Thriv Natural Performance Bamboo Tee

There is a new company called Thriv Natural Performance that makes high performance workout clothing with a blend of bamboo and organic cotton. The guys over there got in touch with me and asked if I’d test out one of their t-shirts and provide some feedback.

Here are the attributes Thriv is intending to achieve with their athletic apparel, and how the t-shirt stood up to my tests:

Moisture Wicking

After a long trail run, the Thriv t-shirt definitely wicked moisture, far better than a cotton shirt, but a little less than a pure polyester/synthetic blend. However, the comfort more than made up for that!
Breathable

The t-shirt is highly breathable, and I felt like I was wearing a super light weight top. Unlike other performance athletic clothing I wear, this t-shirt wasn’t as close fitting, which seemed to provide extra breathability.
Anti Microbial

Because bamboo naturally resists odor-harboring agents, Thriv clothing is supposed to naturally resist odors. I was pleased with how the t-shirt smelled after my sweaty trail run. Often my workout tops have an unpleasant stench after a trail run or long hike, and I have to leave them out to air dry before I toss them in my laundry hamper. This Thriv tee pleasantly surprised my nose!
UV Protection, UPF 50+

Apparently bamboo also naturally resists ultraviolet light. I can’t really prove that it works, but it is nice knowing that these products have built in UPF protection. I am very focused on buying apparel with UPF protection, particularly for long hikes at high altitudes.
Comfort

This is the category where Thriv performed the best, hands down! The t-shirt is extremely soft and does not have any annoying, itchy tags. When the t-shirt arrived in the mail, the first thing I noticed was how soft the fabric is (they call their fabric “bamco”, which is the bamboo + organic cotton blend).

Thriv Women's Holyoke Short Sleeve Top

Overall, I really liked how the Thriv top stood up to its intended performance characteristics. Where it could use improvement is in the collar design of the Women’s Holyoke top, which is the style of t-shirt I tested. Even though the body is slim fitting and falls below the waist, which is quite stylish and also practical, the collar on this particular design is quite masculine. It is a rounded neck and the seam is 3/4 of an inch thick. Perhaps because the one I tried was white, it reminded me of a men’s undershirt. The good news is that I’ve looked online and seen several of Thriv’s other women’s designs, which are far more feminine, particularly their Women’s Gardena Long Sleeve Top that has a nice v-neck collar.

Bottom line: I was pleased with the performance of the new “bamco” material, and I look forward to seeing more new designs from Thriv in stores. Currently Thriv products are only being sold at Sports Authority, but hopefully they’ll get expanded distribution soon. It is wonderful to see another up and coming business that is using sustainable materials to produce a useful and practical product.

A great hiking top with similar qualities that I use all the time is a Nike Pro Fitted Short Sleeve shirt. Check out my review!