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Reviews > Clothing > Base Layers and Undies > My Inspire Wear Sports Bra > Test Report by Erin FoudyMy Inspire Wear Sports Bra
Test Series By Erin Foudy Initial Report March 04, 2012 Field Report May 15, 2012 Long Term Report July 17th, 2012  (Picture from http://www.myinspirewear.com) Tester Info:
Backpacking Background: I started backpacking while working for the National Park service ten years ago. I have been a backcountry ranger/law enforcement ranger and served on search and rescue crews. I typically take two or more camping trips a month, year round. I appreciate light weight, but am not obsessed by it. I often carry a 30 lb (14 kg) pack and stay out from three to nine days at a time. I also enjoy day trips with only water on my back. I take trips to Colorado and Montana in the summertime and enjoy the outdoors there as well. Product Information and Specifications:
  Description: The My Inspire Sports Bra arrived packaged in a clear plastic container that allowed me to see the bra with its inspirational message clearly printed on front. The package also had a card stock banner that wrapped around the bra inside the plastic container that showcased the company logo, along with all the benefits of the bra, the style, and fabric type on the front. On the back was a sizing chart, eco-friendly and USDA organic labels, the product website, and what the bra is intended for. In addition, on the back was the message that a portion of the company's proceeds are donated to breast cancer prevention organizations. The My Inspire Sports Bra is constructed from 67% viscose from bamboo, 28% organic cotton, and 5% spandex. This bra is intended for low or medium impact activities such as hiking, bicycling, or yoga. The bra is pink in color and has the word "courage" printed in teal across the chest. The back of the bra has a racer back cut with "my inspire wear" printed in green and purple on the upper back fabric. The inside back of the bra is tag-less, meaning the info typically found on a tag such as size, washing instructions, and fabric material is printed on the inside layer of fabric.   Upon removing the bra from the packaging, I immediately noticed how nice the fabric felt. The website and the packaging list the fabric as having the benefit of being soft, and I would definitely concur. I was also very pleased to see that there was no tag. Often tags can create irritation and chaffing, especially in clothing that is meant to be worn during exercise. On many occasions I have had to remove tags attached to my clothing and then have been forced to guess how it should be washed because the washing instructions were located on the tag I removed and no longer had. I am also extremely pleased that the bra is primarily made of bamboo; not only is it an eco-friendly resource but bamboo has many other great benefits as a fabric such as wicking qualities, thermo-control, and softness. The day after I received the bra in the mail I had rugby practice so I decided to give the bra a whirl. As stated above, this bra is slated for low to medium impact. Rugby is a full contact running sport and is definitely high impact. However, it also says on the website that women with smaller cup sizes would have the support needed during high impact exercises. During practice we do a lot of running and sprinting but also have some extended periods of practice where we work on specific skills where there is no exertion. I was very pleased with the wicking abilities of the bra during times of low to no exertion; I never got cold or uncomfortable from sweat. I also had no complaints when it came to support. So far so good for the My Inspire Sports Bra. Summary: The My Inspire Sports Bra seems to be a comfortable supportive sports bra, made of a material with many positive qualities. I am anxious to test this bra further to see how it holds up to longer day trips as well as extended backpacking trips. Pros: 1. Soft material 2. No tag 3. Wicking ability 4. Good support Cons: None so far. Field Conditions: I wore the My Inspire Wear Sports Bra on three multi-day overnight trips and on several day hikes. In addition, I wore this bra during at least ten 2-hour rugby practices, and three 80-minute rugby games. Santa Rita Mountains, south of Tucson, Arizona. The elevation ranged from 5,400 ft to 9,453 ft (1,646 m to 2,881 m) on top of Mt. Wrightson. Temperatures ranged from the low 50s F to the mid 70s F. (10 C to 21 C) I hiked around 20 m (32 km) during a two day one night trip. Coconino National Forest in northern Arizona. Elevation ranging from 9,600 ft to 12,643 ft (2,926 m to 3,854 m) on top of Mt. Humphreys. Temperatures ranged from 32 F to 65 F (0 C to 18 C). This trip was a 2-night, 3-day trip backpacking excursion. Rincon range of Saguaro National Park East in Tucson, Arizona. Elevation ranging from 4,240 ft to 6,160 ft (1,292 m to 1,878 m). Temperatures ranged from 32 F to 80 F (0 C to 27 C). This trip was over 3-days, and 2-nights with one base camp.   My Inspire Wear Bra after two months of wear.
Performance in the Field:Thus far, I am very impressed with the My Inspire Wear bra. I don't believe I have ever paid such close attention to how sports bras perform, and in comparing this bra to others in my rotation, it is hands down the best sports bra I own. I have found this bra to be superior in several areas; comfort, odor resistance, wicking ability, durability and support.  This
bra has remained silky soft after several wearings and washings.
