The thumb loops, though initially odd, are actually rather comfortable. They're large and stretchy enough that they don't pull the sleeves down so far as to impair the hands. The hood is a great size — large enough to go over most ponytails and stay a little breezy, but with a button to secure it in the wind or under a helmet.

Sun Protection

With a UPF rating of just 30, the River Run is below most others we tested, but still significantly better than wearing just any old long-sleeved shirt. The hood provides neck and ear coverage and the ability to stay in place with a single button. Though we appreciate the freedom that the hands retain while using the thumb loops, that does leave the backs of the hands more exposed than other shirts. But the ability of the sleeves and hood to stay in place even while careening down class 3 rapids is a big plus.

Breathability

Though it's not the thinnest, lightest shirt we tested, the River Run is up there. It's exceptionally breathable, and you can feel any breeze come right through it. In our dryness speed testing, we poured water on each sun shirt and then laid them outside in the shade to see how long it took each one to dry. The River Run actually repelled water at first, likely due to its wool blend. However, after the water soaked in, it actually took much longer to dry than we expected from this thin garment. It does a decent job pulling sweat away from the skin, though, and that wool mixture once again helps with temperature regulation as the top dries out. Overall, we're pretty impressed at its breathability.

Versatility

The slightly curved waistline of this athletic shirt makes it an interesting fit that's better suited to thinner women. With the thumb loops that tend to dangle awkwardly out of the shirt and the loose hood on the back, the River Run isn't the fanciest sun shirt aesthetic. It definitely gives off a more "I'm going to go play outside" vibe. If you are wearing it just for athletic pursuits, it's a great choice for anything that still really needs your hands — like paddling. However, it still has regular seams running up the arms, through the armpits, and down the torso, which is less ideal for activities with a lot of arm motions — like paddling. It comes in just a few color options that are a bit on the darker side of the spectrum.

Durability

We admit to being a little let down by the durability of this sun shirt. The wool blended fabric is stretchy and not ripstop, like many other models we tested. It also catches easily on small branches and started to pill after just a few months of testing. Its construction otherwise seems solid, but its fabric lacks some integrity that is necessary to be a really hard-hitting outdoor adventure shirt. We're also rather disappointed at how much it shrank during that first wash, despite following all included directions and regular advisements for cleaning wool.

Features

The River Run has no pockets or frills. It does have thumb loops, a hood, and a single button on that hood.

Value

Unfortunately, the River Run is one of the most expensive sun shirts we tested. While we were very excited to see what it has to offer, we feel a bit let down for the price. It definitely has the potential to be an excellent shirt with a few improvements, but we're not in love with this iteration — or its exceptionally high cost.

Conclusion

The VOORMI River Run Hoody is one of the more unique sun shirts we tested. It's wool blended stretchy fabric is breathable and lightweight but less durable than we'd expect. We appreciate the addition of thumb loops to keep the sleeves in place without restricting hand movement, but we're less impressed by the lack of detail and comfort we want from a really good paddle shirt.