Review: Dakine Women's Xena 3/4 Sleeve Jersey

Recently I got the chance to review some new gear from Dakine, including the shirt seen here: the Women’s Xena 3/4 sleeve jersey. Like most sports shirts these days, it’s made of a quick-drying polyester with antimicrobial technology. The shirt has 3/4 length sleeves and mesh side panels.

With these, you can use the shirt all summer long: it will protect your arms from sunburns while also keeping you cool.

Some other features of the shirt include an interior sunglass wipe on the left side and a high scoop neckline. The neckline is great for sun protection, but honestly I wouldn’t mind it being lower or more of a V-neck.

I ordered a medium and it fit great. It wasn’t too loose, but I still had complete range of motion. The length of the shirt is another thing I really like about it. It comes down to my hips and stays in place. It’s supposed to be the “Freeride” fit and honestly, no matter what you’re riding, this shirt isn’t going to get in your way or ride up. I don’t like clothes that I have rearrange, so finding a shirt that is long enough to cover my back and stay in place is great.

At the end of our ride yesterday, even though I knew I’d been sweating, the shirt was completely dry. In the dead of summer in the desert you’ll usually catch me wearing just a cotton t-shirt because I think they keep me cooler, but in spring and fall I really prefer shirts with this quick-drying technology.

The 3/4 length sleeves are perfect for this time of year. When winds can make it seem chillier than it is, a little extra sleeve length is welcome, and when the sun is out in full-force, that extra bit of length can protect me from sunburns. In fact, on my most recent outing in this shirt, that was the whole reason I wore it: I’d gotten a sunburn on my shoulders the day before, and knew I could wear this shirt and stay both cool and protected from the sun.

This is why my favorite feature of this shirt is the mesh. Those side panels make the shirt so breathable that it can be worn even on the hottest of days.

Overall this is a great shirt to add to my collection of bike gear. It retails for $45 and can be purchased here.

Thanks to Dakine for letting us review their awesome women’s line!