The bra is neither too loose nor too tight. Where other sports
bras I own become uncomfortable after a few hours, often leaving me
anxious to be free of them, this bra I have actually slept in on
overnight backpacking trips and have been quite comfortable. One thing I am not only impressed with but also bewildered by is the odor resistant quality of this bra. I use an all natural laundry detergent that has no added odor so I am assuming it is the bamboo's natural odor I am smelling when I notice a sweet, fresh scent to the bra. The amazing thing is that this bra retains this clean smell even after a long rugby game in the Arizona heat or an extended backpacking trip. In fact, the My Inspire Wear Bra is so odor resistant that I have had a hard time telling if the bra has been laundered or not. I have been very pleased with the wicking abilities of this bra. I have hiked in temperatures that felt cool, cold, and hot to me, and during many of my hiking and backpacking trips I experienced a wide array of temperatures during a single outing. This bra has kept me very comfortable. I have had problems in the past with other sports bras chafing or even leaving a rash due to my skin being in contact with wet fabric over extended periods. I never once experienced this issue wearing this bra. Over the last two months of heavy use this bra has retained its bright pink color and is showing no signs of wear. I was a bit curious to see if the tag-less washing instructions printed on the inside back panel of the bra would fade, so far it looks just as good as the day I received the bra. I have not noticed any fraying or issues with the seams of the bra, or noticed any thinning of the fabric. The My Inspire Wear Bra states that this bra is meant for low to medium impact exercise. In playing several rugby games while wearing this bra, and often times running when coming back down a steep trail, I have absolutely no complaints about the support the My Inspire Wear Bra provides. However, I do have a smaller cup size and the website does mention that women with smaller cup sizes should be fine for higher impact exercise. Summary: The My Inspire Wear Sports Bra has performed extremely well for me during several backpacking trips, day hikes, and in playing the sport of rugby. The bra has provided a comfortable, supportive fit while exercising in varied conditions over extended trips. Pros: 1. Comfortable 2. Odor resistant 3. Wicking ability 4. Supportive Cons: None!! Field Conditions: I wore the My Inspire Wear Sports Bra on at least three day hikes while vacationing in the White Mountains of northeastern Arizona, as well as during one very nice backpacking trip. However, our planned trips in the Colorado Springs area were cancelled due to the Waldo Canyon Fire and due to my boyfriends grandmother, who we stay with in the area, being placed on pre-evacuation orders. Not to mention that most of the national forest around Colorado Springs has been closed indefinitely. Once the fire was mostly contained we were able to get in a few short day hikes, but no overnights. Mount Baldy Wilderness, northeastern Arizona. The elevation ranged from 9,394 ft to 11,414 ft (2,863 m to 3,479 m) near the top of Mount Baldy (non tribal members are not allowed to summit). Temperatures ranged from the mid 40s F to the mid 70s F (10 C to 21 C). I hiked 17 m (27km) during a two day one night trip.   The My Inspire Bra looks just as good now as the day I received it! Performance in the Field: Unfortunately, I did not get to test this bra in the field nearly as much as I would have liked during the long term testing phase, though I did wear the bra more often than any other bra I have ever owned. The My Inspire Wear bra continues to be the most comfortable bra in my rotation; I find myself grabbing it out of the dirty clothes pile even when there are clean bras to wear, it is that comfortable. When I was able to use this bra on day hikes and my one overnight, it performed beautifully. The bra never chaffed, didn't hold odor, and continued to feel incredibly soft. While in the White Mountains I did get soaked during a pretty good monsoon storm on our trip up Mount Baldy, the bra was pretty saturated but for the most part dried in a reasonable amount of time. It was mostly dry by the time we reached and set up camp, and dry enough by bedtime that I slept in the bra with out any comfort issues. As I stated above, our trip to Colorado did not go as planned. We arrived to record breaking heat and a fire that was out of control. Being from Tucson I am pretty used to high heat conditions, however, I am also used to having some type of cooling device, be it a swamp cooler or an air conditioner, in order to have some reprieve from the heat. Colorado homes are typically not equipped for the extreme and sustained heat that this summer delivered. Due to the uncomfortable heat in and outside of the house and the fact that we might be evacuated at any moment with only the important things we could carry, I lived in the My Inspire Wear bra. During this time there was little sleep to be had due to the incredible heat and the stress of the fire. I can't emphasize enough how nice it was to have something comfortable to wear that I could literally wear for days and not need to worry about it smelling, chaffing, or stretching out and loosing its support. Summary: The My Inspire Wear Sports Bra is hands down my favorite sports bra, I will seek it out whenever I find that I need or want to wear a sports bra, at times even going so far as to pull it out of the dirty clothes. During the entire testing phase I never noticed it smell bad even when it was long overdue for a cleaning. I wore this bra during intense Rugby games and practices, day hikes, backpacking trips, and during extended periods of extreme heat. I gave this bra a run for its money and it more than met my expectations. The bra is showing no noticeable signs of wear, all the seams still look good, the colors have not faded, and the bra continues to provide excellent support. In my opinion the My Inspire Wear Sports Bra is a quality product. Pros: 1. Comfortable 2. Odor resistant 3. Wicking ability 4. Supportive Cons: None!! This concludes my Long-Term Test Report and this test series. Thanks to My Inspire Wear and BackpackGearTest.org for allowing me to participate in this test. Read more gear reviews by Erin Foudy Reviews > Clothing > Base Layers and Undies > My Inspire Wear Sports Bra > Test Report by Erin Foudy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||