Design:

5.0/5.0
Functionality:

5.0/5.0
Fit/Feel:

5.0/5.0
Durability:

5.0/5.0

I had been looking for a well made loose fit rashgaurd since around Christmas when I saw the Sprawl in CSI’s catalog. However they were out of stock. Everywhere I looked was out of stock. Then it disappeared from Sprawl’s website. How was I to know that only a couple of months later not only would I find what I had been looking for but a better version of the original. When I read about 2 weeks ago that Sprawl had reintroduced the Loose fit long sleeve rashgaurd on Sherdog.com I quickly went to the Sprawl homepage, www.sprawl.tv And there it was in all of its glory.

A loose fit long sleeve rashgaurd made by a company for the sole purpose of grappling. In fact its not even referred to as a rashgaurd but a Grappling Top. I grabbed my credit cards and quickly ordered one.

Now I have stated before that I never seem to get the right sizes and Sprawl has no sizing chart for their Grappling Tops. I am one of those people that wear anything from a medium to a extra large depending on the company. So I ordered the XL figuring that the cut would at least be close to Under Armor’s. That was Easter weekend. The next Wednesday the package arrived. Out of the envelope I could tell that this Grappling Top was something special. The fabric was soft and supple(yes men can use words like that). However I could tell right off that sprawl’s idea of XL and mine were not the same. This shirt was big. Now I’m not a small guy by any means at a walk around weight of 215+, 6’ and a 17 ½ neck. But I felt like I was swimming in this shirt. The torso fit great, hiding all the things it should however the neck was too big and the sleeves extended past my fingertips. I dropped an email to Sprawl about the size difference’s between large and xl so I could tell if it was me that was funny shaped or this top.

I could have stopped there and had the sleeve altered and shortened. But I thought with the fabric that sprawl uses it may be simpler to try the next size down. Customer service told me that I could send the XL back and exchange it, but I wasn’t sure about the Large fitting, so I just turned around and ordered a large and they gave me the right to send back the one that fit worse. This ended up being a brilliant move on my part. So Late Friday I ordered the Large and by Monday I received the conformation it had shipped. Thursday upon returning from the gym I had a package waiting.

A clip with the scissors and I had my large out of the package and on my back faster than I can read this sentence. Now the large fit right. Right is in fact an understatement. But this brings me to a little truth in advertising complaint against sprawl. This is not a loose fit. Compared to most RG’s yes but this is more than a RG it’s a freaking Grappling Shirt. I believe at this time all references to this item should now contain the words semi-fitted. There was no sag and at the same time there were no areas that made be feel like the sausage that a tight fit normally does. This thing is as close to perfect a fit as I could ask for. The sleeves were a feature that I liked, most of my UA and other brands of loose fit micro fiber shirts have cuffed sleeves, these sleeves were also semi fitted, with no cuff. There wasn’t enough material to really grab on to. But it wasn’t so tight to intimidate my sparring partners with my overly developed arms(achieved though careful diet of soda pop and microwave popcorn.)

I did a quick look over the shirt and these are some other things I noticed. The seams are sewn shut. I don’t mean that there were no gaps at the seams, I mean these things have to have the most stitches per inch I have ever seen(somewhere north of 20 but I had trouble counting because they were so many. Each stitch interlocking the other. Also there appeared to be some sort tape or ribbon that strengthen the joint. If sprawl ever goes bankrupt it will be because of the ever increasing price of thread and the outrageously over engineered stitching. The material is a 80% nylon and 20 % spandex blend. The care instructions are simple

Wash in Cold Water
After each use hang
Dry out of Direct sunlight
MADE IN THE USA

I might add avoid putting it in the machine with anything Velcro or do what I do throw it in a pillow case to wash.

One other feature that this item has that was lacking in previous versions is the vented sides. What that consists of is a insert on both sides where my lats should be(if I had any) extending down to my love handles. The insert also goes past the armpit slighting and down the inside of the arm. The fabric for the insert is similar to that of some other workout gear I have made by Tek. it’s a soft material that has a diamond shaped pattern on it. The center of the diamonds being much thinner than the surrounding fabric. It does its job well.

All in all this may be one of the most original designs for a Rash Guard I’ve seen. The fit is excellent and offers several advantages over other loose fit micro fiber garments. I like the fact it doesn’t hang off my body, but isn’t so tight that I feel sausage like. I can’t sit in mount and not even think about my sweaty nasty shirt hanging in someone’s face a feeling I personally hate when I‘m Uke , like a t-shirt or UA loose fit. I like the slimmer cuff less sleeve a lot which as I said before is like a hybrid over a tight fit.

There are a few things I might change. First I would offer the white sided version like the short sleeve. The white panels would possibly even make me look thinner. But a different color combo would be nice so if I was to buy a second one, I could wear it and not worry about people thinking I’m wearing the same stinking shirt from yesterday. I might also add a small Sprawl Logo to the back in the center of the neck below the collar. Other than that I can’t think about much that would improve this product for its intended purpose.

Well its been about 2 weeks and I’m not even sure how many times I’ve already had to wash this thing. Anytime I’m near a wrestling mat I feel that I need to have it on. Therefore it gets very icky very quickly and often.

So far so good the fit is still great the fabric is still in one piece and I still like it. I don’t remember what it was like to grappling in a normal t-shirt but I think I didn’t like it.

Its been close to 2 months since I purchased this Grappling top and started writing this review. The thing is still together and doesn’t have a mark on it. I gotten Velcro stuck to it and so far no fuzz balls.(something no other rash guard has done.