Tuesday, June 28, 2016

following up on that Rolex swag

Remember back when I went to Rolex? Earlier this spring?? It was totally fun and we had a blast, even if we got soaked. Oh. And I bought some stuff haha. As promised, here's the follow up post on all that, now that I've had a chance to use it all for a while..

the whole shebang, everything but the gloves (more on them below)
I already reviewed the Le Mieux cross country boots (which I continue to love), so we'll just move right along to the rest of it:

kastel sun shirt in action!
Kastel Sunshirts

I got two of these - the navy with red collar and white paneled sides (below), and royal blue with white collar (above). And have since bought another one from that closeout shop on ebay. So. Obviously I bought more, so I must like the shirts haha - so there's the bottom line, I guess.

If you want more details tho, here they are:

These are nice shirts. They are comfortable, have good long sleeves with tight cuffs that prevent rolling up (and thus defeating the purpose anyway), are pretty colors, and have a nice classic look to them. The material is not the most forgiving ever, but it's also not the absolute worst. If you're unsure, tho, size up.

Also, they clean up nicely and have even survived an accidental pass through the dryer (oops). The mesh sleeve panels are delicate tho, and one of my shirts now sports a snag or two.

kastel on left (with free hat with purchase), horze saddle pad on right
The shirts are also more comfortable in heat than the few other sun shirts I have tried - including SmartPak and Under Armour (sold via SmartPak).

At the end of the day, tho, I'm still uncomfortable wearing these shirts in high temps with high humidity. I have done so bc they do an excellent job of protecting from the sun... but I've also put one on, only to switch it right back out again for something sleeveless bc... just, ugh, too hot.

So idk. That might just be my problem with the concept of these garments. I am not likely to buy another one at full price, but reserve the right to purchase one at close-out prices should a fun color come around. Bc let's be real, they're still cute shirts and it's not going to be 90* forever.

so pretty!! even if they're a little sweaty
SSG Gloves

Ok. So these gloves. There is some history here. I tried these on in Dover over a year ago and was basically in love. I'm a bit picky about glove fit - through the fingers and especially through the wrist. These things fit me exactly the way I like. Plus. Ya know. They are just suuuuuper pretty. So pretty. Omg.

But I didn't buy at that point (after waffling way longer than you might expect for, um, gloves). The price point (somewhere around $30-$35 if I remember correctly) seemed a little high for material that felt like it might not stand up to the test of time.

gloves purchased at the end of april, picture taken in june
Then I saw them again at Rolex after searching fruitlessly for brown or navy Roeckls and immediately went for them. Treat yo'self, right? I still loved them after all that time had passed since first trying them on, and with the new job I felt more comfortable with giving them a shot despite the price.

And in action? They are fantastic. I love wearing them. They are like a second skin and are much more comfortable and flexible than my thicker SSG crochet gloves. PLUS. They work on touch screen phones - bonus!

definite wear and tear happening here
Alas, the SSG Lycrochets are holding up way better than these pretties after YEARS of use. Whereas these brown gloves are showing signs of holes to come after just two months. Much sadness :(

I don't regret buying them, tho. Bc damn they are pretty and I am happy every time I wear them. (For now. Until they are in tatters and ultimately need to be thrown out...).

same saddle pad, different color
Anyway, moving right along, let's talk about this Horze Supreme saddle pad. Keen eyes might notice that this pad above is gray, whereas the one I bought at Rolex is royal blue. Well. The short story is, I love the pad so much that I scoured the internet for more.

branding is not as crazy as some Horze products
Unfortunately the pad appears to be discontinued and finding more was REALLY difficult. I had wanted Navy, but every lead was a dead end and I ultimately picked this pretty gray color up off Amazon for probably more than I should have paid. Whatever. No regrets.

weird branding on the back mostly disappears under tack
For whatever reason I just really prefer this contoured cutaway shape, and have had a hard time finding saddle pads like this that don't have built in half pads. And the colors of these Horze pads are pretty nice too.

The royal pad (not pictured her bc it's pictured in practically every other single post from the past two months so if you're super curious just, ya know, keep scrolling lol) has held up well to my near constant abuse. It's a nice weight and thickness, the piping and stitching is solid, and it just looks like a nicer fit on my near-pony.

