BuffUSA Arm Sleeves

One of the best features about these sleeves is the protection from the sun (40 SPF+), ideal for sunny/hot conditions. When I received the sleeves, the first test of them was in the Lincoln Half-Marathon. I received the sleeves the day before the race so I did not have time to test them before the race as I would have liked (breaking the *never try anything new you haven’t tried before the race rule). The Buff sleeves did help me during the race in keeping the sun away, keeping my arms dry, and my arms felt stabilized/supported throughout the race. There is a stabilizing effect that you notice wearing these when running.

My experience with compression gear has been pretty positive, mainly I have used compression socks/sleeves for my legs and/or compression shirts on occasion. I had never tried arm sleeves before.

It took a few days to become accustomed to the feel of the arm sleeves, you could feel the compression for the first few days. After that, I didn’t really notice it.

One issue for people with GPS watches: I did have to make sure to pull the sleeve back a little on the left (Garmin) side so the sleeve did not block my Garmin Fenix 3HR from reading my heart rate. There were a few days during the testing period where my Garmin garbled the data (one run was lost entirely) but I have been having issues with the Garmin and so I can’t say that it was from the arm sleeves. When I kept the sleeve pulled up higher on my arm, I did not have any problems.

When you first put on the sleeves, you may have to adjust on one side as there is a tag (with washing instructions) on one sleeve. Just tuck the tag in (or leave it out if you prefer, I liked to tuck it in) so it doesn’t irritate your arm.

There was only one day during the past month since the Half-Marathon that I didn’t test the sleeves. I think I just forgot to wear them the day after my race. Mostly I washed them every day, sometimes every other day. I wouldn’t recommend wearing them 3 days in a row without washing them. I tried that once (running laundry was stacking up) and there was residual sweat that irritated my arm on one side.

My skin is somewhat sensitive so I was curious how I would react to the sleeves and whether I would think they were comfortable or not. But I found the sleeves to be very comfortable except for the one occasion where I didn’t wash them for a few days. I tried leaving the sleeves on after running and I found that did seem to help a little with recovery. Some days I took the sleeves off right away. But after a few hours of wear, you’ll want to remove the sleeves. For a little while, you may see rings on your arms from the sleeves but those disappear pretty quickly. Sometimes you will notice rings in the sleeves when you first put them on. But if you adjust them upward on your arm, the rings pretty much disappear.

The sleeves stay in place well while running, I didn’t have to adjust them very much other than just minor adjustments to keep them clear of my Garmin watch.

The sleeves were very effective at wicking away sweat and keeping moisture away (rain occurred during the test). Also, on cooler days, the sleeves actually kept me warm (however, the sleeves I tested were for warmer weather). I did not have any issues with moisture/sweat saturating my arms during the test period.

Another thing I liked a lot about the sleeves is the supportive strength they provide. As I run with my dog a lot, our dog is constantly pulling at the leash. This is taxing to my arms. Wearing the sleeves, I was able to better control my dog on the leash and keep her near me. It’s a similar benefit to what I notice when I wear compression shirts. But some compression shirts are not long-sleeved so they don’t cover the arms.

Another benefit of wearing the sleeves is it cuts down on how much laundry you have to wash. You can create a long-sleeve shirt instantly by adding the sleeves to your short-sleeve shirt (or singlet/tank top). I found that sometimes I wasn’t wearing an extra layer when I would have otherwise because I was adding the sleeves.

During the test period, I did not get any visible sunburn or bug bites. I can’t say the same about my legs (mosquitoes are beginning to roam here in Nebraska). So one unexpected benefit was the ability to keep bugs from biting my arms. The sleeves seem to be tight enough fit that it keeps insects away.

I was excited to get blue sleeves. Blue is my favorite color, making it easy to compliment many other colors. The sleeves are available in many colors. Choose one you prefer.

Care of the sleeves is pretty simple: just wash regularly, I always washed them with unscented Tide with a laundry zipper bag. Then I dry them flat on a drying rack.

The sleeves were helpful in being used for other things too, like wiping grime and sweat off my Garmin watch so I could see it. Also, if it’s rainy/precipitation, the sleeves can be used as windshield wipers for your Garmin/GPS watch to keep it clear so you can see. I think I used the sleeves a few times to wipe rain/sweat off my iPhone6 also.