Nike Pro Vent Review 3

I receive a large number of visits from people searching “Nike Pro Vent”. In fact, Nike Pro Vent ranks as the number 1 keyword that brings visitors to my blog. An interesting side note is that almost all of the international visits to this blog are from searches for Nike Pro Vent. I would like to thank all the international visitors (mostly from Europe) for landing here at my little tiny blog.

Probably the biggest question is what is the size chart for the Nike Pro Vent Tight series of clothing? Here is the United States size chart taken from Nike’s website:

SIZE, CHEST, HEIGHT
S , 35-38 , 5'7"-5'9"
M , 38-41, 5'9"-5'11"
L, 41-44, 5'11"-6'1"
XL, 44-47, 6'1"-6'3"
XXL, 47–50, 6'3"-6'5"
XXXL, 50-53, 6'5"-6'7"

These are Nike's recommendations directly from their website:
If your body measurement is on the borderline between two sizes, go to the lower size for a tighter fit or the higher size for a looser fit. If your body measurements for Chest and Height result in two different suggested sizes, you are better off going with the size from your Chest measurement. Compression Fit, Ultra Skin Tight. We suggest you may want to size up by one size.

Here are my thoughts:
1) If you do not like tight fitting clothes, the Nike Pro Vent Tight line is not for you. Nike does make a Nike Pro Vent Loose line also. The other competitors, Under Armour and Reebok, make both a compression line and a loose line. The Nike Pro Vent line is very tight on the body, even tighter than Under Armour and Reebok’s Play Dry. I have read that the moisture wicking properties of performance compression clothing work best if the clothing is tight.

2) My chest size is 37, so I am right between a small and a medium. Small is way too tight. Medium is OK because I do not have bulging triceps/biceps. Also, I am at the small end of the medium size, so medium is OK with me. My bone structure is lean, so my arms will never be bulging. If you do have bulging arms, I would recommend sizing up one size from your chest size if you wear the short sleeve tops. Arm size is not an issue if you are wearing the sleeveless version. If you are not sure, my final recommendation is to size up one size from your normal size.

3) It may take one or two workouts to get used to the skin tight fight.

4) It will take a few more workouts to figure out how to take off the skin tight shirt. It is really difficult trying the pull the back of the shirt over your head and overstretched arms. I find it easier to remove one arm first, then your shirt is easier to pull over your head and the remaining arm.



Alright, where can I buy the Nike Pro Vent line? Here is a list of possible places to buy, starting with retail prices and dropping down to discounted prices:
1) Nike’s Web site, http://www.nike.com/ - retail price

2) Dicks Sporting Goods, http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/home/index.jsp – retail price.
Sign up for their Score Card frequent buyer card and you will receive coupons through out the year for discounts. Good color selection.

3) Nike Factory Outlets – somewhere between retail price and discount price. Go to Nike's website, www.nike.com, and search for a Nike Outlet near you. Prime Outlets at Grove City, PA is the closest outlet to me.
http://www.primeoutlets.com/

4) Marshalls Discount Department Store, http://www.marshallsonline.com/ – very good discounts, $10.00 for short sleeve tops, $10.00 or less for sleeveless tops.

For a guy, I am a very good bargain hunter when it comes to shopping for clothes. If you are buying purely on price, Marshalls is the cheapest place to buy Nike Pro Vent Tight clothes. Look in the Men’s Athletic Wear section. The color selection is not very good, usually just black, white, and heather gray. Also, Marshall’s carries irregulars, so compare two different sizes of clothing one on top of the other. A medium may actually be the same size as a large. Also, since their stock changes constantly, you may have to make several trips before your preferred size and color are available.

Oh, by the way, the most important question you probably want to ask is, Does this stuff work? Yes, the Dri Fit fabric actually does what it is advertised to do – pull moisture/sweat away from your body to keep your dry. Dri Fit is so much better than the old sweaty cotton tee shirt.

I do like the compression fit. It gets me in the right frame of mind to workout. It feels goods and I feel pumped up even before I start working out.

Addendum: I have 3 other posts about the Nike Pro Vent line of performance compression clothing. Here they are:

Nike Pro Vent Review 4 - This was my fourth post after I discovered that Nike had a Nike Pro Europe website. This site explains how technology behind the Nike Pro line. The site also showcases European athletes who endorse the Nike Pro line.

Nike Pro Vent Review 2 - This was my second review, with a text only size chart.

Nike Pro Vent - This was my first review, when I first decided to buy it.