Royal Robbins Diablo Long Sleeve Shirt Review
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Royal Robbins and his wife Liz are legends in the rock climbing world with many first ascents and notable climbs to their names. As pioneers in American climbing during the 60s, they spent much of their time outdoors wearing clothing not particularly well suited to active pursuits. In 1967, Liz Robbins was the first woman to climb Yosemite’s Half Dome and as the story goes she looked at what they were wearing in the summit photo and decided they needed to get into the apparel business. She stitched up a pair of shorts that was comfortable, durable, and even looked good, and the rest, as they say, is history. Today, the company makes clothing that embodies that original pair of shorts’ goals by moving, drying, packing, and wearing well. This is our Royal Robbins Diablo Long Sleeve shirt review. The Diablo LS is that great blend of a shirt that can work for both ‘dressy’ and technical performance situations. Read on to see what I thought of it.
Style:
The photos on the Royal Robbins website don’t do the Diablo Long Sleeve justice, as it is a very good looking shirt that has garnered a lot of compliments. The deep blue color I reviewed is a sort of blend of light denim and dark blue navy that is hard to describe but is quite stylish. The style is such that the shirt can easily transition from the trail to the restaurant for happy hour. The best testament to how the Royal Robbins Diablo Long Sleeve looks is that my girlfriend absolutely loved it when she saw it on me!
The Diablo Long Sleeve is very versatile and looks good at a summer concert.
I found myself wearing the Diablo Long Sleeve in all sorts of situations, including boating in Montana.
A subtle Royal Robbins logo is on the upper portion of the back near the collar.
Fit, Feel, and Performance:
The Royal Robbins Diablo Long Sleeve has a nice cut to it that fits athletic builds well and maintains a fitted look while allowing room for movement. I wore my standard large size (42-44 chest) and felt it was true to size. Right of the bat, when you feel the fabric of this shirt, you will be excited to wear it because it simply oozes comfort. It’s a soft touch fabric that is great on the skin and lightweight. Royal Robbins chose to blend polyester with 50% Sorona fibers, which are both renewable and bluesign Approved, meaning they are at least 90% composed of fabrics that have been certified under the strict safety and environmental requirements of the bluesign® criteria. This blend of materials leads to a fabric that is lightweight and wrinkle resistant and has quick drying properties. The Diablo Long Sleeve shirt had that nice lightweight feel that cotton simply can’t match. The fabric did prove to be good at resisting wrinkles when I threw it in a bag without folding and took it out later to little effect. I’ve now worn the Diablo shirt on a number of hikes as well as a fly-fishing outing and I really appreciate the extra ventilation in the back and under the arms when it gets hot out. The ventilation is in the form of a sort of mesh that doesn’t really look like mesh unless you look really close; it works great and doesn’t make the shirt look overtly ‘techy’. Overall, the shirt felt amazing and performed well for outdoor pursuits.
Inside of the shirt, you can see the mesh in the back panel.
From the outside, you have to look very close to see the mesh on the back panel.
Royal Robbins Diablo Long Sleeve Review Summary:
The Diablo Long Sleeve is an excellent multipurpose shirt for the active lifestyle. It feels great when you wear it and performs well in a variety of scenarios. Royal Robbins gave it a nice style that looks good wherever you bring it and they offer the shirt in four colors including light pewter, aloe, deep blue, and desert. The Diablo Long Sleeve is available at a very reasonable price. Learn more at www.moosejaw.com/royalrobbins or www.amazon.com/royalrobbins.