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So. Kinda probably not the best product review post haha. The item I love the most (saddle pad) is no longer available. The other two I really couldn't recommend for their advertised purposes at full price, tho both are pretty and look very nice (kastel shirts and gloves). Plenty of people are fine with the kastels in heat tho so again - your mileage may vary, and if you see something in that closeout ebay shop definitely go for it!

But hey, shopping stuff is fun, right? And don't we equestrians always have a running list of things we want etc etc? What's on your list?

33 comments:

  1. I think the Kastel shirts are useful more frequently in certain regions. If it's in the 90's and humid you will not catch me in one, but otherwise I love the sun protection and wear them any chance I get. Whenever I can find one on sale (hopefully this weekend!) I plan to pick up a short sleeve kastel to check that out too. Oh and dying for the show shirt...at least I have the excuse that all my show shirts are too big, lol.
    The Roeckl gloves are surprisingly hardy and may be worth a try next time. I have the black net backed ones and they are on their second summer of almost daily use and several times through the washer and still look good. Really they are the only brand I buy anymore.

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  2. Yea agreed on the kastels. And I have a pair of Roeckls already that are old and beat up and ready for retirement. These brown loves were too pretty to pass up. But alas. Pretty is as pretty does!

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  3. I was an SSG glove wearer for a long time, then I found Roeckl and have never turned back. Though the price for the Roeckls ($40-45ish) seems high, these gloves wear like iron, at least for me. They come in lots of nice colors (ahem, NAVY) and they are probably the only gloves I'll ever wear forever. So basically, the only thing I don't love about them is the price, but that's clearly not a dealbreaker because I may or may not own 4 pairs...

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    1. Lol yep I was actually looking for navy Roeckls at Rolex (as noted) but they were sold out in my size so I went with these other gloves. Comfort wise these SSGs are better than my current Roeckls but that doesn't matter much if they only last a couple months haha

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  4. I love my SSGs. However, like you, after a few months of wear my brown ones are trying to die. The extra layer of fabric needs to be between the pinky and ring finger, not thumb and pointer. The white pair I got for shows is still in awesome condition... considering I only use them at shows haha. I'm super pleased with the Horze pad I got the other day, seems like a nice brand. And that's the way of it- you find something you like and suddenly it's discontinued.

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    1. Upon second look, yours do have the extra layer there. I have a different version that does not. Perhaps it should be anywhere the reins touch your fingers, you know?

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    2. Yea the leather backs of these gloves are holding up fine (and so pretty!) but the material on the palms is just... Not sufficient for every day use. Maybe I will lay them aside before they get too tattered for using exclusively at shows?

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  5. I find the Kastel shirts superior to sleeveless shirts if you wet them down. I find myself spraying the sleeves between rides (along with the horses!) to keep them super cooled. I also appreciate that they keep the bugs off of me on trail rides, and that I don't have to feel my skin literally burn off of my body.

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    1. Inneresting idea about wetting them down. Makes sense too. The days that I've committed to wearing them all day it's been fine - my second guessing usually happens when I first put the shirt on and get hot immediately while still inside my apartment. Maybe needs more testing. Idk. Haha.

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  6. I would recommend buying a seam ripper. I have some for sewing projects and I take them to pretty much every horse product that arrives at my house and offends me with its large branding. Unless you want to pay to sponsor me, I'm not riding around advertising your product for you. So I pull all those tags off.

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  7. I love all the Horze saddle pads I have (which is...3? 4?) because they're long enough for my really, really forward jump saddle and accommodate my horses' high withers well. I constantly have to talk myself out of buying more of them at work!

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    1. Yea I'm super happy with them! The size is perfect and I think they really cute in a sporty kinda way

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  8. Man, those Kastel shirts are the only things that get me through our Texas summers. Over 90 with awful humidity is perfect for them, since I end up sweating through the fabric and then it's oh so cooling. Every little hint of breeze is like a mini blast of AC. I don't like them as much when it's borderline hot and I'm not sweating balls... they aren't as cool if you aren't REALLY sweating (I am a fantastic sweater). If I try to ride in a tank top I'm burned in 5 minutes because there is no sunscreen in the world that can outlast the level of sweat that I produce. Like Austen said, I will wet the arms down sometimes to really unlock the cooling power of the fabric.

