Oiselle Flyout Short Sleeve - Women's Review

A favorite brand among women runners, Oiselle once again delivers a high-quality piece of apparel that stands up to serious training.

Performance Comparison

Comfort

The Flyout shirt earns top scores in this metric for a variety of reasons. The fit is flattering with side seaming that wraps around to the front for a slightly more tailored look. We are always big fans of a true crew neck for the sun protection it provides. Raglan sleeves allow for seaming to be set forward and behind the actual top of the shoulder bone, which helps prevent chafing over long distances or under running packs. We do find the sleeves to be slightly high cut under the arms, which may not work for every runner. However, the length is just right, providing enough coverage without us feeling like we always want to be tucking it in to get the extra fabric out of the way.

The fabric itself, which Oiselle calls HoverFit, is unique compared to nearly every other running shirt we've tried. Up close, it has a sort of waffled honeycomb pattern to it, and it does seem to sit above your skin without any clinging. While it doesn't immediately seem as though it will be that soft, it really is very comfortable once on. Inside, there are both flatlock and overlock seams, with flatlock seams sitting more flush against the fabric. These are less likely to cause chafing than overlock seaming, but since the overlock is just on the sleeve seams that don't rub against any bone, we don't experience any issues with them.

A number of reviews mention that this fabric can have a tendency to snag, and we did notice that possibility while testing. With its overall comfort being so high across the board, though, we can overlook this minor issue. After all, a running shirt is meant to be used!

Breathability

The HoverFit fabric that we mentioned in the comfort metric is what helps the Flyout earn such high breathability scores. With a very small waffled pattern, the fabric within the center of each little divet is thinner, allowing for increased airflow. In warm conditions, you really can feel that the fabric isn't sitting against your skin as one sticky layer, so we're sufficiently impressed with this fabric technology.

A size 4 of this shirt weighs in at 2.86 oz, certainly on the lighter end of the spectrum of shirts we tested. This lightness can be felt while running, and the cut of the shirt floated away from our body but didn't have excess fabric. Sometimes, long hems can make us tuck the bottom of a shirt up into the straps of our running vest to let our stomach feel some air — we never felt the need to do that with this tee.

Drying Speed

When testing drying speed, we soak each shirt, hand wring out as much water as possible, and then start a stopwatch while they dry. The Flyout was one of the fastest to dry, which means we'd feel comfortable taking it out in a whole range of weather conditions. In the summer heat, your sweat will dry quickly, letting you feel the benefits of evaporative cooling, and in the winter, a shirt that dries faster will help prevent you from getting too chilled.

Shirts that perform well here also gain points in our versatility metric, which we'll discuss down below. They are pieces of clothing that we feel confident wearing on trails or into the backcountry where something like a wet shirt that doesn't dry could pose a risk to our safety. You can trust this top to hold its own no matter what you're getting into.

Features & Versatility

When considering versatility, we look at a range of factors. The Flyout is a shirt we will wear throughout the year since it can regulate body temperature well and layer smoothly under an insulating jacket or shell. If you're going to be spending money on a nice piece of running apparel, it helps to know that you're going to be able to get consistent use out of it. This shirt doesn't pack down quite as small as some of the other shirts of equivalent weight, which is likely due to the waffled fabric creating some volume. However, since we've mentioned that it handles a wide range of temperatures well, we would still throw this in our carry on as our one running tee for a trip.

In terms of features, we like the subtle graphic tag on the back that doubles as a hanging loop. This can be handy in locker rooms when you're in a hurry and want to make sure that your shirt doesn't hit the floor. We do wish Oiselle had been able to incorporate at least one reflective decal, though. Since they're so thorough about including these on most of their other products, we're guessing the omission is due to the textured nature of the HoverFit fabric.

Value

The value of this shirt is easily apparent. Although it does sit on the higher end of the price spectrum, the fact that we'll be wearing it across all of the seasons due to its fantastic breathability and drying speed means that we'll really get our money's worth out of it. Occasionally when determining value, we also consider the company itself. We love that Oiselle is woman-founded and led, and that they support female athletes of all ages and body types. We feel good purchasing a high-quality product for a bit more money when we know that the company is doing good in the world.

Conclusion