Multi-Function Tech Top

[stevehooper]

My friend Rob here is St. George is in the process of developing a multi-function run top and is looking for feedback from other runners - opinions / thoughts on his idea.  I've decided to post part of his email to me here on the forum.  If you have any feedback please share, he will be checking the forum so feel free to ask him any questions. - Thanks, Steve Hooper

FROM ROB:
"
I’m really curious to see what others think of this idea.  Would you please let people know that I have filed for a conditional patent on all the ideas?  ……just to eliminate any future problems.  Please ask people for their honest opinion.  I would be interested in the following:

Here is a brief description:

This is a technical dry-fit shirt.  It has dark material under the arms for stain resistance.  The shirt is slightly contoured with a slightly longer back portion for a comfortable fit.  It has an i-pod pocket on the right shoulder.  Long sleeve and turtle neck will also be available.  The shirt has two medium sized zippered pockets on each side for cell phone, keys, GU, etc.  It is equipped with a removable fuel belt.  The fuel belt holds 2- 10oz bottles and has a key pocket.  Other 4 bottle belts will be an option.  The fuel belt is zippered and easy to remove.  On the front and back are large detachable florescent/reflective materials for safe night running.  On the front there are built in (and removable) snaps to hold race numbers.  This is a one purchase, do everything shirt for the endurance athlete designed for all running and racing conditions."

Photos (pretty large images 1mb+):
http://www.stgeorgerunningcenter.com/robsimages/photo1.jpg
http://www.stgeorgerunningcenter.com/robsimages/photo2.jpg
http://www.stgeorgerunningcenter.com/robsimages/photo3.jpg
http://www.stgeorgerunningcenter.com/robsimages/photo4.jpg
http://www.stgeorgerunningcenter.com/robsimages/photo5.jpg

Please Respond To:
Would you consider purchasing a shirt like this if it was available?
Would you consider a price of $59.95 reasonable?
Would you consider a price of $79.95 reasonable?
Are there any changes/additions you would recommend?

[Tom]

Pretty nifty shirt.

I would consider a purchase.
I think 59.95 is reasonable. 79.95 is approaching the too pricey range for me.
I would like to maybe see a singlet version, possibly scaled down in features if need be.

[Jon Allen]

You probably won't like my answer.  I think all the stuff sounds neat, but I would never buy it.  I have a hard time paying $15-20 for a tech shirt, much less $60+.  Plus, I don't want to carry any dead weight (i.e. velcro for removable materials) if I'm not using them. 

I'm more of the type to keep everything seperate- I want a reflective vest or water bottle that I can transfer to any shirt, not just one.  My shirts get stinky quick, so I have to alternate.  Plus I already own reflective gear and water bottles that work fine, so there is no need to pay extra for a shirt just to get the accessories.

I'm sure some people would love this shirt, especially the gadget lovers.  I'm more of the thrifty, simple type who would not buy it.

Just my two cents.

[Jon Allen]

I do have to say, though, that the thought of having a reflective vest that is secured and would not bounce around sounds nice.

[jtshad]

I would have to echo Jon's opinion on gear, with all the relative inexpensive technical stuff out there, this would be a hard price point for me. 

Pros:
I like the snaps for race numbers, assuming all numbers are the same size.
Reflective material attached would be nice from a comfort standpoint.

Cons:
Not big on race belts, so I would not pay extra for it.
Pockets on side of a shirt would not be too comfortable if you put a cell phone, key, gel in it as it would bounce around too much.  I prefer more pockets on my shorts for such items (or I don't carry them).
Back length looks a bit long for my comfort.

My $0.02 worth.

[Dale]

I probably wouldn't buy it.  In my thinking, if I wanted a built in reflective vest, I'd get one of those shirts that were made of that reflective material, not an add on.  Otherwise, I'll stick with the belt.  I'd love the pockets if they could somehow prevent the inevitable bouncing around of whatever is in them.  Cell phones are bad for bouncing, so they're usually relegated to the shorts where they do less bouncing.  I still haven't found a water-bottle idea I like...aside from the bouncing/sloshing, most runs I don't carry them so for 90+% of the time they'd go unused and be dead weight.  All that and I'd have a tough time spending more than $50 on any shirt...sorry.

[adam]

Would you consider purchasing a shirt like this if it was available?  Probably not
Would you consider a price of $59.95 reasonable?  a bit pricey, but if I were into all the features I would consider it reasonable.
Would you consider a price of $79.95 reasonable? too much. for that price I could buy a cheap tech shirt with pockets, a roll of reflective tape to put on the shirt each time I use it, and a box of pins for a race number, and still have about $60 left over to use if I wanted to buy a water belt.

Are there any changes/additions you would recommend?

I realize the pics are probably just of a model and not exactly what the shirt would look like, but it wasn't very appealing to me. Maybe its because I personally don't carry water, and wouldn't use much of the shirt's features at all, and its a bit long in the back. My other problem is with the velcro- after the shirt gets washed a few times, your going to get lint and other nasty stuff caught in that and its going to lose its velcro-ness. Then the reflective vest won't stay attached as well. Since the shirt is white, if you are using it without the vest, the discolored velcro spots aren't going to look very good. I'd suggest just putting in some built in reflective panels instead.

I did like the snap on race number feature alot though. I was thinking of something like that myself the other day. It would help keep your numbers nice if you wanted to keep them.

[James Winzenz]

IMHO, it seems a bit over the top to me.  I don't want a shirt that does *everything*, I want a lightweight shirt that will keep me dry.  I am also a cheapskate, and almost always look for the lowest-priced tech shirt that feels good to me.  BTW, Raceready alredy makes singlets (and shirts too, I think) that have the snaps for bibs.

[Dallen]

No offense, but this looks like something that one of those 6 hour charity marathoners would wear while they cut corners on the course.

It might be useful for an ultra runner?

Also, I would never consider paying that much for a shirt. Sorry.

[Cal]

I wouldn't use/need most of the features (especially all at the same time) to justify the cost for me.

[Dawson Hinton]

Wow, that is some BRUTAL honesty!!  I guess I would be one of those tech nerdy guys who would consider it, especially since at least one day a week I would use all of the stuff (maybe not the reflective vest as much).  The problem in my case is that I already have most of that stuff as seperate stuff, so I would not repace it all just to have it together.  If the time did come that I needed to replace some of the more expensive peices of equipment, like the hydration belt, I might pay up to 50 or 60 for it, but I am not 100% sure about it.

[Kory Wheatley]

I won't even consider purchasing a running shirt for 60 dollars.  I like the snaps for the race number, but I think it's still too expensive.  I don't like the idea of the pockets in the shirt.  I carry everything in my running short pockets.  This running shirt might be good for winter running where it looks heavy.  I think if the price was a lot lower it could be considered.