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    1. Hm ok so what I'm hearing here is that I need to give them more of a chance. The days I've worn the shirts have honestly been ok tho I do get pretty sweaty. But I guess that's part of the process?

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  9. I'm with Amanda. I was puzzled about the shirt because I regularly wear mine in +90 with tons of humidity and don't have a heat problem. But I sweat a ton. Like a disgusting amount, which probably is why I love them so much.
    That sucks about the gloves. I need to replace my current pair soon, so I've been keeping an eye out for some to try.

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    1. Lol I was kinda surprised at how much the kastel shirts *show* sweat too tho. Like. For sporty gear you'd think they wouldn't show the huge pit marks so easily? Haha idk. I've got a bunch of them now tho so might as well keep testing!

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    2. Oh it's terrible how much they show sweat. I get smiley faces on my back from the sweat. It's a lovely look... :D
      But I wear them because I don't remember to reapply sunscreen and I don't want skin cancer.

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    3. Yeah, the Icefil part of the shirts really isn't activated until they're wet... that's when the best cooling happens. Not super attractive, but my sweaty shirt is probably the least of my problems in the summer (lookin at you, sweaty crotch).

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    4. lolz yeeeeeeeah ok so we are all cut from the same cloth here haha. glad we got that covered! but ok you two (and others) (and my perpetually sunburnt shoulders) have me convinced to keep giving them a good ol' fashioned try. in fact, i actually have an extra little mini spray bottle that could be specifically purposed for spritzing down me and the horse pre-ride....

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  10. Oh my god I've been drying my Kastels. Don't push me off the plank!

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    1. haha yea i'm like, the cruelest laundress of all. i'll be the last one to point fingers at anyone else!!

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  11. I have the SSG hybrids in black and the brown. I do like them a lot and I think they look great. (I'm like you- I saw them and HAD to have them) But mine are also wearing similar to yours and I'm not quite sure how much they will last now that I'm riding more than once a week.

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    1. so sad, right? :'( it's always the prettiest ones....

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  12. Now that I don't have a horse i keep eyeing my want list and thinking 'damn i can do some damage now' but then not having a horse takes some of the fun out of it lol

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    1. lol i actually feel a lot like you in that regard.... hopefully the feeling won't last tho and you'll have a new fun equine to dote on soon enough!!

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  13. If you like fun contoured pads, have you ever tried the HighPoint pads? I reviewed them a few weeks back, and although I have the dressage cut ones, they do come in AP! I love them. Simple but elegant! :)

    I'm also dying to try the Kastels, but gahhhhh the price.

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  14. i had the same problem with those gloves and ig ot so mad bc they were so cute and i wanted to lovethem so much and i was like Y U NO HOLD UP SSG

    so im just continuing to use the stupid $15 schooler gloves. that are labeled with right and left since im a 3 year old and cant do it.

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  15. With you on the long sleeves...idk what I'm doing wrong but not loving the feel. Or the sweat marks! The second pic of you two is great, by the way...izzy looks so keen and cute!

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  16. When it's super hot out, I actually like wearing my Kastels, buuuuut I hose down the sleeves and put a bunch of water on the back of my neck, and then the shirt works like AC while I ride. Plus it does wick the water away instead of a cotton shirt that just stays gross when it's sweaty. Just a thought. Also all of mine have gone through the dryer several times because I forget to read the tags. They seem to have done ok with no shrinkage or damage. Lol.

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  17. I admit, I also bought some Kastels from the same outlet seller. And of course I have worn them but not riding because I keep forgetting. I am such a fashion no-no lol. Wish they came in my eventing colors, but alas.
    SSGs are my go-to but I use only the All Weather and ProShow Winter gloves for schooling. The All Weather last 1-2 seasons for me, which is pretty good considering my abuse of them. Alas, though, they are not ever fashionable (see above for my fashion level).

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  18. I haven't tried the Kastel brand of sun shirts now.. I have a few Ariats and love the idea - but like you, if its super humid I just can't do the long sleeves. For most hot days in my area though I don't even notice the sleeves. - but after just reading Amanda's comment maybe I need to sweat more haha

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  19. Those gloves are my favourite! They just don't hold up to regular wear though. I was trying to open the velcro on mine one day and instead of opening the glove ripped. Sad.

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